第13章 死人

If not for Steward Li asking him to instruct Shen Chu that day, and if not for Shen Chu clashing with him, he would never have seized the opportunity to leave the Li Family.

If he had not left the Li Family, he would never have fallen to this miserable state today!

The root of everything was that damned Steward Li and Shen Chu!

Just as Han Tieshan was immersed in boundless resentment, a low, rhythmic sound suddenly echoed in his ears:

"Tribulation fire births the Red Lotus, the clear and the turbid trade places in the human world; the dynasty accumulates a hundred sorrows, the Primordial Transformation ferries all living beings!"

"Han Tieshan, your resentment runs deep. Only by joining our Red Lotus Sect can you attain true liberation!"

Han Tieshan jerked his head up to see a group of people standing at the entrance.

The man in the lead had a face devoid of joy or sorrow; the words had come from him.

Behind him followed a crowd of refugees, their faces filled with fanaticism!

After the incident with Han Tieshan that day, Shen Chu finally settled down in the Li Family.

His daily life was extremely disciplined. He forged blades by day and practiced boxing in private, never stepping out of the main gate or the secondary gate, rooted in the Li Family like a wooden stake.

Although Li Chengwen had developed some favor toward Shen Chu because of the affair with Li Jiwu, he had not paid much attention to him at first.

But as time passed, he discovered that Shen Chu was vastly different from the others.

When others had free time, they would gather to drink, gamble, and gossip, but Shen Chu never participated.

The only other person who did not participate was Sun Ping. The two of them simply stayed in the Sword-Forging Courtyard, silently hammering and forging blades.

"This Master Sun, and this Shen Chu, they are truly diligent in their work," Li Chengwen remarked privately to Steward Li.

Steward Li seized the opportunity to advise: "Eldest Young Master, the whole business with Han Tieshan, in the end, was because we were too negligent in looking after the masters below, which gave the Second Young Master an opening. Now that Master Sun has been promoted to a low-grade weapon smith and Shen Chu is a steady, hardworking seedling, why doesn't the Eldest Young Master take this opportunity to win over the hearts of the people in the Sword-Forging Courtyard?"

Li Chengwen rarely listened to such advice, but he took this to heart.

In the following days, he ran to the Sword-Forging Courtyard every few days, sometimes bringing wine and meat to comfort everyone, other times sitting down to chat about daily life with the masters. If he saw someone struggling with a heavy workload, he would take the initiative to order two more hands to help.

During the lunch break, several old blade-smiths sat together to eat.

One of them picked up a piece of braised pork, half-fat and half-lean, and clicked his tongue in wonder: "Hey, have you noticed? The Eldest Young Master seems like a different person lately. He runs over here every three days, and he doesn't even make us go to the canteen anymore; he sends people to deliver the food directly!"

Another laughed: "Isn't that the truth! In the past, the Eldest Young Master wouldn't come here a few times a year, and when he did, he always had a stern face. Now he's bringing wine and asking after our well-being; I'm actually a bit unused to it."

"Isn't this great?" the third person chimed in. "The Eldest Young Master treats us well, and we have more energy to work. It's better than before, when all the benefits were taken by Han Tieshan and his gang, and we couldn't even get a sip of soup."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the courtyard was filled with a harmonious atmosphere.

Steward Li stood not far away, listening to these words, and felt incredibly satisfied.

The Eldest Young Master was doing a good job, and he, as the steward, would naturally rise along with him. He had worked under the Eldest Young Master for so many years; he had finally seen the light of day.

In the evening, in high spirits, Steward Li invited a few old friends out for a drink.

They toasted each other until the moon hung over the willow branches. Steward Li, tipsy, said goodbye to everyone and swayed unsteadily toward the back gate of the Li Residence.

The night wind was cool, and the alley was empty.

Steward Li leaned against the wall, humming a little tune. Just as he turned the corner and reached a spot not far from the back gate of the Li Residence, everything went black before his eyes.

The next morning, at the first light of dawn.

A scream rang out in the alley behind the Li Residence, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Several servants who had gone out early to buy supplies found Steward Li lying on the bluestone road.

His complexion was normal, and there were no external injuries on his body, but his eyes were wide open, his pupils frozen in deep terror, as if he had seen something extremely horrifying before he died.

The news spread quickly. The authorities sent bailiffs who covered Steward Li's remains with a white cloth and set up a cordon around the area.

Several bailiffs stood to the side, talking in low voices.

"Brother, you've been in this line of work for decades. Have you ever seen a death like this?"

"Never. Not a single scratch on his body, and his clothes are neat and tidy. It doesn't look like he was beaten or struggled at all. But look at his eyes, wide as copper bells; he was clearly terrified."

"Could it be a haunting? Lately, around here..."

"Do you want to die? Stop talking nonsense! In my opinion, he probably drank too much and died of a sudden stroke. I've seen plenty of these. They look fine on the outside, but their internal organs have long since given out."

"But those eyes..."

"He had a spasm when he died. Muscles stiffen; it's normal that he couldn't close them."

As they were talking,

Master Li appeared in the lead, followed closely by Li Chengwen and Li Jiwu. The three of them walked out quickly.

Master Li's face was grave. He spoke a few words to the servants, his brows locked in a deep frown.

Li Chengwen crouched down directly, reaching out to lift the white cloth, but was stopped by a bailiff.

"Eldest Young Master, please accept my condolences. It is not appropriate to move the body right now."

Li Chengwen's hand froze in mid-air, and his eyes instantly turned red.

Although he usually bossed Steward Li around and scolded him at every turn, he knew in his heart that Steward Li was the person he trusted most.

If it weren't for Steward Li managing the affairs of the Sword-Forging Courtyard behind the scenes all these years, he would never have been able to hold his head up in front of his father.

"Old Li..."

Li Chengwen felt a pang of sorrow and called out in a low voice.

Li Jiwu, standing to the side, also stepped forward with a look of grief on his face. He patted Li Chengwen on the shoulder and sighed: "Big Brother, please grieve in moderation. Steward Li worked for our Li Family for most of his life; he served us with all his heart."

He spoke words of comfort, but in his heart, he was already overjoyed.

With Steward Li dead, his big brother had effectively lost an arm in the Sword-Forging Courtyard. This was simply heaven helping him.

Master Li took a deep breath and turned to the bailiffs: "Officers, have you found the cause?"

The lead bailiff cupped his hands and gave a perfunctory laugh: "Master Li, we have made a preliminary examination. Your steward has no injuries on his body, and it doesn't look like he was attacked. He was drinking last night, so in my opinion, it was likely excessive alcohol consumption leading to a drunken death. We see this kind of thing often; you need not worry too much."

The bailiff clearly did not want to cause any more trouble.

He was eager to close the case and simply offered the most convenient explanation.

Master Li frowned and lifted the white cloth to take another look.

Steward Li's eyes had closed at some point, and his facial expression had returned to a normal, peaceful state. He truly looked as if he had died from drink.