A Reversal! The Decisive Piece of Evidence!

Li Family Village.

It was a desolate, backward place. Lin Yue had pictured it before coming here.

But she had never imagined it could be this desolate!

It was ten thirty at night.

Not a single light shone from the houses clustered on the mountainside. Li Family Village looked like an abandoned graveyard deep in the woods, steeped in an eerie chill.

"Is there no electricity here?" Lin Yue asked as she got out of the car, frowning at the village in the distance.

Wang Chao got out too. He stepped onto the uneven dirt road and stamped his foot.

"They don't even have a paved road?"

Power-grid coverage and paved roads to every village were mandatory infrastructure projects in the Eastern Kingdom.

Yet Li Family Village had neither!

Then Wang Mei spoke quietly from the back seat:

"They had electricity at first."

"But people kept cutting down the wires and selling them. After it happened again and again, the power company had no choice but to put Li Family Village on hold."

"As for the road... no one wanted to contribute when they raised funds. Even when the village secretary offered to pay for it, people disrupted the work whenever construction crews came."

At that, Lin Yue and Wang Chao had no idea what to say. They could only stare at the buildings in the distance and sigh.

Xu De had no time to dwell on it. As soon as he got out, he said:

"Ms. Wang, wait in the car."

"Lawyer Lin, Wang Chao, let's go bring the child back."

"We can't waste time. Let's be back within half an hour."

He glanced at his watch, then set off toward Li Family Village.

Wang Chao and Lin Yue hurried after him.

There was a reason Wang Mei wasn't coming.

She had spent ten years here. Though she had been held captive, ninety percent of the villagers knew her.

And with Li Youcai and Liu Cui still away, anyone who saw Wang Mei sneaking back in the middle of the night could guess why she was here. It could easily spark an unnecessary confrontation!

If the three of them were spotted, it would raise suspicions, but as long as they weren't caught in the act, there would be no immediate conflict!

With that in mind—

Tap.

Xu De stepped into Li Family Village.

Tire tracks from the police minibus's last visit still marked the ground. Not far away lay a brown stain: the spot where Li Erniu had died.

Xu De looked around, got his bearings, and crept forward.

On the way, Wang Chao asked, "Hey, Lawyer Xu, do you know where the kid is?"

He was so excited that his whole body felt hot and his blood seemed to boil. Watching Xu De's back disappear into the darkness, he couldn't help lowering his voice.

Xu De answered without looking back:

"I asked around before the trial."

"When Li Youcai and Liu Cui stay in the city, they leave the child with someone they're close to in the village. The place is..."

Wang Chao's expression turned odd.

What kind of lawyer asked where the opposing party's child lived before a trial?

Shouldn't he have been gathering evidence instead?

But Wang Chao had no time to think further.

Before he knew it, Xu De had stopped. Still distracted, Wang Chao walked straight into him and stumbled.

"Hey, why'd you stop?"

Rubbing his head, Wang Chao looked up at him in confusion.

Xu De didn't answer directly. He stared at the dilapidated tile-roofed house before them, built of mud and straw, his gaze sharpening.

"This is it."

Only then did Wang Chao and Lin Yue notice the house hidden in the dark.

It looked much like a rural earthen house from the 1980s. Inside its thick mud walls stood several thatched rooms arranged around a courtyard. The iron gate was shut tight, and not a sound came from within.

Wang Chao pressed his ear to the gate. After listening for a while, he turned back.

"Nothing. They're probably out."

Xu De put a hand on the gate. The next second...

Creak.

It opened a finger's width, then would not budge. They could just make out a small padlock on the outside that Wang Chao had missed.

"Locked from the outside, with no bolt inside. The adults have gone out, but the child should still be in there," Xu De concluded.

In the countryside, adults often locked children at home when they went out. A locked gate didn't mean the child was gone too.

"Hey, I'll hop in and look for a key."

Once he heard no one was there, Wang Chao was eager to try.

He looked around, picked a spot, backed up a little, then broke into a run.

Tap! Tap!

He planted two steps against the wall and vaulted over it. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

At the sight, Xu De—who had dominated the courtroom—froze. He glanced at Lin Yue, hesitant.

"Has Lawyer Wang... always been this agile?"

It was pitch-black, and the wall wasn't low. Even a thief might have struggled to clear it that easily!

"Don't ask." Lin Yue covered her face and sighed.

Xu De let it drop.

A moment later, rustling came from inside the gate.

Then...

Clack!

A small square hatch in the gate swung open, and a hand reached out.

The hand felt around the gate until it found the padlock. Its fingers worked at the lock, and then...

Click!

The lock opened.

Creak.

The gate swung open. Wang Chao stood inside, grinning and waggling his eyebrows at them.

Xu De stared at him in surprise.

"You found the key that fast?"

Wang Chao shook his head. "Nope."

Then he smirked and spread his palm. Lying in it was... a piece of wire!

He had... picked the lock!

Xu De stared in disbelief at the man who had dreamed of getting into a top university through the college entrance exam.

"Go on, Lawyer Xu. Don't mind me," Wang Chao said quickly, turning toward the spot where he had climbed over the wall.

He hurried back across the courtyard, climbed out the same way, and returned to the gate.

Then he walked in through the front entrance.

Seeing Xu De and Lin Yue staring at him in the courtyard, he explained:

"You're supposed to use the front door when entering someone else's home. Climbing the wall is rude."

Xu De: ...

"Very... considerate."

Xu De's lips moved for a moment before he raised a thumb.

"Right. Let's find the child."

He took a deep breath and steered them back to the task at hand. But it took no effort, because...

"No need to look."

Lin Yue suddenly raised a hand and pointed toward the window of one of the rooms.

"Over there."

The two men looked through the window from the gate.

Pressed against the dark window was a small, round face. Bright eyes quietly studied them.

Xu De paused and checked their surroundings. Once he was sure no one else was there, he walked over.

Up close, the adult and child stared at each other, each sizing up the other.

Xu De hadn't seen the boy on his last visit, but the child resembled Wang Mei and Wang Qiang enough to leave no doubt of the family connection.

His name was Li Yang.

He was six years old and dressed in worn clothes, but his eyes were remarkably clear.

Li Yang neither cried nor made a fuss. He didn't even look afraid, only curious.

After a few seconds, Xu De looked down at him and asked:

"When did you see us?"

Li Yang tipped his head back. "When that man climbed over the wall."

Before Xu De could ask anything else, Li Yang scrambled toward the open window, held out his arms, and said:

"Let's hurry up and go."

"Do you know why we're here?" Xu De asked.

"It's so late, and you climbed a wall, picked a lock, and went looking for a kid... Of course I know. You came for me, right?"

"I've seen you before. My ma went with you last month..."

Li Yang spoke like a little adult, but his voice suddenly dropped.

"Does my ma still cry? Does she get good food to eat? Big brother, can you tell her something for me? Tell her that when I grow up, nobody'll dare hit her or bully her anymore."

The first half of that had sounded a little off to Xu De. The boy made him sound like a child trafficker.

He let it pass. Looking at the boy's young face, he said bluntly:

"No more questions. Come with me. I'll take you to your ma."

Li Yang's eyes lit up, but he quickly added:

"Wait a moment. I hid lots of candy. I'll bring it for my ma..."

Xu De had no patience for delays.

"Leave it. I'll buy you more once we're out of the village!"

He caught Li Yang as the boy turned away, scooped him up, and ran. Within a few strides, he was through the gate.

Lin Yue followed close behind.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Wang Chao stayed at the gate, busying himself with the lock. "We have to lock up! Leaving it open would be rude!"

He fumbled the gate shut and locked it. After a moment's thought, he slipped the piece of wire back through the gap.

Wang Chao wasn't a Party member, but he firmly believed in "not taking so much as a needle or a thread from the people!"

Only then did he put his head down and chase after Xu De and Lin Yue.

It was now 10:48 p.m.

Most of Li Family Village's residents had gone to sleep. Whether along the village road or down the lanes, only solitary, unconnected utility poles stood on either side. In the dark, they looked like figures watching the group leave.

The three hurried along. The road was so full of ruts and potholes that they couldn't see where to step and had to rely on luck.

Xu De nearly fell several times, but managed to steady himself.

Lin Yue fell repeatedly and bloodied herself, yet made no sound. She just kept her head down and followed.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

In the still of the night, their breathing faded along the deserted road.

Holding Li Yang, Xu De stared at the village entrance drawing ever closer. His breathing grew heavier, until...

Abruptly, his steps slowed. At the entrance, he stopped.

There...

Two figures carrying something appeared beside the entrance, directly in their path. They visibly froze when they saw the three of them.

Just then, the clouds veiling the moon parted. Pale moonlight fell across both groups.

They were...

Two villagers from Li Family Village, the couple who looked after Li Yang on his behalf: Li Sheng and Li Li!

They stood at the village entrance with hoes over their shoulders. They stared at Xu De and the other two in disbelief before their gazes finally fell on Li Yang in Xu De's arms.

"What're you doing?"

Li Sheng's pupils contracted. He gripped his mud-stained hoe and eyed the three of them warily.

This is bad!

Behind Xu De, Lin Yue and Wang Chao's hearts sank.

They had been spotted. They had reached the village entrance and could still run, but if a fight broke out... there was no telling what kind of offense this would become!

The two cursed inwardly.

Damn it. We were just thinking we couldn't get caught in the act... Why did it have to happen?

Fortunately...

Li Sheng and Li Li had not figured out what was going on. Instead of shouting for the other villagers, they blocked the road like a pair of gate guardians, their eyes wary.

Xu De and the others did not move either.

The two sides stood locked in a standoff beneath the night sky. Only the cold wind howled.

As everyone weighed their next move...

Suddenly...

Xu De moved.

He took a deep breath, set the child on the ground, then approached the couple step by step, his expression grave.

Every hair on Li Sheng's and Li Li's bodies stood on end, as though they sensed danger.

"Stop!" Li Sheng barked.

Xu De took a few more steps forward.

Li Sheng retreated half a step, every muscle taut. He glared at Xu De and warned him again. "Come any closer and we'll call everyone over!"

Xu De kept advancing until they were almost face-to-face.

Then he slipped a hand into his coat, as if about to pull something out.

Panic surged through Li Sheng. Every instinct screamed that he was in danger. Just as he opened his mouth to shout...

In a blur...

Xu De pulled something from his coat. It was...

Under the moonlight, a stack of banknotes gleamed red in his hand.

Hundred-yuan bills!

By a rough count, there were at least several thousand yuan!

Li Sheng stopped dead before he could call out. Beside him, Li Li froze too.

The standoff resumed, but this time it did not last long.

Smack!

Expressionless, Li Sheng took the money and handed half to Li Li.

The two then stepped to the side of the road, turned their backs on the three, and pretended they had seen nothing.

"Phew..."

Xu De let out a breath. He immediately beckoned with the hand behind his back, signaling the others to hurry.

Lin Yue and Wang Chao clearly had not expected the problem to be resolved so quickly, but they wasted no time. They picked up the child and headed out.

As they passed Xu De...

He was about to follow them when he paused and glanced at Li Sheng and Li Li from the corner of his eye.

Three thousand yuan was enough to buy them off... If their scruples are that weak...

His eyes flickered, and the foot he had raised came to a halt.

Then he suddenly asked:

"Lawyer Wang, what's generally considered the worst thing people do in the countryside?"

Wang Chao slowed and looked back, puzzled. Though he did not know why Xu De was asking, he answered:

"Preying on a family with no one left to defend it, I'd say."

Wang Chao went on casually:

"If a family has no children, or all its young and middle-aged men are dead, leaving only a widow and her children or a couple of elderly people, they have a hard time fending it off."

The moment he said that...

At the village entrance, Li Sheng and Li Li, who had been about to leave, stopped.

No children at home. Only the elderly left...

A gleam appeared in both their eyes. Neither took another step.

Xu De walked slowly on, speaking with a sigh:

"True. It's an entire household's worth of property, with practically no one to protect it. If someone sets their sights on it, two elderly people can hardly hold them off."

Then...

He changed tack.

"In the Wang Qiang case, the victim Li Erniu's parents, Li Youcai and Liu Cui, fit that description rather well."

"Tsk. That family owns quite a bit. Their yard is twice the size of most people's, and the land they were allotted is especially fertile. You should see it. You could practically scatter seeds at random and reap a bumper harvest!"

"It was one thing while Li Erniu was alive. But now that he's dead..."

Li Erniu had been powerfully built and an intimidating presence. But he was dead now, his body long since rotted away.

Only Li Youcai and Liu Cui remained at home. Their one child who would grow up, Li Yang, now seemed about to be taken away. Which meant...

At the side of the road...

Li Sheng and Li Li's breathing grew shallow. They exchanged a glance and saw the same light in each other's eyes.

Just then...

Wang Chao shook his head in disagreement.

"Lawyer Xu, trying to take over their property could easily get someone killed."

"Honestly, it would be different if Li Youcai and Liu Cui were arrested for a crime. They couldn't get out, and with no one at home to look after the place, their property would be there for the taking."

"Even when they got out, they'd be too old to take revenge!"

"But the problem is..."

Wang Chao clapped his hands together helplessly.

"We can't get them locked up."

"If we had even the slightest piece of physical evidence, we could have them put away legally. But the truth is, we have none at all..."

He was right.

They could not get Li Youcai and Liu Cui locked up. The police had no way of knowing whether those two old people had taken part when Li Erniu bought Wang Mei years ago.

Wang Mei's word alone was nowhere near enough.

The people of Li Family Village could speak up for Li Youcai too. He could simply claim that Li Erniu had forced him and Liu Cui to keep watch over Wang Mei, shifting all the blame onto a dead man. They would not be considered accomplices or guilty of a crime.

"What a shame."

Xu De sighed deeply and shook his head.

Neither man said another word. They simply kept walking away.

Behind them, Li Sheng and Li Li turned and watched their retreating figures. They opened their mouths, then closed them, desperate to speak but unable to bring themselves to it. Their anxiety mounted, and their breathing grew faster.

Until...

Just as Xu De's figure was about to disappear into the shadows...

Li Li could not hold back any longer. She called out at once.

"Hey, uh, wait a second!"

"Li Youcai and his wife owe us money. They borrowed a thousand yuan from my mother ten years ago, and they still hadn't paid it back when she died!"

In the distance...

Xu De's next step faltered, then he resumed walking with an inward sigh.

An unpaid loan was a financial dispute. The court and police would only mediate it. What use was that to him? None at all.

But just as he thought that, she called after him again.

"I remember my mother telling me before she died that Li Youcai borrowed it to buy himself a daughter-in-law."

Li Li continued behind him:

"And it's right there in black and white on the IOU. It says the money was borrowed to buy a daughter-in-law, and they signed it and put their fingerprints on it!"

The instant her words fell...

Tap...

Xu De stopped in his tracks.

His heart, usually so steady, began pounding beyond his control, quickening like a drumbeat.

He turned to Li Sheng and Li Li, who were waiting anxiously for him. His breathing quickened. After a moment of stunned silence, he asked:

"You mean..."

"You have an IOU for the purchase, dated and bearing Li Youcai's and Liu Cui's fingerprints!?"

P.S. After thinking it over, I decided to release this whole stretch of the story at once. It'll leave me with a little less saved up, but at least you can read it without interruption.

Eight thousand characters today—the equivalent of four chapters from most authors during a new novel's launch!