Li Changxing sat motionless in his study, an arrow lodged in his forehead. Its arrowhead had pierced his skull and protruded from the back of his head. The blood covering his face had already congealed, and a pungent stench of blood filled the room. At the sight, Li Mingju cried out in heart-rending anguish, "Father..." His vision went black, and he toppled backward.
Hu Xiaotian, following behind him, hurriedly caught him and pressed the groove beneath his nose to bring him around. Li Mingju slowly regained consciousness. Seeing his father dead before him, he burst into tears, threw himself before the body, and clutched his father's knees. "Father! Father... wake up... please wake up..." he wailed.
Hu Xiaotian could hardly bear to look either. Judging by the state of Li Changxing's body, someone had killed him with a single arrow. His killer was very likely the same person who had ambushed Li Mingju outside the Sea-Rhyme Restaurant. Not daring to let his guard down, Hu Xiaotian went outside the study to inspect the surroundings. The night rain was light but unending, making visibility even worse.
The constables who had escorted Li Mingju hurried to report to Jian Tieshou. Before he had finished investigating the scene at the Sea-Rhyme Restaurant, Jian Tieshou had to rush to the Li Residence. The murder of the Bohai Kingdom's minister of justice was no small matter, and it sent a profound shock through the constables.
Hu Xiaotian remained at the Li Residence for over two hours. He had to cooperate with Jian Tieshou's investigation; after all, he had happened to be present at both crime scenes that night. Li Mingju wept as though heaven and earth had gone dark. His mother had died when he was young, and his father had never remarried. Father and