The Li Family's Sword

Returning from the director's office, Li Hao sat back down at his desk. He glanced at the calendar: July 12, 1730. "Almost a year," he murmured under his breath. Across from him, Chen Na asked curiously, "Almost a year for what?" Li Hao smiled and explained, "I was just saying it's been nearly a year since I joined the Inspectorate." "Oh, you sure have a good memory." Chen Na lost interest immediately. Who bothered keeping track of things like that? It was completely meaningless. Li Hao said nothing more. He remembered! He remembered with absolute clarity! On August 1, 1729, he had joined the Inspectorate. Just days before that, on July 23—the day after the incident—Li Hao had chosen to drop out of school. Soon afterward, he entered the Inspectorate. On July 22, 1729, a case of spontaneous human combustion had occurred at the Silver City Ancient Academy. Zhang Yuan, a second-year student at the academy, had spontaneously combusted right outside his dormitory, burned alive. To protect the reputation of the Silver City Ancient Academy, and because the Inspectorate's investigation had concluded it was indeed an accident, information regarding the matter had been sealed. Very few people ever knew a student had died at the academy. Of course, there was another reason it had never blown up into a major scandal: both of Zhang Yuan's parents were dead, and he had no surviving relatives or grieving family to demand justice, so the matter was swiftly buried. Afterward, when Li Hao withdrew from the academy, his mentor had also suspected it was connected to Zhang Yuan, knowing the two had shared a close relationship. *Zhang Yuan!* Li Hao whispered the name in his heart. It had been nearly a year since Xiao Yuan's death. That day's scene surfaced in his mind once more. A crimson blood shadow seemed to have seized Xiao Yuan's soul. Blood-red flames consumed his spirit, accompanied by agony, struggle, and utter despair—emotions invisible to anyone else, yet seen with piercing clarity by Li Hao. He had wanted to rush forward and stop it, but at that moment, Xiao Yuan's mouth had been opening and closing frantically. Enduring such extreme torment and utterly unable to make a sound, his lips had never stopped moving. Others might have assumed he was wailing in agony, but Li Hao alone knew better. *"Run!"* Yes, he was telling him to run. Li Hao knew Zhang Yuan too well! Zhang Yuan was telling him not to approach, telling him to flee. Zhang Yuan hadn't died inside his room. When he perished, he was wearing nothing more than a pair of boxers. It might have looked absurd to an outsider, but Li Hao had never found it funny in the least. When the incident occurred, Zhang Yuan had likely been preparing to sleep, yet amidst unimaginable agony, he had fled his room. The direction he had staggered toward was Li Hao's room! Unable to cry out, he had summoned every ounce of willpower to smash a floor tile. Only then, in the dead of night, had he created enough noise to draw people out to investigate, including Li Hao. Had Zhang Yuan been crying for help? Outsiders believed so, but Li Hao believed... he wasn't. He had been warning him. Zhang Yuan had escaped his room and caused a commotion solely to lure Li Hao out, silently mouthing that single word: "Run." It had never been a plea for rescue; it was a warning to escape. *Fourteen years,* Li Hao murmured silently again. He and Zhang Yuan had known each other for fourteen years. They weren't merely classmates of two years, as others assumed. They had known each other for fourteen years, classmates from childhood to adulthood—or rather, sworn brothers. Both of them were men of few words, and a bond between men never needed to be spoken aloud. Just as Zhang Yuan, in his final moments, had used astonishing willpower to drag himself outside for the sole purpose of delivering a message to Li Hao: *Run!* In the end, Zhang Yuan's spontaneous combustion was swept under the rug, passing without a ripple. As his close friend, naturally no one probed deeply into Li Hao either. *Xiao Yuan told me to run... Was it because of something he saw, something he heard, or simply pure terror? Or could it be... that Xiao Yuan knew the blood shadow's next target was me?* This was the question Li Hao had pondered over the course of the entire year. He couldn't fathom how much agony Zhang Yuan had endured, yet even in that moment, he had warned him. Li Hao felt it wasn't so simple. Perhaps... the blood shadow's next target was him! *Six victims. Adding me makes seven. What do we all have in common?* *Spanning ten years, the intervals have only gotten shorter. If you include me, seven people have nothing in common besides the connection between me and Zhang Yuan. Are these random targets, or is there a clear pattern?* Li Hao rubbed his temples lightly and leafed through the dossier before him. It contained the complete records of all six victims, compiled from various clues he had gathered through multiple channels over the past year. It had been ten years since the first death. Whether there were others before that, Li Hao had no way of knowing. Across a ten-year span, many details were exceedingly difficult to trace. *Gender? Age? Profession? Social standing? A mutual acquaintance?* Li Hao had pored over the papers before him countless times. He had never found any conventional commonality; these were six people who had nothing to do with one another. *Why did the blood shadow kill them? Did they pose a threat to it, or was there another purpose entirely?* Countless questions churned in Li Hao's mind. Of course, beneath his relentless investigation lay another motive... revenge! Zhang Yuan was dead. No one else cared, but Li Hao did. The Night Watchers were fraught with uncertainty. Had he not been completely unable to uncover viable clues or find an effective way to deal with a blood shadow invisible to ordinary people, Li Hao would never have pinned his hopes on the Night Watchers to destroy it. He would far rather butcher the creature himself! "Li Hao, looking at those people's files again?" Seeing Li Hao open that familiar folder once more, Chen Na couldn't resist asking from across the desk. Over the past year, she had seen him study that dossier countless times. It had grown thicker and thicker, its edges nearly worn to shreds by his fingers. Whenever she tried to sneak a peek, however, Li Hao would swiftly snap it shut. She had only ever caught fleeting glimpses showing personal records for several individuals. Li Hao looked up, offering an innocent smile. "Sister Na, just casually flipping through." "Pfft!" Chen Na scoffed dismissively. *Casually flipping through? You've been casually flipping through for almost a year! This kid can be quite slippery when he wants to be.* "You've been staring at it for so long, Li Hao. What are you actually trying to investigate? There are so many veteran inspectors here you could ask, yet you insist on burying your head and digging all by yourself. What can a rookie like you expect to find? Why don't you let me take a look? Maybe I can give you some advice. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Chen Na grinned teasingly. "How about it? Let me see!" She was genuinely curious! In the past, Li Hao hadn't wanted anyone to know he was investigating this matter out of fear of drawing the Red Shadow's attention. But now, having failed to make any progress, and having already reported the case to Wang Jie, there was no harm in letting Chen Na look. After a moment of thought, Li Hao said, "Alright, you can take a look, but don't bother anyone else with it." He didn't want too many people knowing he was paying attention to these cases. Chen Na was also a newcomer and wasn't particularly sharp or perceptive. If any of the veterans saw the materials, they might quickly connect them to the old incidents and realize Li Hao was looking into the spontaneous combustion cases. Showing them to Chen Na was also because Li Hao had studied them for so long without uncovering a thing. He wasn't sure if it was because he was too deeply entangled to see the forest for the trees, or if there truly was no connection whatsoever. Could an outsider like Chen Na spot something new? To be fair, Li Hao didn't harbor any real hope; he was simply unwilling to accept his year of fruitless searching. "Don't worry!" Chen Na beamed immediately, thrilled to finally get a peek at Li Hao's secret. Afraid he might change his mind, she leaned across the desk, snatched the dossier from his hands, and began flipping through it at once. Moments later, she groaned in exasperation. "Li Hao, what on earth are you trying to find in all this? I took a look, and it's way too detailed! You've jotted down every little trivial thing—this reads like a set of memoirs! What kind of conclusion are you hoping to reach?" Li Hao considered for a moment before answering, "A common denominator! Something all six of them share!" Chen Na was left speechless. She looked through the pages again. Six people of different ages, professions, and social standings, male and female, from completely different social circles. Furthermore, the earliest had died ten years ago! The most recent had died just a year ago. Where on earth would a common denominator come from? To think Li Hao had spent the entire year studying this... he really had too much time on his hands. However, glancing at the profile of the last person—Zhang Yuan, student at the Silver City Ancient Academy—Chen Na faintly understood. Li Hao's main objective was probably connected to him, wasn't it? *Zhang Yuan, died July 22, 1729... That seems to be right around the time Li Hao dropped out, or practically the exact same time, wasn't it?* Chen Na studied it closely. Connecting it with Li Hao's withdrawal from the academy, she felt as though she had caught on to something. Why would an Ancient Academy student throw away a bright future to drop out? People had never understood it, but looking at this file today, Chen Na thought she might finally have a clue. With that realization, the playful mood she had started with gave way to genuine seriousness. Did Li Hao suspect Zhang Yuan was murdered? Were all six of them murdered? A serial case? *** While Chen Na studied the files earnestly, Li Hao waited for a while without getting any feedback. He didn't mind and paid it no further attention, turning his thoughts to his next move instead. Now that the case had been handed over to the Inspectorate, they would likely look into it, but Li Hao didn't hold high hopes. Unless the Night Watchers stepped in soon! *The key issue is, if I'm the next target, I might encounter the blood shadow in the near future. Was that faint crimson shape I glimpsed a few days ago the blood shadow? Is it looking for me? Or has it already found me, but held back for now because of my status?* The Inspectorate was, after all, a law enforcement agency. A student dying of spontaneous combustion might not cause too large a stir, even for someone from the Ancient Academy. However, if a Third-Class Inspector died, the Inspectorate would thoroughly investigate the death of one of their own. That was far more serious than the death of a student. *Based on the information I've gathered, every time the blood shadow appears, there seems to be a time limit. It doesn't linger long, and it might even only emerge under specific conditions.* *The victims actually share one slight commonality, but... it's too vague!* Over the past year, Li Hao hadn't come away entirely empty-handed. At the very least, he had discovered that on the days all six victims died—including Zhang Yuan—the weather had been rather foul. Thunderstorms, ball lightning, overcast rain... Few people paid attention to weather conditions like that, and Li Hao had only looked into it because he was utterly out of other leads. On the night Zhang Yuan died, Li Hao remembered vividly that a light drizzle had fallen. *It only appears on rainy days, or rather, it only comes out to strike when the weather is bad.* Li Hao scribbled notes on a piece of paper, then promptly tore it to shreds. Only after reducing it to confetti did he set his pen down and sink back into thought. As he was pondering, Chen Na suddenly let out a low gasp from across the desk. "I found something!" Li Hao froze and snapped his head up. *Found something?* *Found what?* *How is that possible!* He hadn't harbored any hope to begin with. For Chen Na to find something after glancing at it for just a short while made him suspect she was pulling his leg. Li Hao frowned, but quickly smoothed his brow and restored his smile. "Sister Na, what did you find?" Having caught a glimpse of Li Hao's fleeting frown, Chen Na felt a little awkward. She remembered how much he cared about this matter and realized it was no time for jokes. Embarrassed, she said, "Well... actually, I didn't finish reading it all. There's just too much information." Li Hao felt no surprise; he had anticipated as much. There was no disappointment, for he hadn't held any expectations in the first place. Yet Chen Na spoke again: "I didn't finish reading, but... there really seems to be a connection. I'm just not sure about it." With that, she held up a sheet of paper. "I have a habit of doodling and taking notes. Just now, while looking through the files, I wrote down the names of the victims." Li Hao glanced at it and gave a slight nod. The six victims! He could recite their names backward and forward. What could possibly be gleaned from them? They didn't share given names or surnames. Some had two-character names, others three. They were utterly unrelated. Seeing his attention, Chen Na spoke quickly: "Zhou Qing, Hong Jiao, Wang Haoming, Liu Yunsheng, Zhao Shihao, Zhang Yuan. Those are the six names, right?" Li Hao nodded gently. Chen Na looked back at the names on the paper, suddenly turning hesitant again. She worried that if she spoke, Li Hao would think she was making fun of him, which would only make things worse. Feeling awkward, Chen Na cleared her throat lightly. "Forget it, pretend I said nothing. Let me look more carefully. Something feels off anyway; it's missing two." "What?" Li Hao was taken aback. "Missing two what?" Chen Na grew even more embarrassed. "If there were one more person surnamed Zheng and one more surnamed Li, then it would fit. Right now there aren't... Cough, I was just rambling, don't take it seriously." She didn't want to say another word. It was far too embarrassing! Yet Li Hao's heart jolted violently. Why would it only fit with two more? Surnamed Li... His own surname was Li! And missing one surnamed Zheng, missing one... Li Hao had only been able to unearth cases going back ten years. Beyond that, records for cases with no remaining doubts were destroyed, simply because there were too many accidental deaths and the Confidential Records Office couldn't keep everything indefinitely. At this moment, even as shock rocked Li Hao's heart, his expression remained perfectly calm. He smiled faintly. "Sister Na, just say whatever comes to mind. What's the harm? Tell me, treat it like casual chat. Why did you say it needs two more surnames to fit?" Chen Na looked at him curiously. "Aren't you a Silver City native?" "I am." "Then..." Chen Na paused as realization struck, nodding. "I get it. Does your family... not have many elderly folks around?" "My grandparents passed away early." Li Hao grew increasingly intrigued. How had this looped back to the elderly? Seeing his genuine interest, Chen Na no longer felt awkward. "If you had elderly relatives at home, you'd know some of them love to recite local sayings and folklore. When I was little, my grandmother loved telling me that sort of thing." Chen Na pondered, reminiscing for a moment before continuing, "I used to live with my grandmother, and she loved singing folk rhymes from Silver City. I remember one of them went like this..." Imitating her grandmother's old manner, Chen Na cleared her throat and sang softly under her breath: "*The Li family's sword, the Zhang family's saber,* *The Zhao family's fist, the Liu family's kick...* *And the Zheng family's young master drags his feet!*" After singing that short verse, Chen Na felt embarrassed and laughed self-consciously. "It doesn't sound very good sung in standard speech. My grandmother made it sound lovely when she sang it in the Silver City dialect. Of course, it's just some old folk opera from around here. Anyone who hasn't heard it before would probably think it sounds pretty rustic." At that moment, however, Li Hao's eyes flashed with wild intensity. A folk rhyme! *The Li family's sword, the Zhang family's saber...* There were eight surnames in that folk rhyme! Li, Zhang, Zhao, Liu, Wang, Hong, Zhou, Zheng! He snatched the paper from Chen Na's hand without the slightest hesitation, his gaze instantly locking onto the first name: Zhou Qing. That was the victim who had died ten years ago! The very first spontaneous combustion victim Li Hao had uncovered. Next came the saleswoman, Hong Jiao, followed by Wang Haoming... What if... what if the first person to die hadn't been Zhou Qing, but someone surnamed Zheng? Then Zhou Qing would be the second, Hong Jiao the third, Wang Haoming the fourth... Reversing the eight great surnames from the Silver City folk rhyme, the order matched the timeline of the deaths with absolute perfection! The last to die was Zhang Yuan, corresponding to the Zhang family's saber. Which meant... there was still one more! There was still one more person who would die, someone surnamed Li—the very first line of the rhyme: the Li family's sword! Li Hao's expression changed completely. He looked abruptly at Chen Na, unable to suppress his shock and agitation, his voice turning slightly hoarse: "This rhyme... when did it start circulating? Who started it...?" Startled by the look in his eyes, Chen Na quickly regained her composure. "Calm down, Li Hao! Many old folks have probably heard it before, though few young people know it, which is why you haven't heard it. If you're interested, we can look into it slowly. Don't panic!" Li Hao took a deep breath, forcing down the turmoil within him. He couldn't panic! He had never expected that merely letting Chen Na take a glance would yield such a monumental clue. Li Hao had never heard this rhyme, nor had he ever heard anyone sing it; it had likely fallen out of favor many years ago. With the spread of standard speech, such rural folk rhymes had long since followed the older generations into their graves, fading into obscurity. Li Hao's grandparents' generation had died early, before he was even old enough to meet them, so naturally no one had ever sung it to him. *Stay calm!* Li Hao told himself inwardly. What was there to rush? A clue had been found—that was what mattered. No need to panic. Right now, the priority was confirming whether the first victim had indeed been surnamed Zheng. While the Confidential Records Office had destroyed some files from ten years ago, it wasn't as if there were nowhere left to check. Besides, he didn't need to conduct an exhaustive investigation; he only needed to find out whether someone surnamed Zheng had died of spontaneous combustion ten to fifteen years ago. At this moment, Li Hao was gripped by both excitement and chilling dread. If the pattern truly held, then the next victim... would be him! Xiao Yuan had surely seen or heard something, which was why he had told him to run. *The Li family's sword...* *The Li family's sword!* As the words echoed in his mind, Li Hao's eyes suddenly went wide. The Li family... truly possessed a sword!