Chapter Seventeen: Clues

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“Liu Qi! Liu Qi was also missing last night!” Liu Kui’s eyes were bloodshot as he slammed his fist heavily into the wall, like a wild beast driven mad.

Qi Jun immediately understood; he recalled that, indeed, he hadn’t seen Liu Qi last night while the villagers were reveling by the riverside.

Moreover, given the agreement he’d made with Liu Qi before—after digging up the water, Liu Qi should have been rushing over to demand his share of meat, yet he still hadn’t appeared.

Taken together, Liu Qi was indeed very suspicious.

“Hurry, take me to Liu Qi’s house!” After a moment’s thought, Qi Jun patted Liu Kui on the shoulder and immediately followed him out the door.

Remembering Qi Feng, who was still fast asleep, he turned back inside and gave the sleeping boy a sharp kick.

“Brother… why are you up so early…” Qi Feng sat up with a start, giving Qi Jun an irritated look before trying to lie back down.

“The clan elder and Yun Fei are missing.” Qi Jun didn’t have time to explain, tossing out his words as he rushed away.

“What?” Qi Feng felt as if lightning had struck his mind, instantly awake. He scrambled into his clothes and hurried after them.

The wild mountains and forests around Dongling Village were home to many beasts. For an old man and a child to spend the night outside was fraught with danger.

Now, considering that Liu Qi and Liu the Leper might be involved, Qi Jun’s anxiety deepened.

Liu Qi’s house stood beyond a small grove at the western foot of the mountain—a simple, low thatched hut, with a makeshift wooden fence enclosing a small yard.

Liu Qi’s wife sat blankly in the yard. Even as Qi Jun and the others approached, she didn’t react.

“Where’s Liu Qi? Where did he go?” Liu Kui glanced around, stepped into the hut for a quick look, then stood before Liu Qi’s wife and asked coldly.

At the sound of his voice, the woman shuddered, finally lifting her head to glance at Liu Kui before bursting into wailing cries: “How should I know! That damned man took all the money from the house. How am I supposed to live!”

Liu Kui was taken aback, clearly unprepared for this, and turned to Qi Jun with a deep frown.

Qi Jun sighed, stepped forward, and squatted down before the woman. “Auntie, don’t panic. What happened with Liu Qi?”

She wiped her tears, struggling to steady her voice. “That damned man came home last night and started packing up. I asked him what was wrong—he wouldn’t say. I asked where he was going—he wouldn’t say.”

“Liu Qi was home last night? And then?”

“He made me bring out all the money from the house. But what money did we have!” Her grief deepened, her voice breaking. “I... I tried to stop him from leaving, so he hit me! He even... even took my silver bangle. That was my only dowry! I must have been blind…”

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The woman wept again. Qi Jun could only shake his head helplessly and rise to look at Liu Kui. “It seems he’d planned this all along. But why would he do it?”

“That bastard…” Liu Kui clenched his fists in fury. “If I find him, I’ll skin him alive!”

“There’s no point talking about it now. Let’s go to the western hills to find Liu Biao. Maybe there’s a clue.” Qi Jun rubbed his brow.

Qi Feng looked at the sobbing woman, considering whether to offer a few words of comfort, but seeing the feral glint in Liu Kui’s eyes, he wisely thought better of it.

On the western hills outside the village, Liu Biao and his men had been searching since before dawn, but their efforts were fruitless.

As a hunter, Liu Biao knew the terrain well, but he was also painfully aware of the dangers lurking in the forest at night. He was already mentally prepared to find only the bodies of the missing pair.

In fact, not only he, but all the villagers searching with him shared the same grim expectation.

Yet no one dared to voice it aloud—who knew if Liu Kui, maddened by rage, might vent his fury and tear someone apart? Thus, everyone silently kept searching, calling out as they went.

“Biaozi, let’s rest a moment. Everyone’s exhausted,” one villager panted, dropping onto a rock.

“Yes, rest for a bit! Beware of wild beasts!” Liu Biao looked around and nodded. The other villagers, gasping for breath, found places to sit.

Liu Biao had just sat down and reached for his water pouch when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something in the nearby bushes.

He immediately put down the pouch, parted the grass, and walked over. There, hanging from a branch, swayed a strip of coarse red cloth.

He plucked it down and examined it, certain he recognized it from somewhere.

Glancing around, he noted none of the villagers wore anything of that color, ruling out the possibility that it was left by one of their own.

Most villagers were poor, with only a couple of garments to their names—no one could afford clothes in varied colors, so their clothing was mostly similar in shade.

A strip of red cloth like this immediately drew Liu Biao’s attention. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead as realization dawned: “Isn’t this the same color as Yun Fei’s dress from yesterday?”

He crouched down, pushing aside the grass beneath his feet for a closer look.

Years of hunting in the mountains had made his eyes keen—no tuft of hair or animal track could escape him.

Sure enough, in the soil beneath the bushes, he found several messy footprints, likely left the night before.

A surge of hope filled Liu Biao. He put his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle. The villagers with him, hearing the call, immediately hurried over—they knew Liu Biao must have found something.

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“Dunzi, go alert Brother Kui—something’s up!” Liu Biao handed the strip of cloth to a villager.

The man called “Dunzi” took the cloth without delay, answering at once and sprinting toward the village.

“The rest of you, spread out within a hundred steps from here and search for more cloth or footprints!” Liu Biao, still crouching, continued his examination.

With this discovery, everyone’s spirits surged, and they immediately began searching as instructed.

Meanwhile, Qi Jun and the others pressed toward the western hills with all their might. But Qi Jun and Qi Feng, both bookish and frail, soon lagged further behind the swiftly running Liu Kui.

After a few steps, Liu Kui looked back to see the two brothers struggling, gasping for breath, and his anxiety grew.

“Hey!” He sighed, doubled back, hoisted Qi Jun onto his shoulder, and without a second thought left Qi Feng behind as he strode swiftly toward the hills.

“Xiao… Xiao Feng! Go… Go to the county! Ask about… people who know Liu Qi!” Qi Jun, slung over Liu Kui’s shoulder, shouted with all his strength to his receding brother. He wasn’t sure if Qi Feng heard him.

At this moment, all of Liu Kui’s hopes rested on Liu Biao. With eyes on the western hills, he carried Qi Jun and ran with all his strength.

Soon, they saw a figure running hard toward them from the distance.

“Uncle Kui! There’s news…” The man, recognizing Liu Kui, called out excitedly.

“Liu Dong? Did you find them? Where are they?” Liu Kui sped to him, hope shining in his eyes.

Liu Dong was the very “Dunzi” sent by Liu Biao. Stocky and short, his nickname was a gift from his fellow villagers.

“No… we haven’t found them…” Liu Dong dared not meet Liu Kui’s eyes. He took a deep breath and handed over the strip of cloth. “Uncle Biao found this in the hills and sent me to notify you!”

Liu Kui’s expression changed instantly when he saw the cloth. He snatched it up, scrutinized it, and tears immediately welled up in his eyes.

“It’s hers! It must be hers!” He stroked the cloth, his voice trembling with excitement. “The color and pattern match what she wore yesterday! I bought her this dress for her birthday last year…”

Freed from Liu Kui’s back, Qi Jun collapsed by the roadside, gulping in air. After being bounced around on Liu Kui’s shoulder, he felt as if his insides had shifted.

But hearing Liu Kui’s words, Qi Jun’s heart lifted as well. If this cloth was left by Yun Fei, then as long as they kept searching, there was still hope.