The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 87

Li Wenxuan did not involve himself in the funeral arrangements. 

Just as Li Yiran instructed, only Father Li and Li Amu went, while Tian Xiaoman stayed at home.

That night, Li Wenxuan rushed to find the Daoist Zhang but found nothing. It was already dark, and everyone was asleep.

Still, he did not give up. The next day, he disguised himself and showed up near Daoist Zhang’s residence. Perhaps to highlight the man’s unusual airs, his house was built alone in an isolated place, with no one around for miles.

Li Wenxuan looked around for a while, then climbed over the wall and leapt onto the roof. He carefully lifted a few tiles and peered down, but saw no one inside. Judging by the arrangement and atmosphere of the place, it clearly wasn’t a normal residence—there was an eerie strangeness to everything.

As he was examining the interior, he heard the sound of a door opening. 

A shriveled, frail old man appeared below. Oblivious to the eyes above him, the old man walked straight to the incense table, picked up four incense sticks, lit them, then knelt down before a statue covered in red cloth. He bowed three times devoutly, then placed the incense in the holder.

Four incense sticks? Li Wenxuan was momentarily stunned. Why four? 

He didn’t believe in these things himself, but Li Amu was a firm believer. On the first and fifteenth of every lunar month, he would light three incense sticks for worship at home—always three.

Li Wenxuan had once been curious and asked if it was okay to use four or five incense sticks instead. 

Li Amu explained that there was an old saying: “Three for gods, four for ghosts.” When worshipping deities, three incense sticks or joss papers were burned; when worshipping ghosts, four were used.

So… was he not worshipping gods?

Li Wenxuan watched intently as the old man’s lips moved, mumbling something. Then he stepped forward and lifted the red cloth, revealing a statue of the Heavenly King.

But this statue was different from the ones seen in ordinary temples. Its expression was sinister, the mouth painted blood-red, and it wore a strange grin. The body was painted in deep blacks and reds, and the object it held looked like a banner, faintly marked with a skull.

Even though Li Wenxuan considered himself courageous, he couldn’t help but shiver. The statue was simply too disturbing.

He watched the old man pull out a cloth and carefully wipe the statue clean. After finishing, he covered it again with the red cloth, bowed a few times, and sat down on a cushion before the incense table, unmoving.

Li Wenxuan was extremely patient. He remained completely silent and barely blinked.

After a while, someone brought in an older ger. He reported his birth date, and the old man began his calculations.

Judging by his expression, his words were accurate. He also analyzed several matters for him. The ger then took out ten taels of silver, and the old man handed him two pieces of talisman paper.

He thanked him profusely and left.

Li Wenxuan was shocked. Did this man actually have real powers? That could make things troublesome.

Over the course of the day, Li Wenxuan listened as the old man helped three more people solve problems—performing ghost-catching, spirit-exorcising, and other rituals on the spot.

Before he knew it, the whole day had passed. When the old man took a meal break, Li Wenxuan didn’t even dare leave to eat himself.

Night soon fell, and the old man finally stood up to stretch. Li Wenxuan guessed he was done for the day.

The old man left and didn’t return for a while. 

Just as Li Wenxuan was about to lift the tiles and jump down for a closer look, he heard footsteps outside again and quickly retreated.

There was more than one person this time. The old man entered first, followed by someone who made Li Wenxuan’s eyes go wide.

It was Zheng Tu!

To think that his thriving pork business in the county had only taken off because Zheng Tu “died,” leaving the market wide open.

He never expected Zheng Tu to be colluding with Daoist Zhang! At that thought, Li Wenxuan focused his mind and strained to listen.

“Father-in-law, here’s tomorrow’s name card. We found out Liu Xiu is 52 years old. Both parents are dead, and his husband is bedridden…”

Li Wenxuan immediately understood. All the fortune-telling today had been based on pre-investigated information. That meant his brother-in-law had also come here after being investigated. No wonder he suddenly attacked Xiaoman—clearly, Zheng Tu had incited him.

Zheng Tu must still resent him, using this scheme to kill with a borrowed knife. What a vicious heart!

Li Wenxuan glared at the two men below, itching to kill them on the spot—but he held back. If he acted rashly, the authorities would get involved.

Their conversation turned to Lian Meng, and Li Wenxuan perked up.

“Father-in-law, I heard that young ger died last time.”

“What young ger?”

“The one with a big belly but no child inside!”

“Oh, your enemy’s brother-in-law?” Zhang finally understood.

“Yeah. No idea what happened. Li Wenxuan’s husband was fine, and then—that ger ended up dead!” Zheng Tu sounded regretful. 

If only the scheme had succeeded, Li Wenxuan wouldn’t be running the business now. The county would still be his!

“Better that he’s dead. Now no one knows anything, and you won’t need my medicine.” Zhang Xianshi laughed like a rat, his features scrunched together annoyingly.

Li Wenxuan couldn’t stand it anymore. He ripped off the tiles and leapt down.

“You two vile scum, faking ghosts and harming others—prepare to die!” he shouted, charging at them.

Caught off guard, Zheng Tu and Zhang Xianshi had no time to react and were immediately struck by Li Wenxuan.

But the advantage didn’t last long. Zheng Tu grabbed a bench and hurled it at him, only for Li Wenxuan to kick it away. 

The fight was short—soon, Li Wenxuan had tied them both up using Zheng Tu’s belt.

Zheng Tu cursed, “Shameless bastard! How dare you break into someone else’s home!”

Li Wenxuan didn’t respond. He simply stuffed a shoe into Zheng Tu’s mouth. 

Zheng Tu’s eyes bulged in rage as he let out muffled screams.

“Daxia, let’s talk! I’ve hidden some silver—take it if you want. Just spare me! My household has old and weak members to care for!” Daoist Zhang Xianshi pleaded. He thought Li Wenxuan might be soft-hearted like other righteous men.

But Li Wenxuan wasn’t a hero—he was a butcher.

Ignoring the plea, he picked up Daoist Zhang’s pen and talisman paper and wrote a confession. Then he made a cut on both their hands and pressed bloody handprints onto the paper.

“You—you’re going to hand us over to the authorities?” Daoist Zhang asked in panic. But deep down, he was relieved. He had connections across the county—nothing would come of it.

Li Wenxuan noticed that although Daoist Zhang’s words were panicked, his face looked relaxed. He understood the man’s confidence came from controlling local influence and eliminating negative rumors in advance. Anyone who tried to report him would be dealt with early.

But…

“You didn’t even figure out who my brother-in-law was before framing us?” 

Lian Meng was dead. Logically his uncle, the county magistrate, should have returned, and as the local official’s relative, he would have to be received. If a case appeared then, it would absolutely be handled “impartially.” Especially one involving his own family.

That night, Li Wenxuan dragged the two men onto a cart and tied them up in front of the government office’s stone lions. Their mouths were gagged, leaving them unable to cry for help.

It was the coldest time of year. Though there was no snow, the frost was heavy, and they weren’t dressed warmly. They shivered throughout the night. 

By the time the yamen runners discovered them the next morning, they were frozen and unrecognizable.

Everything afterward played out just as Li Wenxuan predicted. The Anyang County Magistrate handled the case impartially. Their property was confiscated, and the two were sentenced to exile.

Daoist Zhang didn’t survive long—his old body couldn’t handle the cold and he died en route. Zheng Tu lasted until exile, but his arrogance got the better of him. He offended the locals and was beaten to death not long after.

Li Wenxuan had only delivered them to the government office. He didn’t concern himself with what came next.

When he returned home, Father Li, Li Amu, and Tian Xiaoman were all there.

“Wenxuan, you didn’t do anything foolish, did you?” Li Amu asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry. I know my limits. It’s late—let’s all get some sleep.” 

He sent his parents off to bed, then lifted the nodding Tian Xiaoman from the table and carried him back to their room.

Tian Xiaoman had already woken up when he was picked up but said nothing. He quietly leaned against Li Wenxuan. 

So much had happened these past few days—his brother-in-law’s sudden death, his family forbidding him to attend the funeral. He could tell there was more going on.

But since they didn’t want him to know, it must’ve been for his own good.

So, Tian Xiaoman pretended nothing had happened. He didn’t ask and didn’t think about it.