Chapter 57: Chaos at the Li Mansion

Cuihua, proud and spirited, flew triumphantly around the Li mansion, provoking all the dogs there.

Before long, loud barking erupted from the backyard. Guests in the front yard then saw a chicken leisurely flying ahead, with four or five big yellow dogs crazily chasing after it.

Curious because they’d never seen a flying chicken before, the guests hurried forward to watch the spectacle.

Cuihua led the foolish dogs straight to the garden where the bodies were buried.

“Cluck cluck!” Cuihua taunted arrogantly, scratching the ground with her claws.

“My claws can dig, can you dogs do that?”

Ouch! The claws really hurt!

The dogs heard this and could not tolerate a chicken daring to challenge them in their own territory.

They went into a frenzy, eyes wide and panting, digging furiously in the soil with their paws, kicking up dirt everywhere.

Servants tried to drive them away, but the dogs ignored them entirely, determined to prove their digging skills.

The onlookers found the scene of “chicken flying, dogs digging” hilarious at first.

But as the dogs dug deeper, a horrible stench began to spread.

Eventually, a terrifying sight emerged—a pile of mutilated corpses appeared, twisted limbs and pale bones chilling under the sunlight.

“Ugh…”

Some ladies could not bear it and felt their stomachs turn.

The Li mansion’s servants quickly gathered, ready to beat the unruly watchdogs.

Seeing this, Cuihua wasn’t the kind to betray friends after crossing the river.

“Cluck cluck! Follow me, stupid dogs, let’s settle this outside!”

With that, Cuihua led the dogs, fleeing the mansion like the wind, leaving the Li mansion in chaos.

“Master Li, shouldn’t you explain the corpses found in your garden?”

Li’s archrival, Master Zhou, sneered with a mix of provocation and glee, locking eyes on Master Li’s suddenly pale face.

Beads of sweat formed on Master Li’s forehead. Trying to stay calm, he coughed twice to cover his panic and unease.

“Master Zhou, what do you mean by that? The Li family has always been honorable. Such horrifying accusations must be slanderous attempts to ruin our reputation.”

Master Zhou scoffed disdainfully.

“Master Li, that’s an easy thing to say. These bodies appeared on your property, and judging by the stench, they’ve been there some time. If those dogs hadn’t accidentally dug them up today, they might have remained hidden longer.”

The guests murmured and whispered among themselves. At that moment, the Li family’s reputation seemed to be torn apart by invisible hands.

Master Li knew well that if this matter wasn’t handled properly, not only would his family lose face, but the authorities might intervene—bringing unimaginable consequences.

Sun Fangyi, son-in-law of the Wang family, walked forward with a grave expression. Despite his queasy stomach, his eyes sharpened as he carefully examined the corpses.

Sun Fangyi had been exposed to his father’s investigations from a young age and possessed great talent in corpse examination and case analysis.

The more Sun Fangyi carefully examined the bones, the paler his face became, cold sweat forming on his forehead. To his horror, all the bones were those of children — small, fragile skeletons that seemed to silently tell a tragic story, filling one with heartbreak and fury.

Madam Sun noticed her husband’s unnatural pallor and, swallowing her fear, went over to support him. Wang Fugui also hurried to help his brother-in-law.

“What did you find? Why do you look so bad?” Madam Sun asked.

Clenching his fists tightly, veins bulging on his forehead and bloodshot eyes blazing with anger, Sun Fangyi pointed accusingly at the Li family: “How dare you! How dare you commit such atrocities! These are children’s remains — innocent little ones! This is an outrage against heaven and earth! I will report this to the capital at once.”

Madam Sun shuddered as she looked at the pile of children’s bones. She and her husband had long struggled to have a child, praying to gods and spirits in vain. She loved children dearly and had almost become obsessed with having one of her own. Now, seeing the children’s remains before her was unbearable.

“You beasts, you have no humanity. What crime did these children commit for you to do this to them…”

Her voice broke off as the overwhelming grief and rage nearly caused her to faint.

Wang Madam quickly supported her little sister-in-law to the side to rest.

“Don’t be too upset. Your husband will handle this. The real culprits will pay with their blood. Don’t ruin your health over this,” Wang Madam comforted her.

Master Zhou was utterly stunned. He had assumed these were just the bodies of servants or disobedient maids—such punishments were common among noble households. But what Sun Fangyi said—these were all children’s remains—was absolutely horrifying.

The guests, previously whispering among themselves, were now dumbfounded by Sun Fangyi’s words.

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into terrified cries and angry shouts.

An elderly man trembled with rage, stomping his cane on the ground and accusing the Li family in a quavering voice: “Li family, how dare you commit such heartless crimes against these innocent children! You will be struck down by heaven’s punishment! This evil must be reported to the court so His Majesty can judge it!”

This elder was the very important official the Li family had specially invited today to curry favor with, and who had been dispatched by the Emperor to investigate the prior report made by Magistrate Shen about the black-clad men in the cave.

The Li family had painstakingly secured this official’s visit to their mansion — and now this catastrophe had unfolded.

Master Li hastily tried to explain: “There must be a misunderstanding. These remains have nothing to do with my family. Someone is deliberately framing us with false accusations!”

Others in the Li family quickly echoed:

“This is pure slander! The Li family has always been just and charitable. We would never commit such heinous crimes. Someone must be scheming to sully our good name.”

“Please don’t believe these lies. The Li family is spotless. There must be some ulterior motive behind these accusations.”

Their words sounded righteous and confident — but little did they know, their claims would soon be utterly discredited.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the Li mansion’s gates.

Xiaojiu’s eyes lit up.

Here it comes!

The real show is just beginning.