“Uncle, spare my life!” <br>The man, terrified to the core, fell to the ground and started begging for mercy, clutching Matthew Lee as he curled into a ball. <br>“Ah! Spare me, Uncle, spare me, Uncle…!” <br>Ethan Lee never imagined that his craving for a melon would lead him to face his most feared uncle. Standing there, paralyzed with fear, he hadn't even noticed Matthew Lee gripping a long blade, making his terror even more intense. <br>“Ethan Lee?” Matthew Lee squinted, furrowing his brows. His expression shifted unpredictably as he rubbed his chin, thoughtfully gazing at Ethan Lee. <br>Ethan Lee was the elder brother of Ethan Sheng. Their father had been bedridden for years, but instead of helping out, Ethan Lee spent his days idly loafing around and freeloading off others. <br>Two other teenagers arrived upon hearing the commotion. Li Tongya rested his staff directly on Ethan Lee’s shoulder, pressing down firmly, causing Ethan Lee to burst into tears. Li Changhu lifted Ethan’s head to inspect him and was suddenly taken aback. <br>“Cousin?” Li Changhu exhaled deeply, speaking out in confusion. <br>“What are you doing here?” Li Tongya asked coldly, maintaining pressure with his staff. <br>“Stealing melons from your family!” Before Ethan Lee could stammer out an answer, Matthew Lee’s frosty voice cut him off. With a stern expression, he sheathed his blade and turned to leave. <br>“Apologies, cousin.” <br>Li Tongya removed his staff and followed his father back into the house, leaving Li Changhu behind to help Ethan Lee up. Wiping his cousin’s face and murmuring some comforting words, Li Changhu politely escorted Ethan Lee out of the courtyard. <br>————<br>Inside the house. <br>Li Chijing and Li Xiangping sat motionless at the table, clutching an inspection lens in the latter’s hands. Li Xiangping dared not move. Soon enough, their father and second brother walked into the hall. <br>“Where’s the eldest brother?” <br>He looked behind them and promptly asked. <br>“He’s seeing the guest out.” <br>Matthew Lee shook his head. <br>“I know Ethan often comes freeloading, but I fear tonight’s incident might leak out, leading to the family’s utter ruin.” <br>Li Tongya found a small stool to sit on. Glancing at Li Xiangping, he was just about to speak when— <br>“Creak.” <br>The main door closed. Eldest brother Li Changhu entered with a look of bewilderment. Sitting down, he addressed Matthew Lee. <br>“Father, was this really necessary?” <br>He shook his head. <br>“Ethan only stole a melon. Why stir trouble and offend his family instead of going with the flow?” <br>“What his family, my family? There’s only one Lee family, legitimate and illegitimate.” <br>Matthew Lee leaned against the window, gesturing toward a woman and child. “Take positions at the front and back doors. Alert us if anyone comes.” <br>The two obeyed and left. Matthew Lee locked the doors and windows, then turned to Li Xiangping, patting him on the shoulder. <br>“Speak.” <br>Li Xiangping nodded vigorously and whispered, “Today, I went to the Meichi River to fish and found something in the water.” <br>He glanced at his father, who nodded. From his pocket, he retrieved the gray-blue inspection lens. <br>Li Changhu examined his brother and father before taking the lens. He scrutinized it but found nothing unusual. <br>Matthew Lee took the lens from his eldest son and stepped onto a stone stool positioned under a small hole in the roof. He placed the lens beneath the opening and squinted at his two sons. <br>Under the moonlight, faint white radiance gathered above the lens's surface, resembling a gemstone’s halo. <br>Li Changhu sprang to his feet, staring at the lens’s aura. Li Tongya, too, was visibly moved, his gaze fixed on the inspection lens. <br>For a full cup of tea’s time, the family silently observed the lens, the room steeped in various emotions. <br>Though it was Li Xiangping’s second time witnessing this sight, he was still stunned. He muttered, “I’ve never seen such beauty…” <br>“Ha! Neither have I, your father.” <br>Matthew Lee chuckled, though no true humor gleamed in his sharp eyes. <br>“This could be a Relic of the Divine.” <br>Li Tongya spoke quietly, polishing his blade as he stared at the lens. Though his expression seemed calm, his trembling hand betrayed his turmoil. <br>“If word gets out, it could mean the end for our family.” <br>Li Changhu paced the hall, his face a mix of anxiety and excitement. <br>“If it belongs to the Divine, they might cast a spell tomorrow to retrieve it. How could we possibly deal with that?” <br>Li Tongya stared fixedly at his father, his tone heavy with concern. <br>Li Xiangping nodded, his voice subdued: <br>“Divine beings might reward us handsomely. Our family would benefit greatly.” <br>“Nonsense.” <br>Matthew Lee waved dismissively. <br>“I’ve heard that many Divine beings are merciless killers. We can’t take that risk! The lens has been in the water for who knows how long. If it truly mattered to them, they’d have taken it already. It wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of mere mortals. I suspect the original owner has already met their end.” <br>Li Changhu shuddered at his father’s bold words, his brows furrowed as he contemplated deeply. <br>Li Tongya suddenly realized something, speaking in a low, grave tone: <br>“Could Ethan have seen this?” <br>“I showed it to Father in front of the house. Ethan should’ve been in the fields then.” Li Xiangping averted his gaze. <br>“I’ll kill him!” <br>Li Tongya declared with resolve. Donning a vine cloak and grabbing his blade, he made for the door. Li Xiangping, seeing this ferocity on his brother’s face for the first time, stared in silence. <br>“Stop!” Matthew Lee barked, halting Li Tongya. He gave Li Xiangping a sidelong glance, making the latter visibly uneasy. <br>“Father!” Li Tongya protested, his tone resolute. <br>“Ethan is ungrateful and reckless—a man who bites the hand that feeds him. If we let him speak carelessly, it could doom our family. Better to silence him preemptively.” <br>“It seems my second brother has learned a lot from the village tutor,” Li Xiangping thought, ashamed, as he lowered his head. Years ago, their father had three of them study under a scholar. While his brothers excelled, his own childish mischief left him falling behind. Now, he couldn’t even comprehend the idioms his brother used. <br>“If your younger brother were the one biting the hand that feeds, and he spoke recklessly, would you kill him too?” <br>Matthew Lee laughed as he posed the question. <br>“No such cowards in our family,” <br>Li Tongya replied coolly. <br>Matthew Lee shook his head, straightened the wooden table, and leaped lightly atop it. Reaching for a wooden box hidden in the roof beams, he brought it down. <br>Placing the box on the table, he addressed his three sons solemnly: <br>“There are things you should know. At thirteen, I left home, traveling the Gu Li Path to reach An Li County. General Yang, under imperial orders to attack the Shan Yue, conscripted soldiers along the Gu Li Path. With nowhere else to go, I enlisted.” <br>“General Yang was strict yet treated us like family, eating and living alongside us. He taught us the Yue Soldiers' Tactics, urging us to practice diligently. Though widely known and easy to learn, mastering it is difficult. For most, it merely improves agility without supernatural results.” <br>Matthew Lee sighed, noticing his sons' rapt attention, and continued: <br>“After returning home, I documented these tactics on wooden slips, ensuring you practiced them thoroughly. Yet, they've yielded little so far—that’s one matter.” <br>He opened the box, revealing a wooden slip, a talisman, and fragments of silver and glass among other odds and ends.)
