Chapter 58 Karma Strikes

Chapter 58: Evil Gets Its Just Desserts

Long before nightfall today, Lei Ting had already arranged for his family to leave the clinic. After all, to lure Wu Peng and his accomplices into making a move, even with all preparations made, he still feared something going wrong. Thus, he had Lei Xun take Lei Li and Lei Tan to temporarily stay at Sun Xun's home, while Cui Nanshan, Yang Shu, Madam Liu, Wu Qiu, and Ai Geer were all at Yu Yuan's place. Now that the matter was temporarily resolved, with the patrol officers having taken Wu Peng and Xue Hu back to the prefectural jail to await judgment tomorrow, and the fire at the clinic extinguished, leaving only some cleanup work, Lei Ting finally felt at ease. Not bothering with more formalities with Yu Yuan, he headed first to Yu Yuan's home.

He had no idea how he'd made the journey. He was clear-headed when leaving the clinic, but when he snapped back to reality, he was already at the door of the medicine shop, with no memory of what had been on his mind along the way. Fortunately, it was late and quiet, with no pedestrians or carriages on the street, or he would surely have bumped into something.

A shop hand, following Yu Yuan's orders, was waiting in the corner room by the entrance. Lei Ting gently knocked twice, and the door immediately opened from inside. Lei Ting saw it was Qian'er and explained to him, "Master Yu will likely return later; he's helping me handle some matters. Sorry to keep you up so late."

Qian'er shook his head. "Master, what are you saying? Do you need anything? There's still porridge and rice prepared at home, and medicine as well."

Lei Ting said he didn't need a thing and only wanted to see Wu Qiu. Qian'er then led him to Wu Qiu's room. Seeing the light still on in the adjacent room, Lei Ting first went in and found Cui Nanshan, Yang Shu, and Madam Liu sitting outside. They happily greeted him upon his return, asking about the situation at the clinic. Lei Ting told them that Wu Peng and Xue Hu had been captured and that there was not much damage at home. They all breathed a sigh of relief. Madam Liu quickly chanted twice, "Amitabha, this time they've finally been caught. This is the crime of murder and arson; no matter who backs them, they can't escape now."

Cui Nanshan and Yang Shu were also delighted, but Lei Ting was not greatly moved. He knew it was finally settled and wanted to smile along, but the corners of his mouth wouldn't lift. Not wanting his elders to worry, he first asked if Wu Qiu had rested. Cui Nanshan said Wu Qiu had insisted on taking care of Ai Geer himself tonight and was in the next room. Lei Ting said he would go check on Wu Qiu and asked them to rest early. Then, he quietly entered Wu Qiu's room.

Thus, everything finally returned to peace. The other family members had also been greeted and settled. If Lei Ting's heart had been like a tightly drawn bowstring, after Wu Peng and Xue Hu were taken away by the patrol, half of that string had snapped. Now, after seeing Cui Nanshan and Yang Shu, the remaining half had almost broken too, leaving only a hair-thin strand still connected.

The bed was dark, but Wu Qiu was not asleep. He lay on his side, patting and soothing Ai Geer. Perhaps sensing the change of place, Ai Geer had cried fiercely tonight and, even in sleep, burrowed tightly into Wu Qiu's embrace, needing to be close to his father to feel secure. Hearing someone open the door and enter quietly, Wu Qiu knew it was Lei Ting. Afraid of startling the child with sudden movements, he carefully propped himself up and waved to Lei Ting, his voice soft but urgent. "Brother! How did it go? Are you hurt?"

As soon as Lei Ting spoke with Wu Qiu, a smile finally appeared unconsciously on his face, and his voice softened. "Everything went smoothly; I'm fine. Is Ai Geer asleep?"

Wu Qiu nodded. "He cried a lot today. He's better now, but he still seems scared. Look, he just snuggles right in."

Lei Ting had originally thought of taking Ai Geer out, but seeing the child now, his heart softened. He said to Wu Qiu, "The bed here is wide enough. Let Ai Geer sleep with us tonight so the child isn't frightened. You move to the middle; let me hold you."

Wu Qiu agreed, taking off his own clothes to wrap around Ai Geer so the child could smell his scent and feel more secure. Then, he placed the child against the wall on the inner side and lay down in the middle.

In the darkness, he could barely see Lei Ting standing by the bed, removing his outer robe and inner garments by the faint light from the window. Wu Qiu had also been anxious and fearful all night. Keeping Ai Geer in his room was not only because the child couldn't be without him but also because holding the child, that warm little bundle pressed against him, seemed to slightly dispel the fear in his heart. Now that Lei Ting had returned safely, his eyes grew moist again.

This past year had been too hard. For the sake of these two malicious villains, their family had expended so much effort. Wu Qiu himself already felt mentally exhausted. Thinking of Lei Ting, every matter required him to go back and forth to the authorities, mediating and planning, contacting friends for help. Not to mention he had nearly lost his life in the process. Just these efforts alone meant he had labored far more than anyone else in the family. Thinking this, Wu Qiu's heart ached so much he covered his chest. Tears could no longer be held back, welling up from his eyes. The tears from his left eye, because he lay on his side, flowed into his right eye, and the tears from his right eye overflowed, dampening the hair by his face and leaving a wet stain on the pillow.

Lei Ting gently got into bed, almost eagerly pulling Wu Qiu into his embrace. The bowstring in his heart finally snapped with a "pop," the broken ends whipping back and lashing the archer until he was bruised and bleeding. The numbness that had masked his exhaustion vanished completely, leaving only bone-deep weariness. Unconsciously, his grip tightened, pressing Wu Qiu into his chest.

Wu Qiu yielded to him, softening his body and actively reaching for his lips, lightly licking the corner of his mouth, then gently taking his lower lip between his teeth, nibbling and rubbing softly. Lei Ting finally held the back of his neck, and Wu Qiu had already obediently parted his lips slightly. They held each other close for a long time before separating. Lei Ting knew he had been crying. While patting his back to soothe him, he moved aside a damp strand of hair stuck to his face and wiped his tears. "Good Qiu Er, don't cry, don't cry."

Wu Qiu no longer hid what he felt, gently holding Lei Ting's fingertips. "It's finally all over. Brother, you've worked too hard this past year. Every time I think about it, my heart aches, as if a knife were gouging out my flesh."

He rested his face against Lei Ting's chest, murmuring softly, "Every day with you, I feel so happy. I've never been this happy in my over twenty years before. Brother, it's good you're here. You dealt with Wu Peng, punished Zhao Wen, Zhao Wu, Xue Hu, and their ilk for me, and protected our family."

He felt too shy to say more, but in his heart, he thought: Brother Ting is the best husband in the world.

Lei Ting knew he didn't need to say anything else. All that fatigue, regret, and helplessness were slowly wiped away by Wu Qiu's words.

They lingered intimately for a long time. During the night, Ai Geer woke up startled twice, crying fiercely. They hurriedly soothed the child back to sleep. The next morning, Lei Ting didn't wake Wu Qiu, quietly slipping out to see Yu Yuan at the front.

Yu Yuan asked how he had rested, and Lei Ting thanked him repeatedly. Yu Yuan told him not to be so polite and said that Wu Peng and Xue Hu had already been locked in the prefectural jail and that they could take the previously prepared indictment to file a lawsuit today.

Lei Ting nodded. "I was thinking the same. Delaying too long might lead to complications. Better to strike while the iron is hot, ensuring they never have a chance to recover, and make a clean break. But I must trouble you again. We originally only said my family would stay at your place tonight, but I suddenly thought: the clinic still bears traces of their arson. The prefect will likely send officers to investigate. If Qiu Er and the others are at home, I'm afraid those men might disturb him. After thinking it over, I'd like him and Mother to stay here with the child for another day or two."

Yu Yuan readily agreed. "You're always thoughtful. Of course, not to mention anything else, Ai Geer is so young. These officers are martial-trained, speaking roughly and moving clumsily. Our Ai Geer is such a precious little boy; what if he gets frightened? Let them stay here until Wu Peng and Xue Hu are sentenced to death, then they can return home with peace of mind."

Lei Ting felt relieved. "It puts my mind at ease, him being here; no worries on that front. In that case, I'll head to the prefectural office immediately to charge them with arson and assault."

Yu Yuan wanted to go with him. While gathering his things and changing clothes, he smiled and said, "This time, even the Liu family won't be able to protect them. This is an unavoidable death penalty. If one of the Liu family's young masters committed this crime, it might still be hard to protect him—perhaps they could only fake his death to avoid trouble, and even that might not succeed. Not to mention, one is just a witch doctor invited by Liu Yu, and the other is merely a sedan carrier, not even a close servant. We've already contacted that Ling Geer. When the time comes, we'll ask him to come forward and testify about how Wu Peng previously instructed someone to harm Qiu Geer with the undergarment. Once all accounts are settled, the Liu family certainly won't protect them anymore."

Lei Ting also smiled. "Moreover, the information Sun Xun gathered earlier was accurate. The court has indeed sent officials to investigate the hometowns of officials. The Liu family has members serving in the court; they're afraid this matter will blow up and damage their family's official reputation. When the time comes, we'll follow our prior arrangement and have someone spread the word. Once everyone in Yongning City knows about it, and the Liu family can't trace the source, Liu Yu will at least face some disfavor and punishment."

He sighed again. "The Liu family has deep roots and extensive influence; I can't do much to Liu Yu. If it can be like this, it'll be some small consolation."

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Author's Note: Usually, we see Tingting Zi comforting Qiu Bao, but actually, Qiu Bao is also very good at comforting his husband, hehe.