Chapter 82: The Canal Transport Route

After dinner, just as Li Yunjie was about to lie down and rest, urgent knocking sounded at the door. Shi Yi opened it, and Jiang Kui rushed in, his expression anxious.

“Master, there’s movement at the docks.”

Li Yunjie’s brows furrowed as he left with Jiang Kui. “What happened?” Unease flickered in his heart.

“The Sun brothers’ shop caught fire,” Jiang Kui said, his face grave.

“Who did it?” Li Yunjie asked, brows knitted.

Jiang Kui shook his head. “Still investigating.”

Li Yunjie sighed softly, unconsciously quickening his pace. Even before reaching the docks, the acrid scent of burning reached them. Thick smoke billowed from the direction of the Sun’s shop.

By the time they arrived, the blaze had been subdued. Li Yunjie stepped past Qin Fang and Chang Yuan, heading straight for the charred remains of the shop.

The Sun brothers, Sun San and Sun Si, faces blackened by soot, were searching through the ruins for any salvageable goods.

“Master, we’ve let you down,” Sun San murmured, his eyes glistening with tears as he saw Li Yunjie. “It’s all gone... all gone…”

Sun Si gazed at the devastation, his voice choked, “How did the fire start so suddenly?”

“I distinctly remember extinguishing the lamps when we closed up today…”

“How did it happen…?”

“Master,” Sun San approached slowly, dejected, “We’ve failed you.”

With that, he dropped to his knees. Sun Si followed suit, both men defeated like soldiers after a lost battle, heads bowed in despair.

Li Yunjie stepped forward, his tone light, “It’s just a shop burned down. The sky hasn’t fallen.”

“But the money you gave us, Master, we invested it all in the shop…” Sun Si’s eyes brimmed with tears, his voice tinged with grievance.

Li Yunjie chuckled, “I spend more in a single trip to the brothel than this. If I don’t feel heartache, why should you?”

He helped them to their feet. “Get up. This is not the time for blame. Let’s uncover the truth first.”

He raised his torch and began surveying the scene. The situation wasn’t complicated; after a circuit, Li Yunjie had a rough idea.

The building was wooden, and judging by the burn patterns, the fire started from the warehouse by the lake. But how could there have been an open flame in the warehouse?

“This fire was set deliberately,” Li Yunjie said in a low voice.

The two brothers froze, then exclaimed in unison, “Who could be so vicious?!”

Li Yunjie’s brows drew together as he looked across at Liu’s Canal Shipping.

On the second floor, a middle-aged man met his gaze, a faint smile still lingering on his face.

Li Yunjie spoke coldly, “You renovated your shop, business improved—whose interests did you threaten?”

“Liu’s Canal Shipping?” Sun San and Sun Si exchanged glances. “Instead of honest trade, they resort to such dirty tricks!”

“Despicable!” Sun Si spat angrily. “I’ll teach him a lesson today!”

He rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge upstairs. Sun San was also unable to restrain himself.

Li Yunjie stopped them. “Don’t be hasty; it’s only a guess.”

“Who else could it be?!” Sun Si’s round, dark face was flushed with rage, his eyes blazing.

Sun San nodded in agreement.

Li Yunjie paused, his voice low, “If it truly is him, we’ll give him a beating—he deserves it. But that alone won’t satisfy me.”

The brothers turned, confusion in their eyes.

Li Yunjie’s gaze was sharp, his words edged with ferocity, “Would you rather take his place?”

The brothers stared at each other, stunned, then nodded hesitantly.

Li Yunjie cast a cold glance toward the second-floor window of Liu’s Canal Shipping. The middle-aged man’s silhouette had vanished.

He had intended to have a proper conversation, but now, it seemed there was no need.