CH 31

Mahākāśyapa was the foremost disciple of the Buddha, and his golden statue was frequently placed in the Hall of Great Strength – the main hall of any Buddha Temple – right next to Siddhattha Gotama himself. Huò Wēi Lóu’s irises darkened slightly as he lifted his foot to enter the hall. “The bones dropped out from this honoured monk’s golden statue?”

Lù Kē nodded, “Yes, Hou’ye. The temple was already preparing for the Buddhist Conference back then, and the Buddha statue fell off as it was being lifted out from the framework and the base promptly split open. The artisans and managerial monks were shocked, but they didn’t expect that something would drop out from it. They took a look and came to an unexpected realisation that it was a human bone.”

Pausing, Lù Kē then continued: “Allegedly, this Buddha statue was made ten years ago, and for the past ten years, it had always been placed inside the Hall of Great Strength and it was never moved to another place; the monks wipe and clean it, but it has never been damaged.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s pupils shrank. It also meant that this set of skeletal remains were already inside when the Buddha statue was fully modelled ten years ago.

The Famen Temple had a long and extensive history. The temple’s ambience was strict and prayer incense rose in spirals. Upon entering the temple’s gates, anyone could feel that the centuries-old Buddhist Temple did not have an undeserved reputation, but inside the golden figure of an honoured monk which received the daily prayers from its worshippers in this sacred land of Buddhism, actually hid a set of skeletal remains.

“Have the craftsmen who modelled this statue been investigated?”

Lù Kē shook his head, “It has been difficult. This Buddha statue were in the process of being made during the Grand Ceremony to worship the Śarīra and pray for blessings. The Buddha statue was fully crafted around the end of the ceremony, the artisans that came to this place to make the statue heralded from Northwest Jizhou, and they are technically considered old artisans. After this subordinate arrived here, he had dispatched some men to head towards Jizhou, but it has been less than a month, and it’s not absolutely certain that the artisans from that year can be found.”

The road to Jizhou was far, and it required some effort to find those artisans, but they could not afford to wait for those artisans.

As they were conversing, Huò Wēi Lóu had already entered the main hall. The hall was brightly lit with Buddhist lamps, thus illuminating every minute aspect of the Buddha statue.

This Buddha statue was around two to three metres tall and was erected on a lotus flower seat. It was casted in copper then gilded with gold, bearing well-rounded facial features and silkworm eyebrows which were half curved, while harbouring a faint smile. Its stance of cupping one fist in the other hand was cultured and benevolent, calling to mind the widely circulated tale of Mahākāśyapa ‘holding a flower and smiling subtly’. Huò Wēi Lóu inspected the Buddha statue briefly and subsequently caught sight of the crack on the lotus flower seat.

The hall was mostly empty; apart from the Buddha statue, there was another meagre coffin, and the discovered skeletal remains had been placed inside. There were seven lit altar lamps surrounding the coffin with simple sacrificial offerings.

Huò Wēi Lóu strode towards the open coffin, and while he could only see that it was being covered by a white silk mourning dress, the fact that there was a human skeleton placed underneath could be vaguely discerned. Huò Wēi Lóu did not have any taboos so he leaned over and pulled away that white silk mourning dress. Sure enough, the skeletal remains that had been deliberately given a human shape was revealed.

Lín Huái stated: “After the skeleton was discovered, the shifus conducted two redemption religious ceremonies, and owing to the overly strange nature of this matter, they were originally going to report it to the Luozhou Prefectural Magistrate to investigate, but upon realising that this honoured monk’s statue was crafted ten years ago, and the Grand Ceremony was happening then, a disciple of Great Master Jìng Kōng stepped forward and said that this skeleton belonged to Great Master Jìng Kōng, which was why a memorial was presented to the Imperial Court.”

师父 (pinyin: shi fu) – Note: in this arc, this term can refer to accomplished monks or a monk’s teacher/mentor, depending on context.

Although Famen Temple was very far from the Capital, it could be considered as the Imperial Family’s Buddhist Temple as well. Since this affair involved the Great Śarīra Ceremony that happened ten years ago, no one dared to be irreverent. Moreover, a homicide had occurred on a sacred land for Buddhism, and the Temple Head and managerial monks were all aware that if this matter got out, it would inevitably damage the reputation of Famen Temple.

Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes congealed, “Did the three of you come together?”

Naturally, this question was not directed towards Lín Huái and Lù Kē, but the three people behind.

At this moment, the person with the tallest and sturdiest physique among the three stepped forward, “Xiaguan arrived on the twelfth of January, xiaguan arrived the earliest.”

Fu gonggong and Bó Ruò Yōu was standing at door, and upon witnessing this scene, Fu gonggong said in a soft voice: “This is the current General Xuande of the Zhenxi Army, Yuè Míng Quán, he was Luozhou’s Commander-in-Chief that year. When His Majesty came down south to participate in the Grand Ceremony, the security and patrolling of the entire Xixia Mountain was handed to him, though that authority excluded the Imperial Guards who personally protected His Majesty. Back then, apart from the courtyard that His Majesty stayed in, the other areas were patrolled and guarded by his men.”

Bó Ruò Yōu turned to look at Fu gonggong, “Gonggong is very clear about the details.”

Fu gonggong smiled, “Because during that Grand Ceremony, zajia was accompanying His Majesty. Back then, Her Highness the Elder Princess was supposed to come as well, but the journey was genuinely too far. On one hand, zajia used to wait upon His Majesty, and on the other, Her Highness the Princess trusts zajia, and commanded zajia to pray for blessings in her stead, mainly… to pray for Hou’ye’s good fortune, and zajia later requested for several auspicious items and brought it back.”

Bó Ruò Yōu did not expect that Fu gonggong personally experienced the Grand Śarīra Ceremony that year, which meant that there was another person who was familiar with the details. When all was said and done, the affair happened ten years ago, with another person that personally experienced it, they might be able to come up with more clues.

At this moment, another thin and tall man stepped forward, “Xiaguan arrived at the temple with Wang-xiong on the thirteenth of January.”

兄 (pinyin: xiong) – a suffix that is attached to either an older brother or close friend.

Fu gonggong supplemented, “The thin and tall individual is the Minister of Rites’ Assistant Minister Wú Yú, the shorter person by his side is Wáng Qīng Fǔ. Wú Yú was a Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites ten years ago. That year, he came together with the former Ministry of Rites’ Assistant Minister to arrange the sacrificial offerings one month in advance, and he has a thorough understanding of most of the arrangements that year by technicality. When the Śarīra was lost later, he was demoted once, but after ten years, he was promoted back up again, he’s a remarkable one. That is Wáng Qīng Fǔ, he was the Vice-Secretary of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices back then, and now he is the Secretary of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.”

The Luozhou Commander-in-Chief of that year was now General Xuande, the Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites that year was now an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Rites, and the Vice-Secretary of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was already the current Secretary of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. These people were fourth-ranked at the very least, which signified that they occupied high positions and held great weight. It was only now that Bó Ruò Yōu vividly understood why Huò Wēi Lóu said that this was not an ordinary unresolved case, and it was labelled as a national affair.

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“What about Féng Lún? When did he arrive?” Huò Wēi Lóu continued to ask.

Wáng Qīng Fǔ and Wú Yú exchanged glances before Wú Yú said: “Old Féng arrived on the thirteenth of January as well, but he only arrived at night.”

Féng Lún arrived at Famen Temple on the thirteenth of January, fell off a mountain precipice and died on the fifteenth of January. Currently, it was night of January the twentieth, and Féng Lún had already been dead for five days.

Fu gonggong stated, “Féng Lún was the Luozhou Prefectural Magistrate of that year, and Famen Temple resides within Luozhou. It goes without saying that he was at the beck and call of His Majesty and even personally welcomed him, and he knows how to be an official as well. Later on, he was promoted to the Ministry of Justice’s Assistant Minister, is one full cycle (twelve years) older than Assistant Minister Lín, and can be considered as half a teacher to Assistant Minister Lín.”

Assistant Minister Lín was Lín Huái, and when Féng Lún was brought up, some grief emerged on his visage as one would expect, “Hou’ye, Old Féng’s remains are in the wing-room. The Ming Family’s Da Gongzi has yet to arrive, perhaps [we] can look at the remains tomorrow?”

Contrariwise, Huò Wēi Lóu said, “Look at it first.”

Lín Huái did not personally attend the ceremony that year, and the current collaborative case handling had nothing to do with him at all. Whereas for the other three, the given situation was rather thought-provoking; amongst them, Yuè Míng Quán was a military official, Wáng Qīng Fǔ and Wú Yú were both Capital officials, and it could be discerned that the latter pair were exceedingly familiar with each other since they would communicate with their eyes occasionally and mutter in low voices, thus making it evident that they were incredibly friendly. With this comparison, Yuè Míng Quán appeared a touch solitary.

Lín Huái led the way. After exiting the doors and taking a left turn, they arrived at the wing-room where Féng Lún’s corpse was temporarily resting.

Lù Kē said: “This subordinate arrived at Luozhou on the night of January the fifteenth, and upon arriving, he heard that Féng daren had disappeared. No one could be found in the meditation hall he was staying in, then the night passed and on the morning of the second day, the monks who went down the mountain for their morning routine discovered Féng daren. This subordinate did a rough examination, and it seems like Féng daren had fallen to his death from the mountain precipice.”

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded and strode across the threshold of the wing-room. Once he stepped in, he promptly saw Féng Lún lying on a coffin bed. Féng Lún was past half-hundred in age, and he was still wearing the clothes he died with. There were a lot of bloodstains on his forehead and body, his robes were also very wrinkled, and he looked wretchedly battered. Furthermore, he had been dead for five days, and owing to the lit altar lamps that burned through the day and night, a dense and foul odour was being emitted.

Yuè Míng Quán and the other two stood at the entrance, not stepping into the room at all.

“Benhou remembers that all of you were old acquaintances with Féng Lún.” Huò Wēi Lóu studied the corpse as he spoke, “Yuè Míng Quán, you were Luozhou’s Commander-in-Chief that year, Féng Lún was the Prefectural Magistrate, and you were technically colleagues once. Later on, he was promoted to the Capital, thus becoming an official in the same court as Wáng Qīng Fǔ and Wú Yú. His background cannot compare to all of you, or else, he might not have stopped at the position of Assistant Minister.”

In response to that, Yuè Míng Quán immediately said: “Hou’ye, xiaguan arrived the earliest and the other Daren arrived later. We drank some tea and had vegetarian meals together, and we lived together in peaceful harmony for those few days. At wu shi (11AM-1PM) on January the fifteenth, we even laughed and conversed while celebrating the festival. Then, we used the vegetarian meals prepared by the temple together, and that meal lasted until the evening. Afterwards, we returned to our respective rooms, and somehow, Féng daren lost his footing and unexpectedly fell off the back mountain.”

Wáng Qīng Fǔ also said: “That’s right, xiaguan returned back to the rooms together with Wú-xiong, our dwellings are close by, we can testify for each other.”

Once those words were uttered, Yuè Míng Quán shot him a look. With Wáng Qīng Fǔ saying that he and Wú Yú could testify for each other, it was also insinuating that he was giving a one-sided statement. Yuè Míng Quán’s complexion darkened, but in front of Huò Wēi Lóu, Yuè Míng Quán merely pursed his lips without saying more.

Huò Wēi Lóu remained silent for a moment, and Lín Huái responded by trying to mediate as he said: “Hou’ye, one fears that Ming Family’s Da Gongzi and Shizi will only arrive by tomorrow night. When he arrives, the corpse can be examined, and it will become known if Féng daren fell off because he lost his footing or if it was some other reason. As for the skeletal remains, one fears that some effort will be required.”

Since the skeletal remains were brought up, Huò Wēi Lóu asked: “How did his disciple discern that this skeleton belonged to Great Master Jìng Kōng?”

When Huò Wēi Lóu looked at the skeleton just now, it was just a set of human bones; even if the stature and height could be measured, it would be difficult to deduce that it was Great Master Jìng Kōng who had disappeared ten years ago.

Lín Huái replied: “Because besides the bones that dropped out from the golden statue that day, there was also a Buddhist bead. Great Master Jìng Kōng’s disciple saw it, and stated that the Buddhist bead was one of the beads from the string of prayer beads that Great Master Jìng Kōng carried with him that year. That string of sandalwood beads has a total of one hundred and eighty beads, and each bead has a Buddhist hymn carved on it.”

“Where is the Buddhist bead? Was there any other material evidence?”

Lín Huái pointed at the main hall, “The material evidence has been placed in the eastmost corner room of the main hall. There was only one Buddhist bead, and in addition to the Buddhist bead, there was something that resembled a kasaya, and some fabric. However, it has become torn and ragged now, though Great Master Jìng Kōng’s disciple also recognises the kasaya and he said that his shifu was wearing that article of clothing the year he disappeared.”

Huò Wēi Lóu was not in a rush to see the material evidence, and his gaze was still fixed on Féng Lún’s corpse. Regardless of whether it was Great Master Jìng Kōng’s corpse or not, at least ten years had elapsed for that set of skeletal remains, whereas Féng Lún’s corpse only died five days ago. If they wanted to search for clues and evidence, they would naturally benefit more by starting with Féng Lún’s death first.

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“You come in—”

Huò Wēi Lóu suddenly opened his mouth.

Lín Huái faltered, not knowing who Huò Wēi Lóu was calling. Lù Kē, who was standing closest to him, was also surprised. The trio standing at the door looked at each other as well, not knowing which one Huò Wēi Lóu was calling.

“Troubling the three Daren to move aside.”

A distinctively female voice suddenly rang out. With a flash of understanding, the trio turned around, and saw Bó Ruò Yōu standing right in front of their eyes.

Since they were observing from a distance just now, the trio merely felt that Bó Ruò Yōu possessed a sweet-tempered and elegant character, and they had been guessing what her identity was the whole time. Now that Bó Ruò Yōu was standing before them, the three officials finally realised that the little lady before them genuinely had a countenance that appeared painted.

Marquis Wuzhao’s reputation for staying away from womanly charms were best known by Wáng Qīng Fǔ and Wú Yú who worked as officials in the Capital, and Yuè Míng Quán was a General, so he had the fortune of meeting Huò Wēi Lóu a few times and was similarly cognizant of his reputation. None of them could have ever anticipated that Huò Wēi Lóu would bring along a little lady after handling a business in Qingzhou.

Did Marquis Wuzhao, who had been abstinent for many years, finally eat meat again?!

But the bizarre part was, this was a place where a corpse temporarily rested, why was she going into the room?

Fu gonggong seemed to guess what Wú Yú and the rest were thinking, so he said smilingly, “The three Daren, please move aside, our Yōu Yōu needs to go inside.”

Yōu Yōu… Fu gonggong was addressing her so intimately. Apart from this girl being Marquis Wuzhao’s new inamorata, what other explanation was there?!

Wú Yú pushed Wáng Qīng Fǔ, and Yuè Míng Quán quickly moved aside as well, thus allowing Bó Ruò Yōu to enter the room at last. Lín Huái’s pupils shifted, and how were his inner thoughts any different from Wú Yú and the rest?

When he saw Huò Wēi Lóu calling Bó Ruò Yōu inside, he was only thinking: Marquis Wuzhao finally has a woman by his side after so many years. The fatigue borne from a long journey was indisputable, and yet he was calling this woman to his side when the others had not dispersed, could it be that he wanted to retire to bed with her, but it was not convenient for him to say it?

A few threads of ridicule flitted past the bottom of Lín Huái’s eyes. He adjusted his expression before he said: “Ming gongzi has yet to arrive, and there is no one who can examine the corpse right now. Perhaps Hou’ye should bring along the guniang to rest first, and continue the discussion tomorrow?”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s visage was originally expressionless, but when he heard the sentence about bringing along Bó Ruò Yōu to rest, his brows twitched slightly. He casted a sidelong glance at Lín Huái, the meaning in his gaze unfathomable, but Lín Huái felt his heart lurch. He must be mistaken…

In the next moment, Huò Wēi Lóu withdrew his line of sight and said: “There’s no need to wait for Guī Lán to arrive, there is someone who can examine the corpse here.”

Lín Huái froze briefly, and even Lù Kē found it strange. Then, Huò Wēi Lóu looked at Bó Ruò Yōu, “She’s the coroner that benhou brought along, before Guī Lán arrives, she can conduct the post-mortem autopsy alone.”

Lín Huái sucked in a mouthful of cold air. He had been an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Justice for three years, and naturally he had seen his fair share of homicides. From what he knew, Huò Wēi Lóu disdained even the coroners working in the Capital, and he would insist on bringing along the Ming Family’s Da Gongzi time and time again. Why was there another coroner by his side all of a sudden…? And it was a young lady with fair skin and a blossoming countenance too.

Lín Huái’s pupils rolled, shifting towards Huò Wēi Lóu before he observed Bó Ruò Yōu. Subsequently, he came to a sudden realisation.

What more was there to puzzle about? So what if she was a woman, so what if she was a coroner whose name he had never encountered? In a rare feat that occurred once in a hundred years, Marquis Wuzhao chose her; let alone saying that she was here to examine the corpse, even if he allowed her to investigate the case and interrogate the suspects, did any of them dare to say otherwise?

Hence, Lín Huái reacted quickly as he said: “Yes… Will she be examining the corpse now?”

Huò Wēi Lóu glanced at Bó Ruò Yōu. Back and shoulders ramrod straight, Bó Ruò Yōu said with a calm expression: “One will be troubling Hou’ye to prepare the autopsy tools.”

Huò Wēi Lóu gave Lù Kē a pointed look, who promptly went to prepare them.

Bó Ruò Yōu had been standing far away the entire time, and she didn’t even manage to catch a glimpse of the skeletal remains. Now that she was standing before Féng Lún’s corpse, it was natural that she checked the corpse first. At the side, Lín Huái watched Bó Ruò Yōu, a shred of bafflement rising from the bottom of his eyes again.

He came from the Capital’s Lin clan, and he was surely used to seeing how the descendants of old and prominent families in the Capital expressed their love to the beauties, but this was the first time he saw someone actually allowing their lover to examine a corpse.

Just looking at Féng Lún’s corpse which had a smattering of putrefying patches and a terrible, nose-assailing stench to match was nearly intolerable for him, and yet this young lady of icy skin and jade bones continued to draw closer, and that appearance of hers, did not seem like someone who was examining a corpse for the first time.

Subsequently, he thought about Huò Wēi Lóu’s conduct and style when handling official business, which caused Lín Huái’s countenance to change a few times. Huò Wēi Lóu had never slacked off by a single fraction when he was on official business, could it be that… this young lady was a bona fide coroner?!

Lín Huái’s heart was in turmoil and the chaos of war. Lù Kē, who had gone out to search for autopsy tools, was finding it hard to describe what he was feeling in the moment as well, and when he saw Fu gonggong standing at the side, Lù Kē could not resist going up to him, “Gonggong, that guniang, she—”

Fu gonggong smiled with profound mystery, “Is actually capable of examining corpses, it’s not fake.”

Lù Kē’s brows twisted together, “For real? This subordinate presumed…”

Fu gonggong’s brows arched up high, “You presumed that our Hou’ye finally started eating meat, and learned how to keep delicate beauties by his side?””

Lù Kē’s expression conveyed that those were his thoughts, but Fu gonggong pursed his lips and snorted, “Who is he ah, he’s Marquis Wuzhao ah, is he even capable of such growth?!”

Despite the explanation that Fu gonggong gave, Lù Kē was still struggling to level his heart when he stepped through the door again. The matter of his family’s Marquis not disliking womanly charms and the young lady being capable of examining corpses, were both capable of leaving him dumbstruck.

After putting down the box filled with autopsy tools, Lù Kē retreated to the side respectfully. He wanted to get a good view of how this young lady was going to examine this corpse that was already beginning to rot.

Bó Ruò Yōu rolled her sleeves and opened the box, catching sight of a pair of protective gloves made for examining corpses that was sewn out of deer skin first. Her eyes lit up slightly and she stooped over to slip the gloves on her hands. This object was not frequently seen, and since the embroidered emissary prepared it, it was probably in consideration of that Ming gongzi. Assistant Minister Lín had mentioned that person numerous times, which signified that everyone present was quite familiar with him as someone whom Huò Wēi Lóu frequently kept by his side, and if he was frequently brought along by Huò Wēi Lóu, he had to be an expert in this field.

Lín Huái and Lù Kē stared at her with some scrutiny, and the three officials at the door remained unmoving as well. They initially assumed that the young lady that Marquis Wuzhao had brought along was probably someone he kept in his rooms, but who could have expected that, this woman, was actually a coroner that examined corpses?!

She was clearly born with a face that could tempt hearts and souls, her whole body exuded the soft grace and elegance characteristic of a Jiangnan lady, and yet the dignified Marquis Wuzhao actually used this person to examine corpses.

Or perhaps, a corpse-examining small coroner by day, at night…

Don’t blame everyone for thinking too much, it was really because Marquis Wuzhao never had any women by his side; now that there was an abrupt addition, anyone would feel that he was violating a precept.

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After igniting a stick of gum storax, Bó Ruò Yōu started examining the corpse.

Everyone present at the scene were court officials. Huò Wēi Lóu surveyed them in a clockwise fashion, though he did not order anyone to withdraw. Naturally, he could see the shock and doubt lining their expression, but it was precisely because of this, that he wanted them to witness that Bó Ruò Yōu’s autopsy skills were not a hoax.

It was also at this moment where everyone realised that the pretty and clever-looking young lady was a little different from before.

When Féng Lún was discovered that day, he was only roughly examined for his injuries by Lù Kē. For the same reason, the appearance he had upon his death was quintessentially preserved right now: his once blood-soaked clothes were sticking to his corpse, and in addition to the fact that the corpse was starting to rot, the corpse’s external appearance looked rather frightening, and it was precisely when she touched Féng Lún’s clothing where Bó Ruò Yōu’s refined brows scrunched.

Féng Lún’s clothes had quite a lot of wrinkles. There were obvious bloodstains, yes, but some patches were more saturated, while others were lighter, and the lighter areas appeared as though they had been washed but it was not done thoroughly. She went to check the corpse’s footwear again, then his hands and hair. Very quickly, Bó Ruò Yōu posed a question without even lifting her head, “The night Féng daren lost his footing and fell off the mountain, did it rain?”

Lù Kē’s eyes brightened slightly, “It did rain, around the first watch of the night (7PM-9PM), and it rained for a full double-hour.”

The clothes had become damp from the water before, hence the particularly large number of creases. Furthermore, the mud on his footwear, the heels especially, and the soil that had mixed into his hair, all of these clues pointed towards the fact that it had rained that night.

Because he was found after the rain, the rate of the corpse’s decay was even faster. After Bó Ruò Yōu inspected the corpse’s head, face, and other extremities, she started to peel off all the articles of clothing on the corpse, which made the eyelids of Lín Huái, Wú Yú, and the rest jump involuntarily.

This was a male corpse, was she going to strip him completely?

Under everyone’s attentive gazes, Bó Ruò Yōu took off all the clothes on the corpse in a calm and composed manner.

Lín Huái and Wú Yú: “……”

The corpse’s exterior was strewn with putrefaction, thus becoming purple, and the putrefaction had already started its subsidence with how long the deceased had been dead. It was rather difficult to distinguish what kind of posture the corpse was in when he died, and there were a few areas of severe external injuries, one being the deceased’s front forehead, and the other being the back of the deceased’s head. Moreover, the wounds on his left arm must have seen blood, and the surface area of the bruises were large, the injury was wide and coarse as if he had been grazed by sharp rocks.

Bó Ruò Yōu focused on examining the obvious injuries first, and once she was done examining these areas, her brows scrunched together again. She suddenly looked towards Lù Kē, “You said that it rained that night, starting from the first watch, and it only rained for a double-hour?”

The question came suddenly. The current Bó Ruò Yōu was different from her previous gentle appearance; when her eyes swept towards him, it was frigid and focused to the point that it was coercive. Lù Kē’s expression stiffened, and he took a moment to think about it before replying prudently: “It did not rain more for more than an hour at most.”

Bó Ruò Yōu nodded upon hearing those words. She retracted her gaze and continued examining the corpse. The others were unaware of why she asked the question, but Huò Wēi Lóu was certain that she had discovered something. However, he did not open his mouth to ask, only standing at the side as his gaze stayed on her figure amorously.

The first time he witnessed Bó Ruò Yōu conducting a post-mortem autopsy, he did not spare Bó Ruò Yōu an additional glance. Compared to her visage, he liked watching the preciseness of her incisions more, and the absolute professionalism it exuded. But right now, the case was clearly more important, but his gaze would drift towards Bó Ruò Yōu’s face occasionally. If the usual Bó Ruò Yōu was mild and amiable, then the current Bó Ruò Yōu gave the slight impression that she was alienating to others.

And the delicate brows that were pinched together, would not relax until the examination was completed.

After Bó Ruò Yōu was done examining the external injuries, she first shaved off the deceased’s hair, then smeared white vinegar on the deceased’s four limbs, chest, and abdomen. While she was waiting, she started choosing from the corpse dissection knives that were available to her. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something as she turned around, “Hou’ye, is min’nü allowed to conduct a dissection?” Having said that, she pointed at the corpse again, “Mainly to open the skull.”

Mainly to open the skull.

When Bó Ruò Yōu was uttering those words, her manner of speaking was so normal that it sounded like she was saying that the moonlight was quite decent tonight.

However, when the surrounding people – namely Lín Huái and the rest – heard those words, they felt their scalps numb. In the moment, they only felt that Bó Ruò Yōu’s exquisite countenance was no longer akin to a moon-like countenance with flower-like features, or icy skin and jade bones, and it was even less elegant and seductive. Not just that, as they watched her select the large and small corpse dissection knives skilfully, they could not suppress the chill that ran down their spines.

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded faintly, “Open it.”