Сhарtеr 238 Аftermath
“Тhе dеаth оf Sima Biqu truly griеvеs me. You must thоroughly invеstigаtе this mаttеr! Frоm todaу onward, strictly inspeсt thе citу gatеs. Dо nоt lеt anуоnе раss unchеcked, esреciаlly those with injuriеs. Detain thеm all—I will pеrsоnаllу intеrrоgаte them!”
Мо Qianzhi grеw inсrеasinglу furious аs hе spokе. Тhe Мo squad leаder orderеd sеvеral сonstables tо immеdiаtelу dеlivеr thе mеssаge tо thе citу gatеs.
“Todаy’s inсidеnt is duе to оur lах guаrd! It led to the trаgic death of Sima Вiqu, and I bear full rеsponsibilitу! You, соme with mе to visit Sima Biqu’s family.”
“Yes!” The Mo squad leader also wore a pained expression, wishing he could subject the Half-Faced Ghost to death by a thousand cuts.
At this moment, Mo Qianzhi seemed to notice that Shen Du and the others were still present. With some surprise, he cupped his hands, his voice hoarse:
“Great Pavilion Commander, thank you for earlier, for granting Biqu an early release from his suffering.”
These words seemed to remind Shen Du that he had personally ended Biqu’s life. Shen Du waved his hand, not dwelling on the details.
“Very well, we shall first go to console Sima Biqu’s family. Upon our return, we will discuss with the Great Pavilion Commander the matter of eliminating the Half-Faced Ghost.”
Shen Du nodded without further comment.
Mo Qianzhi walked away with heavy steps, accompanied by the Mo squad leader, to handle the aftermath. His back was hunched, weighed down by accumulated gloom.
After Mo Qianzhi and his men had left, Shen Du turned his gaze to Zhu Yan. Earlier, after Shen Du had stabbed Biqu, Zhu Yan seemed to have conducted another examination. Judging by her demeanor, she must have discovered something.
Perhaps because the earlier scene had been too bizarre and sorrowful, Zhu Yan took a long while to recover, her eyes gradually regaining their sparkle. She put away her protective gloves and autopsy tools, then gestured with her hands as if demonstrating for Shen Du and Pan Chi.
“Make a small incision at the top of the head—just a small one—then pour in yuan shui (mercury). In less than half a quarter-hour, the skin and flesh separate completely, making peeling effortless.”
Recalling the gruesome state of Sima Biqu’s flesh and blood, Zhu Yan paused.
“Because of the mandrake’s effect, the victim initially feels no pain. Once the skin is peeled, the mandrake wears off, and the pain crashes down like a tidal wave.”
A tidal wave of agony, the pain of skin and flesh being torn apart—truly unimaginable.
Shen Du frowned. “What use does the Half-Faced Ghost have for peeled skin?” The previous removal of eyes, ears, mouth, and nose could be explained, but what purpose does taking an entire human skin serve?
“Isn’t it rumored that the Half-Faced Ghost enjoys consuming human body parts?” Pan Chi shrugged, somewhat indifferent. “He took Li Kaixiang’s head, which was quite large. A human skin would be nothing to him.”
Shen Du stared at him, a hint of displeasure flickering in his eyes. Zhu Yan also said sternly, “Do not joke about the dead.”
Pan Chi shrugged noncommittally but did not continue.
Zhu Yan smoothed down her rolled-up sleeves. Due to the urgency of the situation, she had not had time to change into her official uniform, having rushed out in casual attire. Compared to usual, she appeared more delicate and feminine. Pan Chi studied her for a moment, clicking his tongue in admiration:
“If not for seeing it with my own eyes, who would believe you are skilled in autopsy techniques?”
Among the women officials of the Great Zhou, Zhu Yan was the only one who practiced the work of a coroner.
“It’s fine. Whether others know or not makes no difference to me.” Zhu Yan seemed long accustomed to the scrutiny of ordinary people, appearing quite composed.
Displeased that Pan Chi kept staring at Zhu Yan, Shen Du deliberately stepped between them. Facing Zhu Yan, however, he wore a serious expression:
“For now, we must first clarify the source of this yuan shui. Secondly, we need to determine whether Sima Biqu had any connection to the Fire Moth Party.”This primordial water is an extremely precious substance, refined from cinnabar. It takes a hundred loads of cinnabar to barely produce one load of primordial water, and cinnabar itself is an essential material for alchemy, with extremely limited production. Since ancient times, it has been favored by the imperial family. Both the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and the "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica" highly praise it. The Empress does not favor Taoism but exclusively believes in Buddhism, so cinnabar is truly used only as medicinal material, and no one dares to openly use it for alchemy.
Even so, cinnabar is not something one can buy simply with money. The fact that the Half-Faced Ghost casually produced such a quantity to kill and skin people is highly suspicious.
And why the Yingzhou City Magistrate Biqu was killed is another point of suspicion.
As the number of victims grew, Shen Du felt a headache coming on. Moreover, with Pan Chi eyeing Zhu Yan covetously, he only hoped to capture the Half-Faced Ghost as soon as possible and take Zhu Yan away from this place, far from Pan Chi.
Meanwhile, Mo Qianzhi rode his horse at full speed from the central street of Yingzhou City straight to Biqu’s home in the southern part of the city.
"It was my fault that Biqu died. The Half-Faced Ghost must have been targeting me. Go investigate Biqu’s background—find out if these people are really after me! If that’s truly the case, how can I face the Sima family?"
"Lord Mo, this matter is beyond your control. We are all deeply grieved by Sima’s death. We will spare no effort to capture the Half-Faced Ghost and avenge Sima. Please do not grieve excessively."
As they spoke, the group arrived at Magistrate Biqu’s residence—an ordinary courtyard in the city, with side rooms on both sides and three bedrooms at the innermost part. It was not large but sufficient.
Upon hearing the news of her son’s death, Biqu’s mother fainted immediately. Fortunately, Biqu’s father managed to steady his emotions.
The white-haired old man seemed to lose his vitality in an instant.
"Did my son pass away peacefully?"
Mo Qianzhi felt a lump in his throat and nodded.
Biqu’s father immediately burst into tears. The group comforted him for a long time, and Mo Qianzhi promised to capture the Half-Faced Ghost and give the elderly couple an explanation. They stayed until very late before returning the way they came.
In the courtyard, candles were lit in every room, and no one felt like sleeping.
Jing Lin came to report to Shen Du. After the two whispered briefly, Jing Lin stepped back.
"You should rest first. Leave the rest to me," Shen Du said, sitting on a stool and looking at Zhu Yan, who seemed somewhat drowsy nearby.
It seemed that at some point, Shen Du had started referring to himself as "I" when speaking to her, and Zhu Yan had grown accustomed to it.
Zhu Yan shook her head and immediately perked up. "No, only I know the autopsy results."
Seeing the stubbornness hidden in Zhu Yan’s eyes, Shen Du did not force her. He draped a cloak over her and tied it securely, then, after a moment’s thought, took her hand and led her outside.
Zhu Yan’s face flushed slightly, and her palm felt warm. She pulled her hand free from Shen Du’s grasp and followed behind him.
Feeling his hand suddenly empty, Shen Du’s expression darkened. Noticing Pan Chi ahead, seemingly smiling, he said nothing more and led Zhu Yan to Mo Qianzhi’s study.
Mo Qianzhi stood at the doorway, pacing back and forth anxiously.
"Lord Mo..." The scout Mo Qianzhi had sent out returned, and Mo Qianzhi hurried to meet him.
"Let’s talk inside," Mo Qianzhi said, lacking his usual composure, his face etched with exhaustion.
The group entered the room one by one."I have already comforted the family of Bi Qiu and am determined to capture the Half-Faced Ghost to give the elderly couple an explanation." Mo Qianzhi vowed, "I will still need to trouble the three of you later; if you discover any clues, please return promptly to discuss them with me." Mo Qianzhi stood up and bowed to Pan Chi, Shen Du, and Zhu Yan.
The three returned the gesture.
"Magistrate Mo, there is no need for such courtesy. I am under His Majesty's decree and must thoroughly investigate this matter," Shen Du replied, his expression cold and stern.
Mo Qianzhi nodded and signaled for the scout to report.
"Magistrate Mo, we investigated Sima Bi Qiu's household registration and life history. This person was clean, with no criminal record, and had no conflicts with others. After passing the county examination, he remained in the Yingzhou government office as a Sima and stayed there for many years without traveling elsewhere."
"His parents were also honest and decent people, getting along well with their neighbors in daily life. When we investigated, we heard nothing but praise, with no complaints or grievances at all."
In the headless corpse case, Li Kaixiang did not get along with his neighbors, loved to argue and cause trouble, and was obsessed with sexual affairs and alchemy. Yet Bi Qiu, who had no flaws at all, was killed—this is truly strange.
Pan Chi rubbed his nose. "In this matter, he was likely the most innocent person."
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