Сhаpter 272: Тhе Firе Моth Party 4
Еvеn Shen Du was stаrtled, taking sеvеrаl stерs bаck. "This... this is Li Кaixiang's missing head."
"Cоrrеct. Тhesе аrе аll the missing bоdу раrts frоm the сorpses," Zhu Yаn sаid, giving him an аppreсiative lоok.
Seеing Shеn Du rеасt ехactlу аs she hаd whеn shе was frightеned уеsterdaу, shе felt sаtisfied.
Who saуs women arе infеriоr to mеn? When it comеs tо fеar, thеу’rе сlеаrly thе sаme.
Sоon, Shеn Du regainеd his cоmроsure, stuffing а рiесe of dried mеat into his mouth to cаlm his nerves. Aftеr finishing it, he askеd, "Is this honеу used tо prevent the flesh from rotting? Why does honey have such a miraculous effect?"
Zhu Yan actually knew this. Back when she was working on cases with her master, Chen Wen, she had encountered it and asked out of curiosity.
Chen Wen naturally didn’t hold back and explained everything in detail. The specifics were recorded in Miscellaneous Records of the Western Regions, and since Chen Wen had encountered it before, he remembered it well.
It was said that Chen Wen had come across something similar while investigating a case back then, but what was preserved in honey wasn’t these body parts—it was young boys and girls, prepared for sacrificial rituals.
After that case, not only was it recorded in Miscellaneous Records of the Western Regions, but Chen Wen also dug up historical documents and learned that such methods had existed in the Celestial Dynasty long ago.
Not only Hua Tuo, but even Sun Simiao, known as "Hua Tuo Reborn," had used this method. Even further back, during the time of the Yellow Emperor, such methods existed because honey could be preserved for a long time without spoiling.
During the frequent dynastic changes, people would often uncover honey that had been preserved for many years. Honey-preserved fruits and snacks also lasted a long time without spoiling, so merchants saw profit in it.
They used honey to make preserved fruits, dried meat, and other items. Because they were sweet, delicious, and long-lasting, they were very popular among noble ladies.
So, the Fire Moth Party likely referenced such methods, using precious honey to preserve body parts.
After explaining everything in detail to Shen Du, Zhu Yan added, "To put it simply, this method essentially preserves the corpse into a human-shaped hard candy. It’s said that Persians in the Western Regions even like to dig out human-shaped hard candies preserved for centuries from stone coffins to treat illnesses. Legend has it they can cure bone diseases, but whether it’s true or not remains debatable."
After all, these were all rumors. Rumors spread like wildfire, and when false things are repeated often enough, people unconsciously start believing them.
Shen Du couldn’t help but look at the pouch of dried meat in his hand, the piece in his mouth now tasting like wax.
He was certain Zhu Yan was doing this on purpose.
Zhu Yan covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, and glanced at him. She snatched the pouch away and casually tossed a piece of dried meat into her own mouth, chewing with satisfaction.
"..."
"What’s the big deal? I’ve even dissected rotting corpses crawling with maggots and still managed to eat several bowls of rice afterward."
However, no one starts out that strong. She remembered when she first encountered dissection—she vomited until even bile came up.
Seeing Shen Du frown in disgust, Zhu Yan’s mischievous side emerged. She took out a piece of crimson-red dried meat with a sweet aroma, playfully blinked, and leaned in close to Shen Du, holding the meat up for him to see.
"I haven’t told you yet, let me tell you..."
Shen Du lowered his head, his nose brushing against the dried meat, causing it to tremble slightly. The sweet aroma of meat filled his nostrils, and before his eyes was the woman’s delicate, pale hand and her bright smile, capable of breaking through the gloom of Yingzhou City.
His heart stirred, and he opened his mouth, taking the dried meat between his teeth."What?" The voice was somewhat muffled.
Zhu Yan stared at her empty hand, momentarily dazed. She absentmindedly touched her delicate nose, feeling the heat flush her face, and hurriedly spoke to cover her embarrassment:
"I was afraid if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to eat."
"Hmm?" Shen Du chewed silently, watching her.
Zhu Yan rubbed her face with her hands, took a breath to steady herself, and said:
"After Wang Buzui abducted me to Guangchun Hall, I saw that although the women were frightened and their clothes were dirty, they didn’t look the least bit haggard. Except for Du Xiaowan, the others all had rosy complexions and seemed utterly ignorant, completely unaware of what they were about to face."
Shen Du frowned, instinctively sensing that what Zhu Yan was about to say likely had something to do with the dried meat. But didn’t this woman know that after all these years as the head of the Inner Cabinet, he had seen more dead people than living ones?
Let her have her way, as long as she was happy.
Zhu Yan stole a glance at Shen Du, who was calmly chewing the dried meat, his cold eyes fixed on her. She swallowed nervously, feeling a bit guilty:
"I found it strange and asked them about their situation. They told me that the Half-Faced Ghosts treated them well, feeding them candied fruits and dried meat. Not only did it carry a faint scent of incense, but the dried meat was made from the discarded body parts of the people the Half-Faced Ghosts had mutilated."
In other words, after killing people, the Half-Faced Ghosts used this method to dispose of the bodies, turning them into dried meat to feed to those they captured later.
Shen Du’s long, sword-like eyebrows knitted together tightly, clearly startled by Zhu Yan’s revelation. His lips stopped chewing, and he seemed torn between spitting it out or swallowing. He reached into his robe.
Zhu Yan instinctively stepped back, but before she could react, Shen Du pulled out a pouch and tossed it into her arms, chiding:
"You’re just trying to shut me up because I ate a few pieces of your dried meat."
"Keep it for now, and return it to me later."
Return it? Later?
So he was doing this on purpose?
Zhu Yan was annoyed. Shen Du, who had thrown a criminal’s head into her wedding sedan on the day of their ceremony, was hardly the type to lose his appetite over a few words from her.
"I’m not returning it. I’ll keep it to eat myself."
As if out of spite, Zhu Yan grabbed a few pieces of dried meat and ate them. After finishing a few, she put the rest away.
"I bought this with silver. Can’t let it go to waste. If it gets contaminated with something else during the autopsy, it’d be a shame."
"Stingy."
Zhu Yan retorted, "As an eighth-rank official, my salary is meager. You wouldn’t understand."
Shen Du tapped her head. "You’re still Lady Shen."
Zhu Yan’s face flushed slightly. She brushed his hand away without responding.
The two of them were here on serious business, so Shen Du didn’t waste time. Seeing that the other jars were still sealed, he reached out and opened all the lids.
Zhu Yan took out her autopsy tools from a cloth bag, put on protective gear, and pulled out a thick silver needle. She poked the hardened body parts inside the jar. "The texture varies. It seems the years they were placed in the jars differ."
She then used other tools to examine other parts, murmuring to herself as she took out some pieces and held them up to the light.
"Look, judging from the hair, bones, skin, and the color of the cut surfaces, some of these are very old."
"Can you determine an approximate timeframe?"
Zhu Yan lowered her head, scrutinizing the body parts as casually as if she were turning over fermented beans to dry.
Jing Lin frowned, glancing at Zhu Yan and then at Shen Du. He placed a hand over his stomach, feeling somewhat uneasy.
"The oldest one here—the Corpse-Dissecting Knife can’t even cut through it. The skin has fused with the flesh and bones."Zhu Yan reached out and pinched it. The protective gear was smeared with honey, and when pinched, it stretched into strings. It had to be said that honey was truly full of vitality.
"Typically, a corpse exposed to the elements will be covered in lividity within three or four days, and after seven days, it will be completely decomposed beyond recognition, with abdominal bloating and carrying cadaveric toxins. However, there is also a type of corpse that is the exact opposite—it remains preserved for a long time, even appearing lifelike in appearance, making it difficult to determine its age. Yet, although a corpse cannot speak, we can make it speak."
Jing Lin asked curiously, "How can a corpse speak?"
After asking, he realized he had spoken too much and silently retreated to the side.
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