The Imperial Coroner

"Miss... don't be afraid, I mean no harm. I just want to ask if you are Miss Chu Chu from Chu Shui Town in Zizhu County?"

Chu Chu was taken aback. While she had indeed dreamed of making a name for herself in the capital, she never expected someone to recognize her on the street after just one day here!

After carefully studying this handsome face for a moment, Chu Chu suddenly remembered where she had seen him before. "You're the one riding ahead of Wang Ye's sedan chair this morning holding the lantern! The one on the left!"

Wu Jiang's mouth twitched. This young lady certainly had a good memory...

"Indeed, it was me."

Only then did Chu Chu relax, readjusting the bundle on her back. She looked at the respectful Wu Jiang, then at the tall horse he was leading, and frowned. "Instead of holding the lantern for Wang Ye, what are you looking for me for?"

Before Wu Jiang could respond, Chu Chu suddenly slapped her forehead. "Ah, how foolish of me!"

Wu Jiang waited for her sudden realization about why he was looking for her, only to hear her exclaim as if discovering some great truth: "Why would anyone need lanterns in broad daylight!"

"Yes, yes..."

No wonder Jing Yi had told him to explain everything in one go from the start...

Wu Jiang took a deep breath before saying: "Miss Chu, I am Wu Jiang, entrusted by Lord Jing Yi to find you accommodation in the capital."

Seeing Chu Chu looking at him with skepticism, Wu Jiang drew the sword from his waist and presented it to her. "Miss Chu must remember this sword."

Of course she remembered - it was the same sword Jing Yi had been holding when she met him yesterday!

Chu Chu's eyes lit up. "You're Brother Divine Detective!"

"No... I dare not claim such honor..."

"Brother Jing said you are!"

"Well... if you say so."

Chu Chu was so excited she could barely contain herself. "This is my first time meeting a living Divine Detective!"

Wu Jiang felt his scalp tingling. "Well... you are a coroner after all..."

Curiously examining Wu Jiang from head to toe, Chu Chu asked: "Brother Divine Detective, you said your name is..."

"Wu Jiang."

"The 'Wu' that means boundless longevity?"

Wu Jiang nearly knelt right there. "No, no... it's the Wu with the mouth radical, and Jiang as in rivers and lakes."

In Mr. Dong's "Legends of the Nine Great Arresters of Six Doors," the Divine Detectives were only known by their titles, not their real names. While mentally reviewing the distinctive titles of the Nine Great Arresters, Chu Chu carefully studied Wu Jiang from all angles, finally fixing her gaze on his large sword. "I know! You're 'Soul-Chasing Blade'!"

Wu Jiang was stunned. "I'm... what?"

"The fifth-ranked Divine Detective of Six Doors, 'Soul-Chasing Blade'!"

Wu Jiang's forehead darkened. No wonder Jing Yi had repeatedly warned him that if she mentioned anything about Six Doors, he should just treat it as storytelling...

But this wasn't just storytelling - she was practically performing a storytelling session herself!

Just as Wu Jiang was struggling with how to respond, he saw Chu Chu blinking her bright eyes at him. "Brother Jing said that if I passed the exam this time, you would acknowledge me as your younger sister."

Jing Yi had told him to agree with whatever she said.

"In that case, you may call me brother."

Faced with a Divine Detective, Chu Chu reacted swiftly. "So that means I passed the exam?"

That was something he didn't dare casually confirm.Wu Jiang smiled, sheathed his knife, and leaped onto the horse, extending a hand to Chu Chu. "Now will you come with me?"

"Alright!"

After listening to Chu Chu chatter about the Six Doors Divine Detective for a full quarter-hour, Wu Jiang relied on his profound internal cultivation to steadily rein in the horse before a small side gate in the wall of a large mansion.

Chu Chu thought the residence before her looked nothing like the Six Doors, but rather like a wealthy family's home. "Brother, where is this?"

Wu Jiang dismounted and turned to help Chu Chu down. "Prince An Manor."

Suddenly recalling the two unfavorable remarks she'd made about Prince An in the examination hall earlier, Chu Chu panicked and took two steps back. "Wh-why are we here?"

Thinking the imposing aura of the royal mansion had frightened her, Wu Jiang quickly reassured, "Don't be afraid. This manor is just a bit spacious, but there isn't a single bad person inside. I live here, and from now on, you'll live here too."

"But... why would a Divine Detective live in Prince An Manor?"

Wu Jiang had grown completely numb to the term "Divine Detective." "I'm also the prince's guard."

Before Wu Jiang's words fully faded, a kindly-looking elderly man in his fifties emerged from the small gate. Wu Jiang immediately brightened as if seeing a savior, abandoning his horse and pulling Chu Chu forward. "Steward Zhao, this is Miss Chu Chu, the younger sister I just recognized..."

Before Wu Jiang could finish, Steward Zhao waved his hand and said unhurriedly, "Lord Jing has already given instructions... Everything is prepared in the guest room of your courtyard, the one right next to yours. I'll take her there now and have anything else she needs added later."

Wu Jiang promptly presented Chu Chu to Steward Zhao. "Chu Chu, this is Steward Zhao of the manor. Follow all his arrangements and don't wander around the manor recklessly."

"Understood."

Wu Jiang clasped his hands toward Steward Zhao. "Thank you for looking after her, Steward Zhao. I still have unfinished business and must take my leave."

"Very well, very well, rest assured..."

While Steward Zhao's words still hung in the air, Wu Jiang had already vanished with his horse.

Steward Zhao arranged for Chu Chu a spacious, bright southern room, fully equipped with everything she might need. Following Jing Yi's instructions, he had even prepared a wardrobe of changeable clothes and a drawer of rouge and powder. Though well aware the young girl would find no faults, Steward Zhao still politely asked if she felt anything was missing.

Chu Chu waved her hands repeatedly. "No, no, nothing's missing... This is even comparable to the boudoir of the Zhou family's young lady in our town!"

Steward Zhao continued to smile kindly. "I'm glad you're satisfied. If you need anything else, just tell the servants directly—no need to stand on ceremony."