Chapter 4 (1/2)
FRS: Chapter 4 – Unknown Murderer (4)
Translator: Momoe Pom
TLC: Puissansa
Editor: Isabelle
First Published on Ainus.h.i.+.
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Corptis helps to clear away heat and toxins.
After drinking two full cups of it followed by a piece of candied fruit, Fan JiJing felt alive again and was not as befuddled as he was when he had returned to the Jiuhua Sect.
Hua HuaiXiu took out another tea set to brew a separate pot.
Fan JiJing watched him in silence.
From the parting at his parents' graves when he was young to the reunion many years later, the long time in between was left blank. Too much had changed since then. For example, the boy who was once obsessed with fragmented quotes from saints had now grown into such an elegant and graceful gentleman that stood out from the rest of the crowd.
As if he felt Fan JiJing's glare, Hua HuaiXiu's mouth curved up a bit. He slightly pivoted his head to the left so that the curve of his neck would be exposed more visibly.
As expected, Fan JiJing failed to hold back his thoughts and said, ”Cousin.”
”En?” He answered casually.
”There's a lot of mosquitoes at night here. You should be careful with your neck.”
“…” Hua HuaiXiu’s face darkened. He turned his head and glared ferociously at him.
Confused by his glare, Fan JiJing looked extremely innocent
”I know that not only there are a lot of mosquitoes on Mount Jiuhua, there are even more a.s.sa.s.sins as well.” Hua HuaiXiu humphed, ”Your s.h.i.+shu already told me about your master.”
When Bu LouLian was brought up, Fan JiJing's face instantly turned gloomy.
”For this half month, where do you want to start?” asked Hua HuaiXiu.
Fan JiJing raised his eyes and looked at him with surprise. ”You really agreed to s.h.i.+shu's conditions?”
If it wasn't for him being a wet blanket just now, Hua HuaiXiu might have said something sentimental, such as ”I did it for you,” but now he was filled with nothing but anger towards this big block of wood. ”Nonsense. I ran away from a marriage arrangement. Do you think I'd write a letter home so they can come and catch me?”
Fan JiJing said worriedly, ”But if uncle knows…”
Hua HuaiXiu’s face became even colder: ”Are you afraid that I'll get you involved?”
Fan JiJing sighed, ”I'm afraid that he’ll punish you.”
Only after hearing this did Hua HuaiXiu's gaze slightly soften. ”First off, the Hua Family is never short of money. Second, it is never short of people. Even without me, nothing will change.
Fan JiJing said, ”Uncle dotes on you.”
Hua HuaiXiu was unwilling to argue over this issue any longer, so he changed the topic by asking, ”How are you going to investigate the case?”
Fan JiJing said, ”I want to take a look at Master's wound first.”
”Autopsy?” Hua HuaiXiu frowned unconsciously. ”Do you know how to?”
”I don't,” said Fan JiJing. ”Therefore, I want to invite eldest s.h.i.+xiong to come with me.”
Hua HuaiXiu faintly refused to hear about another person from his mouth, and his face momentarily showed a bit ridicule. ”He knows how to?”
”I'm not sure, but he'll definitely know what kind of wound 'Wan Hai Kuang Chao' makes.”
Since Hua HuaiXiu could see his reasoning, he could only agree.
Guan Xing and the others had been brooding over not being able to see Bu LouLian's remains themselves, so they hit it off right away. The only question now was whether Song BoLin would agree or not.
Surprisingly, he agreed right away.
Song BoLin said, ”Since I've entrusted this case to you, of course I'll support you as much as I can.”
Fan JiJing had never expected that things could go this smoothly. He could not stop expressing his grat.i.tude for a while.
Song BoLin stopped him with a wave of hand. ”What's the need to thank me? If you cannot hand over the murderer after half a month, this debt will be collected and counted against you altogether.”
Fan JiJing did not back down and said, ”I won't let Master pa.s.s away with grievance!”
Although Song BoLin agreed to let Fan JiJing and Guan Xing look at the remains, they were not allowed to do it publicly. Song BoLin intentionally arranged it at night, made them burn incense, and pray before leading them into the rear hall.
Since Bu LouLian died a tragic death, Song BoLin and Wu Changbo, in order to protect the image of Zhangmen, encoffined him right away: ready for burial as soon as a red-lettered day [1] hit. Therefore, in order to perform an autopsy, they had to open the coffin first.
Seeing Fan JiJing and Guan Xing were both looking at him, Song BoLin slowly nodded and said, ”You may open it.”
Both Guan Xing and Fan JiJing were martial artists, and pulling out a few nails was nothing to them. They dared not to pull them too fast though, as they were concerned about disturbing their master's spirit.
After the nails were gone, Fan JiJing and Guan Xing looked at Song BoLin again anxiously.
Song BoLin nodded once more.
They then lifted the coffin plate with great care, yet the stink of the dead greeted them immediately. Fan JiJing subconsciously covered his nose and mouth.
Song BoLin's eyebrows furrowed, but since covering both nose and mouth was too disgraceful for him as their s.h.i.+shu, he could only hold his breath and stand there with a poker face.
Since Fan JiJing and Guan Xing were afraid to disturb Bu LouLian, their movements were exceptionally slow and gentle, and the process was still not finished after half an incense [2].
Song BoLin wanted to hurry them but was worried about inhaling the corpse's miasma by opening his mouth. Thus, he turned around and left the room.
Right after he left, Guan Xing spoke in a low voice while covering his mouth: ”Looking at the wound, it seems that Master was indeed killed by 'Wan Hai Kuang Chao'. This move requires the 'Helical Force' in the inner arts [3] of our sect to make the sword spin continuously. Therefore, the wound is a round hole.”
Fan JiJing imaged the said scene and paled. ”Does that mean the flesh got minced and scattered everywh…”