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墨書 Inktalez
"The case in this courtyard is not actually that complicated; it's just that two coincidental events have come together, which makes it hard for common people to understand," Xing Ruyi said, linking her arm with the fox's. "Shall we walk and talk? The case has already been handed over to Brother Chang, so what I have to share is just for you to hear. As for how much the Government Office can uncover, it depends on whether they are diligent."
"Why not be clear about it? If you do, it would be much easier for them to investigate."
"Wouldn't that just make them incompetent? Even if I can communicate with spirits and know the ins and outs of the case, I can't give them everything. If they get used to relying on me, those Yard Officers might become even lazier. I am the manager of Ruyi Rouge, not a magistrate of this Yamen. Besides, I can help them for a moment, but I can't help them for a lifetime. Some things need to be explored and verified by themselves. Otherwise, if the common people suffer injustice in the future, who will they rely on?"
After hearing Xing Ruyi's words, the fox widened its eyes. "You are becoming more and more like a worried mother."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Not at all!"
"Then what would be a compliment?" Xing Ruyi asked sideways, looking as if she would make him pay if his answer did not please her.
The fox tapped her nose. "My Fox Demon is increasingly taking on the demeanor of a queen from Qingqiu."
"Unfortunately, my husband’s Qingqiu is still a thousand years away. Even if I have the potential to be a queen, it’s of no use; what a pity! What a pity!" Just as Xing Ruyi finished speaking and before the fox could respond, she started laughing herself. "Forget it; let's talk about the case! This case is somewhat related to my Rouge shop."
"Related to your Rouge shop? Now that's something I want to hear about."
"A few days ago, an elderly woman came in; her daughter suffers from dark skin disease and wanted a remedy. At that time, I was busy with other matters, and the woman's daughter refused to come in person. After thinking it over, I recommended Yurong Powder to her.
Yurong Powder is made from White Aconite, Mituo Sang, oyster shell, Poria, Chuanqiong, and other herbal ingredients. White Aconite is warm and disperses cold; it effectively draws medicinal properties upward and can remove dull skin caused by wind-phlegm-dampness. Chuanqiong promotes blood circulation and resolves stasis; it is very effective for dull complexion caused by qi stagnation, as well as acne and blemishes. As for Poria, it is an excellent remedy for removing freckles; oyster shell nourishes yin and reduces fire while whitening the skin. Coupled with Mituo Sang's swelling-reducing and detoxifying properties, this formula is originally very potent. Moreover, you know that my beauty prescriptions have some magical elements infused in them, so the results are definitely doubled.
However, since I hadn’t seen the elderly woman’s daughter and she seemed very anxious, I had no choice but to let her take the Yurong Powder home first. If it doesn’t work for her daughter, she can come back to my Rouge shop another day. Not only will I continue treating her daughter, but I will also refund all the money spent on Yurong Powder that day."
"In that case, isn't my Fox Demon going to make a loss on this deal?"
"A loss is certain, but I can't help being soft-hearted and kind. You should have seen that elderly woman—dressed in rough cloth with calloused hands covered in frostbite. It had just entered winter; it's hard to imagine how she endured past winters. Yet this woman pulled out a bag of scattered silver coins that looked like they had been saved for a long time from her undergarments to buy medicine for her daughter.
Although I hadn’t seen her daughter and didn’t want to calculate her fate based on her mother's appearance alone, it was clear from her face that she was destined to be lonely and helpless. How could I bear to refuse such an elderly woman seeking help?"
"According to your usual temperament, even if that elderly woman's daughter couldn't come due to illness, you would still go to her home to check on her. You would never just sell her medicine for no reason."
"That was the case originally, but that day, I happened to be preoccupied with other matters. The old lady insisted on not letting Li Mao go deliver it, so I didn't push it further. Who would have thought that something would happen on the way back for the old lady?"
"Did she encounter the male head of that household?"
"To be precise, it was this unfortunate man who first ran into the old lady." Xing Ruyi shot a glance at the fox. "The old lady is quite elderly and not very agile on her feet; she couldn't withstand a collision with a strong young man. She fell to the ground immediately, spilling the Yurong Powder she was carrying.
If the Yurong Powder had only spilled on the ground, it would have been fine; at most, only the old lady would feel sad about it. However, it happened to spill on another passing man, who was a bit of a rogue himself. He initially wanted to take out his anger on the old lady, but coincidentally, a Night Watchman happened to pass by and witnessed everything that just occurred, pointing out this troublemaker, who later became the victim.
If he had only taken his anger out on the old lady, that rogue would have just cursed a few times or extorted some money. Now that he had caught this victim, he didn't hold back and started punching and kicking him. This victim was introverted and not good with words; otherwise, he wouldn't have become an apprentice at Gu's coffin shop and wouldn't have continued to take care of the shop diligently after Gu Anniang left with Mr. Gu.
Naturally, he didn't resist or have the courage to fight back during the beating. He thought that once the rogue vented his anger, everything would be fine. Little did he know that the last few punches landed squarely on his chest and, due to the jade ring on the rogue's hand, caused significant damage to his heart.
I once asked the ghost of this victim; he himself said that he felt some pain in his chest at that time but didn't go see a doctor because he had just been beaten and was too stingy with money. He went straight home.
After returning home, he felt unwell and lay in bed for two days. On the third day, his wife insisted he go out to earn money. He felt discomfort in his chest and hadn't eaten for two days; when he walked, his legs felt weak. In a daze, he went to Gu's coffin shop and found a coffin to lie down in. He dozed off until afternoon; although he felt somewhat better mentally, his stomach was even hungrier. So he turned back home, having prepared excuses to coax his wife.
Who would have thought that as soon as he opened the door, a disheveled man rushed out from inside? Following closely was his own wife, leisurely adjusting her undergarments with flushed cheeks—she clearly looked like someone who had just been with another man. The man was furious but couldn't voice his anger; blood spurted from his mouth and nose as he collapsed while clutching his chest.
Due to anger affecting his heart and having previously sustained an injury there, along with blood covering his mouth and nose from internal bleeding, he fell into a state resembling death. The adulteress was already feeling guilty and didn't look closely; she assumed the man had died from anger and hurriedly arranged for his funeral."
At this point in her story, Xing Ruyi and the fox had returned to Rouge's shop. Feeling thirsty, she paused to brew herself some Chrysanthemum tea. The fox brought out some snacks from the kitchen and picked a piece that Xing Ruyi usually liked: "You've been busy for quite a while; you must be hungry now? Don't rush; eat and drink before continuing."
"Let me finish this case first before eating or drinking anything. Otherwise, I feel like this matter isn't resolved yet; it's weighing heavily on my mind." Xing Ruyi took a sip of Chrysanthemum tea and ate a snack before continuing: "As the saying goes, 'buried in earth is peace.' Regardless of whether this person is truly dead or just pretending to be dead, once buried underground, it's generally hard for them to come back out—except as a zombie!"
"Could it be that this man was buried in an unmarked grave and turned into a zombie?"
"How could things be so coincidental? If he really became a zombie, how could there still be subsequent events?"
"What kind of coincidental events happened afterward?" the fox squinted and asked cooperatively.
"Rather than coincidence, it is more about human nature. This adulteress, having caused the man's death, could not help but feel anxious and uneasy. To prevent the man from speaking recklessly in the afterlife, she forcibly removed his tongue. Furthermore, to cover her tracks, she arranged a grand funeral.
Although this funeral temporarily eased their minds, it stirred the hearts of others. That very night after the man was buried, another man secretly went to the cemetery and quietly dug open the grave."
"A grave robber?"
"Smart! Truly worthy of being my chosen husband." Xing Ruyi snapped her fingers. "Get up; this grave robber has some connections with the Gu family and this victim. Originally, he was a subordinate of Gu Anniang's husband. Later, when Gu Anniang's husband met with misfortune, this group fell apart. Some capable ones established their own businesses and began to fend for themselves, while those less capable resorted to petty theft to make ends meet. Seeing that the victim was buried in a Gu family coffin and that the funeral was quite lavish, he thought there might be valuable items inside. Even if there weren't, he could at least pawn something ordinary for some money to buy buns.
Little did he know that when he opened the coffin, instead of finding valuables, a living person crawled out. It was already fortunate that the grave robber wasn't scared to death on the spot.
Once the grave robber regained his composure and confirmed that the person crawling out was alive and not a ghost, he helped the victim return home. The reward for his assistance was that he would not disclose the act of grave robbing.
Now, while coming back to life is a good thing, in the eyes of this victim's wife, it was a major disaster. She was startled when she first saw the man at the door. After confirming he was still alive, she pretended to care for him and apologized publicly while secretly contacting the adulteress to devise a malicious plan.
The coffin nail found in the victim's nasal cavity was not actually inserted through his nose; it would have been too difficult and easily noticeable. Instead, it was inserted from the back of his head; unless one were particularly observant, it would be hard to detect. After the victim died, his wife conspired with the adulteress to secretly transport him back to the cemetery for reburial. Since they had already held an ostentatious funeral before, no one would know about the man's resurrection and subsequent murder. After a year or so of calmness, the victim's wife could remarry openly.
"Ah!" The fox crossed its arms and shook its head. "It's just a pity that despite all their calculations, they still overlooked one thing!"
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