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墨書 Inktalez
Ruyi Rouge Pavilion
The corpse is toxic!
When these four words came out of Xing Ruyi's mouth, the villagers responsible for digging up the corpse finally showed a slight change in their expressions, but that change was minimal and quickly drowned out by other voices, returning to their original numb state.
"You, a girl from the Maternal Family, know nothing about corpse poison. If you want to watch the fun, just hurry up and don’t delay us from doing our work."
"Miss, you should go up. Those gentlemen from the Government Office are waiting; they’ll reward us if we finish digging before they arrive. If we can’t finish, we’ll have to face legal trouble."
"Exactly, if there really is corpse poison in this pit, why would you want to go down? I tell you, besides these rotten things, there’s nothing else in this pit."
"How can you people be so stubborn?" Xing Ruyi looked at the three villagers closest to her. Although the light from the torch was dim, she could still see that their faces had clearly changed.
The corpse poison that Xing Ruyi mentioned is also known as corpse gas. When a person dies, the decaying corpse emits gases that are unbearable even in well-ventilated areas. In folk customs, whenever people need to enter places where corpses are laid out, they usually wear items like Acorus and fennel to ward off evil spirits. On one hand, it is to repel evil; on the other hand, it is to use the scent of these items to neutralize the foul odor of decaying corpses and keep themselves alert.
"Brother Chang!" Xing Ruyi shouted loudly for Chang Tai from within the corpse pit.
Hearing Xing Ruyi's voice, Chang Tai's expression immediately changed.
"Fox Demon, come up! Why did you jump into that pit?"
Chang Tai ran over quickly, but before he could reach her, Xing Ruyi had already been pulled out of the pit by the fox.
"Brother Chang, you are too careless. The formation of this pit has taken more than a year or two, and the corpses are piled up in layers; the gases are hard to disperse. No matter how anxious you are, you shouldn’t let these people go down without any preparation. Look at their faces; they all show symptoms of gas invasion. If this continues, not only will we not be able to dig up the corpses here, but they will also die in this pit."
Corpse gas? Corpse poison!
Chang Tai's face turned pale instantly.
"No wonder he." The fox glanced at Chang Tai and said to Xing Ruyi: "You are at least half a healer and naturally understand this gas and poison, but your Brother Chang is different. He is a Constable, skilled in solving cases, but he knows nothing about this."
“Brother Chang, I'm sorry, it's the Fox Demon who is too anxious.”
“No! It's my lack of consideration! But what should we do now? This Mass Grave has already been opened, and if we don't handle it under the cover of night, it will only become more troublesome by morning. I can call the villagers up, but this place is not the Rouge Shop, and it doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the Capital Prefecture Yamen. My words may not carry weight.”
“These Fox Demons understand.” Xing Ruyi quickly thought in her mind, “The Corpses in this Mass Grave definitely need to be dealt with, but for the murderer, just those in the courtyard are enough to condemn them three hundred times over. The Fox Demon suggests that we should not continue digging up what remains in the Mass Grave and instead handle and bury them on site. Fortunately, these villagers have just inhaled the corpse miasma and are affected by Corpse Poison; there is still time to treat them.”
“What medicine do we need? I will arrange for someone to find it immediately.”
“These herbs are not rare; I have them in my Xing family. Li Mao is quick on his feet and knows how to prepare medicine; I will have him take care of it shortly. Brother Chang, you have two tasks at hand: first, get the Yard Officers to burn these Corpses as soon as possible and then proceed with burial. As for this courtyard, it seems it cannot be inhabited for a long time, and no one should even come close.”
“In addition to the villagers responsible for digging up the Corpses in the Mass Grave, those villagers who are nearby or even just watching from outside also need to take medicine. Better safe than sorry; if the corpse miasma enters their bodies and the Corpse Poison reaches their lungs, it could lead to a new round of trouble.”
“An epidemic?”
Chang Tai couldn't help but think of those two words.
“Indeed!” Xing Ruyi nodded lightly. “Wherever there are large numbers of Corpses, various epidemics are most likely to arise. It's not that these Corpses are particularly harmful; it's other things. For example, creatures that live off decaying flesh, like rats.”
“I understand. Before dawn, this place will definitely be handled properly. As for those onlookers, I will have the Yard Officers take them away from here first.”
“Thank you, Brother Chang.” After Xing Ruyi finished speaking, she turned to the villagers whose faces had changed: “You all know that apart from Corpses, there is nothing else in this Mass Grave. I am a respectable Maternal Family member; if it weren't for your lives, why would I jump into this myself? My name is Xing Ruyi; I am half a female doctor. Every word I just said to you was sincere.”
The villagers looked at each other, and finally all their gazes locked onto Xing Ruyi's face, gradually revealing expressions of fear. They were just ordinary commoners; being called by people from the Government Office to dig up these Corpses was merely an attempt to earn some reward money to improve their family's situation. To put it bluntly, with the Lunar Calendar New Year approaching soon, after a year of hard work, they wanted to ensure their elderly and children had some meat to eat.
“Miss Xing, are we really going to die?”
“Yes, young lady, are we really going to die? These are just Corpses; we were only moving them out. How did we end up infected with that poison? I have elderly above me and children below me; I rely solely on myself for survival. If I die, what will happen to them?”
“Miss—”
"You have stayed in the Mass Grave for such a long time that not only have you inhaled a lot of corpse energy through your mouths and noses, but the exposed skin has also absorbed quite a bit of Corpse Poison. If you don't believe it, take a look at your arms and ankles; see if the color has turned a bit bluish or black?"
"My arm has turned blue!"
"And my foot, not only has it turned blue, but it has also turned black. Miss Xing, is my poisoning worse than his? Am I going to die soon?"
"My arms and legs have all turned dark blue. If I had known that earning this silver would cost me my life, I wouldn't have come at all. It's all that child's mother's fault; what kind of official comes looking for people in the middle of the night? It must be a big deal with a big reward. Now look, I haven't even seen the silver, and my life is at stake."
A group of people chimed in, each one echoing the other's fears, turning into a scene of crying and shouting. Thus, this farmhouse became increasingly eerie and terrifying.
Xing Ruyi rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. "Isn't it too frightening what I'm saying, Yin Chensi?"
"What you're saying is the truth; how can it be frightening? Besides, they just treated you like that. If you don't scare them a little, how will they learn their lesson?" The fox furrowed her brows but then grasped Xing Ruyi's wrist.
"What are you doing? I can't possibly be infected with Corpse Poison too, right?"
"You are also a mortal!" The fox released her grip. "Fortunately, those things inside you are not entirely useless. At least the corpse energy from this Mass Grave and the Corpse Poison cannot invade your body."
The things the fox referred to were the demonic energy, Eerie Aura, and her own life force intertwined within Xing Ruyi.
"The so-called fortune and misfortune depend on each other; perhaps that's what it means." Xing Ruyi felt relaxed as she lowered her gaze, stuck out her tongue at the fox, and turned to the villagers. "Don't worry; with me, Xing Ruyi, you will all live well. Just remember this incident; when taking on jobs in the future, it's best to ask clearly, especially regarding tasks related to Corpse."
"Li Mao!"
"Shopkeeper!"
"Thank you for your hard work; please return to the Yun Family Gathering."
"Preparing medicine?"
"Well! Just remember to hurry back before dawn. Make sure there are no mistakes with the quantities." Xing Ruyi said, extending her hand. "One and a half taels of Mulberry Branch, one and a half taels of Mugwort, one and a half taels of Acorus, six grams of male Huang Wu, and five grams of Cinnabar. Once you have everything ready, boil the Mulberry Branch, Acorus, and Mugwort together and store it in a jar. Keep the Realgar and Cinnabar separate. If by that time, I and the fox are not around, you will distribute the medicine, using the boiled potion to wash down the Realgar and Cinnabar, and cleanse your body to remove the corpse odor. If someone truly cannot hold on until then and dies from illness, handle it as a sudden death; otherwise, this village may find it hard to remain peaceful."
At this moment, Xing Ruyi had just finished discussing how to prepare the medicine with Li Mao when Chang Tai returned after making arrangements. He instructed Xing Ruyi, the fox, and Yin Yuan to move further away to avoid any accidents while dealing with the corpse.
"Wait a moment!" Xing Ruyi stopped those who were about to burn the corpse. "I was so focused on watching these villagers that I haven't examined the corpse yet. I remember before leaving, the fox instructed Li Mao to bring along the coroner when going to Yamen to ask Brother Chang for help. But I just looked around and didn't see the coroner; is there none at Yamen?"
"There is one, but he is elderly and not in good health. In this situation, even if we forcibly bring him here, he probably won't be able to help much," Chang Tai glanced at the corpse on the ground. "Moreover, since the corpse has already decayed like this, no matter how they deny it, they cannot escape death. Is there any point in investigating the cause of death further?"
"For others, perhaps not necessary, but Brother Chang, you need to know. You are a Constable; you must understand their criminal psychology. Such a serious and heinous case is likely unprecedented and will be recorded and passed down in both the prison system and among the common people in the future. The name Chang Tai will inevitably be associated with this case. So it doesn't matter if others are unclear; you must be clear."
"Fox Demon..."
Chang Tai finally understood that Xing Ruyi's reason for wanting to see these corpses was ultimately for his sake.
"Brother Chang, I appreciate your concern, but those corpses... I don't want you to touch them. Compared to your safety, your future and reputation are simply not important. Besides, you've never cared about those things."
"The Fox Demon does care!" Xing Ruyi raised her eyebrows at Chang Tai. "The Fox Demon has a peculiar feeling that after tonight, you will no longer be the Constable Chang Tai from Luoyang City as before. Your future path may not allow the Fox Demon to accompany you; therefore, there are some things that must be done well."
Chang Tai gazed deeply at Xing Ruyi, his thoughts swirling within him as he found himself at a loss for words.
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