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Nangong Shuang's mind raced as she quickly adjusted her clothing, removed her hat, and pushed the door open. "Ah, it’s you, Xiao Gongzi. What a coincidence," she said.
The room was dimly lit, with only a flickering oil lamp casting a weak glow. Xiao Zhongyan stood beside a corpse, leaning over to examine it. He seemed momentarily taken aback upon seeing Nangong Shuang, but quickly regained his composure and clasped his fists in greeting.
"Nangong Shuang, indeed a remarkable coincidence," Xiao Zhongyan replied with a smile, though his tone carried a hint of caution. "What brings you to the mortuary?"
Nangong Shuang had anticipated this question and replied calmly, "I heard rumors on the street that several people in the city have died from a strange illness, marked by Plum Blossom Poison Spots on their chests. Having studied medicine for many years, I was quite curious and came to take a look. May I ask why you are here as well, Xiao Gongzi?"
A flicker of something unusual crossed Xiao Zhongyan's eyes as he smiled again. "My father recently fell victim to a similar poison. Although he survived, I am very concerned about the source of this Plum Blossom Poison. Hearing that another person has died from it, I came to investigate in hopes of finding some clues."
Both were aware that the other was not being entirely truthful, yet they maintained the facade of politeness. Nangong Shuang approached the corpse and stood opposite Xiao Zhongyan across the body.
The corpse was that of a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion, dressed in ordinary merchant clothing. His chest was exposed, revealing a horrifying plum blossom-shaped poison spot, just like those on the previous corpses they had seen.
"Who is this?" Nangong Shuang asked softly.
Xiao Zhongyan replied, "According to the Old Daoist, this man is named Lu Jin, the owner of a grocery store in the southern part of the city. He suddenly collapsed in his shop two days ago and died after spitting out black blood."
Nangong Shuang frowned slightly. "Lu Jin... I have never heard of him. He seems unrelated to the Nangong Family." As soon as she spoke, she realized she had let something slip.
Xiao Zhongyan keenly picked up on this detail. "Oh? Why does Nangong Shuang mention the Nangong Family? Could it be that the previous deceased were connected to them?"
Nangong Shuang inwardly cursed her slip but maintained her composure. "You misunderstand, Xiao Gongzi. I merely heard that most of the previous victims were servants of officials and was curious if this man served the government as well."
Xiao Zhongyan seemed to accept her explanation and nodded. "This man is indeed different from the previous victims; he is an ordinary merchant with no ties to the government."
Nangong Shuang pondered aloud, "Then why did he succumb to this poison? What connection does he have to the others?"
Xiao Zhongyan did not answer immediately but bent down to examine the corpse more closely. His movements were gentle and professional, clearly indicating familiarity with autopsy techniques. Nangong Shuang was secretly astonished; she hadn’t expected Xiao Zhongyan to possess such skills.
"Any findings?" she couldn't help but ask.
Xiao Zhongyan looked up, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "This poison is somewhat different from what was found on the previous victims."
"Oh? In what way?" Nangong Shuang immediately became interested.
Xiao Zhongyan pointed at the poison spot on the corpse's chest. "Look at this flower shape; the poison spots on the previous victims were five-petaled plum blossoms, while this one has six petals. The coloration is also slightly different; the former were dark purple while this one is deep red with black undertones."
Nangong Shuang leaned in for a closer look and indeed found that what Xiao Zhongyan said was true; this Poison Flower differed from those she had seen before. Moreover, she noticed subtle differences in the patterns of the poison spots.
"Indeed different," Nangong Shuang nodded and then looked at Xiao Zhongyan warily. "It seems you have quite an understanding of toxicology, Xiao Gongzi?"
Xiao Zhongyan smiled faintly. "I know a thing or two at best. After my father was poisoned, I researched various toxins and gained some insights." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Your medical skills are impressive; might you be able to identify what toxin this is?"
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