Chapter 1219: Viewing the Corpse

Lord Jiang inhaled deeply, a smile playing upon his lips. "Very well," he said, "we've spoken enough for now. You may all retire. I shall summon you later should the need arise."

The coroners and constables of Zhao Heng City responded in a chorus of hasty assent. Caring not for Lord Jiang's mood concerning Lin Zi's arrival, they applied oil to the soles of their feet, practically fleeing the scene. The spectacle within the mortuary was truly unbearable, the stuff of nightmares.

Lord Jiang composed himself, then turned with unhurried grace towards the mortuary platform. "Is there anything I can assist with?" he inquired, his voice laced with a smile.

"Hold this section of the large intestine," Lin You Xie instructed without lifting her head, utterly absorbed in her task.

Lord Jiang, of course, harbored no fear. His journey thus far had been marked by decisive killing; countless souls lay beneath his hands. As for ferocious beasts and denizens of the sea, their numbers were uncountable. He had witnessed his share of severed limbs and scattered remains. A mere corpse, a mere section of...

He observed it with leisurely detachment. "Er, that one."

Lord Jiang finally conceded and asked, "Are there still gloves?" He could envelop his palm in Dao Yuan, yet it felt strangely peculiar. After all, Dao Yuan typically resided within the Tong Tian Palace...

"Oh, yes," Lin You Xie replied casually, retrieving a pair of gloves and handing them over. Her other hand remained immersed in Huang Yi Xing's abdominal cavity, her head tilted slightly, a fine frown creasing her brow as she intently examined the interior...

Jiang Wang accepted the pair of semi-transparent gloves, quickly donning them. They felt slightly cool to the touch, a touch stuffy, yet exceptionally thin, in no way hindering the movement of his fingers. He reached out... and grasped the section of large intestine, his actions as gentle as if holding a rare and precious treasure.

"Lift it a little higher," Lin You Xie commanded.

Jiang Wang silently complied, raising it further.

"Look at this lung," Lin You Xie said, holding something towards Jiang Wang.

The esteemed Green Card Lord Jiang maintained his composure, his expression unchanged. "What about this lung?"

"Observe the bright points along the edges of the lung hilum."

Only then did Jiang Wang focus his spirit and observe closely. "Gold Yuan?"

Lin You Xie affirmed, "The lung corresponds to the element of Metal. The remnants of Gold Yuan breath within Huang Yi Xing's lungs are so sharp and fierce, he is absolutely not the cowardly person rumored to be greedy for life and afraid of death."

"He is certainly not cowardly. How could he be, daring to risk himself in the face of a fierce struggle, striving for this position of Zhen Fu Shi?" Jiang Wang felt a vague inkling of an idea, though he couldn't immediately grasp it. He directed his words towards Huang Yi Xing. "For him, bowing his head before superior power was a matter of course and held no shame."

Lin You Xie glanced at him with a touch of surprise, seemingly not expecting such insight into Huang Yi Xing's character from him.

Jiang Wang calmly explained, "After the Qi Yang war, I intended to contend for the position of Zhen Fu Shi, so I researched all of them."

Lin You Xie nodded dismissively, returning the lung to its original position and continuing to manipulate something.

"Hold open the chest cavity."

Lord Jiang's face remained impassive as he followed the instruction.

A faint, bright light emanated from Lin You Xie's fingertip. She quickly drew it over Huang Yi Xing's left forearm and right thigh, then probed her fingers into the wound, seemingly feeling for something within the texture of the muscles.

After a moment, she withdrew her fingers. "Help me organize things a bit," she said.

Jiang Wang, looking at the jumble of various organs, couldn't help but ask, "How should I organize them?"

"Return them to their proper positions." Lin You Xie said casually, then retrieved a small wooden box and placed it beside Huang Yi Xing's corpse, opening it. Inside lay a variety of small tools – knives, awls, scissors, hooks... a full assortment. He had no idea what they were all used for, nor did he particularly want to know.

Wearing the semi-transparent gloves, Jiang Wang expressionlessly arranged the organs before him: heart, liver, spleen, lungs, stomach... His eye twitched involuntarily. Although he never showed mercy to his enemies, he absolutely had no hobby of examining other people's corpses. This was truly the first time.

However, a dignified Fourth-Grade Green Card could absolutely not show cowardice at this moment, especially not before this woman, Lin You Xie. Thus, he completed the task exceptionally well.

Lin You Xie systematically went about her work, her expression calm, her eyes indifferent. She appeared just like a cook preparing a meal, a routine, utterly ordinary task. Jiang Wang watched her use one small tool after another, meticulously examining Huang Yi Xing's corpse... He couldn't help but search for words, saying, "Your gloves are quite good. Can they be obtained at the Patrol Inspection Office?"

"Oh, the gloves," Lin You Xie said casually, "I made them myself. These are corpse membrane gloves."

Jiang Wang suddenly had a bad feeling.

Lin You Xie continued, "A corpse is composed of countless clues. There is a wonderful tacit understanding between them that can often point to the answer to a problem. However, any external object can potentially influence this tacit understanding, or even break it. Corpse membrane gloves can isolate this influence."

She paused, then explained, "These gloves are rooted in decaying flesh, branched with dead energy, refined in corpse oil, and sacrificed with a secret method. They naturally blend with the dead body, becoming one with it and not influencing the corpse itself."

Jiang Wang had absolutely no desire to speak again. He could only feel the tactile sensation transmitted by his ten fingers – so slippery, so greasy, so disgusting. Yet he couldn't immediately remove the gloves, otherwise, how could he, Jiang, hold his head high before this woman surnamed Lin? In a word, "endure"! He began silently reciting the Yan Hua Fen Cheng Zhen Jie in his heart.

Time truly stretched on! After another half an hour of toiling, Lin You Xie finally began to gather her tools. "Next, we go to the place where he fell," she said casually.

"Very well," Jiang Wang's voice was calm, his movements measured as he slowly removed the gloves and placed them on the platform. "Your gloves are returned to you."

"Thank you," he said very politely.

"You're welcome."

Lin You Xie carefully stored the small wooden box and began to restore Huang Yi Xing's appearance. For this task, she also possessed a complete set of tools: a small cloth bag containing various implements – silver threads, fine brushes, ox-hair needles... She meticulously restored the appearance, as if she were meticulously arranging her own face.

Sensing Jiang Wang's unspoken questions, she casually explained, "Because I disrupted the clues, I should restore them. This way, if I ultimately fail to uncover anything... perhaps due to my limited ability, or if I suddenly perish, the next constable who takes over this case can still continue the investigation."

Her words were spoken with unsettling calmness, and a matter-of-factness that was disquieting. It was as if she was born to investigate cases, and she herself was but one link in the chain of cases. Just like the tools she carried, she had a fixed role and could be replaced at any moment.

"Do you need my assistance?" Jiang Wang asked, being quite aware of the situation.

"No need, this requires fine work," Lin You Xie replied.

Although she seemed to look down on him, Jiang Wang felt no anger. Instead, he felt a sense of release.

"Alright," Jiang Wang said, "I shall go outside and take a look first."

Lin You Xie did not lift her head. "Please, as you wish."

Jiang Wang walked out of the mortuary with a calm demeanor, into the street already swallowed by the night. Zhao Heng City was silent tonight. Although Lord Jiang dearly wished to let out a few loud roars.

Water flowed rapidly through his fingers, washing them thoroughly inside and out several times. He then scattered the water flow condensed by Dao Yuan and conjured a few wisps of wind to dry his hands, only then feeling as though he had eliminated that uncomfortable sensation.

Among Lin You Xie's words, the sentence that left the deepest impression was, "A corpse is composed of clues." This was an incredibly cold statement. Jiang Wang couldn't help but wonder, in the eyes of this woman, were there truly no flesh and blood organs?

What kind of person was the renowned catcher, Lin Kuang? What kind of person would cause his own daughter to form such a perception of the world?