Bone Painting Coroner

Mo Ruo's face was filled with helpless resignation as he heaved a long sigh.

When Jing Rong and Ji Yunshu entered, he casually remarked, "He really refuses to listen. The moment he woke up, he demanded water, and after getting that water, he then proceeded to try ending his own life like a pussy. No amount of persuasion made a difference so I could only seal his acupoints to keep him docile.” [1]

He continued complaining, “Didn’t I tell you that people like this would surely seek death even if I managed to save them? Do you believe me now? Great, now my whole room is filled with the stench of blood and even the bedding I personally went out to buy has been destroyed. Really, where do you expect me to sleep tonight?”

Mo Ruo was obviously very upset. He sat by the table and poured himself two cups of tea, then downed them in a single gulp as if he were drinking wine. However, he received no reply to the grievances he just aired.

Jing Rong looked sternly at the man on the bed and frowned. “What’s his condition?”

“What are you so anxious about? I’ve already said that he won’t die.”

“Could we interrogate him?”

“You could, but if you released his acupoints, he would try to bite his tongue to commit suicide. At that point, he could already be dead before you finished asking your question. I say, why do people not know how to appreciate the efforts of others anymore? I toiled for an entire night and brought him back from the brink of death with great difficulty. It’s fine if he doesn’t thank me, but he only wants to seek death. That’s practically crushing all my hard work into pieces!” Wouldn’t you agree?

Jing Rong ignored his complaints and instead walked to the bedside to take a better look at that man. Although he could not move a single muscle and his face was pale, that pair of gleaming black eyes held a determination to seek death.

Suddenly, Ji Yunshu said, “Allow me to have a chat with him alone.” That’s right, she wanted to ‘chat’, not ‘question’ or ‘interrogate’.

Jing Rong and Mo Ruo were rather surprised. “Alone?”

“Mn.” She nodded and walked over. When she lowered her eyes to look at that person, their eyes coincidentally met. Inexplicably, that person’s expression seemed to turn warmer, holding some excitement and… sadness? There was no doubt!

Jing Rong also noticed the change in his expression. He originally was rather hesitant, worried that something would go awry when Ji Yunshu was left alone with that person. Now, that notion was entirely dismissed from his mind. He lifted his hand, holding his pointer and middle finger aloft, and tapped on that person’s chest to unseal his acupoints. Then, he told Ji Yunshu, “This prince will be right outside.”

She nodded and Jing Rong left the room, pulling everyone else out along with him.

Mo Ruo could not understand what had happened and cast a worried glance backwards. “Teacher Ji does not know martial arts!” Just a reminder! “To leave them alone like this… let me tell you, although that person was severely injured, he is much better after I treated him. It’s as easy as lifting a finger for him to kill someone who doesn’t even have the strength to truss a chicken!” [2]

In contrast, Jing Rong was much calmer and only said, “I trust her.” Nothing else needed to be said.

All of Mo Ruo’s worry and anxiety was shoved back at him, to no avail.

Tang Si was plastered against the doorframe, craning her neck to peer into the room and perking up her ears to listen to the conversation inside. The next moment, she was picked up by the scruff of her neck like an unruly little chick and tossed directly into the courtyard.

Inside the room.

That man’s acupoints had been released, but he did not try to commit suicide.

Ji Yunshu brought a stool and sat by the bed. She asked gently, “Do you have anything you wish to say to me?”

“It’s fine even if you don’t speak. I won’t stop you if you wish to die either, but before that, there are some questions I wish to ask of you. First of all, let me guess what kind of people you are.” She continued speaking mildly, not revealing her emotions.

That person did not speak. Instead, he used a hand to support himself so that he could sit upright on the bed, eyes never leaving her face.

Now, Ji Yunshu could also take a good look at this person. He looked to be in his thirties, with coarse, tanned skin, and accustomed to fighting with blades. His skin was criss-crossed with numerous tiny scars; some were knife wounds, some were sword slashes, and yet others were scrapes. These all seemed to have been accumulated from all kinds of training he had received over the years, from young.

In that pair of eyes were a steely resolve and the bleak fearlessness of one unafraid of death. Someone like this didn’t seem to be a suicide guard, but one who carried the burden of bloody vengeance instead.

Ji Yunshu concluded her analysis as one side of her mouth tilted up in a wry smile. “I believe you’re very interested in what I have to say, so I’ll be direct.

“You are not Prince Yi’s people, neither are you from the capital, thus you are not linked to the imperial court. Furthermore, you don’t look like people of the jianghu, but more like… an organisation with rules and discipline that must undergo years of training and refinement with blades. In other words… an army.” [3]

Her tone was as placid and unchanging as ever, but her words struck like a bolt of thunder out of the blue.

“Maybe that’s a little far-fetched. Let’s talk about something closer to home.” Ji Yunshu thought for a minute, then asked contemplatively, “What could it be that led an organisation that does not belong to the imperial court to form such a killing intent, to kill a prince that had no relation to you? And to arrive with the resolve to succeed or die. Could there be someone who set out a hefty bounty, and you arrived to fulfill the assassination after accepting the money? Hmm… that doesn’t seem right! Then, could it be due to some kind of private grudge? This… I can’t fathom it either.” She eliminated her own ideas as she spoke them aloud.

“None of these!” He finally spoke.

Ji Yunshu directed a grin at him. “And here I almost thought that you were mute!”

He clammed up immediately after that.

“Since you’ve started talking, then let’s have a chat.”

He didn’t answer, so she took the silence as consent.

Thus, Ji Yunshu asked, “Your target was very clear. Whoever was in the way would be killed. But strangely enough, you did not kill me. Could it be that your supervisor purposely emphasized that Prince Rong must be killed but I could not be hurt? Your supervisor is a good person to treat me so well, but who could this person be?” Could it be Liu Qingping? That was the only person she could think of. But even if you gave him the chance, Liu Qingping would never have the guts to do something like that.

“In this world, the number of people this one knows is extremely small. What I see most of is also corpses and bones. So I really cannot think of who this person could be. I wonder if you would be willing to tell me. If there was a chance, I must visit him in person to thank him for sparing my life.”

Her attitude was serious and very sincere. But the expression in that person’s eyes darkened instead.

[1] Most of you are familiar with acupoints but if not, a reminder: tapping acupoints is a pseudo-skill that freezes/paralyses a person, but they are aware, hearing, and typically can still blink and move their eyes.

[2] Hey, MR that's not fair. She does have the strength! see c. 557 - chicken-catching team for proof 😀 Also i wonder is MR trying to be funny bc Ji = chicken

[3] Reminder: Jianghu = the people that practice martial arts. Kinda functions like an underworld mafia, but the openly coexist with the government.