Bone Painting Coroner

Pulling Wei Yi out of the autopsy room, Ji Yunshu borrowed an umbrella before leaving the yamen.

After opening the umbrella, she handed it over to Wei Yi. “You’re taller, so you hold it.”

“Okay.”

He appeared quite pleased to do so as they walked through the snow.

“Wei Yi, can I ask what do you like to do? Do you like reading, or perhaps writing?” Ji Yunshu asked as they walked together.

After thinking for a bit, he shook his head and replied, “I don’t like any of those.”

“Then, did you like that pile of white bones just now?”

“White bones?” Wei Yi’s expression sank as he hurriedly waved his hand, “No, no, I didn’t like it.”

Due to his hand shaking, the umbrella also shook. Ji Yunshu immediately reached out to grip his hand, her gaze stern. “You’re not allowed to shake your hand. Look, you let the snow fall on my shoulders.” She looked at her shoulders.

However, Wei Yi’s attention was not focused on her shoulders but rather on the pair of hands holding onto his. Her fingers were a clean white colour, long and elegant. The feeling of her hands clenching onto his was very warm and comfortable. For a while, Wei Yi simply went into a daze while looking at her hands.

Noticing this, Ji Yunshu immediately put her hands back into her sleeves and turned. “You brat, where did you get this weird habit of looking at other people’s hands.”

“Big Brother, your hands look very similar to Big Sister’s hands!”

“In what way?”

Wei Yi smiled as he spoke, “When big sister took a knife to scare me, I saw there was a small mole on the back of her hand. It’s exactly the same as the one on Big Brother’s hand.”

‘Uh?’ Ji Yunshu lifted her hand to have a look and saw a mole in her purlicue. It was small to the point that Ji Yunshu had not noticed its existence at all in the five years she had been here.

‘This guy has an eye for detail!’

Placing her hands back into her sleeves, she continued forwards while speaking, “Alright, it’s time to send you back to the Wei mansion.”

“Ah?” Wei Yi was clearly a bit unwilling. “Big Brother, can you bring me to Big Sister? I have something to give her.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t show it to Big Brother, I have to give it to Big Sister myself.”

This piqued Ji Yunshu’s interest. She paused her steps and spoke with a hint of threat in her tone, “If you don’t tell me, I won’t take you to see her ever again.”

Wei Yi became anxious, so he spoke with haste, “Alright, I’ll tell you.” His hands reached towards his waistband where he took out a pouch.

“I wanted to give this to Big Sister.”

Ji Yunshu took the pouch from his hand. Opening it, she found a jade pendant, orange blood in color, that was very translucent.

She was quite confused. “Where did you get this jade pendant from? Why do you… want to give it to your big sister?”

“My father gave me this. He said it would keep me safe, so I want to give it to Big Sister.”

“But your big sister might not even like it!”

“Mother says all girls like expensive things. This jade is very important to me, so I’m sure Big Sister will like it too.”

‘Silly guy. You could actually bear to give away such a precious object! Your big sister is scared by you so many times, why are you being so affectionate when she gives you the cold shoulders?’

Giving the pendant back, she spoke, “Keep this pendant properly. This was given to you by your father so you can’t give it to anyone else, understand?”

He didn’t understand! “It’s nothing to be worried about. Big Brother, bring me to see Big Sister please. If I go alone, Big Sister might not even see me.” Towards the end, his tone turned very upset!

Ji Yunshu stilled for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Wei Yi seemed to have turned into a smooth talker all of a sudden as he continued, “Big Brother, please say ‘yes’. I really want to give her this jade pendant. I like Big Sister so I want to give it to her. Big Brother, can you pretty please take me to see her?”

‘Where did you learn how to beg so shamelessly! This little fool sure knows how to give one a headache!’

Unable to deny him, Ji Yunshu could only take back the jade pendant. “Your big sister’s body hasn’t been too well lately so I can’t bring you to see her. I’ll help her receive this jade pendant and give it to her when I see her.”

“But…”

“What? Are you worried I’ll keep it for myself?”

“No, no, it’s not that.” He shook his head fiercely. “Then, you must help me give the pendant to big sister.”

“Good boy.” Ji Yunshu said with a slight smile as she kept the pendant in her sleeve. Without further ado, the two were back on their way and soon Ji Yunshu was bidding goodbye to Wei Yi at the gates to the Wei manor.

Wei Yi was a bit unwilling to part as his eyes darted around. “Big brother, why don’t you follow me inside. I have lots and lots of good food to eat in my house.”

She took the umbrella back from Wei Yi. She indicated for him to get inside, “No need. I still have some matters to take care of.”

Without tarrying any further, she turned and left. On the way back to the Ji mansion, there was a section that passed through the more bustling parts of the city though, once she exited the main road, it got much quieter.

However, Ji Yunshu’s footsteps got slower as she walked until she finally stopped. “Come out, you can stop following me now.”

A person popped out from the seemingly innocuous background.

He appeared around 50 to 60 years old and was completely clothed in rough linens. The hair at his temples was turning white. He kept his posture low and he appeared quite apprehensive!

“You’ve been following me since I departed from the yamen. What do you want?” Ji Yunshu asked.

He walked several steps forward and first made a careful scan of the surroundings before lifting his gaze to look at Ji Yunshu. “Teacher Ji… I followed you because I have something that I need to tell you.”

“Go ahead and speak old mister. There’s no one else here.”

“It’s about… about that yin yang corpse.”

‘What?’ Ji Yunshu’s expression tensed up as she pressed him, “What do you know?”

The old man got even more tense as his head lowered even more. “I k-know who that yin yang corpse was.”

“Who was it?”

“I-It’s Master Jiang. The Grand Canal Manor used to be Master Jiang’s house.” His voice was shaking.

The doubts in Ji Yunshu’s heart intensified. “How do you know this? That skeleton is already 2 years old and the portrait is still not drawn yet.”

The old man rushed to explain, “I know because Master Jiang is a yin yang person.”

“Then who might you be, old mister?”

“I was one of the servants of the Jiang household. Few people know that Master Jiang had a yin yang body.” Speaking thus, the old man’s body trembled.

‘This is not normal at all!’ Ji Yunshu furrowed her brows, “Since you know the skeleton was Master Jiang, why didn’t you go report it to Lord Liu at the yamen instead of following me just for the sake of telling me this?”

“I…” His hesitation to answer was quite apparent.

“If you have any difficulties that prevent you from going to the yamen, then come with me.”

The old man’s gaze met Ji Yunshu’s. His body trembled for a while before he finally spoke, “It’s because… I know who the murderer is. However, I don’t dare to go to the yamen otherwise if Madame Jiang were to find out, I’m a-afraid I’ll be silenced.”

These words managed to finally shock Ji Yunshu.

“Who’s the murderer?” She asked.

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