Bone Painting Coroner

Marquis Kang sighed as he sat down by the table, and violently pounded the table. "When I find the culprit, I'll cut him into pieces."

Zhou Wen had served Marquis Kang for many years, from when they were in the Capital until they moved to Jingzhou. It has been more than twenty years already. Therefore, if one was to name a man Marquis Kang trusted the most, it would be none other than Zhou Wen.

Seeing that the Marquis was in such a foul mood, Zhou Wen quickly poured him a glass of water. “Marquis, you should drink some water to calm yourself. I will get someone to investigate the matter, and we surely will retrieve Marquis’s treasures.”

It took a while before Marquis Kang unknitted his brows. He then lifted the cup to his mouth, but put it down again without sipping from it. He said, “I think you’d better have your men to be on guard outside the estate instead. If Teacher Ji is right, and the treasures are still hidden in the estate, we cannot give them any opportunity to run away.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe that the thief would be capable of turning my estate upside down.” Marquis Kang lifted the cup in his hand again, but when he was about to take a sip out of it…

The sound of something crashing into the ground was heard from the yard.

Marquis Kang looked out of the window and ordered, “Go have a look.”

“Sure.” Zhou Wen threw a nonchalant glance at Marquis Kang’s cup before he left the room.

Feeling vexed, Marquis Kang put his cup down. However, he accidentally placed it on the edge of the table, so the cup wasn’t stable and fell down. The water in the cup splashed on the hem of his robes, soaking the part around his thigh. Although it did not hit the ground, all the water inside that it contained had been spilled on his clothes.

Marquis Kang was dispirited. He picked up the empty cup and put it back on the table. He can’t even be bothered about his soaked clothes. “I am so unlucky that I can’t even drink my water.”

At that moment, Zhou Wen entered the room again. “Marquis, it was only a maid breaking a plate.”

“Alright. You can leave now. Guard the estate well.”

“Yes, Marquis.”

Marquis Kang sat in his room for a very long time. After the sun set, he finally ordered his men to bring two lanterns, so he could go looking for Ji Yunshu and see how she was going to capture the ghost.

The estate was in a state of agitation. Some people were curious to see how things were going to proceed, some waited skeptically for Ji Yunshu to capture the ghost, and yet others thought that Ji Yunshu was merely bragging. Of course, there was also a small group who were anxious, afraid that they might really catch a real ghost later.

On the other hand, Ji Yunshu seemed to have just finished a long chat with Jing Rong. The two of them were sitting in their room, sipping tea leisurely.

Marquis Kang arrived at that room, and was puzzled by their carefreeness. I thought he was going to capture the ghost. Why is he still here? “Teacher Ji, I thought you were going to capture the ghost after sunset? You must help me retrieve my treasures.” He reminded Ji Yunshu.

Ji Yunshu put on a faint smile and put down the cup of tea. “Don’t you worry, Marquis. This humble one has made a promise, and I’ll stay true to my word.”

“But… you’re still sitting here. Neither the thieves nor the ghost will come knocking on your door.”

“The sky isn’t completely dark yet, isn’t it? Why is Marquis so impatient?”

“I…” Marquis Kang looked out of the window, and indeed, there was still a little light left in the sky.

Jing Rong poured Marquis Kang a cup of tea, and pushed the cup towards him. “Marquis, you should taste this tea. This is a gift from Li Qingping, the magistrate of Jinjiang county. Jinjiang is famous for their tea!”

However, Marquis Kang was not in the mood to savor tea. He had his mind fixed on finding his missing treasures.

But, who is Teacher Ji again? He is such a famous personnage. Of course he wouldn't lie to me. Marquis Kang lifted up the cup, and took a sip of the tea. Thus, he took a sip of the tea, nodded and complimented it as he continued to wait.

Finally, the sky had turned completely dark. "Teacher Ji, look, the sky is now dark."

"Mn."

Hm? "Are we going to find the ghost now?"

"Just wait a little more."

"Wait some more? What are we waiting for?"

"We are waiting for the Daoist to arrive."

"The Daoist?" Marquis Kang was puzzled as he threw an apprehensive glance out of the window. "Teacher Ji, tell me the truth. Is there really something unclean in my estate? You said that there was no ghost in this world. Was that merely words of comfort? Otherwise, why would you invite a Daoist to my place?"

Ji Yunshu furrowed her brows. "Marquis, this humble one has promised to retrieve your treasures, and I'll definitely keep my word. But, we should also catch the ghost that has been haunting this estate. So, I decided to carry out both tasks at once. Also, how can we not invite a Daoist over if we are going to hunt down a ghost?”

Marquis Kang was rendered speechless. What Ji Yunshu said makes perfect sense.

The lot continued to wait again for the Daoist to arrive.

Before long… Caw!They heard the call of a crow.

They turned towards the sound and saw the crow landing on the same spot as yesterday. It flapped its wings and stood there obediently.

Ji Yunshu’s eyes lit up. She stood up and walked out of the room, towards the crow. Marquis Kang, accompanied by his servants and maids who were carrying the lanterns, quickly followed behind, keeping their footsteps as light as possible.

The crow did not seem to be afraid of humans. It stared at the group that was approaching it and eventually locked eyes with Ji Yunshu.

Caw! Its call rang out bright and clear, sounding a little harsh to the ear. ,

Like yesterday, Ji Yunshu stood before the crow. She reached out to touch the crow’s head, but was stopped by Marquis Kang.

“Teacher Ji, crows are inauspicious things. You shouldn’t touch it!”

“This humble one invited this Daoist over. How can it be inauspicious?”

“The crow is the Daoist?”

Are you nuts! The crowd was shocked by Ji Yunshu’s statement.

Ji Yunshu reached out to stroke the crow’s head. “You’re finally here. We’ve been waiting for you for a very long time.”

Caw!The crow let her stroke its head.

Marquis Kang was taken aback as he witnessed what happened. Can Teacher Ji speak to crows?

“Little fellow, you’re now the Daoist master I invited. If you find the ghost, I’ll reward you with good food.”

Caw!

Then, Ji Yunshu took out a small bag from her waist pocket. She opened the bag and took out a little powder to sprinkle on the crow. “Let’s go find what we’re both looking for.”

Caw!The crow flew away and landed on the roof. It would normally be impossible to see a black crow in the dark, but it was now glowing in a soft green light.

“Why is the crow glowing?” Someone exclaimed.

“Is it a ghost too?” That created a commotion among the crowd.

Ji Yunshu quickly explained, “I sprinkled some luminous powder on the crow. That’s why it’s glowing green.”

“What’s that for?” Marquis Kang asked.

“Follow the crow, and you’ll find out.”

At that moment, the crow flapped its wings again and flew off.

Ji Yunshu hurriedly grabbed the lantern from the maid, lifted the hem of her shirt, and followed the crow.

“Follow it!”