Chapter 3
Words:948Update:22/06/29 07:26:24
The Nameless Corpse
Chapter 3: The Unknown Corpse
The rain continued for an entire day, stopping only in the evening.
In the front courtyard of the Ji Residence, the guests from the capital were being entertained. Ji Yunshu was currently arranging the paint in the box. She had personally mixed the ink and glossed it. It would only get brighter and brighter, and it would be able to be preserved for thousands of years.
About the time it took to brew a cup of tea passed.
Luan 'er hurriedly ran in and said, "Miss, Magistrate Liu wants you to go to the Eastern Suburbs Village. He said that there was a fire in the Eastern Suburbs and many people died. Right now, the family members are waiting to identify the corpses and bury them. However, the corpses were burnt beyond recognition, so he wants you to go and take a look."
"When did this happen?"
"Two hours ago."
Ji Yunshu grunted and closed the sandalwood box unhurriedly. She changed into men's clothes, lit a lantern, and went out to work.
Ji Yunshu never brought Luan 'er with her when she went out to work. Naturally, she had to leave someone to guard the courtyard.
It was difficult to travel at night, but fortunately, the Eastern Suburbs Village wasn't too far away. As soon as Ji Yunshu arrived, she saw a collapsed house with thick smoke billowing out of it. The smell of burnt wood was very pungent. The surrounding villagers were holding lanterns, some were wailing, some were sighing repeatedly.
When she walked closer, she saw more than ten burnt corpses neatly arranged on the ground. Their skin and flesh were so charred that it was impossible to distinguish their appearance.
When Magistrate Liu saw Ji Yunshu, he hurriedly walked over. He lowered his voice and said in a kind voice, "Yunshu, look. If it weren't for the severity of the situation, I wouldn't have disturbed you. For such a thing to happen in the first month, don't say that you feel unlucky, everyone is complaining about it!"
"It's getting late. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can go back."
"Alright, alright."
Magistrate Liu ordered people to bring a table and placed more than ten pieces of rice paper on it. He also ordered the yamen runners to surround the area.
Looking at the corpses on the ground, Ji Yunshu's almond-shaped eyes suddenly drooped slightly, hiding her emotions. Although she was used to seeing such things, it would be a lie to say that she didn't feel anything.
After a while, she walked to the first corpse and squatted down to examine it. The burnt corpse in front of her was not only badly mutilated, but its face was also slightly swollen. She looked at it for a while and said softly, "Its eyes are sunken and shapeless, its cheekbones are low and flat, its forehead is wide, and its lower jaw is narrow."
Then, he took out a pair of white gloves from his waist and put them on. He gently pressed on the person's face and parietal bones. He had a rough idea.
Returning to the table, he opened the sandalwood box, took out a brush, mixed the colors, and drew a portrait on the rice paper.
Once the portrait appeared, someone rushed out from the crowd and ran to the side of the first corpse, crying. "This is my husband. Husband, how could you leave me behind like this? What else do I have left in this world … "
Ji Yunshu continued to examine the second corpse. The occipital bone was cracked, probably caused by a wooden stake. The sphenoid bone was protruding, and the upper jaw bone was slightly tilted.
The second portrait came out.
A man and a woman rushed up and shouted, "Mother!"
That scene was really tearful!
…
Ji Yunshu spent a quarter of an hour to draw the portraits of all seventeen burnt corpses. Among them, twelve had been recognized, and there were five nameless corpses that no one had claimed.
Magistrate Liu had people take the portraits and ask around, but none of the villagers recognized them.
Nameless corpses?
Jinjiang's Eastern Suburbs Village wasn't that big, so how could there be five nameless corpses? Could they be outsiders?
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