A Headless Corpse
There's a skeleton in there?
Zhao Huai did not believe it, retorting immediately, "Impossible, there's no such thing in the urn."
"Whether it's true or not, we'll know once we see it," said Ji Yunshu.
Zhao Huai hesitated!
After a long while …
He waved his hand, "Open it."
Soon, the urn was carried in.
The urn was more than two meters tall, and it was a rectangle made of wood. The four sides were sealed, and only one side had a small opening, through which a thin tube was inserted.
It was used to draw in the wine.
Under Zhao Huai's orders, a few men climbed up the small ladder attached to the urn, knocking off the corners of the urn and slowly lifting it up.
Naturally, the aroma of the wine slowly seeped out from within …
The gluttonous men licked their lips, swallowing their saliva.
After all, this wine had been brewed for five years, by the First Master and Second Master as a memorial to the deceased Old Master.
When the Old Master was still alive, the Zhao family had started their business as a winemaker. The entire Gaoshan Village was, in fact, a huge winery factory.
It was said that even the late Emperor had tasted the wine brewed by the Old Master. Just one sip was enough to leave a lasting aftertaste.
Unfortunately, the Old Master had passed away ten years ago due to old age!
He had left everything in the Gaoshan Village to his two sons. Who knew that within a month of the Old Master's arrival, the Gaoshan Village had turned from a family of winemakers into a den of bandits.
Ever since then, the Gaoshan Village had been famous throughout Shanhuai County. The First Master and Second Master of the Gaoshan Village were even more fearsome. What had caused the once glorious Gaoshan Village to turn into what it was today?
No one knew!
Zhao Huai and Zhao Qing had never mentioned it to anyone!
The urn's lid was now open, the half-weng of wine swaying gently within, so clear that the bottom could be seen.
"Ugh!"
Someone yelled!
They almost fell off the ladder.
At the bottom of the urn were pieces of grayish-white bones, branching out and scattered everywhere.
There were even a few floating on top of it.
"First Master, there's … there's a skeleton in there."
"Ugh!"
Everyone was stunned.
Some people climbed onto the table and craned their necks to look inside. Then, they covered their mouths and almost vomited.
Zhao Huai pulled one of them down the ladder and climbed up to take a look.
Sure enough, there really was a skeleton inside.
His femur, ribs, and pelvis were all there.
But —
Zhao Huai was puzzled. "Why doesn't this skeleton have a skull?"
No head?
In other words, it was a headless corpse.
In an instant, it caused an uproar among the crowd.
Zhao Huai jumped down from the ladder. He looked around and shouted angrily, "Who did this?"
"It's not me … It's not me …"
Everyone retreated with fear on their faces.
Someone said, "Leader, this … is really suspicious. When the urn was sealed, there was nothing inside, and this urn has not been opened in the past five years."
Suddenly —
Ji Yunshu explained, "This urn is made of Southern Ginger Wood. It's sealed on all four sides, and the top of the urn is clamped to prevent rainwater from seeping in. It's very sturdy, but there are advantages and disadvantages. When the lid is clamped to the urn for the first time, it fits perfectly, but if the lid is removed and clamped to the urn a second time, the lower end of the lid will no longer fit the urn, leaving a gap in the middle. Moreover, when the alcohol ferments inside the urn, the gas will rush against the Southern Ginger Wood, forming a thin layer of moss around the gap.
Huh?
Zhao Huai was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered. He pondered for a moment, then looked at the lower part of the lid with uncertainty.
He found that there was indeed a thin layer of moss.
Ji Yunshu lowered her eyes. The wound on her back no longer hurt as the bleeding had stopped.
Her complexion also looked better.
She said to Wei Yi, "Help me over."
"Mm."
Wei Yi nodded and carefully helped her to the table.
Her slender, bloodstained fingers reached for the bowl of wine containing the scaphoid and skull bones.
She picked up the skull bone and turned it in her hand.
She concluded, "This skeleton has been dead for a year."
A year?
"A year ago, someone must have decapitated the corpse, opened the lid, and tossed the corpse inside."
"How can you be so sure?" Zhao Huai did not believe her.
Her eyes were filled with confidence. "Very few people know how to open the urn lid, and every urn's corner changes according to the size of the urn. Therefore, the person who can open the corner of this urn is most likely the culprit, and the culprit might be the person who made this urn, or the person who participated in the sealing of the urn."
"How do you know all this?" Zhao Qing asked from the side.
How did she know?
She had to know!
When she had just graduated from university, she was fortunate enough to participate in a project – the thousand-year-old tomb excavation project at the foot of Mount Zhongning.
All the coffins in the tomb were made of urns!
In order to research how to open those urns, she did a lot of homework. For a whole year, she was either at the research facility or in the library. Heaven's will not disappoint the diligent. A year later, she managed to open all the urns in the tomb.
At that time, she even made the headlines!
Unfortunately, she hid behind the cameras and refused to be interviewed by the media. As a result, she was given the title of 'Mysterious Genius Girl'.
At this moment, Ji Yunshu only said, "This humble one only read a few books, and I already know the process and method of making these urns."
Zhao Qing's probing gaze roamed over her body as he asked again.
He asked again, "Who are you?"
"A scholar!"
"You know medicine, bones, and the structure of these urns, and yet you're still a scholar?"
"Didn't this humble one already say? Because I read a few more books than ordinary people, I naturally know more. " She turned to Zhao Huai, her deep eyes slightly raised. She spoke with a conditional tone, "First Master, this urn of wine must be very important to you. Moreover, a corpse was thrown into the urn. You must want to find out who did it, right? Moreover, who is this corpse? "
"What are you trying to say?"
Ji Yunshu's confidence rose. "If I can help you find out who threw the corpse into the urn and who this corpse is, you must release me and Wei Yi. You will not pursue this matter any further."
There was no room for negotiation!
"Release you? Not pursue this matter any further? "Zhao Huai was flabbergasted. He sneered," You killed so many of my people, and you want to let it go? Moreover, why should I trust a scholar who only knows how to read? "
His tone was full of contempt and disdain.
Obviously, he did not agree to Ji Yunshu's conditions.
At this time, Zhao Qing suddenly said, "If you agree, I will give you the Jade Extraction Bottle that father left for me."
Zhao Huai was stunned.
The Jade Extraction Bottle!
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