Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The man's face was handsome, but what was even more striking were his hands.
His long fingers, wrapped in the light, appeared both fair and soft, perfectly shaped and flawless, fit for a hand model. Yet, what made those hands even more remarkable than their form was their dynamism; they were so nimble and delicate that, despite being just a pair of hands, they seemed to possess a life of their own in their subtle movements. However, for some reason, there was a faint aura of menace emanating from them.
What left me dumbfounded was that those perfect hands were holding a strangely shaped slender silver scalpel, delicately cutting the flowers laid out on the stone table.
Aside from my esteemed mentor, I never imagined there would be another person in this world (or rather, another realm) who had such a peculiar interest in dissecting flowers for fun.
And to do so under the dim light of night, the flower being dissected was… Osmanthus!
You know how exquisite Osmanthus flowers are!
This body had excellent vision, and since I was hidden among the foliage, I was quite close to him. Thus, I could clearly see the intricate movements of his hands as he used the knife to peel off the petals one by one, then carefully disassemble the barely visible stamens and pistils, slicing through the calyx and ovary. Finally, the man let out a soft "Oh."
He turned his head toward my direction and gently broke into a smile.
Objectively speaking, that smile was utterly charming.
"Since you've come visiting in the dead of night, why hide?" he said with a smile, his voice remarkably pleasant.
I stepped out from behind the bushes.
The man looked at me with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He slowly stood up, his tall figure exuding an air of elegance that seemed to command the entire garden, sending a tremor through my heart with an indescribable feeling.
This person was certainly no ordinary individual.
"My lady," he suddenly smiled again, his voice tinged with playful mockery, "you've caused me to cut one."
I approached closer and saw that a black sheet of paper lay on the stone table, neatly arranged with tiny Osmanthus petals and reproductive parts that resembled microorganisms. Indeed, next to him lay one broken stamen.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Practice your fingers, sharpen your eyesight, and exercise your mind," the handsome man said with a smile.
"Who are you?" I asked again.
He chuckled lightly, "My dear, shouldn't that question be for me to ask? With such... unique attire, you must not be a local."
I looked down at myself; I was wearing the pajamas I designed, which were completely modern loungewear—loose-fitting shirt and long pants.
Oh no, I was so nervous that I forgot to change my clothes!
Seeing my embarrassment, the handsome man introduced himself at just the right moment: "I am Ren Pingsheng, the Registrar of Feng County."
The title of Registrar is a position responsible for official documents in the county office, making him the third most important person in the county. How could someone so remarkable exist in Feng County? Moreover, Ren Pingsheng was such a beautiful name.
"Bamboo Staff and Straw Sandals are lighter than horses; who is afraid? A Rainy Day in a Straw Raincoat—Ren Pingsheng!" I couldn't help but blurt out.
A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. It suddenly struck me that Su Dongpo had not yet been born at this time.
"What a wonderful line! You truly are an extraordinary person! May I ask your name?" he said with a smile playing on his lips.
"Ye Liuhui," I replied somewhat shyly.
"Firefly Girl, what a lovely name." Ren Pingsheng sat down and gently blew on a stone; the dismembered petals vanished in an instant, leaving only the scalpel behind.
"Did you come to the garden late at night because you couldn't sleep?"
"I saw a Peony Lantern drifting this way," I replied.
Since Ren Pingsheng was the Registrar here, he surely knew about the incident that occurred last night. He would naturally understand the connection between the Peony Lantern and the case.
"Is it really possible?" Ren Pingsheng furrowed his brow. "I've been here for an hour and haven't seen Peony Lantern..."
He looked up at the sky, and I couldn't tell what he was looking at because there was nothing up there.
"Firefly Girl, are you interested in Peony Lantern? If you're not afraid, I'm about to do something. Would you like to join me?"
I stared at him in surprise.
Ren Pingsheng smiled again, and it seemed he loved to laugh. When he did, it was warm and quite charming.
"The person who died last night had a strange death. The Coroner couldn't determine the cause; it was heart failure. I want to find out how he died."
Isn't this the job of the Constable and the Coroner? You're a Registrar...
It seemed Ren Pingsheng could see through my confusion. He leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "The secrets of Feng County should not be shared. The unresolved cases here are all handled by the Registrar behind the scenes!"
I believed him; I had seen enough when he was dissecting Osmanthus. Ren Pingsheng gave off a gentle vibe, but there was something enigmatic about him. Regardless, he could definitely be classified as "one of us"!
"I want to go!" The adventurous spirit within me stirred again. In truth, I was mostly afraid of ghosts, but with this living person beside me, I felt almost fearless.
"Let's go!" Ren Pingsheng elegantly brushed off his clothes and reached for the lantern hanging above.
And so, I followed the handsome stranger into the Mortuary. Oddly enough, there wasn't a single soul around in the county office tonight; it felt eerily deserted.
The corpse lay on a simple bed, surrounded by several similar beds that resembled train sleeping compartments. However, only this one body was present, covered with a white sheet.
Ren Pingsheng pulled back the sheet, revealing the naked corpse. He glanced back at me with a hint of surprise because I was staring intently at the body.
Noticing his surprise, I quickly composed myself. But following a stranger to view a corpse in the middle of the night already proved my sanity was questionable; I didn't see any need to pretend in front of him anymore.
Ren Pingsheng smiled lightly and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, offering it to me. "Would you like to cover your mouth and nose?"
I fished out two homemade masks from the pocket of my pajamas (how they ended up there, and why there were two, I couldn't quite figure out, but I managed to pull them out) and handed one to him.
He mimicked my actions and put on the mask. The mask, soaked in homemade disinfectant, looked quite comical on the face of the handsome man in ancient attire, while his eyes crinkled into crescent shapes as he smiled.
"Wow, this method is really clever. You're quite extraordinary. Miss, you are a mystery!"
Ren Pingsheng then took out a pair of extremely thin silver gloves from his sleeve and put them on his beautiful hands. He skillfully lifted the eyelids and lips of the corpse, examining the eyelids, nasal cavity, and oral mucosa. He continued downwards, checking the vertebrae, hyoid bone, limbs, and nail beds...
I watched in astonishment at his technique and speed. Even from a professional standpoint, it was incredibly proficient. Moreover, he didn’t even need to take notes; everything was clearly stored in his mind.
Before long, he raised his head, looking at me with a cheerful expression. "Firefly Girl, how did he actually die?"
***Chang'an Evening News Breaking News***
Reporter Fungus: I have an announcement regarding the latest news. From today until next Sunday for eight hours each day, the Chang'an Evening News "Chang'an Mysteries" column will be serializing "Anatomy of Flowers," with updates at 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Now let me interview the Author. Hello, Author.
Reporter Fungus: Hello! Author?
Narrator: No need to call anymore; they’ve gone backstage to bleed out. As for double updates? For someone with a brain like that, it’s basically hitting a sore spot. So everyone, wash up and go to sleep.
Comment 0 Comment Count