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墨書 Inktalez
The corpse lay stiffly on the spread-out sheet, clearly taken from a place resembling a cold storage, preserved remarkably well, almost lifelike. This lifelike appearance was troubling, as his eyes were wide open, and his features contorted in an unimaginable state; one could only imagine the agony of death from just his face.
Looking further down his body... it seemed better to focus on that horrifying face instead.
I had seen dismembered bodies before, the most extreme being over seven hundred pieces. In such cases, the chunks resembled ordinary cuts of pork—skin, fat layers, and muscle. If one didn’t know it was human flesh, it wouldn’t seem particularly terrifying. But I had never encountered a body treated in this manner.
What kind of psychology does a murderer have? The body before me had its left upper arm, right arm, left thigh, and right leg completely stripped to white bones, while the remaining parts showed no signs of damage.
Why kill someone and then mutilate the body like this? Did this murderer suddenly go insane after committing the act?
"In the past two months, more than ten wealthy merchants have been murdered in Chang'an and Luoyang. Each death has been similar—certain parts of their bodies stripped to the bone," Li Shimin said.
If everyone died like this, then such abnormalities were not coincidental?
"There is a rumor," the emperor continued, "that because Snowfall Villa does not receive outsiders, a master challenged them and took one of their disciples hostage to force the owner to act. In response, the owner Sikong Lang's eldest son Sikong Han intervened and within three moves used his knife to strip the challenger’s left arm down to the bone as a warning..."
I gasped. This meant stripping someone alive down to the bone?! Implicitly suggesting that the murderer might be from Snowfall Villa? Moreover, this was... an outright provocation?
So, were this person's limbs stripped while he was still alive?
Wasn't that a form of slow slicing? How cruel!
Only then did I focus my attention back on the corpse, while Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun had already squatted beside it and begun their examination.
I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to suppress my fear, but my gaze followed their movements as I observed the condition of the corpse. Although the person had been dead for several days, the preservation was so good that all examination conditions were still intact. As they turned over various parts of the body, I noticed something strange: there were no other wounds on the corpse.
The gums and oral mucosa of the deceased were unusually pale, indicating that the cause of death was likely hypovolemic shock. So, oh my god, this person might have bled to death after losing part of their flesh and becoming unable to move?
To prove my theory, I focused my attention on the wound areas of the deceased. I examined the severed edges where flesh and bone met, and with a deep sense of dread, I concluded that these cuts were not made post-mortem but were genuine injuries sustained while the person was still alive.
In most cases, it is possible to determine whether an injury occurred before or after death. Moreover, during our training, we learned that any mechanical injury on a corpse must be differentiated between ante-mortem and post-mortem wounds.
The reason is simple: the criminal liability for injuries inflicted before death differs from those inflicted after death, making this a matter we must take seriously.
In short, when a living being suffers violent injury, there will be a series of physiological responses; however, there are none in a corpse. For instance, cutting into living flesh results in significant bleeding, while a corpse exhibits very little blood loss. When living tissue is injured or torn, subcutaneous tissue, blood vessels, and fibrous tissue will contract; a corpse does not exhibit such contraction. Additionally, examining the exposed ends of broken bones reveals redness and swelling, with tissue fluid seeping out and signs of inflammatory response. These not only indicate that the wounds were sustained while alive but also suggest that the deceased lingered for some time after being injured before dying.
It was truly horrifying!
At that moment, Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun stood up one after another. They exchanged glances before Luo Dachun spoke up: "Your Majesty was correct; the injuries on this person were undoubtedly inflicted while they were alive. Moreover, they are clearly knife wounds."
Li Shimin's expression darkened. "Then if these injuries weren't gradually carved away after death, to achieve such cleanliness while alive—besides the techniques of Snowfall Villa—who else could do it? Furthermore, we just saw that those who attacked Jiang Residence were wearing Snowfall Villa's clothing."
Luo Dachun nodded in agreement. "Indeed. However, isn't this all too obvious? It seems as if they want everyone to know it was Snowfall Villa who did this."
Li Shimin replied, "Although this matter is serious, I do not wish to act rashly without clear evidence. Therefore, Qiu Yuan and Da Chun, I would like to entrust you with investigating whether there is any connection between this incident and Snowfall Villa. Time is of the essence; you must act quickly. The Strategy Bureau has a total of one hundred seventy-four Shadow Guards at your disposal if needed."
With that, Li Shimin pressed a gold token into Nie Qiuyuan's hand.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. When the Emperor spoke to us, he seemed quite nostalgic, and his words conveyed a sense of equality. Moreover, he entrusted us with the Confidants and Shadow Guards—what a level of trust that was!
I had a feeling that someone like him would never give complete trust if he could avoid it. However, after weighing the pros and cons, he still chose to take a gamble. It was as if he had placed a massive bet on us.
Not just me; I believed that Nie Qiuyuan and the others were all aware of this matter. They were all people of discretion and would never become arrogant due to favor.
After Li Shimin left, everyone in the room fell into silence. I hadn't expected that this urgent summons to the capital was for such a significant case.
Nie Qiuyuan looked at Luo Dachun, paused for a moment, and suddenly said, "Da Chun, what do you think?"
Luo Dachun sighed, "How did we get involved in such a case? If I had known this was what awaited us when I left home, I wouldn't have come even if it meant defying orders. Just you, me, and her—all of us are in trouble now, afraid we might infect His Majesty with tuberculosis..."
The atmosphere lightened slightly. Melan, who had been worried sick, managed to force a smile and said, "Cousin, you always start off with nonsense. Just curse yourself if you want; why drag us into it?"
Luo Dachun smiled at Melan and replied, "Don't be afraid; I'm fine."
A subtle atmosphere formed among us. It felt as though there was something everyone knew except for me. What was so special about Snowfall Villa?
Nie Qiuyuan said, "Whatever it is, once we clarify the situation, we can handle it. As it stands now, it may not even be related to Falling Snow. Currently, the case has no leads; we should think about where to start our investigation."
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