Chapter 3

In the reception hall of the Court of Judicial Review.Shi Wuxie sat upright in the seat of honor, dressed in a deep crimson fourth-rank official's robe, pressed crisp and smooth, the gold-woven wild goose rank badge glinting faintly. The brim of his black gauze cap half-shadowed his pale forehead, accentuating his elegant, distant features.His back was straight as a pine, his hands resting flat on his knees, his whole bearing exuding an almost coldly austere official dignity.At his side, Chu Yunxi had already changed out of his soaked wedding robes into a set of narrow-sleeved fitted clothes. A simple dark red hairband tied his hair up high, the ponytail falling straight to his waist. His freshly washed face was fully revealed, a pair of fox-like eyes made all the more lively by a playful smile.Chu Yunxi sat with one leg crossed over the other, one hand propping up his chin, his gaze resting with great interest on the estate physician before him.The physician dared not even breathe loudly, trembling as he extended four fingers to feel Chu Yunxi's pulse.He had practiced medicine for half his life and had never heard of someone who had stopped breathing for an entire day coming back to life. Could it really be, as those constables said, that this was a…… ghost that had risen from its corpse?!At the thought, the old man shuddered again.But a moment later, a clear pulse beat came from beneath his fingertips, and his expression abruptly changed."He's alive!" He jerked his head up, looked at Chu Yunxi's smiling face, then glanced at the expressionless Shi Wuxie in the seat of honor, and finally his gaze fell back on his own pulse-taking fingers. For the first time in his life, he doubted his own medical skills."Truly strange…"Shi Wuxie took a sip of tea and asked, looking up, "How much longer can he live?"The physician suppressed the shock and doubt in his heart, bowed to Shi Wuxie, and when he raised his head again, he caught a gleam of anticipation in Shi Wuxie's eyes.Physician: ?He rubbed his eyes and looked again—the anticipation on Shi Wuxie's face was even more obvious.The physician muttered to himself—could it be that His Lordship was worried about the young master's health? He deliberated for a while before replying, "Reporting to Your Lordship, the young master has always been frail, and this brush with death has damaged his foundation. He can only recover slowly, with careful rest."As he spoke, he took from his medicine chest a bowl of tonic he had prepared earlier and carefully presented it to Chu Yunxi. Chu Yunxi took it, sniffed it, and, frowning, took a small sip of the bitter brew.The physician then said to Shi Wuxie, "But rest assured, Your Lordship. This old man will devote all his medical skill to ensuring the young master lives at least two more years."The anticipation in Shi Wuxie's eyes instantly turned to disappointment, his long lashes drooping down as he murmured softly, "Two more years, huh…"The physician was stunned.What did His Lordship mean by that? Why did he seem… displeased?Although Shi Wuxie's expression was always unreadable, the physician had served in the Court of Judicial Review for many years and had honed his skill at reading faces. So he carefully ventured, "Then perhaps… one year?"Chu Yunxi: …Shi Wuxie's head drooped, and he let out a silent sigh.Physician: ?The physician's mind raced, and after a moment, he suddenly understood.His Lordship had nearly defied the imperial decree over this arranged marriage back then. If not for fear of implicating the Court of Judicial Review, he would never have gone through with the wedding to the Marquis's household at all. Naturally, he would hope this young master would die sooner rather than later and be done with it.Why hadn't he thought of that earlier?So he took a deep breath, his expression suddenly turning grief-stricken, his voice tinged with helplessness: "To be frank with Your Lordship, the young master was born with a deficient constitution, and this ordeal has only made matters worse. If left untended, I fear he has but three to five months left to live—he could even pass away at any moment."Shi Wuxie's lowered lashes lifted once more, and his dark eyes suddenly sparkled with points of starlight. "So it shall be, as argued!""Pfft—! Cough, cough, cough—!" Chu Yunxi choked on his medicine, coughing repeatedly.The household physician barely managed to squeeze out a smile.In thirty years of practicing medicine, he had never encountered such a request.He muttered under his breath, "All these twists and turns… it would be simpler to just put the poor fellow out of his misery."He thought his voice was low enough, but how could he know just how keen Shi Wuxie's hearing was? Shi Wuxie's gaze instantly turned dejected. "I already promised not to kill him.""Besides, the case has now been closed, so he is no longer a 'corpse.' As Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, in charge of criminal law, how could I kill someone and break the law myself?"Chu Yunxi had just recovered his breath, and at these words his lips twitched. "Well, thanks a lot."Quite the man of principle, isn't he.A living, breathing person standing right in front of him didn't count as a person—he only got "re-certified" as alive once the murder case was closed, was that it?!No wonder, when he'd seen Chu Yunxi come back to life earlier, this man had remained expressionless and wanted to keep dissecting him—because the murder case was still open, so he was merely "important physical evidence," legally still a "dead man"!This man's brain was practically a computer, with cases as the highest-priority running program.While Chu Yunxi was still speechless, he saw the household physician very naturally reach for the medicine bowl in his hand, muttering, "Well then, this tonic mustn't be drunk. Each extra sip is worth several days of lifespan."Chu Yunxi stared at him in disbelief.He clutched the bowl tightly, refusing to let go. While locked in a tug-of-war with the physician, he turned his head to demand of Shi Wuxie, "Does watching someone die without lifting a finger count as killing them?"Shi Wuxie shook his head. "No."Chu Yunxi choked.He was nearly laughed into a fury. He wanted to snatch the bowl back but didn't dare use force for fear of spilling the medicine. As his mind raced, he suddenly pointed at the door with a terrified look. "A ghost!"The old physician instinctively turned his head.Chu Yunxi seized the moment to yank the bowl back with a forceful tug, and downed the medicine in one gulp before the old physician could react.The physician, once he came to his senses: …Chu Yunxi held up the empty bowl to show Shi Wuxie, sticking out his tongue smugly and making a face.The physician, helpless, could only spread his hands toward Shi Wuxie, indicating this wasn't his fault.Shi Wuxie waved the physician off. "Never mind. You may go."As he spoke, he set his teacup down on the table—but missed the spot, leaving the cup half-suspended in the air. It crashed to the floor with a "crack" and shattered into pieces.Shi Wuxie stared at the mess, momentarily stunned.Chu Yunxi: …Isn't this guy a natural-born airhead?Shi Wuxie blinked slowly before beckoning to a servant. "A-Qing."A servant stepped forward and, quite used to this, bent down to clean up the mess.Watching all this, Chu Yunxi let out a soft laugh.Then he yawned, while secretly glancing at Shi Wuxie from the corner of his eye, and deliberately drawled, "Looks like I'll have to have my father send more tonics. Oh, and better yet, invite a venerable imperial physician from the palace to examine me. This body of mine needs proper care—I must live a good few years longer."As the words fell, he saw the last trace of starlight in Shi Wuxie's eyes extinguish in an instant, and even his straight shoulder line sagged almost imperceptibly.Seeing Shi Wuxie's disappointed look, Chu Yunxi felt wonderfully refreshed, and the corners of his lips curved up involuntarily.Truly amusing.He yawned again and strolled toward the door, waving a hand without looking back. "I'm off." With that, his figure had already vanished beyond the doorway.A Ghostly Shadow drifted in the hall, watching Chu Yunxi's departing silhouette, its voice tinged with displeasure. [Yu Nu, what do we do? We've spent ten years searching for the Method of Resurrecting the Dead without success. We finally stumbled upon someone who came back to life, yet we can only look, not dissect.]Shi Wuxie's brow furrowed slightly.The Niwan Palace of the human body is where the spirit resides. If there truly is a way to bring the dead back to life, its secret must be hidden within.Yet for ten years, he had combed through every ancient text he could find, studied countless corpses dead in every manner imaginable, and performed every ritual that claimed to bridge yin and yang—only to be disappointed again and again.Just when he had abandoned all hope, along came Chu Yunxi.Could it be… that this person was a revelation sent to him by the heavens themselves?The Ghostly Shadow sighed softly. [If only that boy would have another accident.]Hearing this, Shi Wuxie's eyes shifted slightly."When the marquis's estate petitioned for the imperial decree of marriage, they said Chu Yunxi's Fate Pattern was too weak—he wouldn't live past his coming-of-age."[Right, that's exactly why they needed someone with a hard fate like yours to counterbalance it.]The Ghostly Shadow paused mid-sentence, and suddenly a wisp of Ghost Fire lit up in its dark, hollow eye sockets.[I get it! A weak Fate Pattern means this boy's luck is rotten to the extreme! No wonder he ate almonds on his wedding night and nearly died!]The Ghostly Shadow spun in circles with excitement. [Then all we have to do is wait by the tree stump for the rabbit—we just wait for his next bout of bad luck!]Shi Wuxie's eyes glinted, and the corners of his lips curved into a faint arc.The Shi residence shared a wall with the Court of Judicial Review.Chu Yunxi returned to his bedchamber, and the moment he stepped over the threshold, his footsteps halted."Ah—choo!"He sneezed without warning.He rubbed his itchy nose, a physiological layer of moisture welling in his brown eyes, and muttered under his breath, "Who's talking about me?"No sooner had the thought formed than goosebumps rose inexplicably all over his body.Chu Yunxi: ?But he hadn't closed his eyes all night and was already so exhausted that his mind was foggy. He didn't dwell on it—just dragged his weak legs to the bedside and collapsed face-first into the bedding.Within moments, he sank into a deep sleep.……He slept from morning until nearly dusk, lying utterly motionless like a corpse.The sleep was deep, but far from peaceful.The original owner's memories wove into countless fragmented images, surging into his mind in broken, chaotic bursts, flashing past like a revolving lantern—until he saw himself swallow a mouthful of peach pastry, and shortly after, an intense suffocation swept over him."Mmph—"Chu Yunxi's brow knotted tightly. The agony of suffocation dragged him out of the dream, and he jolted awake, neck flushed red as he gasped for air."Hah—! Cough, cough, cough—!"Propping himself up on his elbows, his chest heaved violently, black spots flickering before his oxygen-starved eyes. It took a long while before the dizziness and the suffocating palpitations slowly receded.Only when his vision cleared did he discover a deep pit in the pillow—his entire face had been buried in it while he slept.Chu Yunxi: ..He'd nearly died again.Wasn't the original owner's body a little too fragile? He'd been asleep and yet it was like ghost pressure—unable to move at all."Someone…" His voice was hoarse, faint as a drifting thread. "Water…"Dead silence outside the door.Chu Yunxi frowned, cleared his throat, and raised his voice: "Someone!"This time, a flurry of panicked whispers came from outside—"You go in…""No way I'm going. If anyone's going, it's you.""I wouldn't dare… Didn't the Lord already subdue that vengeful ghost? Why isn't it suppressed, and instead allowed to act as master?""Someone go tell the Lord, please? I really don't want to serve it anymore…" One woman's voice was on the verge of tears."That living King of Hell? We can't avoid him fast enough—who would dare approach him willingly? If he gets displeased and thinks we're meddling, he might turn us into…" The voice began to tremble. "…into those things in his office…"At that point, a burst of screams came from outside the door, followed by hurried footsteps that faded from near to far, quickly vanishing at the end of the corridor, and then there was silence.Chu Yunxi rubbed his brow. It seemed these people still took him for a risen vengeful ghost.Hadn't Shi Wuxie told the household that he was alive?Then again… this did seem like something that person would do.Since no one dared come in, he simply threw off the covers, got out of bed, poured himself a cup of long-cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.The cold tea slid down his throat, bringing a touch of clarity, and the original owner's memories from his dream began to integrate automatically.His eyes narrowed knowingly.Shi Wuxie… seemed quite dissatisfied with this marriage.At first, the Marquis Anping's household had submitted a petition requesting an imperial decree to marry Shi Wuxie into the family for a Luck-Boosting Marriage. However, Shi Wuxie had refused resolutely, and the two sides had nearly fallen out completely.To balance both parties, the Emperor had ultimately issued a compromise decree, ordering the Marquis's household to change the marriage so that their son would marry out instead. This preserved the Shi family's face while satisfying the Marquis's household's request for a Luck-Boosting Marriage.Shi Wuxie, unwilling to defy the imperial decree and implicate the Court of Judicial Review, had reluctantly accepted the edict.But the original owner had "accidentally" died of an allergic reaction the very night he entered the residence. Was that really a coincidence?That madman—was he perhaps trying to "legitimately" get rid of him?After all, if he "died of an allergy," it wouldn't count as Shi Wuxie killing him; legally, it would have nothing to do with him.For a person-machine whose highest operating principle was the law, that would be the most ideal cause of death.No wonder he'd attacked him with a blade on sight, always impatiently waiting for him to die.After a moment's thought, he set down the teacup, draped an outer robe over himself, and pulled open the door.Under the corridor outside, one boy remained, collapsed on the ground, about fifteen or sixteen years old, trembling like a leaf. Seeing Chu Yunxi open the door and come out, he hurriedly knocked his forehead against the floor tiles with a "bang bang." "Y-young Master, spare my life… It's all my fault for not taking good care of you. It was my negligence—I know I was wrong! Please spare me!"Chu Yunxi was momentarily stunned, but by the corridor light he saw the boy's youthful face, and drawing on the original owner's memories, recalled that this was Ming Chan, his personal servant boy who had entered the residence with him.He opened his mouth, intending to explain, but a sly glint flashed in his eyes, and instead he spoke in an eerie, mischievous tone: "The Lord… where is he? Do you know?"Ming Chan froze mid-kowtow, visibly shuddering. Not daring to raise his head, he stretched out a trembling finger and pointed west. "In the office… Go… go out through the west corner gate of this courtyard, follow the covered corridor straight north, pass through two ceremonial gates, and… and there it is…"Seeing how badly frightened Ming Chan was, Chu Yunxi covered his mouth and chuckled, then headed west.Along the way, servants and laborers who caught even a distant glimpse of his figure scattered like people seeing a ghost in broad daylight, shrinking against walls or hiding behind rockeries, desperate to avoid him.Chu Yunxi took it all in.He thought nothing of it, but as he passed a courtyard wall, he suddenly seemed to sense something, and his steps came to an abrupt halt.In a flash, there came a sharp "whoosh—!"A swift sound of something tearing through the air struck without warning.His gaze sharpened. Years of extreme sports had honed his reflexes to lightning speed—without even lifting his eyes, he twisted his waist to the side and back. Almost the instant he dodged, a black object grazed past his cheek and embedded itself in the trunk of a tree behind him.Startled birds fluttered away noisily above the courtyard wall.Chu Yunxi steadied himself, his amber eyes—tinted by the setting sun—narrowing. His sharp gaze first swept over the top of the high wall, then quickly surveyed his surroundings.But there was no one else in sight.A hidden weapon?Alarm bells rang in his mind. He strode to the tree trunk. The object wasn't embedded deeply, and it dropped with a light touch.It was heavy in his hand—a perfectly round iron marble.After a moment of silence, a cold glint flickered in Chu Yunxi's eyes. He clenched the marble in his palm and continued toward the study.Just on the other side of the high wall, in the alley bordering the Shi residence, came the sound of children bickering—"It's all your fault! You scared the bird away, and now I missed!""Nonsense! You didn't even aim! Watch me—I'll definitely hit it!""Give me the slingshot, it's my turn!""No way, I'm not giving it!"……Chu Yunxi's steps slowed as he passed a courtyard gate.The air here was different from elsewhere. The heavy scent of herbs and preservative fluid seeped out in wisps, mingled with an indescribable odor.He turned and walked toward the gate.Inside the open door, several ever-burning lamps and a skylight high above illuminated the room brightly.It didn't resemble a coroner's morgue—it looked more like some madman's horrifying laboratory.Against the wall stood a tall wooden rack, from which hung several complete human skeletons, their hollow eye sockets all facing the center of the room.On the other side, rows of half-person-tall glass jars were quietly displayed, filled with a dark amber special fluid, in which various unidentifiable organs were soaked. On a corner shelf were neatly arranged books and notes, along with all manner of finely crafted instruments.Shi Wuxie was bent over, the sleeves of his dark blue robe tied up to his elbows with armbands, revealing a section of pale, slender arm. His head was slightly lowered, his profile appearing exceptionally focused in the interplay of light and shadow.On the pearwood table before him lay a skull. He held a scalpel gleaming with cold light, aimed at the center of the skull's brow, and cut down with a steady hand. The faint sound of the blade parting flesh and bone echoed through the silent room.Chu Yunxi leaned against the doorframe, gazing at Shi Wuxie. The setting sun's afterglow gilded that cold profile in brilliant gold, and amid the light and shadow, he looked like a King of Hell descended upon the mortal world.He looked down at the "hidden weapon" in his palm, and when he raised his eyes again, his gaze turned fierce as he slowly stepped forward.Perhaps too absorbed in his work, Shi Wuxie did not notice the visitor's arrival. The ghost's nagging still rang in his ears: [Don't bother. The Niwan Palace of an ordinary corpse definitely holds nothing.][Except for that kid… his is definitely different.]Shi Wuxie ignored the ghost's nagging and continued his focused examination of the opened skull.At that moment, a voice came from beside him: "The path you're cutting will sever most of the branches of the supratrochlear and supraorbital nerves, causing irreversible damage."Shi Wuxie's eyes flickered as he looked up at Chu Yunxi. "You know forensic examination?"Chu Yunxi leaned against the edge of the table with his arms crossed. "A little."As a top student in criminal investigation at A University, the forensic knowledge he had picked up was more than enough to handle the level of examination in ancient times.Shi Wuxie studied him quietly for a while. He didn't press with questions like "where would a young master of a noble marquis household learn such a craft," nor did he explain the purpose of his own incision at the brow. Instead, his gaze was filled with excitement, his pitch-black eyes gleaming. "In your opinion, how should it be done?""With a slight adjustment." Chu Yunxi took the scalpel Shi Wuxie handed over, and his gaze inevitably fell on the other man's forearm—smooth, clean lines, as if carved from fine mutton-fat jade.He looked away, but a crisp hint of medicinal herbs quietly lingered at the tip of his nose, seemingly drifting from Shi Wuxie. In this office filled with all manner of strange odors, that scent was as clean as dew melting on pine needles after snow, seeping into one's lungs without a trace.He instinctively drew a deep breath.Seeing that he wasn't moving, Shi Wuxie tilted his head.Sensing the other's gaze, Chu Yunxi suddenly came back to himself, his expression instantly turning professional and calm."For a frontal craniotomy, a better path is to cut from above the auricle on one side to above the ear on the opposite side. This keeps the incision hidden, preserves the facial nerves and blood vessels to the greatest extent, and exposes the entire forehead."As he spoke, he traced an arc across the skull with the tip of the blade. "Of course, if you insist on going in through the brow, the angle of the incision can be more vertical, like this…"Just as he was absorbed in his demonstration, not far behind him, the articulated skeleton propped against the wall swayed ever so slightly, then began tilting slowly in the direction of Chu Yunxi's back.And the three-inch iron nail pinning the skeleton in place was now, following the frame's movement, pointing directly at the unprotected nape of Chu Yunxi's neck.In the silent room came a faint, almost imperceptible "creak."Shi Wuxie, his face half turned, caught the scene from the corner of his eye, and his eyes lit up.Chu Yunxi keenly sensed the movement behind him. His lowered lashes lifted abruptly, and a flash of understanding passed through his eyes.Just as he thought…Full novel: My Cold-Faced Wife Wants to Kill Me Again — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠