Inside the main hall of the Dali Temple.
Shi Wuxie sat upright at the top. He was dressed in a deep scarlet fourth-rank official robe, the fabric ironed impeccably flat, with the dark radiance of gold-woven wild goose rank badges shifting under the light. The brim of his black gauze cap half-concealed his fair forehead, making his brows and eyes appear even broader and more detached.
His spine was straight as a pine, and his hands were placed flat on his knees, radiating a rigid official demeanor that bordered on coldness.
Beside him, Chu Yunxi had already shed his wet wedding robes and changed into a narrow-sleeved martial outfit. A concise dark red hair ribbon was tied high, with his ponytail falling straight down to his waist. His washed face was completely exposed, and a pair of fox-like eyes added a touch of liveliness due to his playful smile.
Chu Yunxi sat with one leg crossed over the other, supporting his cheek with one hand, his gaze filled with interest as it landed on the imperial physician before him.
The physician didn’t even dare to breathe heavily, his four trembling fingers carefully resting on Chu Yunxi’s pulse.
Having practiced medicine for half a lifetime, he had never heard of someone coming back to life after being dead for a full day. Could it really be as those bailiffs said, that this was a ghost risen from the dead?!
Thinking of this, the old man shivered once more.
However, a moment later, the clear beating of a pulse traveled through his fingertips, and his expression suddenly shifted.
A living person! He abruptly raised his head, looked into Chu Yunxi’s smiling face, glanced briefly at the expressionless Shi Wuxie at the top, and finally lowered his gaze back to the fingers checking the pulse, doubting his medical skills for the very first time.
Truly bizarre…
Shi Wuxie sipped his tea, raised his eyes, and asked, How much longer can he live?
Suppressing the shock and doubt in his heart, the physician bowed to Shi Wuxie. When he raised his head again, he caught sight of the expectant light in Shi Wuxie’s eyes.
Physician:?
He rubbed his eyes and looked again; the anticipation on Shi Wuxie’s face was even more obvious.
Muttering to himself, the physician wondered if His Excellency was worried about the young master’s health. After deliberating for a moment, he replied, Replying to Your Excellency, the young master was inherently frail to begin with. Escaping death this time has damaged his foundation, so he can only recuperate slowly.
As he spoke, he took a bowl of pre-prepared tonic medicine from his medicine chest and carefully presented it to Chu Yunxi. Chu Yunxi took it, sniffed it, frowned, and took a small sip of the bitter brew.
The physician added to Shi Wuxie, However, Your Excellency may rest assured. This old man will exhaust all his medical skills to strive to let the young master live for another two years.
The expectation in the depths of Shi Wuxie’s eyes instantly turned into disappointment, and his slender eyelashes drooped as he murmured, Only two years left…
Hearing this, the physician froze.
What did His Excellency mean by this? Why did he seem somewhat unhappy?
Although Shi Wuxie’s joy or anger was always difficult to read, the physician had worked in the Dali Temple for many years and had honed the ability to read expressions. Thus, he cautiously probed, Then… one year?
Chu Yunxi: ……
Shi Wuxie lowered his head and let out a silent sigh.
Physician:?
The physician’s brain spun rapidly, and a moment later, he had an epiphany.
His Excellency had almost resisted the imperial decree back then for this marriage alliance. If he hadn’t been worried about implicating the Dali Temple, he would never have completed the wedding with the Marquis’s Estate. Naturally, he hoped this young master would kick the bucket sooner rather than later.
Why hadn’t he thought of that earlier?
Thus, he took a deep breath, his expression suddenly turning grief-stricken, and his tone carried a hint of helplessness. Not hiding it from Your Excellency, the young master has a congenital deficiency, and this event has only added frost to snow. If left unattended, he probably only has three to five months of lifespan left, or he might even breathe his last at any moment.
Shi Wuxie’s lowered eyelashes lifted once more, and his dark pupils instantly flickered with starlight. Let it be as you say!
Pfft,! Cough, cough, cough! Chu Yunxi choked on the medicine and coughed repeatedly.
The physician managed to squeeze out a smile.
In thirty years of practicing medicine, he had never seen such a request.
He muttered under his breath, With all these twists and turns… it would be better to just give the person a quick end.
He thought his voice was low enough, but Shi Wuxie’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. His gaze instantly turned dejected. I already promised not to kill him.
Besides, the case is now closed, so he is no longer a ‘corpse.’ As the deputy official of the Dali Temple presiding over criminal law, how can I commit murder and break the law myself?
Chu Yunxi had just caught his breath. Hearing this, the corners of his mouth twitched. I really must thank you.
He had quite a set of principles.
A living human standing right in front of him didn’t count as a person; he wouldn’t be re-certified as alive until the case was closed, right?!
No wonder that when he saw him come back to life earlier, this guy could still calmly prepare to dissect him just because the case wasn’t closed yet, meaning he was still just an important piece of physical evidence and legally a dead person!
This guy’s thought process was simply a computer program, where the case was the highest-priority running routine.
Just as Chu Yunxi was speechless, he watched the old physician very naturally reach out to take the medicine bowl from his hands, muttering to himself, Then this tonic shouldn’t be drunk; every extra sip adds several days of lifespan.
Chu Yunxi: ?!
He grabbed onto the medicine bowl for dear life and refused to let go. While engaging in a tug-of-war with the physician, he turned his head and questioned Shi Wuxie, Does standing by and watching someone die count as murder?
Shi Wuxie shook his head. No.
Chu Yunxi choked.
He was almost laughed to anger. He wanted to snatch the medicine bowl back, but fearing he would spill the medicine, he didn’t dare use too much force. As his thoughts raced, he suddenly pointed toward the door and acted terrified. There’s a ghost!
The old physician instinctively turned his head.
Taking advantage of the moment, Chu Yunxi used a burst of strength to pull the medicine bowl back and chugged the contents before the old physician could react.
The recovering physician: ..
Chu Yunxi showed the empty bowl to Shi Wuxie and playfully stuck out his tongue to make a face.
Helpless, the physician spread his hands toward Shi Wuxie, indicating that it wasn’t his fault.
Shi Wuxie waved a hand at the physician. Never mind, you may leave.
As he spoke, he set his teacup down on the table, but missing the spot, the cup remained half-suspended before falling and shattering into pieces.
Shi Wuxie stared at the mess on the floor in a daze.
Chu Yunxi: ….
Is this guy naturally slow-witted?
Shi Wuxie blinked slowly before beckoning to an attendant. Aqing.
An attendant stepped forward and, looking accustomed to the scene, bent down to clean up the mess.
Watching all this, Chu Yunxi let out a light laugh.
Then he yawned, cast a sideways glance at Shi Wuxie out of the corner of his eye, and deliberately drawled, It seems I’ll have to ask my father to send more tonics. Oh, and it would be best to invite a prestigious imperial physician from the palace to take a look. My constitution really needs proper nurturing so I can live a few more years.
At these words, he watched the last trace of starlight in the depths of Shi Wuxie’s eyes instantly extinguish, and even his straight shoulder line dropped imperceptibly.
Seeing Shi Wuxie’s disappointed look, Chu Yunxi felt a surge of satisfaction, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.
How interesting.
He yawned, strolled toward the door, and waved without looking back. I’m leaving. With that, his figure disappeared out the door.
The ghost shadow drifted about the hall, looking at Chu Yunxi’s retreating figure with dissatisfaction. Yuniu, what should we do? We’ve searched for ten years without finding a way to bring the dead back to life, and when we finally stumble upon someone who came back alive, we can only look and not dissect.
Shi Wuxie’s brows furrowed slightly.
The mudian palace (niwan palace) of the human body was the dwelling place of the spirit; if there were a method of resurrection, the secret must be hidden within it.
Yet for ten years, he had scoured every ancient text he could find, studied countless corpses with varied states of death, and tested every ritual claiming to bridge yin and yang, only to face disappointment time and time again.
Just when he had given up hope, Chu Yunxi appeared.
Could it be… that this person was a revelation given to him by the heavens amidst the netherworld?
The ghost shadow let out a gloomy sigh. If that brat had just had another accident, that would be great.
Hearing this, Shi Wuxie’s pupils shifted slightly.
When the Marquis’s Estate petitioned for the marriage decree back then, they said Chu Yunxi’s destiny was too weak, and he wouldn’t live to reach adulthood.
Right, that’s why they had to look for someone hard-fated like you to counteract it.
The ghost shadow paused after speaking, and a ball of ghost fire suddenly lit up in its hollow eye sockets.
I get it! A weak destiny means this brat’s luck is at rock bottom! No wonder he happened to eat almonds on his wedding night and almost died!
The ghost shadow spun around in excitement. Then we just need to wait by the stump for the hare, waiting for him to run into bad luck next time!
Shi Wuxie’s gaze flickered, and his lips curved into a faint arc.
The Shi Residence shared a wall with the Dali Temple.
Returning to his bedroom in the estate, Chu Yunxi’s footsteps paused the moment he crossed the threshold.
A, achoo!
He sneezed without warning.
Rubbing his itchy nose, a layer of physiological moisture welled up in his brown eyes as he muttered softly, Who’s talking about me?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he inexplicably got goosebumps all over his body.
Chu Yunxi:?
However, having stayed awake all night, he was already dizzy with exhaustion. Not thinking much more about it, his legs felt weak as he walked over to the bed and collapsed face-first into the covers.
In less than a moment, he plunged into a deep sleep.
He slept from morning until close to dusk, staying as motionless as a corpse the entire time.
It was an extremely heavy sleep, yet also quite unsettled.
The original owner’s memories intertwined into countless fragmented images, flowing into his mind intermittently and chaotically, flashing past like a lantern reel until he saw himself swallow a piece of peach pastry, shortly followed by a strong sense of suffocation washing over him.
Ngh,
Chu Yunxi’s brows furrowed tightly. The agony of suffocation pulled him out of his dreamscape, and he abruptly jolted awake, his neck turning red as he gasped heavily for air.
Hah,! Cough, cough, cough!
He propped his upper body up on his elbows, his chest rising and falling violently. Spots of darkness danced before his eyes due to the lack of oxygen. After a long while, the dizziness and suffocating palpitation slowly receded.
As his vision cleared, he realized there was a deep indentation on his pillow; he had buried his entire face in it while sleeping.
Chu Yunxi: ..
He had almost died a second time.
Was the original owner’s body a bit too fragile? Falling asleep felt like being pinned down by a ghost, unable to move at all.
Someone. His voice was hoarse and threadbare. Water
Outside the door, absolute silence reigned.
Chu Yunxi frowned, cleared his throat, and raised his voice. Someone!
This time, a flurry of flustered whispering came from outside the door,
You go in…
Not me; you go if you want.
I wouldn’t dare… Didn’t His Excellency already subdue this malevolent ghost? Why didn’t he suppress him instead of letting him act like the master of the house?
Can someone go tell His Excellency about this? I really don’t want to serve here anymore… A female voice sounded like she was about to cry.
His Excellency is a living king of hell; we hide from him fast enough. Who dares to actively throw themselves in his path? What if he gets displeased, thinks we’re meddling, and does to us… Her voice began to tremble: …what he did to those things in his office…
At this mention, a scream echoed from outside, followed closely by the sound of hurried footsteps receding quickly down the corridor until they vanished entirely, leaving complete silence.
Chu Yunxi rubbed his temple; it looked like these people still regarded him as a resurrected malevolent ghost.
Why hadn’t Shi Wuxie told the people in the estate that he was alive?
Then again… that sounded exactly like something that human-calculator would do.
With no one daring to enter, he simply threw off the quilt, got out of bed, and poured himself a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, tilting his head back to drain it in one gulp.
The cold tea slid down his throat, bringing a measure of clarity as the original owner’s memories obtained in the dream began to integrate automatically.
He narrowed his eyes with understanding.
Shi Wuxie seemed extremely dissatisfied with this marriage…
Initially, the Anping Marquis’s Estate petitioned the throne, intending to have Shi Wuxie marry into the family for luck. However, Shi Wuxie’s attitude was resolute, and he refused to comply. Both sides almost had a falling out.
To balance the two factions, the Emperor ultimately issued a compromise decree, ordering the Marquis’s Estate to change the arrangement to take him as a bride. This preserved the dignity of the Shi family while satisfying the Marquis’s Estate’s request for a lucky marriage.
Not wishing to defy the imperial decree and implicate the Dali Temple, Shi Wuxie had reluctantly accepted the edict.
Yet the original owner died of an accident involving an allergic reaction on the night they entered the estate. Was that really just a coincidence?
Was this madman trying to reasonably get rid of him?
After all, if he died of an allergy, it wouldn’t count as Shi Wuxie committing murder, and legally, it had nothing to do with him.
For a human-calculator whose highest operational principle was the law, this was the absolute best cause of death.
No wonder he had brandished a knife upon seeing him and always eagerly waited for him to die.
After pondering for a moment, he set down the teacup, threw on an outer robe, and strode directly to pull open the bedroom door.
Out in the corridor, a single teenage servant of about fifteen or sixteen was left cowering and trembling like chaff in the wind. Seeing Chu Yunxi step out of the door, he hurriedly slammed his forehead against the floor tiles with loud thuds. 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 stunned at first. Through the corridor’s dim light, he recognized the youthful face as Mingchan, the personal attendant who had entered the estate alongside him, courtesy of the original owner’s memories.
He opened his mouth to explain, but a sly glint flashed in his amber eyes. Instead, he mischievously and eerily uttered, Where is… His Excellency? Do you know?
Mingchan stopped his kowtowing, visibly shivering, not even daring to raise his head as he pointed a trembling finger toward the west. In the office… Go… go out through the western corner gate of this courtyard, follow the corridor all the way north, pass two ceremonial gates, and… and it’s there…
Seeing how scared Mingchan was, Chu Yunxi covered his mouth and chuckled before heading toward the west.
Along the way, attendants and handymen who caught a glimpse of his figure from afar reacted as if seeing a ghost in broad daylight, scurrying behind walls or rockeries to avoid him entirely.
Chu Yunxi took all of this in with indifference. However, as he passed a courtyard wall, his footsteps suddenly came to a halt as if he had sensed something.
In the blink of an eye, a sharp sound of breaking air came without warning,
Whoosh,!
His gaze turned sharp. Extreme sports training had forged his instincts into rapid reactions. Without even raising his eyes, he engaged his waist and twisted sharply to the back-left. Almost at the exact moment he dodged, a black object brushed past his cheek and embedded itself deeply into the tree trunk behind him.
From atop the courtyard wall came the startled flapping of wings as frightened sparrows flew away.
Chu Yunxi steadied his posture, his amber eyes, dyed by the setting sun, narrowing. His sharp gaze first swept over the high wall’s ridge and then quickly scanned his surroundings.
Yet aside from himself, there was no one else in sight.
A hidden projectile?
His inner alarm bells rang loudly. He walked quickly over to the tree trunk; the object wasn’t embedded very deeply and fell out with a light touch.
It felt heavy in his hand, a smooth, round iron pellet.
After a moment of silence, a cold light flashed in the depths of Chu Yunxi’s eyes. He clenched the pellet in his palm and continued on his way toward the study.
Just on the other side of the high wall, in a small alley sharing a wall with the Shi Residence, children’s arguing voices could be heard,
It’s all your fault for scaring that bird away and making me miss!
Nonsense! You weren’t aiming at all! Watch me, I’ll definitely hit it!
Give me the slingshot, it’s my turn to play!
I won’t!
Chu Yunxi slowed his pace as he passed a courtyard gate.
The air here was different from elsewhere; the heavy scent of medicinal herbs and embalming fluid seeped out thread by thread, mixed with an indescribable aura.
He turned his steps and walked toward the gate.
Inside the open doors, several everlasting lamps and a high skylight illuminated the room brightly.
This didn’t look like an official yamen’s morgue; it resembled the horrific laboratory of some madman.
Against the wall stood tall wooden racks hung with several complete human skeletons, their empty eye sockets all facing the center of the room.
On the other side, rows of half-man-high glazed jars stood quietly in neat array, filled with dark amber special liquids soaking various unknown organs. Shelves in the corner neatly held books, notes, and all kinds of finely polished tools.
Shi Wuxie was bent over, his dark cyan sleeves bound up to his elbows with cloth bands, revealing a section of cold, fair, and slender arms. He lowered his head slightly, his profile looking exceptionally focused under the interplay of light and shadow.
On the pearwood desk in front of him lay a skull. Holding a gleaming dissecting knife, he aimed it steadily at the glabella (between the eyebrows) of the skull and made a precise cut. The subtle sound of the blade parting flesh and bone sutures echoed through the silent room.
Chu Yunxi leaned sideways against the doorframe, looking at Shi Wuxie. The sunset’s afterglow gilded his cold profile with a layer of pale gold; amidst the light and shadow, he looked like a judge from the netherworld walking the mortal realm.
Lowering his gaze to the hidden weapon in his palm, Chu Yunxi’s eyes turned sharp once again as he stepped forward slowly.
Perhaps too engrossed, Shi Wuxie hadn’t noticed the newcomer, his ears still ringing with the ghost shadow’s nagging: Don’t waste your effort; the mudian palace of ordinary descendants definitely has nothing.
Except for that brat… his must be different.
Ignoring the ghost shadow’s chatter, Shi Wuxie remained focused on examining the dissected skull.
At that moment, a voice came from his side: That cutting path you’re taking will sever most of the supraorbital and trochlear nerve branches, causing irreversible damage.
Shi Wuxie’s eyes flickered as he raised his head to look at Chu Yunxi. You understand forensic pathology?
Chu Yunxi crossed his arms, leaning against the edge of the desk. Somewhat.
As an elite student of criminal investigation at A University, the forensic knowledge he had dabbled in was more than enough to handle ancient examination standards.
Shi Wuxie looked at him quietly for a moment, asking no questions like where a marquis estate’s young master learned such skills, nor explaining his purpose in cutting open the glabella. His gaze was simply filled with excitement, his dark pupils sparkling brightly.
By your account, how should it be done?
Make slight adjustments. Chu Yunxi took the dissecting knife handed over by Shi Wuxie, his gaze unavoidably landing on the other man’s exposed forearm; its fluid lines looked like they were carved from the finest mutton-fat jade.
He looked away, but a crisp herbal scent quietly lingered at the tip of his nose, seemingly emanating from Shi Wuxie. In this office filled with all sorts of peculiar odors, that scent was as clean as melted dew on pine needles after a snow, leaving a trace upon the senses without a sound.
He subconsciously took a deep breath.
Seeing him make no move, Shi Wuxie tilted his head.
Catching the other’s gaze, Chu Yunxi snapped back to his senses, his expression instantly turning professional and calm.
For a frontalis craniotomy, a better path is to cut from above one auricle to above the opposite one. This makes the incision concealed, preserves facial nerves and blood vessels to the maximum extent, and exposes the entire forehead.
As he spoke, he used the tip of the knife to trace an imaginary arc over the skull. Of course, if you insist on entering from the glabella, the angle can be more vertical when cutting, like this…
Just as he was absorbed in demonstrating, not far behind him, a skeleton frame standing against the wall swayed ever so slightly before slowly tilting in the direction opposite to where Chu Yunxi had his back turned.
And a three-inch iron nail that secured the skeleton was now moving along with the shifting frame, pointing straight at the back of Chu Yunxi’s undefended neck.
A faint, microscopic creak echoed through the quiet room.
Half-turning his face, Shi Wuxie caught this sight out of the corner of his eye, his gaze brightening.
With acute awareness, Chu Yunxi perceived the movement behind him, his lowered eyelashes lifting sharply, a flash of knowing clarity sweeping across the depths of his eyes.
Indeed.