Zhong Li had arrived with minimal luggage, but returned to the Dali Temple 'laden with spoils'.
Passersby who didn't know better saw them pulling a cart piled high with baskets of sea fish and assumed the Dali Temple officials had a bountiful harvest that day.
Those in the know, however, spotting the two constables carrying the corpse at the rear, could surmise with some certainty that another major case had occurred in Jincheng.
After arranging the cart and salted fish brought back from the scene, Zhong Li led Hua Yao straight to the dissection room.
The corpse was more pungent than most they had encountered. The smell of salted fish colliding with the stench of decay, the sensation was imaginable.
Zhong Li and Hua Yao first conducted an external examination of the body. Finding no other useful clues, Zhong Li wiped away the sea fish mucus adhering to the corpse with vinegar-soaked warm water before commencing the formal autopsy.
Having followed Zhong Li for some time, Hua Yao's actions were naturally adept.
She watched as Zhong Li moved the hair covering the female corpse's face, and the terror she had just suppressed surged back.
"I don't know what the killer intended. This woman's body is intact, yet her face is slashed like this." As she spoke, she handed a small pair of tweezers to Zhong Li.
Zhong Li examined the wounds on the deceased's face and replied, "Generally, there are two possibilities for this."
"How so?" Hua Yao asked.
Zhong Li responded, "Either it's a deep-seated hatred, a particular loathing for the victim's face, or... this woman's face is too easily recognizable. To evade responsibility, the killer disfigured her face."
"Is it possible it's both?" Hua Yao inquired further.
Zhong Li paused her hand, "It could be... Huh..."
Just as she finished answering, she discovered an issue with the wounds on the deceased's face.
"What is it? Li'er?" Hua Yao leaned closer.
Zhong Li's expression darkened. "The deceased's face was a bloody mess in the carriage, and we only had a cursory glance. Looking closely now, I see two layers of wounds on her face."
"Two layers, what do you mean?" Hua Yao didn't understand Zhong Li at first, but then her mind clicked, and she seemed to realize. "Li'er means the deceased's face was slashed twice, sequentially?"
Zhong Li nodded, shifting her body slightly to allow Hua Yao a clearer view. "Look closely at the deceased's face. Some of the intact skin shows keloid scars, which are growths from improperly treated wounds sustained before death.
As for the new wounds, they are also of two types. The first type shows signs of coagulation around the wound, with solidified blood clots visible upon close inspection. The second type shows no contraction of the wound, nor has the wound expanded. There are no blood clots around it."
"Good heavens! So the deceased was subjected to disfigurement before and after death?" Hua Yao's eyes widened in disbelief at this. "This killer is worse than a beast!"
Zhong Li put down her tools, her expression equally grim.
She had performed many autopsies, even dealing with dismemberment and cooking corpses, but it was rare to see such targeted mutilation of a victim's face, such destruction.
"This killer must have intensely hated the deceased, perhaps even..." Hua Yao, being prone to fantasy, blinked her eyes and voiced her thoughts, "Looking at the deceased's slender waist, like a graceful willow, her face must have been exceptionally beautiful. Perhaps the killer was too ugly and, out of jealousy for the deceased's looks, acted so ruthlessly."
"Perhaps, but it's only a possibility," Zhong Li said, continuing to examine the deceased's features. Although badly damaged, everything was intact, even her teeth were in good condition.
"Right, how did she die?" Hua Yao asked.
Zhong Li remained silent, merely tilting the deceased's neck slightly.
Hua Yao stepped forward and saw clear finger marks on the deceased's neck. "Strangled?"
"Yes," Zhong Li said, carefully observing the marks left on the female corpse. "Judging by the size of the hands and the marks on the deceased's neck, it should be a woman."
"Indeed, it was jealousy of her beauty," Hua Yao said with an expression of having guessed correctly.
Zhong Li smiled slightly. "Yao'er, do not be too quick to judge. Your thoughts must always be guided by evidence."
"Evidence? I remember you saying, Li'er, that dead bodies can speak, that it's called corpse language. The evidence must be on the body," Hua Yao replied.
Zhong Li said nothing, continuing to examine the corpse's hands and feet.
"Huh, her hands are injured?" Hua Yao noticed Zhong Li's gaze lingering on the back of the deceased's hands. The hands, which should have been delicate, were peeling and wounded. Upon closer inspection, scabs were visible on the wounds, indicating they were sustained before death, and it looked like the wounds were from scratching.
"These are chilblains," Zhong Li explained. "Chilblains itch, so the deceased scratched her hands until they bled."
As she spoke, she went to examine the deceased's feet. Her feet also had chilblains, and even more so.
"Chilblains? How is that possible!" Hua Yao's eyes were filled with disbelief. "It's only been a short while since Frost Descent, and we haven't even reached Minor Snow yet. And this isn't Linzhou. How could the corpse have chilblains?"
After speaking, she felt something was off. "No... the body was transported by carriage. Could the carriage be from Linzhou?"
"What you're saying is also incorrect!" Zhong Li negated Hua Yao's deduction. "Let's not even mention the weather in Linzhou right now. Even if it were a snowy, harsh winter, this corpse wouldn't be from Linzhou."
"How do you say that?"
Zhong Li said, "Yao'er, have you forgotten? The carriage was found on a small road between Anding County and Jincheng. One is south and the other is north, they are not on the same route."
"That's not necessarily true! Perhaps the killer deliberately placed the carriage on the small road near Anding County to mislead our investigation?" Hua Yao countered.
Zhong Li then added, "No, the carriage was filled with sea fish, and they were very fresh. Tell me, there is no sea near Linzhou. To preserve them like this, how could the carriage be from Linzhou?"
Hua Yao was stumped by Zhong Li's words and couldn't retort for a moment.
Zhong Li further elaborated, "Do you remember the wood used for the carriage that carried the corpse? It's bald cypress, which is not produced in Linzhou."
"Then..." Hua Yao bit her lip, pondering for a moment, and argued, "That's not impossible either! You could say the fish were kept in an ice cellar, and the wood can be transported back and forth!"
Zhong Li, busy with her task, paused her scalpel upon hearing Hua Yao's words and looked up at her.
"What, did I say something wrong?"
Zhong Li shook her head. "No... you've reminded me."
She said, handing the scalpel in her hand to Hua Yao, and began to remove her gloves, preparing to leave the dissection room.
"Li'er isn't dissecting anymore?" Hua Yao knew Zhong Li was extremely thorough in her examination of corpses. Even if the cause of death had been determined, she would still dissect the body to leave no stone unturned. Why was she suddenly leaving?
"You do it!" Zhong Li said, handing the oil-waxed leather bag in her hand to Hua Yao.
"I do it? I..."
"You've been with me for some time, and your theoretical knowledge is almost complete. It's time for you to get hands-on. Before dissecting, re-examine the surface of the body for any overlooked details. I'll be back shortly." Zhong Li said, removing her mask and walking out of the dissection room.
Hua Yao, forced into a corner, looked at the female corpse before her, bit her lip, suppressed the urge to vomit, and continued what Zhong Li had not yet finished.