Chapter 44: Death of Aunt Ma
From that day on, Fu Yuanlong returned to the county government office and occupied the inner hall as before, never leaving again.
Based on this, Xu Chong guessed that during the half month that Fu Yuanlong disappeared, he was most likely secretly searching for the fragments of the cave.
Now that he's back, it must be because he didn't get any clues in the past half month, his patience was exhausted, and he finally gave up.
That's ridiculous.
He said that Taipingdao had not been found for more than ten years, and it was impossible for him to find it.
The results of it?
I just went looking for it eagerly.
Xu Chong was disdainful in his heart, and did not provoke Fu Yuanlong. He stayed in the Dianshi Yamen waiting for the "abnormal situation" that Wuxie Daozi mentioned to occur.
to be honest.
At first, he didn't think there would be anything unusual in the county.
So what if the fragments of the cave heaven are really in Canglang?
There has been no trouble for more than 20 years, but as soon as the two forces come together, there is a reaction?
How could such a coincidence happen?
Therefore, Xu Chong did not take this matter to heart.
However, just three days later, problems arose in the county.
To be precise, there is something wrong with the people.
…
…
"sure?"
Xu Chong closed his eyes and raised his hand to pinch his eyebrows.
"Sure, the coroner has already arrived."
Zhao Liu answered.
An old woman flashed through his mind, and Xu Chong opened his eyes, "Let's go and take a look."
The two of them said no more, walked out of the yamen and went straight to Baiyang Lane.
When we arrived, the small courtyard at the end of the alley was already full of people.
There are neighbors and there is a coroner.
"Master Xu is here, everyone, get out of the way, get out of the way!"
Soon someone discovered Xu Chong and shouted at the crowd to make way.
Xu Chong didn't greet these people and walked straight in.
Then the pupils shrank sharply.
There was an extremely thin body on the ground.
How thin are you?
The patched coarse cloth clothes were not big to begin with, but they still couldn't be stretched out much, and hung loosely, as if they were much larger.
This is Aunt Ma, a much smaller Aunt Ma.
Yes, shrinkage.
Aunt Ma was curled up with only her face, neck, hands and feet exposed.
Without exception, all that was left in these parts was a layer of dry skin clinging to the bones.
"grown ups."
The coroner stood up and bowed to Xu Chong.
"explain."
Xu Chong uttered a word.
"yes."
The coroner nodded and looked at the body with horror: "I have been doing autopsies for nearly ten years and have never encountered such a strange situation."
"There were no wounds on the body. Apart from the skin and skeleton, all the internal organs and muscles were dried up and shrunken. There was not a drop of blood. It was as if it had been dried up by the wind. It was impossible to determine the time of death."
"The deceased's body was curled up abnormally, and his fists were clenched. This must have been caused by the great pain he suffered before death, indicating that the death was not instantaneous."
It really is a mummy...
Xu Chong nodded, "What do you think?"
"I can conclude that this was definitely not homicide."
The coroner pretended to be calm, but his voice was still trembling. "I have never heard of any method of killing that could result in such a death."
If he wasn't killed by a human, then how did he die?
The onlookers became agitated.
Amidst the whispers, various ghosts and monsters from rumors were brought out.
"Who discovered it?"
Xu Chong asked.
“Yes, it’s me!”
An old woman squeezed out of the crowd, her face still in shock: "Master Xu, I don't live in Baiyang Lane, but I often sell things at the vegetable market with Sister Ma. I didn't see her yesterday, and I didn't see her today either, so I came to check on her, but who knew..."
"I understand. You can go back to the government office first."
Xu Chong said something to the coroner, then turned to face the crowd and said loudly: "Everyone, don't panic. Work when you should, eat and drink when you should."
"I will find out the cause of Aunt Ma's death as soon as possible and give everyone an explanation."
"Also, if you have any new clues, report them to the government office immediately."
Xu Chong's words seemed to have some amazing magic, which instantly made the neighbors who were still worried and considering whether to move out feel a lot more at ease.
"Okay, we believe you, sir."
"Don't overwork yourself, sir."
"Let's go, let's go..."
After everyone left, Xu Chong took one last look at the small tiled house and turned to leave.
"Take the body with you and follow me back to the government office."
"yes."
Zhao Liu suppressed his fear, wrapped Aunt Ma in sackcloth, and followed behind.
Xu Chong walked and thought at the same time.
The mummies...are they caused by the fragments of the cave?
No, it could also be man-made.
Just because ordinary people don't have this means doesn't mean warriors don't have it either.
Don’t forget, Canglong County suddenly had more than a hundred warriors.
"Let's test it first..."
An idea came to Xu Chong's mind, and he turned around and changed direction.
Two hundred steps away in this direction, there was a small flag of the Blood-Clothed Guard walking aimlessly.
Xu Chong led Zhao Liu closer, and when there were about ten steps left, he pretended to suddenly see Xiao Qi and trotted forward.
"Your humble servant Xu Chong greets you, sir."
Xu Chong clasped his fists and saluted.
Xiaoqi was of the seventh rank, so it was not strange for him to call himself a humble official.
"Uh...you are, Lord Xu?"
Xiao Qi was stunned at first, then the scene at the county government gate came to his mind, and a smile immediately appeared on his face: "Where are you from, Lord Xu?"
The centurions are all close to this regent, so it is always right to be polite to them on the surface.
This was exactly what Xu Chong wanted.
"Hey, a life has been lost."
Xu Chong sighed, and said with dissatisfaction and helplessness: "I don't know who did it. They turned the person into a mummy, and we can't even tell how long he has been dead... Oh, it gives me a headache. I don't know how to explain this to Master Fu."
So that's what I was worried about.
Xiaoqi understood immediately and laughed, "Don't worry, the captain has a great favor towards you. How could he blame you for something like this?"
"Oh? Sir, please don't lie to me."
Xu Chong showed a look of surprise.
"Trust me, just find a random place to bury the body and write in the case file that he died of illness."
Xiaoqi looked at Xu Chong meaningfully.
"This... Thank you for your advice, sir."
Xu Chong thought about it for a moment and then thanked him repeatedly.
"It's just a small matter."
Xiao Qi patted Xu Chong on the shoulder and passed by him.
Xu Chong maintained his bowing posture, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared.
The formation of a mummy is not that simple.
At least he himself would never be able to turn a living person into a mummy.
When a mere flag of the Blood-Clothed Guard heard the word 'mummy', there was not the slightest surprise in his eyes, expression, or tone.
This made him suspect that Aunt Ma's death was related to the Blood-Clothed Guards.
Xu Chong slowly stood up and looked back at the little flag's back.
There was a question he couldn't figure out.
The Blood-Clothed Guards have been here for more than half a month. If they must use human lives to accomplish something, why wait until now?
Or... Aunt Ma was not the first one to die in this way, but just the first one to be discovered?
"Sir, are you still taking it back to the government office?"
Zhao Liu asked in a low voice in his ear.
"Bury Liu Er nearby. There's plenty of open space in the woods."
Xu Chong extended his right hand from his robe sleeve and handed Zhao Liu a silver ingot of five taels. "Keep the rest. You don't have to come to the government office these days. Go check on the elderly and weak people who live alone in the county to see if any of them have died in such a strange way."
"This... Thank you, sir."
Zhao Liu hesitated for a moment but still took it.
He had followed Xu Chong for so long, and although his salary and status had increased, he did not earn as much as before . If he only used the five taels of silver to bury one person, he would still have a lot of surplus, so he had no way of refusing.
