As she spoke, her eyes were wide open, her irises like two pools of clear water. Her hair had grown to nearly shoulder length now, a little fluffy and soft — he felt a sudden impulse to reach out and ruffle the top of her head.

“Let’s get out,” Shi Ting said, opening the car door.

Yan Qing murmured her agreement, though her mind kept turning it over — when his eyes had been closed, had that slight curve at the corner of his mouth really been a smile?

She had never seen him smile before. It must look very nice, she thought.

The lights on the ground floor of the Military Police Division were still on. Bai Jin and several other officers were working through the night on the Yi Zhimei case. When they saw Shi Ting and Yan Qing come in, Bai Jin quickly set down the documents in his hands and hurried over. “Seventh Brother, Miss Yan — why have you both come?”

Yan Qing said, “Captain Bai, could you please retrieve the pills that were found at Yi Zhimei’s residence for me?”

“The pills are with Yuan Zhe Bei in the records department. I’ll go get them now.”

They went to the autopsy room. Yi Zhimei’s body had not yet been refrigerated and lay there alone beneath a white sheet.

Yan Qing lifted the sheet, pulled on her gloves, and got to work.

“I only just remembered,” Yan Qing said, “which condition the realgar in the medicine bottle was used to treat. I recall reading a book called ‘Miscellaneous Notes on Folk Remedies’ — realgar can be used to treat skin diseases.”

“A skin disease? The autopsy report stated that Yi Zhimei suffered from a serious skin condition.”

“So that bottle of medicine was something Yi Zhimei used to treat his skin disease. Judging by the dosage, he had been taking it for at least a week.”

“Because it was a folk remedy, there was no medicine bottle with a label, and no other pharmaceutical information.” Yan Qing continued, “This was a hand-prepared medication. Yi Zhimei had been tormented by his illness for a long time and was clutching at any straw he could find — this was most likely not the first time he had tried such a remedy.”

Bai Jin came striding in, handing Yan Qing an evidence bag. Inside was the bottle containing the realgar pills.

Yan Qing removed one pill, then took a silver needle and inserted it into the pill.

“Testing for poison with a silver needle?” Bai Jin’s eyes went wide. “Does that method actually work?”

While they waited, Yan Qing explained: “Testing for poison with a silver needle is an ancient method, but its scope is quite limited — it can only detect arsenic. From ancient times to today, the arsenic that people have extracted has not been pure, and it contains sulfur or sulfide compounds. Sulfur reacts with silver to form silver sulfide, and silver sulfide is what you’re now seeing…”

She withdrew the needle: “This black substance.”

“There really is something.” Bai Jin was astonished. “There’s arsenic in the pills.”

Yan Qing examined the blackened needle carefully. “Look at this needle — the discoloration is not very pronounced. That tells us the amount of arsenic in the pills was only a small quantity, and it was a necessary component of the folk remedy. Yi Zhimei knew that the pills contained arsenic.”

“He dared to take it even knowing there was arsenic inside?”

“The lethal dose of arsenic is between 0.07 and 0.2 grams. The arsenic content in the medicine pack alone was insufficient to be fatal. However, when realgar and arsenic interact, the combined toxicity becomes severe. Continuous ingestion over a week can be lethal. On top of that, someone deliberately increased the arsenic concentration, which is why Yi Zhimei died from poisoning within just three days of starting the medication.” Yan Qing returned the needle to its place. “Yi Zhimei experienced chronic poisoning, which is why there were no obvious signs of acute poisoning after exposure. Chronic poisoning also has the advantage of providing the killer with an alibi.”

Yan Qing worked with practiced efficiency, clipping the deceased’s fingernails, cutting small samples of bone, and collecting the hair that had been shaved earlier, all sealed into evidence bags. When she had finished, she washed her hands carefully and removed her autopsy gown.

“I need an institution capable of testing for arsenic levels in the deceased’s body.”

Shi Ting took the bags. “The Mineral Research Institute at Shun Cheng University. I know the director well — he can help.”

“Please ask him to move as quickly as possible. After all, the detention period has its limits.”

“All right.” Shi Ting said, “I’ll contact him right now.”

Yan Qing remarked, “It was fortunate that the male lead in the film died from chronic poisoning at a chemical plant — otherwise I might never have thought of the cause of Yi Zhimei’s death.”

“A film?” Bai Jin’s sharp ears caught something, and his bright eyes shifted back and forth between Shi Ting and Yan Qing. “You two went to see a film together?”

Yan Qing realized she had let something slip, and couldn’t help but feel the heat rise in her face — even the tips of her ears turned a little red.

“You’re coming with me to Shun Cheng University.” Shi Ting tossed the evidence bag to Bai Jin. “Let’s go.”

Bai Jin gave a quick “Yes, sir,” but as he turned to leave, he flashed Yan Qing a mischievous wink.

“Oh, and Miss Yan,” Bai Jin said, his gaze lingering on the silver needle. “Could you give me that needle?”

“What do you want a needle for?”

Bai Jin gave a mysterious reply: “For self-defense, naturally — in case someone tries to poison my food.”

Yan Qing looked at him. “Do you have persecution complex?”

She handed over the needle. “A silver needle can only detect impure arsenic, because the impure form contains sulfur. If the refining technique is advanced enough to produce pure arsenic, the needle won’t detect it. And the silver needle only works on crude arsenic — it cannot detect any other poisons. Also, for what it’s worth, if you stick it into an egg yolk, the needle will turn black too.”

Bai Jin’s hand, which had been reaching for the needle, froze and then withdrew. “Never mind, I don’t want it.”

Yan Qing smiled. “Which is exactly why the ancient silver needle test was only ever useful for crude arsenic. If a different poison were used, the needle would be completely useless.”

“Let’s go,” Shi Ting said. “I’ll drop you home first, then head to Shun Cheng University.”

“Then give me just a moment.” Yan Qing opened the deceased’s chest cavity, carefully removed small sections of the liver, spleen, and kidney and placed them into formaldehyde solution to preserve them. When she had finished, she washed her hands thoroughly, removed her autopsy gown, and said, “Ready.”

Bai Jin watched all of this with his mouth hanging open. Sometimes he genuinely wanted to ask her — aren’t you afraid? But looking at Yan Qing’s expression — utterly focused, utterly earnest — he knew that she was not afraid. If anything, there was something almost reverent about the way she worked.

After returning to Yan Mansion, the guard at the gate opened the door for Yan Qing and walked ahead, holding up a lantern to light the way.

“Has Father retired for the night?” Yan Qing asked.

The guard replied, “Miss, I’m not certain, but the master did instruct me to stay at the gate so that you wouldn’t have to walk back to your room alone when you returned.”

On both sides of the path, small lanterns nestled in low hedges were spaced a few meters apart, the candles inside already burned halfway down.

The guard walked ahead, holding the lantern up and carefully leading the way.

As Yan Qing neared her courtyard gate, she spotted someone standing there in the distance, his back to her.

“Father.”

At the sound of her voice, Master Yan turned around quickly. When he saw she was safely home, the tension in his shoulders eased — and then immediately his expression set into a reproachful frown. “Where have you been? Why are you home so late?”

“I was at the Military Police Division,” Yan Qing said, wheeling herself forward.

Master Yan sighed. “Qing’er, when did you learn all these things?”

“From reading on my own.”

“I enrolled you in the nursing school so you’d have something to occupy your time — it was never my intention for you to graduate and go work in a hospital, tending to people’s needs hand and foot. But now look — you’ve gone and acquired a complete set of skills in corpse examination. Do you have any idea how much your grandmother objects to this sort of thing? Is there a single respectable household in Shun Cheng that doesn’t consider it deeply inauspicious?”

“I’m simply seeking justice for the dead.”

“The Military Police Division has its own forensic examiner. They don’t need your help.” Master Yan said, “And Madam Shi finds all of this deeply objectionable. You are not to go to the Military Police Division anymore.”

“I do what I love, and it has nothing to do with Madam Shi.”

Master Yan grew agitated. “Qing’er, don’t forget — you are to marry into the Shi Family.”

“I don’t like Shi Guang, and I have no intention of marrying into the Shi Family. Since Madam Shi finds me so disagreeable, she is perfectly welcome to ask the General to break the engagement.”

“You…” Master Yan was momentarily speechless, too frustrated to find words.

Yan Qing had no wish to push her father further into distress, and so she softened her tone. “Father, haven’t you noticed that I’ve changed?”

Master Yan looked at her and blinked.

“Father, which do you prefer — the Yan Qing of the past, or the Yan Qing of today?”

As for Yan Qing’s transformation, Master Yan had watched it unfold, and kept it close to his heart. No one could feel more relieved and more gladdened than he did.

“Do you want to know what changed me?” Yan Qing said, her words heartfelt, answering her own question. “It was this profession — forensic medicine. I have read many books on it, studied a great deal of knowledge surrounding it, and I long for the day when I can use what I have learned to help those who died wrongful deaths find justice. It is precisely that desire which has driven me to keep changing, to keep learning and growing. I don’t want to be the Sixth Miss who was good for nothing, hiding in the shelter of your wings just to get by. I don’t want to marry into the Shi Family and have people say I am weak, useless, and without any achievement. Father, I too want to shine, to contribute something — to this family, and even to this society. You are the person who loves me most. I hope to have your support and encouragement.”

Master Yan had never expected Yan Qing to say such things, and a wave of emotion swept over him.

Though he loved this daughter dearly, he had long harbored deep worry over her timid, yielding nature. He feared that even if she married into a powerful family, she would still be talked down to and mistreated. At times, seeing her passivity and apparent helplessness, he had even felt silent frustration — wishing she could be as fierce and resolute as her mother.

He had dreamed that she might one day change, yet he had also known it was impossible. And now, someone who seemed to have been born anew sat before him, speaking to him in a tone of unwavering, tenacious resolve. Through every word she said, he knew — his daughter had truly changed. She had become the person he had always hoped she would be. She had become someone who, even without his shelter, could make her own way in the world by her own strength.

At last, Master Yan let out a long breath. He reached out and gently patted Yan Qing’s shoulder. “Father doesn’t know whether the decision he’s making today is right or wrong. But Father is willing to trust you, just this once. Do what you love. As for what comes after — we’ll leave that for later.”

Master Yan had finally relented. The relief and joy that Yan Qing felt was overwhelming, and her eyes lit up with radiant brilliance. “Thank you, Father.”

Master Yan asked, “When you look at those bodies — aren’t you afraid?”

Yan Qing shook her head. “No.”

“Qing’er, Director Shi is Shi Guang’s younger brother. I won’t pursue the matter of you working on cases with him — for now. But men and women must observe proper decorum. Keep your distance from him, so as not to give people grounds for talk. Understood?”

—