“Yunshu, since no one has claimed these five corpses, tomorrow paint a few more copies. This official will have people post them up so others can come search for them.”

Ji Yunshu wiped her hands with a clean handkerchief, packed up her sandalwood box, and said coldly: “I’m not working tomorrow. You can find another painter to make copies.”

“That works too. It’s getting quite late—shall this official send someone to escort you back?”

“There’s no need. I’m accustomed to walking alone at night.”

“The night road is difficult to traverse.”

“I prefer it that way.”

The county magistrate was clearly inviting rebuff. Ji Yunshu had a cold temperament—in the eyes of outsiders, this seemed like arrogant aloofness. Yet he repeatedly kept walking into her line of fire. If this wasn’t asking for trouble, what was?

At that moment, someone outside the crowd suddenly called out loudly: “Make way! Make way!”

The crowd was pushed apart as more than twenty people rushed through, opening up a wide path. Each wore a long sword at their waist, dressed in brocade, their expressions solemn and imposing as they stared straight ahead with piercing gazes.

In an instant, a man approached. He wore a blue robe embroidered with pale purple langhua flowers on the silk, with golden boots and carved jade pendant—clearly no ordinary person. Sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a straight prominent nose bridge, thin cold tightly-pressed lips—his handsome face was reflected particularly clearly and sharply in the surrounding torchlight, and though his expression seemed impassive, it carried an air of sinister coldness.

Beside the man stood a burly giant of a man and a dignified-looking middle-aged man.

Ji Yunshu recognized the middle-aged man at a glance—her own father, Ji Shuhan. At this moment, shouldn’t he be entertaining that distinguished guest from the capital? Could it be that this blue-robed man was the honored guest from the capital?

Ji Shuhan naturally also recognized Ji Yunshu. Seeing her dressed in men’s clothing and burrowing among these piles of corpses, a ball of rage immediately clenched in his heart, though on the surface he remained expressionless.

The county magistrate glanced around, scratched his head, confused, and went over to ask: “Master Ji, what is this about?”

“Magistrate Liu, these five corpses are this young master’s subordinates. Withdraw your people—this matter no longer concerns you.”

Ji Shuhan never regarded the county magistrate highly. His words were haughty and extremely arrogant.

The county magistrate was at a loss for words. Since the corpses had someone to claim them, he didn’t want to wade into these murky waters either. So he waved his hand, signaling his bailiffs to withdraw to the side.

“Young master, shall we have these corpses carried to the charity cemetery?” Ji Shuhan changed to a fawning expression, asking in soft, gentle tones.

The man did not speak. His eyes cold and scorching, he looked at the five corpses and frowned.

“Didn’t these five return to the capital yesterday?”

“Yesterday they did indeed return to the capital. I don’t know how they ended up here. Young master, it seems something is amiss.” The large man replied from the side.

Of course something was amiss. These five were all swordsmen—in a dwelling fire, there was no reason they should be burned alive. Moreover, the road back to the capital did not pass through East Suburb Village. So what was going on here?

Ji Yunshu had already packed up her things at this point and was preparing to quietly leave. With her own father present, it was inevitably somewhat uncomfortable.

She had only taken a few steps when she heard the man order his attendants: “Cremate them and bring the ashes back to the capital for burial.”

“Your subordinate obeys the command.”

Burn them?

Ji Yunshu started, her footsteps halting. She looked at the man strangely and interjected: “Since something seems amiss, why not request a coroner to examine them? If you burn the corpses, the evidence will be gone.”

Hearing this, the man looked toward her—plainly dressed and elegant, slender build, delicate facial bone structure, fair complexion. There was not a trace of masculine bearing, but rather a sense of feminine grace.

“This young master’s subordinates are already in such a pitiful state—I absolutely cannot allow those coroners to cut them open and gut them.”

“But these people died unnatural deaths. Does the young master not wish to uncover the truth?”

“Unnatural deaths? What do you know about this?” The man narrowed his eyes slightly.

Ji Yunshu said nothing, glancing at her own father. Still the same eyes of disgust and rage fell upon her. She paid him no further mind, put the white gloves back on, walked over to a corpse and crouched down, gripping the mandible.