Zhu Yan, standing not far away, felt apprehensive about what had just happened and quietly moved to Jing Lin’s side to observe the situation.
As the Half-Face Ghost was gradually being overpowered, Shen Du and Pan Chi exchanged a glance, splitting up to form an encirclement, determined to capture this person on the spot.
Suddenly, the Half-Face Ghost pulled out a round black object and quickly threw it between Shen Du and Pan Chi. A plume of smoke rose, accompanied by an acrid smell. The two covered their faces and quickly stepped back, as the courtyard filled with even thicker smoke.
When the dense fog cleared, there was no trace of the Half-Face Ghost.
“That scoundrel escaped!” Shen Du gritted his teeth.
Pan Chi frowned slightly and turned to walk towards Zhu Yan.
“Are you alright?” Pan Chi inquired, remembering Zhu Yan’s pale face earlier, which hadn’t improved much even now.
Zhu Yan came to her senses and shook her head slightly to hide her embarrassment. “I’m fine.”
Looking up, she saw Shen Du staring at her intently, his eyes filled with deep meaning…
Recalling last night’s conversation, Zhu Yan felt even more uncomfortable and stepped back a few more paces, smiling awkwardly. “It’s nothing, thank you for your concern, Young Master Pan.”
So now it’s “Young Master Pan.”
Pan Chi stepped forward, about to say more: “Zhu Yan…”
This was too much to bear. Shen Du quickly came over and pulled Zhu Yan into his arms. Looking at Pan Chi, his eyes held a hint of challenge: “Many thanks to Young Master Pan for saving my wife earlier.” He emphasized the word “wife.”
Pan Chi narrowed his eyes, naturally understanding the implication of these words. The corners of his eyes lifted in a smile with unclear meaning: “There are no wives in officialdom. Is the Grand Coordinator also unable to separate public and private matters?”
Pan Chi pretended not to see Zhu Yan’s almost squeezed eyes. He intended to dampen Shen Du’s sharp edge, showing that not everything could be had just because he wanted it.
“Even if she is Madam Zhu, she is still my wife.”
Before Shen Du finished speaking, a scream came from Magistrate Mo’s room. Everyone’s expressions changed slightly as they rushed towards the eastern direction.
They saw Sima Biqi lying on the ground, covered in blood, his eyes wide open with dilated pupils, his whole body still convulsing. It was a horrifying sight, and his breathing was weak.
Zhu Yan rolled up her sleeves and approached, lifting his eyelids to examine them and checking Sima Biqi’s wounds. Her eyes showed pity as she turned and shook her head at Shen Du and the others.
He couldn’t be saved.
“The tendons in all four limbs have been severed. No, that’s not right.” Zhu Yan crouched down again, examining the wound on Sima Biqi’s wrist. Fearing she couldn’t see clearly, she took out copper tweezers to examine the open wound on Sima Biqi. The smell of blood was strong, and Magistrate Mo frowned, looking at Zhu Yan a few more times.
Zhu Yan stood up again, this time certain: “The tendons in his hands and feet have all been removed. Besides that…”
Zhu Yan paused, her brow furrowing. She found it difficult to continue.
Pan Chi spoke for Zhu Yan: “He’s been skinned. His entire body has been flayed. To complete this in such a short time, the killer must be an experienced one.”
“What?” Magistrate Mo’s anger was undisguised as he stepped forward to take a closer look. Only then did he realize that the reason Sima Biqi’s body was a bloody mess was because all the skin had been removed, exposing the flesh. Looking closely, one could even see the muscles in the chest cavity moving with each heartbeat, and the network of blood vessels was visible and densely packed. Combined with the strong smell of blood, it was nauseating to see and smell.
The killer was incredibly cruel, skinning him alive. This was meant to torture Sima Biqi to death. If it wasn’t due to a deep grudge, then it was the work of someone with an extremely cruel and heartless mind beyond that of a normal person.
“Tendon removal and flaying…” Magistrate Mo said as he began to weep.
Zhu Yan crouched down to continue her examination, afraid she might have missed something.
Shen Du, somewhat dissatisfied with Pan Chi’s casual stance, arms folded: “Why aren’t you examining the body? Why let a woman do it?”
Pan Chi looked completely at ease: “I’m a detective, not a coroner.”
That face was always so bright and handsome, no matter the situation. Shen Du grumbled, “Useless pretty boy.”
“Aren’t you the same?” Pan Chi chuckled, “If you’re not, then you examine the body.”
“Shut up!” Zhu Yan, with her back to them, suddenly spoke.
Pan Chi crouched down, pretending he was about to examine the body. Shen Du, as the Grand Coordinator, couldn’t bring himself to be so flexible. He glared at the two of them a few times, and seeing that Zhu Yan was focused on her examination and not paying attention to Pan Chi, he didn’t dwell on it further. He just stared at Sima Biqi, thinking of something.
“Magistrate Mo, why don’t we…” give him a quick end.
Magistrate Mo seemed not to hear, wiping his tears and beating his chest in anguish: “This Half-Face Ghost is wreaking havoc among the people. I truly wish to kill him immediately! Why did he do this to my subordinate!”
“Why not just kill me instead.”
“Magistrate Mo, please calm down first,” Shen Du advised.
At this moment, the person on the ground—no, it could no longer be called a person, but a human-shaped mass of blood—let out another heart-wrenching wail. His whole body convulsed, and he suddenly reached out to grab Zhu Yan’s hand, his pupils focusing as he looked at her: “Please, I beg you, give me a quick death!”
Blood immediately spread from where he grabbed, dripping down drop by drop. Despite having handled numerous cases, Zhu Yan couldn’t bear to look. She turned her head to look at Shen Du, her eyes questioning.
Shen Du also looked over, their eyes meeting. Understanding her intention, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, drawing it out with a “whoosh” and thrusting it directly into Biqi’s heart.
“Wait!” Magistrate Mo’s expression changed when he saw this, and he called out to stop it, but the sword’s momentum had already begun and couldn’t be halted.
“Squelch!” The sound of the sword entering flesh had never been so clear as at this moment.
Magistrate Mo’s foot, which had started to rush forward, was rooted to the spot. Pain, self-reproach, guilt, sorrow—all sorts of emotions surged up at once, yet he couldn’t utter a word of blame towards Shen Du.
Zhu Yan wiped the blood that had splattered on her face, feeling very distressed. This was the first time she had examined a living person, and also the first time she had seen a living person killed before her eyes by one of their own.
“Thank you!” Biqi’s expression was hard to read—whether he was smiling or crying—as his face without skin couldn’t show any expression.
“I was in so much pain. Thank you!”
After repeating these words a few times, Biqi looked toward Magistrate Mo and released Zhu Yan’s hand, reaching out toward Mo.
Magistrate Mo took a quick step forward and half-knelt down, gently holding Biqi’s bloody hand:
“Biqi, speak. Whatever you say, I’ll do it for you.”
Biqi’s breath was already very weak, barely a whisper, but he still used his last breath to say: “My wife and children.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I will treat your family as my own.”
Magistrate Mo waited for a long while without getting a response. Looking down, he saw that Biqi’s eyes were wide open, but his pupils had almost completely dilated.
“He’s dead,” Zhu Yan said softly, standing up and walking to Shen Du’s side, keeping her head down the whole time.
Shen Du lightly pressed on Zhu Yan’s black hair and sighed: “Don’t blame yourself. There will always be evil people in this world that can’t be eliminated.”
Zhu Yan nodded and sniffled: “I understand this principle, it’s just…”
“Just that seeing it with your own eyes is still unbearable?”
Zhu Yan didn’t speak but pressed her lips together. That was exactly what she meant.
Shen Du paused, then turned Zhu Yan’s shoulders so her back was to Biqi and Magistrate Mo. He said softly, “Then don’t look.”
Zhu Yan frowned. Since when did this man learn to bury his head in the sand? But thinking that this was out of concern for her, she felt a warmth in her heart.
Pan Chi had been watching them the whole time, but given the circumstances, he couldn’t bring himself to tease them.
“I will give him a grand burial,” Magistrate Mo said, closing Biqi’s eyes. He sighed and got up, instructing his subordinates to carry Biqi away.
“What are your plans now, Magistrate Mo?” Shen Du asked, taking the lead once everyone had finished tidying up the room.
Magistrate Mo regained his previous composure and sighed deeply once again.
Everyone stood in the room, waiting for Magistrate Mo to speak.