Little Six couldn’t help but look over the three of them several times.

Coroner Qian lifted his foot to walk inside but was stopped by the gatekeeper: “Coroner Qian, they are—”

“Assistants,” Coroner Qian said casually.

Assistants? Could these three assist Coroner Qian with such work?

Both the gatekeeper and Little Six’s first reaction was disbelief.

Little Six knew his master’s stubborn temperament and, afraid of annoying him into leaving again, winked at the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper stepped aside, but when he saw Qiao Zhao was also about to follow them in, he reached out to stop her: “Coroner Qian, the others can enter, but this young lady cannot.”

Coroner Qian turned to look at the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper smiled: “Coroner Qian, you’ve been in this profession for decades – surely you know some taboos?”

“Taboos? What taboos?”

The gatekeeper smiled and shook his head: “You’re joking with me. Women can’t enter the charity morgue – this place already has heavy yin energy, and if women enter, won’t it easily cause trouble?”

Coroner Qian snorted: “What trouble could there be in broad daylight? Little Six, do you want my help or not? If not, I’ll leave immediately.”

“Yes, yes, we need it! Master, please don’t be angry – come in quickly.” Little Six bent down to apologize, tugged at the gatekeeper, and whispered, “I’ll buy you drinks later.”

The morgue keeper saw no profit year-round in this already desolate place. Hearing Little Six’s words, though still somewhat reluctant, he ultimately let the group enter.

As soon as she stepped into the charity morgue, Qiao Zhao immediately felt it was much cooler than outside. Fine goosebumps instantly appeared on her skin, and a smell of decay mixed with a strange stench wafted over. Fortunately, the agarwood prayer beads on her wrist emitted a faint fragrance that somewhat alleviated this unpleasant odor.

Qiao Zhao noticed someone had tugged at her. Because it was so sudden and they were walking in such a place, her scalp tingled involuntarily before she realized it was Chi Can pulling at her sleeve.

She slowed her pace and looked at Chi Can with questioning eyes.

Chi Can said in a low voice, “Li San, I have an ominous feeling. That old coroner’s test for you probably won’t be simple.”

Qiao Zhao pulled at the corner of her mouth, her voice equally quiet: “Naturally.”

“He wouldn’t make you stay alone in here for a whole night, would he?”

Qiao Zhao’s expression stiffened slightly.

This didn’t seem impossible.

Just thinking about staying alone in such a place for an entire night, even Qiao Zhao, who was usually calm and composed, couldn’t help feeling somewhat panicked.

“Don’t be afraid. If it comes to that, I’ll accompany you,” Chi Can gazed at the young woman beside him and said softly.

His tone was sincere and earnest, clearly showing he genuinely intended this.

Qiao Zhao could hear this sincerity, and it was impossible to say her heart wasn’t moved at all.

Her mood grew heavy, but she smiled without showing her feelings: “Coroner Qian probably wouldn’t propose such a test.”

Shao Mingyuan, walking beside Coroner Qian, glanced back.

“Let’s go,” Qiao Zhao said quietly to Chi Can and quickened her pace to catch up.

Chi Can stood in place for a moment.

He had never thought he’d have to deal with someone like Coroner Qian, much less imagined he’d come to a place like a charity morgue. He hated all dirty and disgusting things, yet now he was breaking all his rules.

But breaking his rules didn’t feel so bad.

Chi Can’s gaze followed the young woman’s retreating figure as he smiled.

Perhaps because she was there, everything became more bearable.

He silently followed.

As Little Six led them deeper inside, the peculiar stench became more pronounced.

He couldn’t help but observe the three people Coroner Qian had brought.

The tall man showed no unusual reaction, as if he were walking down a street. The young woman beside him followed closely with a calm expression. The man walking at the back looked unwell, frowning as he tried hard to endure something.

What were the backgrounds of these three people? None of them seemed simple.

“Little Six, which room is it?” Coroner Qian frowned and asked, clearly displeased with Little Six’s distraction.

Little Six suddenly came to his senses and pointed to the innermost area: “That room.”

The group walked over, and Little Six unlocked the door with a key.

As the two doors opened, a foul stench hit them head-on.

Qiao Zhao endured it and pressed her lips tightly together.

Chi Can’s face turned pale, and he nearly vomited.

Shao Mingyuan looked at both of them with concern.

“Are you alright?” Chi Can asked with trembling lips.

The impact of such a stench was truly too strong – it wasn’t something one could remain unmoved by through willpower alone.

While Chi Can was secretly annoyed at his uselessness, he was also curious about how his friend managed to show no reaction.

Shao Mingyuan smiled: “Such smells are too common in the Northern Territories.”

Better to be a dog in peacetime than a person in wartime. In the Northern Territories, countless families had been destroyed, and corpses lying by the roadside were everywhere.

“Is Miss Li alright?” Shao Mingyuan asked.

Qiao Zhao kept her mouth tightly closed and shook her head.

Shao Mingyuan sighed inwardly: bringing Miss Li to such a place was truly wronging her.

Looking at Coroner Qian, who hadn’t even lifted an eyelid, he began to worry about the upcoming test.

“Is it that one?” Coroner Qian asked Little Six.

Little Six nodded and was about to walk over to pull away the white cloth covering the corpse when Coroner Qian stopped him.

“Little girl, you go pull off the cloth covering the body,” Coroner Qian said to Qiao Zhao and said.

Qiao Zhao couldn’t help but clench her fists.

Chi Can flew into a rage: “Coroner Qian, don’t joke around!”

Coroner Qian was even more furious: “Who has time to joke with you three brats?”

He glared at Qiao Zhao and rudely pointed toward the door: “Either do as I say, or get out immediately. I’ll say this upfront – the test hasn’t even begun yet. If you can’t handle even this, you might as well not waste everyone’s time!”

“A test doesn’t mean humiliating people!” Chi Can pulled Qiao Zhao. “Li San, let’s go. Is he the only coroner in the world?”

Coroner Qian crossed his arms and sneered: “Right, there are thousands of coroners in the world. Why did you come looking for me? I just like humiliating people – seeing others suffer makes me comfortable.”

After speaking, Coroner Qian turned and shouted at the dumbfounded Little Six: “What are you standing there for? Throw them out!”

“Uh, uh—” Little Six’s head was somewhat muddled, and he couldn’t help but look at the three of them.

Qiao Zhao stepped forward and said gently, “Coroner Qian, please don’t be angry. I was just somewhat surprised.”

After explaining, she walked step by step toward where the corpse lay.

“Li San—” Chi Can’s face was iron-blue, and he couldn’t help calling out.

Qiao Zhao’s steps didn’t pause.

Coroner Qian’s gaze had been fixed on Qiao Zhao. Seeing this, the anger in his eyes diminished slightly. He glanced at Chi Can and said coldly: “If you can’t bear to part with her, either take her away or leave first yourself. Don’t get in the way here!”

Chi Can clenched his fists so hard they creaked, gritting his teeth as he swallowed this frustration.

He didn’t understand why Li San wanted to get involved in the Qiao family’s affairs.

Was it for Shao Mingyuan or Qiao Mo?

Qiao Zhao had already reached the corpse covered with a white cloth. She closed her eyes and, without hesitation, pulled the cloth away.