C17 Suturing and Eating
The Crown Prince and Feng Wuqing had already donned their uniforms by morning. Armed with swords, they swiftly made their way to the morgue in the back courtyard. Feng Wuqing stepped forward and pushed the door open.
What they saw next left them utterly stunned at the doorway.
Inside the room were three beds, with a corpse lying on the middle one. Both men were no strangers to death, especially the Crown Prince, who had faced assassination attempts since he was three. He thought he'd seen it all.
But this body was different. It lay unclothed, with a large incision across the chest. Three large flaps of skin were peeled back, exposing the internal organs and several severed ribs. Beside the corpse lay a dark red heart, speckled with black spots, and two large, blackened pieces of liver.
The most shocking sight, however, was a steaming bowl of noodle soup placed right next to the heart and liver.
A small man sat beside the body, deftly threading a needle, trying to stitch the corpse together as if mending a garment. After a few stitches, he would pick up chopsticks, grab a few noodles, and eat with relish.
Suturing a body and eating a meal—two completely opposite activities—were performed by the petite man in front of them with an odd sense of grace, despite the unsettling scene.
The two stood there, stunned for a while, before Lo Li, who was thoroughly engrossed in her task, finally noticed them.
"Why are you here? Hey, those aren't uniforms for officers. Did you become officers too?" Lo Li asked innocently, pretending not to have overheard their conversation last night.
"Yes, we're officers now," Feng Wuqing replied, snapping back to reality, swallowing hard, and responding awkwardly.
"Oh, I see. So, what brings you here? You're not after this body, are you? Oh, sorry about that. I couldn't sleep last night, so I did a little dissection. And guess what? I found something interesting."
As she spoke, Lo Li put down her needle and thread, casually picked up the heart nearby, and walked over.
"Look, there are black spots on this heart. It's not from blood clotting."
Feng Wuqing swallowed hard again, struggling to process the sight of Lo Li presenting the heart like a prized possession, and asked dumbly, "What caused it?"
"It's poison, and a very peculiar one at that. My initial guess is that it comes from some kind of animal toxin, like snake venom."
"Also, take a look at this liver. It's got some serious issues," Lo Li remarked, placing the heart back and holding up the darkened liver. The room was small, so it only took a few steps for Lo Li to reach the two men.
Feng Wuqing and Ximu Longchen remained silent, their eyes fixed on the liver in her hands.
"Uh, maybe we don't need to see that. You're the examiner, so we'll take your word for it," Feng Wuqing said awkwardly.
"No way, you guys need to know this stuff too. This liver is a once-in-a-century find," Lo Li insisted. As she spoke, whether on purpose or by accident, she tripped over her own feet and stumbled toward Crown Prince Ximu Longchen. The room was already cramped, and now Lo Li was just a step away from him.
