C8 Prefectural Magistrate Xiao Zhu

"Oh? Your father must be a remarkable man, speaking for the dead, huh?"

The man seemed lost in thought for a moment before he spoke again, his tone calm: "You make a good case, but I still need to see your skills. Come with me!"

With that, the man turned and led the way outside, and Lo Li quickly got up to follow him. They left the courtyard and headed to a secluded part of the building, where there was a solitary room near the stables.

"There's a body here. Go examine it and see if you can determine the cause of death."

Lo Li nodded, lowered her head, and entered the room. The man lingered at the door for a moment, a faint sadness crossing his face as he seemed lost in thought. After a while, he sighed softly and turned to leave.

He had only taken a few steps when a raspy voice called from behind him: "Sir, I've finished the examination."

Surprised, the man turned back, a bit displeased, and looked at Lo Li. "You finished that quickly?"

Lo Li nodded. "Without tools, I could only do a preliminary check. The deceased is a woman, approximately twenty to twenty-five years old. She died over twelve hours ago, likely around early morning yesterday. There are no visible wounds, but she was over three months pregnant. There was no sign of assault or poisoning, and I can't determine any internal organ damage at this time."

"I need a more professional set of knives to perform the autopsy and further determine the cause of death. However, just by looking, it seems she died suddenly."

"Suddenly? What could have caused that?" The man frowned, but he was already convinced by about seventy to eighty percent of what Lo Li had said. Someone without any knowledge of post-mortem examination wouldn't be able to speak like that.

Lo Li paused, thought for a moment, and then replied, "It's like her heart suddenly stopped beating. You might want to ask her family if she had any heart issues, like a racing heartbeat or chest pains."

The man was silent for a while longer. "You're hired. The monthly salary is about a hundred dollars, and if you do well, there will be bonuses."

"Do you have a place to stay?" he asked, as if remembering something.

Lo Li shook his head. "Sir, I can stay in the morgue, but I have one request."

"A request? Go ahead."

Lo Li hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I need a set of knives for the autopsy. But I don't have the money. Could you possibly cover the cost for now?"

"Knives for the autopsy?" The man was taken aback, then chuckled lightly. "No need, you won't require them."

With that, the man walked away. After about thirty feet, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and said:

"My name is Alex Shaw. I'm the newly appointed magistrate here. In a moment, I'll have someone advance you ten dollars so you can buy some medicine for your facial injuries."

Lo Li felt a chill run through her heart.

Alex Shaw's voice came again: "As a post-mortem examiner, you won't need to be at the county office every day, but when needed, you must be available immediately. Otherwise, you can manage your time as you see fit."

This time, Alex Shaw didn't linger and quickly left.

Lo Li's body was still tense, and she couldn't help but touch her covered cheek.