370 Late-Night Autopsy

After that, it was time for Master Liu's funeral. However, Liu Baixue refused to bury her father directly, suspecting that there was something strange about his death.

So, she proposed to have Zhao Zhitong perform an autopsy on her father.

Naturally, her request met with strong opposition from the other members of the Liu Clan.

Just when Liu Baixue brought Zhao Zhitong to Master Liu's Memorial Hall, Liu Yian, the young master of the Liu Clan, who had not opposed the idea initially, suddenly broke in with his men, stopping Zhao Zhitong from conducting the autopsy.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

Looking at Liu Yian blocking her way, Liu Baixue furrowed her brows, somewhat puzzled.

Liu Yian stepped forward patiently to comfort her. "Baixue, I know you're sad, but our father really fell off the cliff. Don't disturb his corpse anymore. Let him rest in peace."

Liu Baixue insisted, "Brother, how can you not trust me? There's definitely a problem with Father's death. Step aside and let Tongtong have a look. Her skills are superb, and she won't damage Father's body."

Liu Yian opened his mouth, wanting to say something but hesitating. However, he still stood at the entrance, not allowing Zhao Zhitong to go in and see the body. "Little sister, stop being stubborn, okay? Let Father leave with some dignity."

Liu Baixue didn't understand. What does he mean by letting Father leave with some dignity? "Brother, what do you mean by that? What do you mean by dignity? What if Father was murdered? Do you want him to go to the grave with his grievances?"

Liu Yian's expression darkened, and he sternly said, "Enough! Don't say anything more. Now that Father is gone, I'm in charge of the family. Come, someone, take the young lady back to rest!"

Seeing Liu Yian's stubbornness, Liu Baixue knew that arguing with him at this moment would be of no use, so she stopped arguing and turned to leave.

The more Liu Yian refused to let Zhao Zhitong examine the corpse, the more she felt that there must be something strange about Master Liu's death, making her even more eager to investigate.

However, as Liu Yian had already started to usher guests out, Zhao Zhitong had no choice but to leave temporarily.

As she turned around, Zhao Zhitong saw Ding Xiang standing not far from the doorway, looking at the Mourning Hall with an unreadable expression.

Zhao Zhitong glanced at her expressionlessly, her eyes flashing a hint of warning before she departed.

When Zhao Zhitong had left, Ding Xiang stepped forward and spoke softly to Liu Yian, "Yian, don't be sad. Baixue just doesn't understand your good intentions right now. When she learns the truth, she'll understand."

Liu Yian's mood was instantly soothed by the gentle woman before him. "Xiang, I'm glad you're here. Otherwise, Father's reputation would have been ruined."

He had agreed to the autopsy initially, but just moments ago, Ding Xiang had suddenly approached him, saying she knew how Master Liu had died.

It turned out that his father had contracted a venereal disease. During an outing to collect medicinal herbs, the illness had flared up, causing him to slip and fall off the cliff.

Indeed, upon examining his father's body, he had found festering sores, a clear symptom of the disease.

His father's martial arts skills were so good; how could he have fallen off a cliff?

Fortunately, Ding Xiang had secretly learned some medical skills when she worked for the Sun Family. She had discovered this and told him in time. Otherwise, if Zhao Zhitong had performed the autopsy, his father's reputation, and the Liu Clan's reputation, would have been destroyed!

Upon hearing Liu Yian's words, Ding Xiang lowered her head and smiled. "What are you saying? This is what I should do."

"Now, Baixue must be blaming me." Liu Yian leaned in and hugged the woman before him. "Xiang, it's great to have you. I'm so lucky that you understand me."

"Yian~"

Liu Baixue rested her head on Liu Yian's chest, her voice sweet and lingering, yet the face buried there showed no trace of affection.

...

After leaving the Liu residence, Zhao Zhitong stopped and turned to look back at the Liu Mansion one last time before walking away.

They won't let me perform the autopsy? Humph! I'm determined to examine Master Liu's corpse!

Naturally, Liu Baixue shared the same thought.

She had always suspected that there was something wrong with her father's death, and now, her brother's sudden refusal seemed extremely abnormal.

Thinking of Ding Xiang by Liu Yian's side only strengthened her conviction that there was a problem with her father's death.

Therefore, she was determined to investigate her father's cause of death!

The two friends, with their unspoken understanding, had coincidentally arrived at the same conclusion.

So, after secretly meeting, they quickly agreed on a plan: they would sneak into Master Liu's Mourning Hall at midnight to perform an autopsy.

Time passed quickly, and evening arrived, the sky growing darker.

In the Mourning Hall, candlelight flickered. As Master Liu's children, Liu Yian and Liu Baixue should have been keeping vigil together for their father.

However, due to Liu Baixue's frail health and Liu Yian's concern that she might cause trouble in the Mourning Hall, he had her rest in her courtyard while he and the servants kept watch.

Around midnight, Liu Baixue's maidservant suddenly ran in, panic-stricken. "Young Master, Young Master, it's terrible! The Young Lady is having a sudden fit of hysterics! Please, go and see her!"

"What? Why is she having another attack?!" Hearing about his sister's sudden illness, Liu Yian grew anxious, jumped to his feet, and said, "Quick, take me to her."

"You, go and find a physician."

After giving the order, Liu Yian followed the maidservant, hurrying towards Liu Baixue's courtyard.

Once they left, silence returned to the Mourning Hall. Only the soft rustle of swaying white mourning silks and the distant cries of unknown creatures outside could be heard. The sight of the fluttering silks, combined with these sounds, created a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

BANG!

At that moment, Master Liu's coffin suddenly made a noise.

The servant boy, who was dozing off, was startled awake and began to listen intently.

Yet, the surroundings fell silent again. Just as the servant boy thought he had imagined the earlier noise, there was another loud BANG!

It was as if someone was pounding on the inside of the coffin.

"Who's there?!"

The servant boy's eyes instantly fixed on the coffin, and he called out warily.

However, the only response was the sound of the wind, the eerie silence, and the swaying dark shadows of the white silks. It made him gulp, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

SIGH!

Then, a deep, melancholic sigh came from the direction of the coffin.

This sigh clearly reached the servant boy's ears, causing him to panic even more. He stood up, mustered his courage, and yelled, "Who's there? Who is it?"

What answered him was an even more melancholic sigh.

Then, a low voice said, "I've been so wronged."

AAH!

With a terrified scream, the servant boy darted out of the Mourning Hall and fled for his life.

After the servant boy had completely disappeared, a laughing voice finally rang out.

"HEH-HEH, scared him away."

Shortly after, a tall and a short figure dropped from the eaves; they were none other than Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen.

Zhao Zhitong said, "Alright, he's gone. I'll go in now."

Qiao Muchen nodded. "Alright, you go and check. I'll keep watch at the door. Be careful. If you get scared, call for me, okay?"

Zhao Zhitong patted her chest and said, "Alright, alright. Don't worry. What would I be scared of?"

As time was pressing, the two didn't waste any more on chitchat.

With that, Zhao Zhitong grabbed her tools, hurried into the Mourning Hall, lifted the white cloth covering Master Liu, and began the autopsy.