Zhao Dekai gagged and turned away to vomit.
The smell of his sickness combined with the thick scent of blood soon made the others feel nauseous as well, and He Jiang's face contorted, turning a sickly shade of green.
Nan Yue covered her nose and stepped back, having seen enough.
Thin streaks of blood still clung to the skeleton, looking as if the body had been meticulously skinned and deboned before being placed there.
Whatever did this certainly wasn't human.
Chang'an was also examining the remains alongside her.
Lu Jiao was looking too, but she stood much further away because the sight was simply too revolting.
Nan Yue turned and saw Dongfang Yuelai wandering around the courtyard, and after a moment of thought, she walked over to greet her.
"He was likely still alive when the skinning began. His head wasn't skinned, but his eyes are gone—probably gouged out with a specialized tool. The edges are very smooth."
"Gao Suqi likely lost control of his body and walked out on his own. He didn't even make a sound when he died."
Dongfang Yuelai glanced at her, then looked down and pointed at the ground. "These marks here should belong to Gao Suqi."
Nan Yue looked down and realized that in one corner of the courtyard, the fallen leaves were in complete disarray.
Although the courtyard had been swept, it was impossible to clear all the leaves during this season, so a layer of them covered the ground.
However, the leaves in that corner looked as if they had been repeatedly trampled until they were limp and crushed, with many pieces scattered everywhere.
Seeing Nan Yue staring at the leaves, Dongfang Yuelai stepped back slightly. "But these traces are framed within a circle."
Nan Yue looked at the marks and knew Dongfang Yuelai was right.
Although the signs of human trampling were obvious, a closer look revealed that the area wasn't large, as if he had been confined within a certain range by something invisible.
Nan Yue took a few steps back and confirmed it was indeed a circle.
Had Gao Suqi been walking in circles incessantly after leaving his room?
No, that wasn't right. The marks on the ground were irregular; he had been walking randomly, but he simply couldn't leave that circle.
Nan Yue's heart sank as she met Dongfang Yuelai's gaze.
The latter saw that she understood and offered a serene smile.
"He must have been completely surrounded by something."
Zhu Xi Ning had originally stayed far away from the skeleton, only running over to stick close to Nan Yue once she moved away from the corpse.
Hearing Dongfang Yuelai's words, a chill ran down her spine.
She didn't know if Gao Suqi had regained his ability to move at that point, but even if he had, he wouldn't have been able to escape.
Those things outside had already surrounded him, watching his desperate struggles with cold mockery, like observers watching an animal's final moments.
Dongfang Yuelai nodded to Nan Yue and walked away.
What an interesting person, Nan Yue thought.
And very powerful too.
After coming outside, Gu Xiang Kai didn't want to put too much pressure on Dongfang Yuelai, so he didn't join the group of three and instead approached Chang'an.
He wondered why Chang'an had been crouching there for so long staring at a corpse that was just a bit scary.
Gu Xiang Kai pulled a cigarette from his pocket and offered it. "Brother, did you see something? Care to enlighten me?"
Chang'an smiled and shook his head. "I don't smoke."
He pointed a slender finger at Gao Suqi's eyeless corpse. "I was just admiring the craftsmanship. It's quite good."
Gu Xiang Kai bit down on his cigarette, having been focused on hearing an analysis, only to be met with such a statement.
"Huh?"
Chang'an wore an expression of genuine appreciation. "I work with blades myself, so I'm a bit obsessed, but even I couldn't produce such a work of art."
"There isn't a single knife mark on the bone, yet it's been stripped so cleanly."
Gu Xiang Kai suppressed the urge to retort and crouched beside him. "What if it was a ghost? Ghosts don't need knives to kill people."
Chang'an shook his head. "A knife was used."
"Look at his head; it was clearly severed with a single stroke, clean and decisive. And while there isn't much muscle or sinew left on the skeleton, there are still some remnants. It doesn't look like some supernatural method was used; it was a blade."
Gu Xiang Kai frowned. "Then what kind of person could be that good with a knife?"
Chang'an turned to Gu Xiang Kai with a smile. "A master, or... a very experienced butcher."
"Have you heard the story of the master butcher carving an ox?"
"What ox?"
"...I see you've completed many missions and know the mission worlds well, but are you unfamiliar with local customs and classic stories?"
Gu Xiang Kai scratched his buzz cut, looking completely bewildered. "I'm not. You don't need that stuff to finish a mission."
Chang'an's refined expression nearly crumbled. He patted Gu Xiang Kai's shoulder and stood up. "...You should still try to learn more."
It was only after Chang'an walked away that Gu Xiang Kai realized the man had basically called him an idiot.
"Dammit!"
Nan Yue decided it was time for breakfast.
Although He Jiang's group had no appetite, they didn't want to stay in that courtyard either and quickly followed after them.
"What... what about Gao Suqi's body?"
The people behind were muttering and fussing, but Nan Yue wasn't paying them any attention.
The scent of woodsmoke drifted through the air as the town began to prepare breakfast.
Nan Yue's group followed the small path down and wound through several alleys.
Seeing that He Jiang's group was still following them, she didn't get annoyed and simply walked into a random house.
A woman wearing a small floral print shirt was busy tending to a steamer.
"Big sister, are you making breakfast? We're here to do field research, could we join you for a meal?"
Zhu Xi Ning was good at this sort of thing, and seeing that Nan Yue had chosen this house, she volunteered to handle the communication.
The woman was very warm, wiping her hands on her apron and tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear. "Welcome, welcome! University scholars, are you? Come in, come in, there's plenty of breakfast."
Zhu Xi Ning couldn't stand the people behind them and deliberately said loudly, "Thank you so much, sister. Otherwise, the three of us wouldn't have known where to find a meal."
Zhao Dekai's expression soured as he whispered into He Jiang's ear.
"None of those three show you any respect, Boss, but they happen to have the most information. What should we do?"
He Jiang truly didn't want to have any more contact with Nan Yue, but he had established such a righteous and authoritative persona from the start.
The people around him trusted him implicitly now, and he would lose face if he admitted he was afraid of a young girl like Nan Yue.
He tried to muster some dignity. "Come on, let's go in too."
The woman's house wasn't large, but it had a small courtyard where a few chickens roamed freely.
She brought out several tables and small bamboo stools, inviting them to sit.
He Jiang immediately chose the seat furthest from Nan Yue.
The others were left speechless.
Zhu Xi Ning gave them a sharp glare, but Nan Yue didn't notice; her attention was entirely on the chickens.
It was the first time she had ever seen one.
While the other side acted as if they were facing a great enemy, Nan Yue's eyes darted around following the chickens, causing Gu Xiang Kai to let out a laugh.
He knew Nan Yue had just started her missions and found everything novel.
For veterans like them who had been through many missions, they almost felt like they were half-residents of the mission worlds themselves.
"Here it comes! The food in town is simple, but it's fresh, so please don't mind."
Rate on N.U.
