Qin Jiujiu, having eaten her fill, went straight to sleep upon returning, thus missing a great deal of drama.
For instance, Bai Qianluo brought back the sister of the Medical Sage, only to mistake her for a beggar without parents; and then, a gruesome murder and face-stealing incident occurred at the Heavenly Beyond Inn.
By the time she woke up, they were just about to head out to investigate the case.
Qin Jiujiu did recall the "Ghost Painting Skin" case in Xiliu City, but perhaps because she read too quickly, many details were hazy and she couldn't remember them clearly.
So, when she learned the case happened at the Heavenly Beyond Inn and the victim was the "Overlord" who performed "Farewell My Concubine" on stage last night, she felt as though she had swallowed a bitter gourd and couldn't speak of her woe, only regretting missing out on some important matters.
It was said the victim's death was extremely tragic, his face peeled off and his life drained away by excessive bleeding. This was already the third such incident this month!
Precisely because the crime scene was so horrifying, when she proposed to accompany the three of them, Bai Qianluo was the first to object, followed by Xie Yun's disapproval.
As for Xie Jing, seeing him, Qin Jiujiu realized he hadn't spoken to her in a long time.
The system appeared fittingly and said, "Yes, Host, you finally have some awareness. If you don't take action soon, you might not complete your mission by the end of the novel and be judged a failure!"
Qin Jiujiu heard the system's sarcasm, but had to admit it was the truth. So she said, "Alright, alright, I'll find a girlfriend for Little Jing Jing as soon as possible!"
The system said nothing more, only inwardly grumbling, "Perhaps you won't need to look..."
But it didn't say it aloud, for destiny could not be revealed!
Xie Jing overheard the conversation between the three. He hadn't intended to speak, but upon hearing Qin Jiujiu's spoiled tone towards Xie Yun, his emotions surged, and a fiery temper rose to his forehead!
Thus, without realizing it, he was glaring at Qin Jiujiu with an ill expression. He only knew that when his gaze fell upon her, her voice immediately quieted.
Like a child who had done wrong!
Finally, Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo were persuaded by Qin Jiujiu's persistent pleas, and the four of them set off from the City Lord's mansion for the Heavenly Beyond Inn.
The Heavenly Beyond Inn had been closed for business. As it was still early, there weren't many pedestrians on the street when Xie Yun and the others arrived.
Ever since the report was filed last night, the Heavenly Beyond Inn had been surrounded by the authorities. Apart from the constables in charge of the case and the coroner, no one else had entered the crime scene.
With the token from the City Lord, they were respectfully ushered in by the officials upon their arrival.
The leading constable, around thirty years old, appeared very steady. Upon seeing the token, he bowed to Xie Yun and said, "The coroner is already inside. Young master, please proceed!"
Upon entering the room, they indeed saw a man dressed as a scholarly gentleman bowing beside the body.
Qin Jiujiu expected to see the victim's face, peeled away. To her surprise, the coroner was quite considerate, covering the victim's face with a handkerchief.
The gruesome scene she had expected did not materialize, and Qin Jiujiu looked towards the coroner with a hint of gratitude.
Although his face was currently covered by a plain white cloth, Qin Jiujiu could tell that this coroner was a handsome young man.
Don't ask why, just trust a woman's intuition!
The movement of the four entering did not cause the white-clothed gentleman to look up; he was engrossed in examining the corpse. Qin Jiujiu observed his actions, every move identical to those seen in television dramas, proving that novels and dramas did have similarities!
The young man in white stared intently at the corpse, and Qin Jiujiu stared intently at him.
When Xie Jing's gaze fell upon Qin Jiujiu, she was still staring at someone else, her gaze seemingly fervent?
Indeed, countless thoughts were flooding her mind. She was struck by how different this coroner was from the elderly man in green robes she had imagined, then she thought about how he would be a perfect forensic doctor in modern times, and then that such a person would also make a good boyfriend!
Therefore, looking at the side profile of the young man in white, her gaze grew more fervent, as if she had discovered a treasure!
All four of them waited patiently for the young man in white to finish the autopsy, but only Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo were truly concerned about the results.
As he straightened up, washed his hands, disinfected, and removed the handkerchief from his face, a series of actions were completed, and then his clear, resonant voice was heard.
"The deceased is male, aged twenty-three or twenty-four. His face was removed intact, and he died from excessive bleeding..."
The moment he removed the handkerchief, Qin Jiujiu felt her heart skip a beat. Although Xie Jing's face was more handsome, this person's demeanor was what she liked!
"A face like jade on a moonlit night, a gentleman unparalleled in the world," nothing more so than this!
At this moment, she was utterly captivated by his beauty and, naturally, overlooked the sinister gaze that Xie Jing cast upon her.
The system was trembling with fear. It felt as though the villain was about to completely blacken any second! But its foolish host was still staring at someone else!
Xie Jing silently fixed his gaze on Qin Jiujiu. She reminded him of the fervent look she had given Xie Yun that day.
So, she had shifted her target!
Xie Jing felt the room was stifling and did not wish to stay any longer. Without a word, he strode out of the room, slamming the door as he left.
Startled by his actions, Qin Jiujiu finally retracted her gaze.
The system immediately revived, and in a self-preservation tone, said to Qin Jiujiu, "A warning: the villain is angry! And very seriously so, he might blacken any second!"
In truth, it really wanted to directly tell its dim-witted host, "The villain is angry with you, go appease him!"
But it could not violate the rules, so it could only hope that she would suddenly become intelligent and quickly subdue this villain who was repeatedly teetering on the brink of blackening.
The system sighed silently and then closed its mouth.
While Qin Jiujiu and the system were engaged in a battle of wits, Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo had already obtained useful information from the coroner, and the three of them left the Heavenly Beyond Inn together.
All three deceased were members of a troupe, and their shared commonality was that they had become famous for playing the "Overlord" in "Farewell My Concubine." However, the killer was cunning and left no other clues on the bodies. Xie Yun decided to identify the next potential victim and monitor them to find the killer.
The killer had a temporal characteristic: the victims were killed on the night they performed "Farewell My Concubine."
Based on these clues, Xie Yun discreetly investigated various leads and finally identified two potential victims.
He then quickly formulated a plan to monitor them separately according to their performance times.
Bai Qianluo was paired with him, while Xie Jing and Qin Jiujiu were paired together.
Qin Jiujiu really did not want to be with Xie Jing, this jinx. He had been acting strangely lately, and she was afraid he might suddenly blacken and she would lose her life!
However, under the system's threat, she chose to obey the arrangement.
Hopefully, nothing untoward would happen!