The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 296 - 194 Yin Criminal, Demon Lord_2

Chapter 296: Chapter 194 Yin Criminal, Demon Lord_2

Li Yan hadn’t expected that the Yin Bureau would reward such an item.

If he could obtain it, whether to strengthen the power of a Magic Artifact or to directly use it to repair the Daluo Dharma Body, both were good choices.

After accepting the mission, the surrounding fog quickly dispersed.

To the onlookers, only a brief moment had passed.

People nearby like Sha Lifei were also about to leave.

"Hold on!"

Li Yan suddenly spoke up, "There is indeed something peculiar about this matter, allow me to take another look."

Sha Lifei was taken aback, but after exchanging a glance with Wang Daoxuan, they stopped talking.

They knew Li Yan was not the type to meddle without reason; a sudden change of mind surely had its cause.

And the County Magistrate showed a glint of joy in his eyes and eagerly cupped his hands, saying, "I beg for your guidance, Sir!"

If this matter was confirmed to be related to a Magician, and so many Mystical Sect Magicians had not noticed it, then their responsibility could be reduced by a great deal.

Li Yan nodded, entered the hall, looked around, and inquired, "Which one is the corpse of Hu Yuanwai?"

"This one."

The County Magistrate hurried over and lifted the white cloth covering a corpse.

Beneath it lay a man, burly and stout, clothed in a thin garment, his body covered in blood, his complexion a deathly pale, his eyes wide open, and around his neck, a large gash from a blade could be seen.

Li Yan’s brow furrowed slightly, "Why hasn’t the coroner been summoned to examine the corpse yet?"

The County Magistrate gave an embarrassed smile and said in a low voice, "The county official has personally gone to Yunyang Prefecture to report the matter, and Qin Hundred Households from the Shangjin Guard Station has also gone to the nearby mountains to search for clues to the thieves. Without the county official’s orders..."

Li Yan glanced at him and remained silent.

This County Magistrate was a sly old official; with such a big incident, the first to suffer was his immediate superior.

In such situations, it was standard to act according to orders.

Take any more initiative, and you might not get the credit for success, but one wrong step and you could become the scapegoat.

Li Yan guessed that even the summoning of Magicians to search for evidence of Evil Skill must have been an order from the departing county official.

Li Yan pondered for a moment, performed the Yang Jue, and took a deep breath.

Instantly, all the smells in the vicinity surged into his nostrils.

His Dao had climbed to a higher level, and his Divine Skills had naturally become stronger, allowing him to smell things within a three-hundred-meter radius.

He could even distinguish scents coming from ten meters underground.

The mixture of foul and bloody odors made Li Yan feel nauseated.

But at the same time, a gleam of sharpness flashed in his eyes as he thought to himself: It’s just like what was said in that Yin Bureau ledger.

With that thought, Li Yan directly said, "Quick, find the coroner to examine the body. There’s something wrong with this corpse!"

"Quick, call Old Liu over!"

Since a problem had been discovered, the County Magistrate did not dare delay any further.

Soon after, a hunchbacked old man hobbled over.

His complexion bluish, his hands blackened, and emanating a foul odor from his person, people around him covered their noses and scattered even before he drew close.

Li Yan watched in silence, then stepped aside.

The examination of a corpse was a matter clearly regulated by the court, which required personal attention from a coroner, and the documentation of findings for the record, so he would not take matters into his own hands.

The County Magistrate seemed unable to bear the coroner’s stench as well, and covering his nose, he waved his hand and stepped back, saying, "Old Liu head, this gentleman claims that there’s definitely something wrong with the corpse, you must conduct a thorough examination for this official!"

"Yes, sir."

The old man croaked, bowing with clasped hands, then hobbled over, crouching with difficulty, and placed his wooden box on the ground.

His box was old and decrepit; its lacquered surface mottled, and the wood dark and somber. Upon being opened, a stench of decay rushed forth.

Inside the box lay an assortment of tools of various sizes, from fine steel knives, hammers, and awls, to various bottles and jars, and even hoes and shovels.

The old man remained silent, crushing some ginger and garlic, mixing it with vinegar on a cloth, and then covering his mouth and nose with the cloth.

Seeing this, Li Yan grew more respectful.

At a glance, this man was a professional old coroner.

The coroner’s profession had existed a long time ago but was given a structured system and slightly elevated status only after the publication of Song Ci’s "The Washing Away of Wrongs."

The ginger-garlic-vinegar cloth could fend off the stench of corpses and diseases to some extent, but was only effective against ordinary nuisances; otherwise, the old man would not look like this...

The old coroner worked methodically, first cleaning the wound with water to examine it closely, then coating the entire body with vinegar, and finally using grease to examine under the light of a flame.

He was looking for possible broken bones.

Next, he stuffed a small silver plaque and soap bean water into the corpse’s mouth to test for poison, each step orderly and methodical...

The County Magistrate, although somewhat impatient, knew the importance of the task and did not rush the old coroner.

Finally, the old man opened his leather bag and took out a fine steel knife, beginning the process of cutting open the abdomen and exploring the chest.

Opening the chest cavity was not easy; it was unavoidable to crack the bones with hammers and axes.

As the hammering and chopping proceeded, dark clotted blood splattered, causing some soldiers present to suddenly turn and vomit, "Whoa," the smell of acid rising...

Li Yan found it hard to bear and quickly shut down his Divine Skills, covering his nose.

The old coroner seemed long accustomed to the disgust and scorn of those around him, remaining intently focused on his work without a pause, handling the organs and intestines back and forth.

The County Magistrate eventually couldn’t help but interject, "Mainly check for evidence of being hexed by Evil Skill!"

The old coroner paused, then immediately drew a ruler from his box, marked with various dimensions indicating fortune and misfortune—clearly, it was a Lu Ban ruler.

In truth, Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan had recognized from the moment he came in that this was a Mystical Sect coroner.

The Lu Ban ruler determined fortune and misfortune, one of the methods he used.

Of course, the old man hadn’t activated any Divine Skills, let alone used any spells, probably a set of techniques learned from his predecessors.