Half an hour later.
To determine the true cause of Cui'er's death, the body was transported to the mortuary in the western part of the city.
Under pressure from the mysterious white-robed noble, Su Mo—both suspect and reporting party—was brought along as well.
The mortuary was dark and oppressive. The air reeked of rot and damp mold, thick enough to cling to the throat.
The coroner in charge was an old man well past sixty. At the moment, he stood trembling beside the corpse, muttering nonsense about resentful spirits and unfinished grudges.
Su Mo was already growing impatient when a commotion sounded at the doorway.
The young man in moon-white brocade stepped inside.
He had changed to a brand-new folding fan.
The moment he entered, he snapped the fan open and pressed it tightly over his mouth and nose, his elegant brows knitting into a deep frown.
"This place…"
His voice came muffled from behind the fan, dripping with disdain.
"…is worse than a pigsty."
Su Mo rolled her eyes.
"If you find it so filthy, then leave," she shot back bluntly. "This is where the dead stay. Not a flower garden for pampered young masters."
The white-robed noble's gaze turned icy as it swept over her.
"I'm here as a witness," he said coolly. "To see whether that impressive speech you gave in the Su household was genuine skill—or a lie fabricated to escape punishment."
Su Mo couldn't be bothered to argue.
She walked straight to the corpse and waved off the trembling old coroner. Lacking proper tools, she grabbed a pair of rusted scissors and a few scraps of cloth from the shelf, swiftly wrapping her hands.
"There's a blunt-force injury to the back of the head," she said while examining the body. "Subcutaneous hematoma. The wound is irregularly round…"
She paused, then suddenly looked up—straight at the white-robed noble who was standing three meters away, practically glued to the doorframe.
"Hey. You."
She pointed at the piece of white jade hanging from his waist.
"Lend me your jade pendant."
The noble let out a sharp laugh.
"Woman, you're really pushing your luck. First you stole my fan. Now you want my jade?"
"The size of the wound is similar to the shape of your pendant," Su Mo replied flatly. "I suspect the murder weapon was a hard object of similar form. I need it for comparison."
The noble immediately took a step back, one hand clamping over the jade as if guarding his life. He stared at her like she was a bandit.
"Absolutely not."
That jade pendant was his mother's keepsake. There was no way he would let hands that had touched a corpse lay a finger on it.
"Tch. Stingy."
Su Mo clicked her tongue and turned away.
Then she pointed directly at one of the constables.
"Go back to the Su residence. Search my stepmother's room. Look for any heavy decorative objects—especially candleholders or paperweights—anything similar in shape to that jade pendant. The base should have bloodstains."
The constable froze and instinctively glanced at the noble.
The noble hesitated for a moment. Though he cherished the jade, he couldn't deny her sharp deduction. Closing his fan, he spoke calmly.
"Do as she says."
The constable hurried off.
Su Mo continued the autopsy.
Because the body had been soaked in water, Cui'er's collar buttons were tightly knotted together. The wet fabric clung stubbornly, like a dead knot. With her injured hands, Su Mo couldn't apply enough strength.
"Hey. Come help."
She waved at the white-robed noble.
He stared at her in disbelief.
"You're talking to me?"
"Is there anyone else here who's alive?" Su Mo snapped. "Hurry up. I can't get this open. You're stronger—tear it."
"Absurd!"
His face turned green.
"There are boundaries between men and women! And she's a—corpse! You want me to tear open a woman's clothing in public? Impossible!"
"Do you want dignity, or do you want the truth?"
Su Mo didn't bother arguing. She grabbed his sleeve and forcibly dragged him to the examination table.
"Less talk. Hold here. Pull!"
"Let go! Woman, are you insane?!"
"Stop moving! Tear it!"
"I refuse—"
"Harder! Didn't you eat today?!"
Outside the room, the guards and the old coroner exchanged horrified looks. The old man's face flushed a deep purplish red.
The words coming from inside were… vivid.
Young people these days…
Doing this in a mortuary, with a corpse no less…?
Inside—
Rip—!
The fabric finally tore apart.
The white-robed noble recoiled as if electrocuted, retreating three steps back. He frantically fanned himself, face burning red.
"Shameless. Absolutely shameless."
Su Mo ignored his breakdown entirely.
With the torn fabric exposing the body, she examined the revealed skin closely. Then she overlapped her hands and pressed down on the corpse's chest.
"Checking for pleural fluid response."
Once.
Twice.
Suddenly—
"Ugh—"
A long, resentful sigh echoed through the silent mortuary.
The corpse's upper body jerked violently, and one arm shot out—reaching straight toward the white-robed noble.
"AHHH—!!!"
A scream tore through the room.
Before Su Mo could react, a gust of wind rushed past her. The noble—who moments ago had looked aloof and fearless—was now plastered against the far wall, his fan on the floor, one hand gripping the hilt of the soft sword at his waist. His face was white as paper.
Su Mo calmly pressed the corpse's arm back into place.
"What are you screaming for?" she said, looking at him like he was an idiot.
"This is postmortem muscle spasm combined with air expulsion from chest compression. Vocal cord vibration. Basic physics. Understand?"
She picked up the fallen fan, brushed off the dust, and handed it back to him.
"And you carry a sword? Your courage is smaller than a pinhole."
The noble took a deep breath, straightened his slightly rumpled collar, and forced himself to recover some dignity.
"Nonsense. I was merely… practicing footwork. Who said I was afraid?"
…
A quarter of an hour later, they finally stepped out of the suffocating mortuary.
"Progress looks good," Su Mo said, clearly pleased. "Once they find the bloodstained base, my stepmother won't be able to deny anything."
But as she stepped down the stairs, her knee suddenly buckled.
She hadn't noticed it while focused. Now that she relaxed, the pain surged violently.
"I'm getting in the carriage," she said, eyeing the luxurious vehicle outside.
"Don't even think about it," the noble replied coldly. "You're covered in corpse stench. Don't dirty my carriage."
"I'm a witness—and an injured one," Su Mo shot back.
Before he could react, she scrambled up into the carriage while the guards weren't paying attention.
The noble's face darkened, but he had no choice but to follow.
To avoid contact, he sat as far inside as possible and ordered a small table placed between them.
"Cross the line," he threatened viciously, "and I'll throw you out."
The carriage lurched forward, racing along the uneven stone road.
Suddenly—
Something darted out in front of them.
"Whoa—!"
The carriage slammed to a violent stop.
The massive inertia sent Su Mo flying forward. The small table did nothing to stop her.
Like a cannonball, she shot straight across.
"Ugh!"
Time froze.
Su Mo landed sprawled across the noble's lap—her face buried squarely in the most awkward possible position between his lower abdomen and thighs.
To keep her balance, her arms instinctively wrapped tightly around his waist.
The noble went rigid, like stone.
He could feel her warm breath brushing against the most vulnerable part of his body.
Three seconds later—
"SU! MO!"
The roar nearly blew the roof off the carriage.
He shoved her away like he'd been shocked by lightning, curling into the corner with both hands guarding himself. His face was flushed crimson, humiliation written all over it.
"Shameless! You—how dare you—!"
Su Mo slammed into the carriage wall, rubbing her aching forehead, equally annoyed.
"Like I wanted that!" she snapped. "Is your belt made of stone? My head hurts!"
This man's waist is harder than a corpse, she muttered internally.
"That's a jade belt!"
The noble looked like he was on the verge of a stroke.
In the midst of the chaos, he suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit. His face turned pale, his breathing uneven.
A porcelain bottle was passed in through the window.
"Young master, quickly—your medicine. It was sent from the capital by the eldest young master."
The noble swallowed the pill with trembling fingers.
Su Mo watched coldly from the side.
His breathing did steady—but on his neck, several small red rashes bloomed at a visible speed.
An allergic reaction?
That medicine's wrong.
Su Mo was about to speak when she met his murderous glare—one that clearly said say a word and I'll kill you.
…Fine. Staying alive was more important.
A rash wouldn't kill him anyway.
The carriage slowly came to a stop.
"We've arrived at the Su residence. Get out."
Su Mo felt like she'd been granted amnesty. She jumped down immediately.
"See you around, young master!"
Inside the carriage, the noble touched his still-burning ears, then scratched his slightly itchy neck.
"That woman…"
He ground his teeth.
"…is absolutely my nemesis."