A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 15 Meeting an Old Friend at the Old House

The deep darkness of night enveloped the entire sky.

After midnight, the bustling and busy Jingzhao Prefecture government office gradually quieted down.

The clerks who had finished their shifts returned home and, exhausted, quickly turned off the lights and went to rest.

Mu Qingcheng quietly left the side room, cautiously looked around to make sure all her colleagues were asleep, and then quickly left the north courtyard and headed towards the small north gate.

She specifically chose the small north gate, which was the exclusive passage for transporting corpses, swill, and excrement. It was in a secluded location and unlikely to attract attention.

However, Uncle Fu, the gatekeeper, was diligent and conscientious, patrolling with a lantern without slacking off, making it difficult to avoid him.

Mu Qingcheng thought for a moment, slipped a few copper coins to Uncle Fu, and whispered, "Uncle Fu, I've taken on a side job. A family has hired me to prepare a body for burial. It's urgent and can't be delayed, so I can only make the trip in the middle of the night. Please be lenient and help me keep it a secret for a while, okay?"

"Such a beautiful young woman, going out to collect corpses in the middle of the night, what a pitiful child." Uncle Fu said with sympathy, opening the door and reminding her, "Go early and come back early, be careful."

"Thank you, Uncle Fu."

Mu Qingcheng left the yamen and walked along the empty street.

A figure silently followed behind.

A tall, slender man dressed in black, wearing a silver mask, followed Mu Qingcheng at a distance, escorting her into Yong'an Lane in the southern part of the city.

Deep in the alley, there is a dilapidated old house. The two characters "Mu Residence" on the door plaque are not only faded and peeling paint, but also covered with a lot of cobwebs.

Mu Qingcheng paused for a moment, walked to the west wall, gathered his strength, and leaped over the wall, flying into the courtyard.

The long alley was deserted.

The man finally appeared, slowly walked into the alley, and stopped in front of the Mu residence's gate.

He listened intently to the sounds coming from inside the courtyard, estimating how long it would take for Mu Qingcheng to emerge.

Unexpectedly, just as the footsteps faded into the distance, the soft night breeze beside his ear suddenly transformed into a sharp blade, striking his head and neck from the right!

The man was startled and reacted quickly by spinning around, barely avoiding the sudden attack!
He looked up and saw Mu Qingcheng standing on the wall, the moonlight casting shadows on her face, creating a play of light and shadow.

She looked down at the man and calmly asked, "Why are you following me again? What do you have on me that you want?"

Since he had been discovered again, Lu Xun walked over generously, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, and then used his hands to make sign language: I have no ill intentions, please don't be angry.

Mu Qingcheng frowned and asked suspiciously, "Are you really mute?"

Lu Xun continued gesturing: My aphasia wasn't congenital; it will be cured sooner or later.

Mu Qingcheng sighed helplessly: "Then your face can't be something you can't show to others either, can it? Since I came to the capital in my second year, you've been following me from time to time. Now, if I count, it's been no less than ten times."

Lu Xun paused, then used sign language to tell her: "I'm sorry, my appearance is not presentable. But please believe me, I won't hurt you, and I don't want anything from you. It's just that we haven't seen each other for a long time, and I'm a little worried about you."

"Worried about me?" Mu Qingcheng asked in surprise. "What is your relationship with me? Why are you worried about me?" Upon hearing this, Lu Xun became somewhat anxious: Why did you enter the Jingzhao Prefecture? Don't do anything dangerous!

Mu Qingcheng was so angry she almost laughed. "You're trying to evade the question, aren't you? Your name, appearance, voice—everything that could prove your identity—you've kept quiet about. And where do you get the nerve to worry about me, question me, and order me around?"

Lu Xun froze.

Mu Qingcheng's gaze turned cold as she said, "A gentleman's friendship is based on honesty. I don't know your background, so I certainly won't trust you easily. You should leave and stop following me, or I might not hold back!"

Lu Xun hesitated and struggled for a long time, but reason finally prevailed. He left behind the words "Take care," then used his lightness skill to fly out of Yong'an Lane and disappear into the dark night.

Mu Qingcheng felt a pang of sadness. Apart from her deceased sworn brother Mu Xun, she had no old friends in the capital, nor any contact with her relatives.

This person truly meant her no harm; otherwise, he wouldn't have followed her for two years without revealing his intentions.

But who exactly is he?

Judging from his physique, he does resemble Mu Xun somewhat, but Mu Xun has been dead for three years, how could that be?
The night wind ruffled the hair on her forehead, and a soreness welled up in Mu Qingcheng's nose. Remembering her original purpose for coming here, she shook her head, stopped making pointless guesses, jumped down from the wall, and returned to the Mu residence.

The mansion, abandoned for many years, was overgrown with waist-high grass. Rats, cats, and dogs had made it their home, and the barking of dogs mixed with meows were piercing, sending a chill down one's spine.

But Mu Qingcheng wasn't afraid; she walked familiarly toward the main house in the courtyard.

The room was dusty, and when she pushed open the door, she choked on her throat. Mu Qingcheng coughed a few times, covered her mouth and nose, and then slowly stepped inside.

By the moonlight, she groped her way to the candlestick, took out a tinderbox, and lit the wick. The room was fully furnished, but covered with a thick layer of dust.

Mu Qingcheng searched high and low, looking everywhere she could put things, but she still couldn't find the dagger she wanted!

Could she have misremembered? No, even if it's a similar item, it wouldn't just disappear! Or perhaps, the dagger Li Yunyao used to commit suicide was the one her mother had collected back then?
Suddenly, something outside the window seemed to be making a "ee-yah-yah" sound, and it drifted past like a kite at a very fast speed. In the blink of an eye, silence returned!

Mu Qingcheng's expression tightened, and she immediately burst out of the window. Her sharp eyes scanned every corner of the main courtyard, and she shouted sternly, "Who is it? Come out!"

However, the surroundings were deathly silent, and no one answered!
Mu Qingcheng calmly held a copper coin in his hand, pretending to return to the house. But when he was half a zhang away from the door, he suddenly turned around and shot the copper coin towards the courtyard gate!

"what--"

The next moment, with a muffled groan, a figure stumbled out from behind the door, crying out urgently, "Sister, spare me! I didn't mean to scare you, please don't kill me!"

Mu Qingcheng recognized the voice and quickly stepped forward, shining a tinderbox on the person's face. She was immediately surprised: "Miss Zhizhi!"

"Sister Mu!"

The little girl, her face painted with a cat's face, rubbed her forehead with teary eyes, looking frightened and aggrieved. "Sister Mu, Zhizhi has finally found you!" she said, then threw herself into Mu Qingcheng's arms, clinging tightly to Mu Qingcheng's slender waist and refusing to let go.

See you in the next chapter!

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(End of this chapter)