A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 289 Entering Langshan (10)

The original plan for lunch was steamed buns, pancakes, cooked beef, roast chicken, and water brought from the inn in Yuyang Town, but all of these foods were cold, dry, and hard, making them difficult to swallow.

Therefore, the fresh fish that Duan Qianzhong brought back excited everyone. They gathered firewood, started a fire, washed and grilled the fish, and worked together very well.

Mu Qingcheng, along with Lu Xun and Song Shuyu, discussed how to find the matching coffin among the fifty-odd hanging coffins.

"Floating egrets fly, black egrets enter Wolf Mountain. Now, only the 'floating' mystery remains unsolved."

Lu Xun slowly drank his water, showing no anxiety. "The egret pointed to the big tree, and Brother Song's act of feeding the snake pointed to the ox's head. Therefore, 'floating' should be pointing to the hanging coffin."

"Qingcheng, my brother is quite the smooth talker. He's using official business to make sarcastic remarks about me. Are you going to do anything about it?" Since Song Shuyu upgraded his jealousy tactics, he has become more and more sophisticated. He shamelessly grabbed Mu Qingcheng's hand in public and said with a wronged expression, "Judging from his expression, I was poisoned by snake venom and almost died. He doesn't care at all. Maybe he's even secretly disappointed that I didn't die."

"Who is your elder brother? You are older than me, don't try to claim any relationship!" Lu Xun's composure gradually crumbled. His gaze shifted and fell on their clasped fingers. Seeing that Mu Qingcheng reacted naturally without any resistance or rejection, his eyes dimmed for a moment, and his heart ached so much that he could hardly breathe.

However, Mu Qingcheng wanted to curse. During work hours, couldn't they concentrate and not talk about personal matters? What's the point of spending all day on romance and jealousy?
Looking at Song Shuyu's weak and pitiful face, even though she knew he was faking it, Mu Qingcheng's anger turned into reluctance when she thought about how he had just escaped death.

She squeezed Song Shuyu's hand and patiently comforted him, "My brother is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He has no other intentions. Please don't overthink it."

Hearing her call him "brother," Lu Xunjun's face turned pale, and his heart sank completely.

In stark contrast was Song Shuyu, who curled his lips into a pleased smile, his smugness and joy completely evident on his face. "Yes, you're right, I misunderstood my brother."

Lu Xun got up to leave.

Mu Qingcheng grabbed him and sighed, "Don't mind him. He was just poisoned and he's acting strangely. Can we continue our research?"

Lu Xun turned to look at Song Shuyu, his expression cold, "Then let's talk somewhere else. I don't want to see him."

"Row."

"no!"

"My lord!" Mu Qingcheng gritted her teeth, suppressing her anger as she urged Song Shuyu, "You rest first, let's go take a look at the hanging coffin. We've already wasted half a day, and in another two hours it will be dark!"

Song Shuyu immediately became serious, "As the Prefect of the Capital, I have the right to participate in the discussion of the case! Besides, three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang. With me included, we are just right."

Mu Qingcheng released his hand, rubbed his aching temples, and issued a stern warning: "In that case, please, sir, abide by the principles of official conduct and do not confuse public and private matters again!"

Song Shuyu nodded vigorously.

For the sake of the bigger picture, no matter how angry Lu Xun was, he could only sit back down in his original seat.

Mu Qingcheng pressed her advantage, quickly saying, "I have an idea now. Egrets appear at noon, bathed in golden light. Is it possible that the floating creatures also appear at a specific time?"

Song Shuyu pondered, "Floating, not knowing what to seek; rampant, not knowing where to go. Floating means idle and unreliable, how could it possibly appear?"

"Plankton, from a biological perspective, are drifting objects that live in water and lack the ability to move," Lu Xun explained casually. Song Shuyu was utterly embarrassed!
Fortunately, Mu Qingcheng didn't mind that his knowledge was not as extensive as that of the third-ranked scholar. She frowned and thought intently: "If we can't move, how can we point from East Lake to West Cliff?"

“Yes, it can’t fly either…” Lu Xun couldn’t think of an answer for a moment, and his brows furrowed.

Song Shuyu asked cautiously, "Does 'floating' have other meanings? The Wuhuan are a long-lost minority group; could they have worshipped some ancient gods or monsters?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun had a sudden inspiration: "In the 'Notes from Shaoshi Mountain Study: On the Nine Schools of Thought, Part 2,' it is mentioned that Duke Ping of Jin dreamed of a red bear peeping at his screen. He was disgusted by it and fell ill. He asked Zichan about it, and Zichan replied: 'In the past, there was a minister of Gonggong named Fuyou, who was defeated by Zhuanxu and drowned himself in the Huai River. His face was red, he was fond of laughing, he was fond of looking around, and he resembled a bear.'"

"I remember now. It was mentioned in the 'Mythology Records' that the legend of 'Fuyou' was Gonggong's subordinate. After Gonggong's failed rebellion against Zhuanxu, it committed suicide and became a vengeful spirit, transforming into a red bear to harm the human world." Mu Qingcheng clapped her hands excitedly, her eyes shining brightly.

Song Shuyu nodded repeatedly. "If our speculation is true, then we need to find the hanging coffin marked with a red bear?"

"Let's look for it first," Lu Xun agreed.

Mu Qingcheng was about to take action immediately, but Song Shuyu stopped her, saying, "Now that we have a target, let's look for it after lunch."

Lu Xun said, "Yes, it's important to balance work and rest. Besides, you've sucked out his poisonous blood, so you need to rest more and avoid using your internal energy too frequently in a short period of time."

Since the two men had reached a consensus, Mu Qingcheng found it difficult to refuse.

Soon, Duan Qianzhong brought over the first grilled fish. He wanted to remind Song Shuyu to remove the fish bones for Master Mu, but with Lu Xun present, he couldn't say it outright. He could only wink at Song Shuyu as much as he could.

However, Song Shuyu couldn't understand at all. "Officer Duan, are your eyes twitching?"

Duan Qianzhong sighed and left helplessly.

Song Shuyu picked up a piece of fish belly meat, removed the bones, and put it to Mu Qingcheng's mouth. Mu Qingcheng habitually opened her mouth and ate it. Only after finishing did she suddenly remember where she was!
Sure enough, more than twenty pairs of eyes, including those of the constables, guards, and Lu Xun, all fell on her face!
Mu Qingcheng was utterly embarrassed!
She immediately pushed Song Shuyu away, her face flushed, and said, "You, you eat it yourself, I don't like fish."

Song Shuyu glanced at his clueless subordinates, raised his hand, and made a throat-slitting gesture!

Everyone immediately turned around, no longer daring to peek!

Song Shuyu continued to pick out fish meat and bones, then fed it to Mu Qingcheng. Receiving her embarrassed and annoyed look, he smiled indulgently and said, "Eat up, no one's watching."

Lu Xun clenched his fist so tightly that veins bulged. "Am I not human? Brother Song, do you think I'm dead?"

After speaking, he got up and left.

Mu Qingcheng opened her mouth, about to scold someone, but it was stuffed full of fish meat. Song Shuyu said with a smile, "I promised that with me here, I won't let you give up eating fish because of fish bones."

"My lord..." Mu Qingcheng swallowed the fish and said earnestly, "My lord has been very considerate to me, and I am touched and happy. However, we are not married after all, and we are away on official business. With so many people present, could you please be more mindful of the situation?"

(End of this chapter)