During the move, Ding Zhenzong accidentally touched the corpse's abdomen. It was swollen, and the feel of it... was very hard. It wasn't like the stiffness of a dead person; it felt more like there was something hidden inside the corpse's stomach.
Luo Tianhe noticed it too. While the Second Young Master was outside directing the servants as they got the palanquin ready, he boldly reached out and lifted the corpse's clothes. In the faint candlelight, a ghastly scar was revealed across the corpse's abdomen.
The scar was terrifyingly large, stretching all the way from the lower abdomen to just below the neck. It had been sewn shut with thin hemp thread, and the densely packed stitches made everyone's skin crawl.
The clothes had concealed it, which was why nobody had noticed it earlier. The edges of the wound were jagged, and everyone's first impression was that some tremendous force had ripped it open.
Luo Tianhe was both skilled and fearless. He actually pressed down on the corpse's swollen abdomen. The way it felt beneath his hand confirmed that something was indeed hidden inside, and it was very hard.
But it definitely wasn't gold, silver, jewelry, jade, or anything like that. The weight didn't add up.
Luo Tianhe immediately thought of the corpse's earlier movements and the empty wooden rack in the storeroom. Could it be... that the sinister object that had been on the rack was now inside the corpse's belly?
Before he could think it through, the Second Young Master came over with Laifu supporting him. His leg ailment had grown worse; in just a few short hours, his movements had become noticeably stiffer.
Everyone quickly gathered around, blocking Luo Tianhe and the corpse from view. Taking the opportunity, Luo Tianhe swiftly straightened the dead man's clothes and