The Zhou Residence.
Before the mourning hall, candle flames flickered and swayed, and incense smoke drifted without end. Holding a wolf-hair brush, Jiang Tu carefully recorded Master Lian's every word and action, missing nothing.
He closely observed the man's autopsy. Opportunities to watch from such close quarters were hard to come by. He found that the examination focused mainly on the surface of the body: height and weight, build and features, facial appearance and birthmarks, scars and old injuries, and the like.
Unless a murder or covert attack involved a criminal case, or a connection to specters had been confirmed, the body would generally not be cut open.
At most, the examiner would probe the throat with a silver needle and apply aged vinegar and medicinal solutions to the body to check for hidden injuries and bruises.
After three complete rounds of external examination, Master Lian let out a long breath, straightened his back, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Jiang Tu promptly offered him a towel. Master Lian nodded as he accepted it. "Thank you, Young Master Jiang."
Then he took the Corpse Examination Record and read it closely.
He discovered that Jiang Tu's notes were indeed meticulous. Bone measurements, build, weight, even the slightest changes in the silver needle's color, marks on the body, and reactions to the vinegar solution-nothing had been omitted. He nodded again.
"I've long heard that Young Master Jiang is a careful, meticulous man. Meeting you today proves it."
"You flatter me, Master Lian. Then... can we stamp the record and prepare the body for burial?"
Jiang Tu looked at Big Household Zhou in the coffin. This examination had left the deceased's body in disarray again, and they would have to ask the mortician to tidy and prepare him once more. He could