Shi Xuedong vomited until even bile came up. Wiping his mouth, he said, "I'm scared. Hurry up and throw that thing away."
Hu Xiaotian asked, "Has anyone from the Palace Gardens Bureau gone missing lately?"
Only then did Shi Xuedong remember something. He nodded. "Yes, Xiao Dengzi. He left without saying goodbye a month ago. He left a letter, supposedly saying he couldn't stand the hardships of palace life."
Hu Xiaotian said, "Take a look. Is this Xiao Dengzi?"
Shi Xuedong looked at Hu Xiaotian with a face as miserable as if he were mourning. Apart from that finger, the corpse had dissolved into a puddle. How could he possibly identify the dead man?
Hu Xiaotian knew he lacked that ability. He tossed the remaining finger into the puddle of yellow liquid, and before long, it dissolved completely.
Although the sight still made Shi Xuedong want to vomit, he had nothing left to bring up.
Hu Xiaotian asked, "How many keys are there to the Palace Gardens Bureau's Medicine Storehouse?"
Shi Xuedong said, "I took the key over from you. There's only this one, and it's never been changed." He paused, then hastily protested his innocence, thinking Hu Xiaotian suspected him. "I swear I have nothing to do with what happened here."
Hu Xiaotian pondered inwardly. Shi Xuedong hadn't done it, and neither had he. The outer door had been securely locked. Could there be another entrance into the Medicine Storehouse? Looking at the puddle of yellow liquid on the floor, he sank into thought. According to Shi Xuedong, the dead man was most likely Xiao Dengzi, who had also served in the Palace Gardens Bureau for years. Why had he come here? Had he secretly made a copy of the storehouse key?
Shi Xuedong had thought of that possibility