Wei Xun entered the mortuary. Like the Hall of Returning to Impermanence, it had a square lime pit dug into the floor. The floating corpse lay inside, its moisture already absorbed by the lime. An incense clock and a soul-calming mirror hung on the wall, and a burner of rich sandalwood incense burned nearby to dispel the odor.
He began holding his breath the moment he entered and circled the corpse once. It had swollen to three times the size of a living person, with a head as large as a bushel measure and legs as thick as jars. It scarcely looked human anymore, resembling a twisted giant with only faint traces of male characteristics remaining.
Standing outside the door, Baozhu called, "It isn't a girl, is it?"
Wei Xun could not speak while holding his breath. Knowing she would be frightened on her own, he thought for a moment, then abandoned the effort and called back, "It's a man."
Swelling and decomposition had badly damaged the corpse's clothing. There were no obvious birthmarks or tattoos on its exterior, but several enormous wounds from decay. Wei Xun prodded them with a twig, and the skin and muscle disintegrated at his touch.
Guanchuan said, "Those ruptures happened when we recovered the body. There were no obvious fatal external injuries."
Wei Xun nodded and continued his close examination. The corpse's hands and feet bore decomposed wounds resembling ligature marks, and half a strand of treated cogon grass was embedded around its right wrist.
After a moment's thought, he discarded the twig and left the mortuary.
Baozhu hurriedly asked, "Well? Did you find anything?"
Wei Xun exhaled and drew a fresh breath before saying, "Judging by the current temperature, he died roughly three or four days ago. There are no obvious external injuries,