Chapter One: I Am a Corpse Handler

In the village of Great Wilderness, Jinglong County, Guyue Kingdom, inside a mourning hall.

[You touched the nameless corpse and obtained a clue: ligature marks on the neck.]

Fang Mu withdrew his hand, gazing at the ligature marks on the neck of the middle-aged woman's corpse. He said, "Village Chief, Aunt Wang might have taken her own life. Please call the constable to investigate further."

At that moment, the mourning hall was filled with people. A middle-aged man suddenly broke into loud sobs.

"Little Sun, your wife suffered from illness for many years. Perhaps she did not want to burden you," the village chief, an elderly man with white hair leaning on his cane, sighed.

A heavy atmosphere hung over the hall.

Fang Mu shook his head, slung the wooden box tied with a straw rope across his chest, and departed from the mourning hall.

As a coroner, matters of life and death had long become commonplace to him.

"Wait."

He had barely stepped outside when the village chief hurried after him.

Turning back, Fang Mu asked, puzzled, "What is it?"

"Another death in Jinglong County," the village chief said, leaning on his cane and moving slowly as he came up beside Fang Mu. "The magistrate has summoned you to examine the cause."

Another death?

Fang Mu frowned. "Including this one, that's already the fifth in recent days."

"The times have changed," the village chief sighed. "I heard that recently, in one village, the dead crawled out of their graves, impervious to blades and fire, and at night they would drink human blood."

"And in the neighboring Zhang Family Village, there's always a hunched figure roaming at night. Everyone who sees it goes mad."

Having grown old, the village chief liked to ramble, recounting tales of strange and uncanny events.

For instance, in some places, the wailing of women was heard; in others, paper money rained in the dead of night.

Each story made one's scalp tingle, prompting an involuntary urge to look back, to see if there was a grinning head perched upon one's shoulder.

Yet Fang Mu listened intently, for his arrival in this world was itself a bizarre occurrence.

Not only had he come to this world, he had become a coroner. And not just a coroner, but one with the so-called Corpse-Touching Technique.

At first, he was curious, but as he unearthed increasingly odd clues from the corpses, he grew indifferent—it was of no practical use.

He was a coroner, not a constable. This technique, apart from helping others solve cases, was otherwise useless.

The village chief, seeing Fang Mu lost in thought, resumed his rambling, "How about this: once you finish this matter, leave here and find a safer place. I have a feeling our village isn't secure either."

Fang Mu smiled. "We'll talk about that another time, Village Chief. I need to go prepare."

With that, Fang Mu said no more and left the mourning hall.

Leaving would be a matter for the future. The magistrate had specifically sent for him; he was obliged to at least take a look.

After Fang Mu departed, the village chief caressed the handle of his cane and murmured softly to himself.

"This lad used to follow his master, doing this work often—he was quite skilled. But after his master passed, he fainted and then revived, and seemed to grow fearful of corpses."

"Still, he's adapted well. With the books left by his master, he only vomited a few times before becoming adept. How strange... how could his temperament change so drastically?"

...

Fang Mu returned to his small wooden cabin, dragged over a three-legged stool, and sat down. He then took out a blue-covered book from the cabinet beside him and sighed.

On the cover was a line of small characters—"The Coroner's Self-Cultivation."

The reason he had acquired the Corpse-Touching Technique was because of this book. At the time, it emitted a ray of white light invisible to others, and he gained the technique.

"From what I can tell, this world should be one of low martial prowess. Even the best warriors could only handle a dozen opponents at most. How then do these strange events occur?"

Fang Mu flipped through "The Coroner's Self-Cultivation," pondering the village chief's words.

Corpses undergoing transformation, impervious to weapons, and craving human blood.

At night, a hunched shadow wandering, driving those who see it mad.

And those chilling little stories—always unsettling.

These bizarre events sounded at first like superstition, but Fang Mu kept his wits about him.

Even the more mystical Corpse-Touching Technique had appeared; perhaps this world harbored secrets unknown to him.

Moreover, the recent incidents had all occurred in Jinglong County, among those who died one after another.

Four had died previously; Fang Mu had examined their bodies and found no issues.

Yet strangely, all four corpses were missing parts.

Some lacked hands, others feet.

This world was not advanced enough for organ transplants, nor did organ theft exist.

Yet the bodies were simply incomplete—a mystery beyond comprehension.

"Time to examine the corpse..."

Fang Mu stood up, put "The Coroner's Self-Cultivation" to his chest, tidied his slung wooden box, and went out the door.

...

Jinglong County, a rather unprosperous little county—its recent misfortunes only worsened its already bleak state, casting a shadow over every resident.

At the county office, Fang Mu arrived at the entrance with his wooden box, just as a guard on duty spotted him.

"Ah, Brother Fang, you finally made it," the guard said, coming up and greeting him warmly.

The county's only coroner was respected by all the guards, since it was a rare profession.

"With this one, it's five deaths now," Fang Mu said, stepping forward and shifting the wooden box behind him to protect his precious tools. "No matter how we investigate, we can't find anything. Who knows what strange thing is happening."

Mentioning these inexplicable incidents, the guard's expression turned odd.

"Enough talk, go in quickly," the guard said, glancing back with a mysterious air. "Today, a mysterious person arrived at the county office—even the magistrate is treating them with utmost respect."

"Oh?" Fang Mu's interest was piqued. "Who?"

The magistrate of Jinglong County was known for his integrity and never flattered anyone. Yet today he was deferential to this newcomer. Coupled with the recent bizarre deaths, this visitor surely had an agenda.

The two guards seemed unwilling to say more. They were merely bored from standing around and wanted to gossip.

Fang Mu hoisted his wooden box and, without further chat, walked inside.

Upon entering, he saw Magistrate Yu of Jinglong County conversing with a woman.

She wore a pale gray official uniform. Fang Mu could not discern her rank, but judging from the magistrate's demeanor, she was certainly... highly placed.

Perhaps hearing Fang Mu's footsteps, the woman turned and looked him over from head to toe.

Fang Mu also sized her up, then naturally withdrew his gaze.

She was beautiful—especially the tear mole beneath her right eye, lending her an extra allure.

She was indeed imposing—not only in office.

Fang Mu's expression remained unchanged, but his mind, from a coroner's perspective, analyzed her.

This woman would be difficult to dissect—too much fat, especially up front.

Yes, his occupational habit was acting up again. That damned occupational habit.