Chapter 379 - 277: Their Lady Is Also Extraordinary (First Update)

Chapter 379: Chapter 277: Their Lady Is Also Extraordinary (First Update)

Everyone was stunned, and Deng Youwei couldn’t help but ask, "Miss Xu, what are you doing with the deceased’s... bones?"

Xu Jing turned her head, smiling gently, "Of course, I’m going to boil them."

Everyone: "..."

How did Miss Xu become more terrifying after a visit to the Western Capital?!

At this moment, Cheng Xiao, who had previous similar experience, had already instructed people to gather dry wood, set up a pot, poured clear water into it, and started a fire.

Xu Jing walked over, threw the two bones she was holding into the pot. Seeing everyone’s eyes almost pop out, she couldn’t help but laugh, "This is called bone boiling. It’s a method of forensic investigation. The bones I extracted from the deceased are called the pubic symphysis. The characteristics of the pubic symphysis change significantly with age, so by observing it, we can determine the age of the deceased."

Back when we were investigating the Imperial College case, Cheng Xiao had seen his wife use this method to determine the age of the deceased. He proudly raised his chin and said, "Everyone can trust our lady. She solved the sensational Imperial College murder case in the Capital with this very method."

Although they were far away in Anping County, Miss Xu’s active involvement in the case made them frequently hear some rumors about her.

They had also heard about the Imperial College case.

Chen Hu couldn’t help but look at Cheng Xiao with some envy.

Pfft, what Imperial College case? I’ve helped Miss Xu investigate just as many cases!

Seeing that everyone finally began to accept this, Xu Jing smiled faintly, clapped her hands, and said, "Bone boiling takes a long time. We don’t have to all stay here. Leave one person to watch the fire and occasionally add some water to the pot.

By the way, County Magistrate Deng, have they found any other parts of the body?"

Deng Youwei shook his head, saying, "O...our people are still spread out looking, but...but we’ve only found...these so far."

Xu Jing nodded and, while waiting for the bones to boil, walked over to the two piles of body parts, looking at them silently.

Just then, the meat aroma started wafting from the bones boiling in the pot.

Thinking about how this aroma came from flesh attached to the bones, everyone didn’t look too good.

Just then, Xu Jing paused.

Chen Hu quickly asked, not to be outdone, "Miss Xu, have you discovered something else?"

"No."

Xu Jing touched her stomach, "I just suddenly felt...a bit hungry."

"..."

They truly felt that Miss Xu was scarier than those heinous criminals!

Xu Jing was indeed hungry. Her time in the Western Capital had made her body more delicate, and every day besides the three meals, Qiushui would think of ways to make various afternoon teas for her and Xiao Huai’an.

They had lunch on time, but now it was almost the end of the afternoon (5 p.m.), and the sudden change in schedule apparently left her body a bit unaccustomed.

Fortunately, Cheng Xiao was well prepared. So, with everyone’s strange gaze on her, Xu Jing stood next to the bubbling pot and ate two whole pieces of Cloud Cake.

About two hours later, when the sky had completely darkened, the bones in the pot were finally done.

Xu Jing immediately rolled up her sleeves, fished out the two bones, and carefully tore off the tissue attached to them with tweezers. She observed for a while and confirmed, "The male deceased was between forty and forty-four years old, and the female deceased was between thirty-one and thirty-four years old."

Everyone was stunned. They could really determine the age of the deceased from such a bone!

However, they didn’t have time to explore the principles behind it. Deng Youwei signaled to Chen Hu, who immediately pointed to two government officials, saying, "Fang Tao, Lv Wei, head to the shopkeeper of Huachun Garden in the city and ask if anyone of about this age and heading towards Xinzhou bought Peach Crisp and Jujube Cake there in the past two days. The man is about five feet one inch (170 cm) tall, and the woman is about four feet eight inches (160 cm) tall."

Fang Tao and Lv Wei acknowledged and quickly made their way out of the woods.

Xu Jing couldn’t help but smile at Chen Hu, "Not bad, young man. Looks like you’ve become County Magistrate Deng’s confidant."

Deng Youwei was naturally a stammerer; speaking short sentences was manageable, but long sentences were painful for both him and the listeners.

It seemed that Chen Hu had become Deng Youwei’s exclusive spokesperson.

Chen Hu’s face brightened, and the feeling of envy in his heart diminished a bit. He couldn’t help but give Cheng Xiao a smug look.

Aha, Miss Xu praised him!

He knew it, deep down, Miss Xu still thought highly of him!

Cheng Xiao: "..."

Why did he always feel like this guy was hostile towards him?

Our lady is amazing; how does she manage to attract so many oddballs around her?

Although it’s a bit of a distance from here to Anping County, if those two government officials hurry, they can be back in about an hour.

While everyone was idly squatting in the woods waiting, an excited voice came from deep in the woods, "County Magistrate Deng, we’ve found them! We found them!

Damn it, that bastard threw the other body parts at the other end of the woods! We went around in a big circle but finally found all the other parts!

We even found the heads of those two deceased!"

It was the government officials who had been searching for other body parts in the woods who returned.

Everyone was delighted, immediately standing up to greet them. The officials each carried two burlap bags, and when they reached the group, they eagerly emptied the contents onto a newly laid white cloth.

Sure enough, those body parts included the other parts of the deceased’s bodies, but when they poured out the two heads, everyone’s face turned pale, and some with weaker stomachs couldn’t help but gag.

The two heads no longer resembled their original forms, with the skin on their faces almost completely peeled off, leaving a bloody mess, and the four eyeballs had been gouged and were now four gaping bloody holes, staring back at them horrifically.

One of the government officials couldn’t help but curse, "What kind of grudge or enmity is this, to do that to someone!"

"No..."

Chen Hu, however, with a pale face, said, "I think the murderer destroyed their faces to hide their identities. If they acted out of a grudge, why aren’t there any other injuries on their bodies?"

Xu Jing squatted down to briefly examine the two heads and found two pre-mortem blood holes at the back of their heads.

It seemed these two were knocked out by the killer before being murdered and dismembered.

She was silent for a while and said, "I think similarly to Chen Hu, but we can’t rule out other possibilities..."

At this moment, not far away came the voice of Fang Tao, whom they had sent to the county, "County Magistrate Deng, Miss Xu, we know the identities of those two deceased!"