"Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~"
What was that sound?
Blind Yang pondered, half-asleep and half-awake. The sound was so familiar, like the crashing of ocean waves.
In the next instant, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. Blind Yang's eyes flew open, but the scene before him made him think he was still dreaming.
Right in front of him was that beautiful yet cold face. In the dim candlelight, the beauty's red lips parted slightly, her voice as cold as snow in the depths of winter.
"Awake?" the beauty asked.
"Hehe... a beauty in my dreams, this wine is good, so good!" Blind Yang grinned, gazing at that face in fascination. But he saw the beauty's lips curl into a smirk as she raised her hand, a dagger glinting coldly as it plunged straight towards his arm.
"Ah!"
Blind Yang cried out, the pain dispersing the effects of the alcohol. He realized this was no lovely dream.
As Blind Yang snapped out of his lustful daze, he finally noticed his predicament.
He seemed to be in an abandoned ship's cabin. The areas illuminated by candlelight revealed the decaying interior structure of the hull, with seawater seeping in beneath him.
His hands were tied behind his back, and his feet were bound together with strips of cloth that appeared to have been torn from his own clothes.
The woman before him held a knife in one hand and steadily held a candle in the other, clearly harboring ill intentions.
"Where is this? What do you want?"
Blind Yang, having lived for most of his life, quickly calmed down and questioned this woman he had only met once before.
The one who had brought Blind Yang here was, of course, Jiang Ning.
This abandoned fishing boat was specifically chosen by Jiang Ning. After questioning him, it would be perfect for disposing of the body.
Jiang Ning didn't rush to answer Blind Yang's questions. Instead, she leisurely found a flat spot, tilted the candle to drip a few drops of wax onto it, and then placed the candle on top before it solidified to secure it in place.
Now that she had control of the conversation, she wasn't in a hurry. Blind Yang, however, would become anxious.
"Who exactly are you? Why have you brought me here?"
Seeing that Jiang Ning didn't answer, Blind Yang demanded harshly. His voice sounded firm, masking his own unease.
Jiang Ning didn't want to waste words. She raised the dagger and placed it on Blind Yang's shoulder wound. "Those questions I asked you during the day, you should still remember them, right? Answer them one by one yourself, don't force me to take action."
"What questions? I—Ah!"
Blind Yang still wanted to negotiate, but Jiang Ning's response was another cut to his wound.
The smell of blood spread in this small space. Blind Yang shook all over from the pain, breaking out in a cold sweat despite the chilly weather.
Blind Yang couldn't help but look at Jiang Ning's face. The woman's expression was completely blank, her eyes as cold as ice. Her entire being was as sharp as the knife in her hand.
Blind Yang clearly realized that in this situation, he had no right to negotiate with such a person.
"I'll talk," Blind Yang said through the pain, wisely deciding to reveal everything he knew.
"In early July this year, I went to the Capital City to sell some trinkets. Those things were dug up from other people's graves, not meant to see the light of day..."
"I found my elder brother Wei Fangxiong, who asked me to do something for him. It was to take that woman with severed hands and feet to sell. He said this woman was special, couldn't be sold near the Capital City, had to be sold far away, preferably to a village, and absolutely couldn't be allowed to die..."
"That woman was already on the verge of death. I brought her back from the Capital City, and to ensure she stayed alive, I even had my wife feed her ginseng soup for several days..."
"In August, I went to Lingshan Town on business. Lingshan Town is far from the Capital City, so I thought of taking her along. Later, I gambled with Zhao Instructor, lost, and used that woman as collateral, telling him to sell her..."
"That's all, I don't know anything else."
Blind Yang finished speaking and stole a glance at Jiang Ning's expression, hoping that now that this woman had gotten her answers, she would release him quickly.
Jiang Ning carefully analyzed the information in Blind Yang's words, and after a moment asked, "So you're saying you were just entrusted to sell a person, and know nothing about that woman's situation?"
Blind Yang quickly nodded and said "Yes."
"Tell me about Wei Fangxiong. Who is he, and how can I find him?" Jiang Ning commanded.
Blind Yang answered obediently, "He's like me, mainly makes a living selling people, occasionally dabbling in other shady businesses. His home is in the Late Winter Road area of the Capital City, quite well-known. If you go there and ask around, you'll know."
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Jiang Ning twirled the knife in her palm and held it to Blind Yang's throat.
"My lady, I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"
Blind Yang hastily replied. This woman might be beautiful, but she was terrifying. With two holes still bleeding in his shoulder, he didn't dare harbor any improper thoughts now. He just hoped she would show mercy and let him go home.
Jiang Ning carefully observed Blind Yang's expression for a while, and after confirming he wasn't lying, she withdrew the dagger.
Blind Yang thought the matter was over and his heart leapt with joy. He began to flatter her, "My lady, you see, I've told you everything you asked. It's so cold, please be merciful and let me go."
"Hehe..." Jiang Ning suddenly laughed softly. In this dim, dilapidated ship's cabin, it inexplicably made Blind Yang's heart crawl.
"Mr. Yang, do you know how a body changes after death?"
Jiang Ning asked a seemingly unrelated question, and Blind Yang's heart suddenly sank.
"You probably don't know, after all, it's modern forensic knowledge. So let me tell you," Jiang Ning continued, still smiling faintly, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. She went on, "First, within two hours after death, rigor mortis sets in. The body becomes stiff as a board, like wood."
"Then, within eight hours, lividity appears, looking like bruises as if the person had been beaten."
"Within one to two days after death, due to various enzymes in the body, the tissue cell structure is destroyed and dissolved. The body softens again, and internal decay begins."
"After that comes the putrid smell. The stomach swells up, and the whole body expands to two or three times its original size. In modern forensic terms, it's called the 'giant appearance'."
Blind Yang didn't understand what "modern" meant, or "forensics", or "medical examiner"... but he understood the word "corpse".
He just stared fixedly at Jiang Ning, deep fear welling up in his right eye.
"Mr. Yang seems frightened? I'm terribly sorry..." Jiang Ning lightly patted Blind Yang's face with the dagger. There was still uncongealed blood on the blade, which stuck to Blind Yang's ashen face, looking somewhat eerie.
Hearing these words, Blind Yang felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. Thinking her previous words were just a joke, he swallowed hard several times and forced a smile onto his face. "My lady, please don't tease me like that."
"Heh..." Jiang Ning glanced at him, knowing what he was thinking, and chuckled again.
"But actually, what I just said wasn't entirely accurate, because the changes in a corpse are influenced by the environment."
The dagger slowly moved downward, gradually coming to rest on Blind Yang's neck.
"For example, if you throw a body in the water, it will float up in at most four days during summer. But in the winter of Qushui City, it would take... two... whole... months!"
The cold blade pressed against his neck, and Blind Yang felt the presence of death close at hand. It was as if a hand without warmth had passed through his chest and gripped his heart. He gasped for air in large gulps, still feeling short of breath.
"Don't, don't, don't kill me! Please, please don't kill me... Whatever you want, I'll give it to you... Please, please..."
Blind Yang begged, trembling, but then he heard her laugh a few times, and then a voice like a ghost's whisper:
"Do you still think I'm beautiful now?"
Blind Yang wanted to answer, wanted to beg for mercy, but he would never have the chance to speak again.
The dagger sliced across his throat, and the strength rapidly drained from his body. He collapsed powerlessly into the ship's cabin.
In the last moment of his life, the sound of ocean waves echoed in his ears.
"Whoosh~"