CORPSE WHISPERER

Before long, Wang Dali came running back, panting heavily and holding a red umbrella. He handed it to me: "Yang'er, this is the one, right?"

"Exactly!" I turned to Forensic Examiner Qin. "Excuse me, could I borrow two pairs of rubber gloves?"

Forensic Examiner Qin, sitting on a small stool with a cigarette between his fingers, jerked his chin towards a case. "They're in the toolbox. Take whatever you need."

I took two pairs of rubber gloves, tossed one to Wang Dali, and put the other on myself. Wang Dali stared in shock: "Yang'er, what's this for?"

"To avoid leaving fingerprints on the body, obviously," I replied.

"No... you want me to lift the corpse?!"

"Well, if you don't help me, who will? Stop complaining and hurry up," I urged.

Wang Dali looked utterly miserable. "Don't drag me into this, alright?"

"I'll treat you to lunch. Deal?" I offered.

...

...

With a crowd of police officers watching, Wang Dali couldn't argue further. I instructed him to lift the upper body of the corpse. I took a pair of scissors from the toolbox and cut open the victim's sweatshirt. Forensic Examiner Qin shot me a glare but said nothing. The victim's tongue was protruding; trying to pull the sweatshirt over the head would have damaged it.

After cutting the sweatshirt, I unbuttoned the shirt underneath. The face of someone who died by hanging is horrific. Wang Dali kept his eyes tightly shut, too afraid to look. He risked a peek, then immediately squeezed them shut again. "Holy crap, Yang'er! Aren't you scared?"

"What's there to fear about the dead? Are you scared of tables?" I replied with a faint smile.

"But... he's dead," Wang Dali said, looking at me as if I were a monster.

To me, the dead truly weren't much different from tables. Back when Grandfather was training me in bone examination, he often took me to wander around graveyards, sometimes staying all night.

Since there were onlookers, we didn't need to remove the victim's trousers. I told Wang Dali, "Lift the body!"

Wang Dali took a deep breath and hefted the corpse.

I slowly opened the red umbrella. An herbal scent immediately filled the air. Officer Huang covered her nose and exclaimed, "Where did you buy that umbrella? It reeks!"

"My apologies!" I smiled slightly.

I'd bought this umbrella on a shopping trip once. Washing Away of Wrongs: The Original Manuscript mentioned the umbrella examination method. Ancient people long ago realized that ultraviolet light could reveal hidden injuries. Through continuous refinement by Song Ci, the great coroner of the Song Dynasty, different medicinal solutions were applied to the umbrella's surface. This 'autopsy umbrella' could then be used to detect different types of traces. I had crafted my own 'autopsy umbrella' precisely according to the methods described in the book.

I opened the umbrella and slowly rotated it under the sunlight. A deep red shadow fell across the corpse's chest. To the ordinary eye, it was just red, but to me, it was like a rainbow, composed of many fan-shaped areas of varying shades of crimson.

I observed the pale skin of the deceased. Wang Dali was struggling to hold the weight. "Yang'er, hurry up and start the examination! It's not hot today; you don't need to hold an umbrella for me."

"I am examining!" I said.

"What? What are you examining with that crappy umbrella?" Wang Dali was baffled.

"How is this crappy? Do you know how much of my living expenses I spent on herbs to prepare this umbrella? I wouldn't trade it for a girlfriend," I retorted.

"Well, you'd need to have one first!" Wang Dali shot back, his gaze drifting meaningfully towards the coldly beautiful Officer Huang.

Forensic Examiner Qin sneered, "Kid, what book did you get these bizarre, backwoods methods from? Thinking you can examine a corpse with a lousy umbrella? Why not just burn some incense and summon the victim's spirit to speak for himself?"

I ignored him, thinking: Go ahead and make sarcastic remarks while you still can. Soon, you won't be able to.

As the red umbrella rotated for the third time, a faint, half-formed palm print suddenly appeared on the victim's shoulder. Everyone present froze. Forensic Examiner Qin's jaw dropped; his cigarette butt tumbled from his lips unnoticed.

"Th-this... impossible!" Forensic Examiner Qin shot to his feet.

"Dali, turn the body over!" I commanded.

"Got it!"

Wang Dali, now invigorated, flipped the corpse over and propped it up on his shoulder.

I continued rotating the umbrella. Wherever the red light passed, it was like an infrared scan. Three palm prints appeared in sequence on the victim's back, even clearer than the one on the shoulder. These prints were small, seemingly left by a woman.

"Hold it!" Officer Huang snapped her fingers. "Officer Wang, fetch a camera!"

A policeman hurried over with a digital camera. Officer Huang instructed me to keep holding the umbrella and then photographed each palm print in turn.

Once all the prints were photographed, I told Wang Dali to lower the body.

Officer Huang examined the photos on the digital camera. "Strange, the patterns in these palm prints don't quite look like fingerprints?"

"Those aren't fingerprints, they're fabric textures. These handprints were left through clothing. At the moment of death, all the body's vital energy disperses instantly through the pores. If something blocks the skin at that precise moment, it leaves a 'Yin-Yang Imprint'! It won't appear unless revealed by special methods," I explained.

"Vital energy?" Officer Huang looked astonished.

"It sounds mystical, but it's not hard to grasp if you think about it," I said with a smile.

Officer Huang seemed to understand, nodding. "Alright then, you really do have some tricks up your sleeve. Where did you learn these strange theories? So, that means this case is homicide!"

"Definitely homicide!" I confirmed.

"Nonsense!" Forensic Examiner Qin suddenly stood up. His face was deathly pale. "This kid's performing conjuring tricks! In all my years as a forensic examiner, I've never heard of any red umbrella or 'Yin-Yang Imprint' examination. Where... where did you learn this?"

"Conjuring tricks? Show me one then," I retorted coldly, closing the umbrella.

"H-how dare you speak to me like that! Do you know who I am?" Forensic Examiner Qin's lips trembled with rage. I felt nothing but contempt. Cornered, he resorts to pulling rank. I wasn't buying it.

"I don't know who you are. I only know you were wrong. You called a homicide a suicide. Your mistake let a university student die in vain and allowed a murderer to walk free!"

"You little..." Forensic Examiner Qin lunged to snatch my umbrella. I turned, and he grabbed empty air. Humiliated and furious, he yelled, "Give me that freakish umbrella! You must be using some dark art, spreading alarmist nonsense here!"

"Oh, by the way," I smiled, "didn't you say earlier that if I found evidence, you'd not only hand the case over to me to investigate but also quit? Surely your memory isn't that bad, old man?"

"Yeah, I heard that too! A distinguished forensic examiner wouldn't go back on his word, would he?" Wang Dali chimed in.

Forensic Examiner Qin's eyes bulged. He looked around; his face flushed a deep purple. He stammered, "Th-that... that was just a joke! Not meant seriously! How was I to know you could actually find anything? If I'd known, I wouldn't have said it!"

"A joke?" I raised an eyebrow. "Old sir, if I hadn't found anything, you'd have had me arrested by now, wouldn't you?"

Forensic Examiner Qin was speechless. He turned to Officer Huang. "Xiaotao, you see? This kid is making a fool of me! Get this troublemaker out of here immediately!"

But Officer Huang shook her head. "Forensic Examiner Qin, you can't renege on your word like this. Everyone present heard the agreement between you two. Since you promised to let him investigate this case, you should honor your commitment."

I knew Officer Huang was mediating, conveniently glossing over the resignation part. I pretended not to notice. Fine, kicking a man when he's down isn't my style. I'll leave the old man some face.

Forensic Examiner Qin was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly declared, "Huang Xiaotao! So, you won't back me either? Fine! I won't investigate this case anymore. Let him handle it! If this kid can actually solve this case... I'll leave the Police Headquarters."

With that, he ripped off his lab coat, threw it on the ground, and stormed off.

I watched his retreating back with a cold laugh. Old sir, hasn't your face been stung enough?

Then, a slender, pale hand extended towards me. I looked up. It was Officer Huang.

"My name is Huang Xiaotao. You are..."

"Song Yang!"

I shook her hand. Huang Xiaotao's hand was soft and smooth. A faint, pleasant scent emanated from her. Having remained chaste for twenty-two years, I'd never had physical contact with a woman before, especially not a mature, captivating one like this. I felt a wave of shyness, and my cheeks suddenly burned.

"Well then, regarding this case, I'll be counting on your guidance," Huang Xiaotao said with a smile.

"Happy to help!" I replied.

Just then, a girl's wailing cry came from beyond the police tape: "It was a ghost! My boyfriend was killed by a ghost!"

The words struck the three of us simultaneously, freezing us in place.