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"Snow jelly?" Chu Yuening's eyes lit up with interest.

The shopkeeper weighed the sago while retrieving some snow jelly from the store for Chu Yuening to examine.

"It is indeed, wild snow jelly is quite impressive with its pure white color."

Chu Yuening took it and examined it; it was indeed of good quality.

Snow jelly is derived from the sap of apple trees, similar to peach resin. Myanmar has a thousand-year history of consuming snow jelly, which was once exclusively served in the royal court. In later times, many women consumed it for beauty and skin care.

There were numerous delicious desserts made with snow jelly in later generations. Just by hearing its name, she could already envision several recipe ideas.

"I'll take some to try."

Chu Yuening decided to give it a go and develop a new product. If it didn't sell well, she could always enjoy it herself!

"Also, give me ten pounds each of peach resin, mung beans, and red beans."

After finishing her purchases, Chu Yuening pushed the cart out of the market. Not far away, she saw many military officers patrolling the streets, pulling out yellow tape. A hunched-over grandfather trembled with fear and was quickly assisted away by the officers.

Citizens and neighbors whispered in hushed tones.

"Terrible, another murder."

"I heard the body was dismembered and stuffed into colorful plastic bags, skinned as well."

"Skinned? Human skin? Where could it have gone?"

"Who knows, the killer must be insane."

Chu Yuening observed the billowing black aura in the alley as she pushed her cart past the idling police car.

With a slam, the car door shut loudly.

Four individuals leaped out, the lead man promptly flashing his police ID to the uniformed officer. With slender fingers, he lifted the crime scene tape, bending down to enter the area where death had occurred.

The other three male detectives exchanged glances before following suit.

"Inspector Lam," the man greeted the Chief Inspector in charge of securing the scene, "what's the situation here?"

"Inspector Zhou," Inspector Lin sighed in relief as the major case team arrived, leading them into the damp alley. "Who knows what kind of luck we had today. Just as we were about to finish our patrol shift, someone reported a crime."

"The garbage collector grandpa said he found a large chunk of bone first, assuming it was rotten meat discarded by a butcher from the market. He planned to take it home for his dog, but then he saw a whole head at the bottom."

As Inspector Lin spoke, he guided the man to the scene. The man's eyes were filled with wariness. He first surveyed the surroundings before focusing on the colorful plastic bag containing the body next to the damp and filthy trash can. He took out a pair of white gloves from his pocket and put them on. "Has the forensic team arrived?"

"They'll be here shortly," Inspector Lin informed, then handed over the scene to his CID colleagues.

Three detectives joined them, all donning gloves. Zhou Fengxu unzipped the bag, and upon seeing the chopped-up body inside, their expressions changed dramatically.

The entire corpse had been skinned, resembling a butchered pig with its layers of fat and flesh distinct.

Unable to hold back, Gan Yizu rushed to the end of the alley to vomit.

The seasoned veteran, Inspector Luo Qizhong, shook his head. "Tragic. Not a single piece of skin left on the body. Could this be another ghost murder?"

"A ghost murder?" Gan Yizu returned, wiping his mouth with a tissue, confused by the suggestion.

Shi Boren explained, "You were off the day before yesterday and didn't know. We took on a case where a person died from a coffin nail piercing their head. The deceased was holding the nail."

He demonstrated with his hands clasped together, one above the other, mimicking the action, "It went straight through the skull, and blood was flowing from all seven orifices. Initially, we thought it was a murder, but after investigating and hearing witness accounts, we confirmed it was a suicide."

Shi Boren then recounted Ye Tianliang's story about sealing the well with a coffin nail.

"The deceased pierced their deceased wife's skull with the coffin nail and later, in a fit of madness, took their own life. What else could that be if not a ghost committing murder?"

Zhou Fengxu interrupted, "How's the progress on checking the footprints by the well? You were tasked with that."

Shi Boren froze, his neck retracting slightly as he grumbled, "No surveillance, no witnesses, just a bunch of footprints by the well. How am I supposed to investigate that?"

"You do know about human footprints, don't you? If there are people, how can there be ghosts?" Zhou Fengxu stared at the body in the colored plastic bag, reminding Shi Boren, "Tell the forensics team to preserve the footprint evidence. They'll slip up sooner or later."

He never believed in ghosts committing murders.

Where there was a crime, there would be truth.

The coffin nail suicide case was too bizarre; he was determined to find clues and connect the dots.

The forensic specialist arrived with their case.

All chatter ceased.

The three crouching individuals rose in succession, commencing their investigation of the scene...

Chapter 8

Chu Yuening parked her food cart downstairs and just stepped inside her apartment, switching her shoes.

The bathroom door opened, and Chu Yi leaned out, her head bowed and hair tousled, toothbrush in mouth as she mumbled in Cantonese, "Sis, why are you back so late again?"

Chu Yuening jiggled her package of meat. "Guess what this is?"

A sharp scream echoed, followed by the sound of rushing water. The bathroom door swung open once more.

Chu Yi's pajama top, adorned with a cute dumpling design, was now drenched in front from the hurried water spray. Her almond-shaped eyes shimmered with excitement as she clasped her hands under her chin. "You really bought meat!"

"Ahh! I want stir-fried pork with chili!"

The Cantonese cuisine in Hong Kong was light and bland, but Chu Yi, being from Xiangcheng where spicy food was the norm, had never quite adapted to it.

"Waaaah... Sister, you're too kind. We can't even afford the rent, yet we're still having meat."

"Who said we can't afford the rent?" Chu Yuening passed the meat over with a playful tone. "Since you're so happy, you won't mind cooking it yourself, right?"

With teary eyes and a pouting mouth, Chu Yi whined, "Sister..."

"After all, working all day is tiring too," Chu Yuening pointed out. Without another word, Chu Yi immediately grabbed the ingredients and rushed into the kitchen, her nightgown fluttering like ripples in the air as she left behind a hurried promise.

"I'll be done in ten minutes."

The kitchen door closed, and soon, the sounds of utensils clattering against the wok could be heard inside.

Chu Yuening averted her gaze and placed the groceries on the Eight Immortals Table, an old, red-lacquered wooden table that had lost much of its paint. The moment the items were set down, the table's legs wobbled, and she nudged it closer to the wall. A soft thud echoed as the uneven wall shed dust.