Bone Painting Coroner BPC Chapter 85

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“If this Prince, I, want you to go back with me to the capital, will you be willing?”

“No.” She blurted out the word with a second of hesitation.

Jing Rong inquired, “Why?”

‘Why?’

Ji Yunshu’s expression immediately sank. She stirred up the campfire which caused the flames to burn more ardently.

After a long moment of silence, she squeezed out a few more words. “I can’t leave.”

Sometimes Jing Rong really couldn’t fathom what goes through her mind. A moment filled of silent thoughts settled between them, yet their thoughts remained difficult to decipher despite the constant pondering.

Her temper was simply too insipid causing people to be unable to connect with her mind! Jing Rong pondered, but in the end, he didn’t probe further.

During that time, her eyes were lowered while her mind fell in thoughts. The bamboo stick in her hand inadvertently caught on fire. The stick ignited and sparked like a firecracker, sending a flame spark onto the back of her hand.

“Ouch!” She let out a painful groan.

She immediately released the bamboo stick, letting it fall as she covered her hand to lower the painful burn.

The instant she groaned in pain, Jing Rong was already up on his feet. He abruptly tore away the curtain of clothes separating them and nervously walked to Ji Yunshu before crouching in front of her and pulled near him her burnt hand.

The damage of the flame spark could be seen by the several red dots covering the back of her hand.

Jing Rong carefully blowed on it while speaking. “Why are you so careless?”

Ji Yunshu froze in surprise for a moment before retracting her hand at once.

They were currently only dressed in their inner garments! Ji Yunshu, who was sat on the ground, got up with waste while wrapping an arm around herself and reached out for the cloth on the frame with her other hand and pulled one to her. Unfortunately for her, in her haste, the bead securing the hat holding her hair bun came loose, added to her abrupt movement, her hair came undone, unfurling slowly, spilling out her black long hair like a waterfall birthed from the high mountains. As a breeze blew in, her hair danced, brushing against her thin waist.

The sight was ephemeral as Ji Yunshu timely grabbed onto her clothes. By the time she tightly wrapped herself with it, her hair was messily scattered passed her shoulders. She glanced back and brushed away the hair sticking onto her delicate and rosy cheeks. Her current appearance let out an otherworldly impression causing Jing Rong to stare at her stupidly.

Jing Rong stood frozen as he stared at her while still holding in his hand the fallen bead that was securing her hat.

He wasn’t simply surprise, rather he gasped with amazement!

Many times he had imagined her appearance with unbound hair, but reality offered him a more wondrous sight than his fantasy could have created.

Often, he would imagine taking off her hat or fantasied how she would look, groomed in female clothing, standing in front of him. Yet, at this moment, her appearance was simply beautiful. No, extremely beautiful!

He had to admit that his heart was palpitating with excitement despite the lack of words he expressed.

His mood was a mix of feeling of awe and satisfaction which was perfectly concealed within him since he would like to avoid having his mind completely read by a certain woman with excellent observation skill!

Ji Yunshu shivered from the cold and wrapped her clothes more tightly around her. She glanced at him and faintly spoke. “This humble one lacked manners… I hope your Highness forgives me for my crime.”

“What crime?”

“The crime of duping you.”

“Duping me of what?”

“My… identity.”

“Ah, that?” He always asked tit-for-tat.

It caused Ji Yunshu to be at loss on how to reply.

Suddenly, Jing Rong stated, “Don’t fret over it. As for that crime, this Prince is willing to turn my eyes from it.” His tone was gentle while his mouth pursed into a smile.

Ji Yunshu didn’t speak a word and only lowered her head. Her black hair brushed against her cheeks, concealing part of her face with only the bridge of nose that could be seen.

Jing Rong took two small steps forward and gave back the hat’s bead to her.

Ji Yunshu reached out for it, but the bead was tightly held into his palm. “This bead… I still haven’t let go of it.”

“This is just a common hat’s bead, is there a need for your Highness to forcibly take it?”

“Common? I feel this bead is very precious.”

Ji Yunshu’s body stiffened. “…”

Jing Rong played a bit with the bead and sat on the ground. The corner of his mouth hooked up as he looked at the bead reflecting the flame color. “Teacher Ji… Ah no! It should be Miss Ji. I am very curious on the reason why you would crossdress and be in contact with a pile of corpses? Don’t the daughters of any family mostly stay cope in the bedroom and barely go out half a step? They would spend their time embroidering flowers and search for a good husband to marry when they come at age.”

He sum up quite well the usual matters of a woman.

Ji Yunshu simply replied, “I’m short on money.”

“Short on money?” Jing Rong was flabbergasted. He raised his head and took a good look at her. “The Ji family is prestigious and wealth home. How can they be short on money?”

As expected, her background information had already been thoroughly grasped by him!

“It appears that everything your Highness did the last time you visit my father – gifting me the Turniplike cowparsnip root and burning my father’s whip – was completely intentional.”

He rotated the bead with his fingers and smiled. “I didn’t need to lift much of a finger.”

That statement was quite underwhelming.

Jing Rong continued, “Miss Ji, you’re already dressed, so there’s no harm sitting down. This prince doesn’t like to look up at people.”

Once again, Ji Yunshu wrapped herself tightly before sitting down, keeping a two steps distance from Jing Rong.

“Are you very afraid of this prince?” He raised his sharp-like eyebrows.

“Not at all.”

“Then why are you sitting so far away?” Jing Rong was displeased with her action. He used his hand and patted a place next to him. “Come and sit here. It’s not like I’m naked. What are you afraid of? Besides, sitting so far away, how are you going to keep yourself warm through this endless night?”

Those words sounded quite wrong for some reasons, but Ji Yunshu couldn’t refute them. She grudgingly scooted over toward the fire.

“Since your Highness had already known my identity, why didn’t you expose it?” She spoke out the question that nagged her mind.

‘Oi, oi, oi! Are you playing with me?’

Her question cause Jing Rong’s handsome face to break into a rotten smile, stirring a thought-provoking feeling. In reply, he said, “Since you intended to hide it, why should I expose you?”

His reason caused Ji Yunshu to forget any intention to argument with him.

Jing Rong frowned and cast a sidelong glance at her before throwing back the question at her. “I’m truly curious. Aren’t the third miss of the Ji family? Why would you lack money? And why do you need to endure that old bastard whipping you?”

‘Old bastard?’ Ji Yunshu inwardly gave Jing Rong a thumb up.

She lowered her voice and replied, “Every family had their own problems. As someone from the imperial household, your Highness also have your own shares of bitterness. Let alone someone from a common family, a drop of oil, a grain of rice or even a small needle could be source of conflicts. Getting scold or getting beat, aren’t but usual things?”

Her words caused Jing Rong to become pensive. “You’re wasting your talent in this tiny little Jinjiang city.”

“I am unable to understand your Highness’ meaning.”

“You should know that the capital is big filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons, and the mighty army numbered in thousands. Within the capital, there’s the palace, outside the city walls. From the grand Emperor to the common guard overseeing the city gates, everyone followed the rules and laws strictly; efficient administration, bustling streets, with the occasional joyous wedding and dowry procession. Such place is where Miss Ji ought to stay.”

His speech was quite convincing. She never expected such eloquence coming from Jing Rong. Unfortunately… “A place for dragons and phoenixes is where dragons and phoenixes belong. I am but a tiny canary. A small city, a small county is where I could dwell peacefully.”

“Why?”

“Although the capital is big, dangers lurk everywhere. Despite a strict administration, justice is not beyond human emotion. A bustling place yet couldn’t compare to the idle tranquility of the small road of Jinjiang.”

Hearing her words, Jing Rong couldn’t help but exclaimed. “Such a glib tongue!” But he couldn’t deny that each of her sentences rang true! Jing Rong stirred the fire with a bamboo stick with a deep smile that had never left his mouth, letting the fire burned stronger.

Ji Yunshu wrapped her arms around her knees and walled herself behind silence. The conversation in the cold night had come to an end. Both people were now sitting side by side, each of them silent, lost in their own thoughts: one was apprehensive, the other pleasantly surprise. Each of their arguments had their own merits, none of them were wrong yet they weren’t all right.

As the long night slowly passed, Ji Yunshu had pulled her long hair into a bun and leaned on a pillar behind her. She squinted her eyes. ‘Jing Rong, your thoughts were wrong.’

Jing Rong observed Ji Yunshu. Under the orange and red light of the fire, her palm-sized face was comparable to the highest quality blood jade, unconsciously attracting people’s gaze. As for those closed eyes under those small eyelashes, always seemed to be filled with worry, and indifferent at times, only further made people’s heart itch!

With no other thoughts, Jing Rong took off his dried clothes from the frame and covered Ji Yunshu with it. As for him, he simply added more wood to the fire and rest nearer to the fire.

Throughout the night, the wind and rain whistled outside the temple.

When Ji Yunshu woke up the next day, the rain had already stopped. She discovered Jing Rong’s cloth covering her, but when she swept a glance at the place, he was nowhere in sight.

As she was puzzled by his disappearance, Jing Rong came in from outside. In his hands, he was holding several hot steamed buns.

“Awake?”

She nodded.

Jing Rong handed over a steamed bun. “Eat while it’s still hot.”

Ji Yunshu gave Jing Rong back his cloth and took a few steamed buns from his hands. Then, she observed him. She asked with a strange look. “Your Highness, you didn’t go out dress like this?”

At this moment, Jing Rong was only dressed in his inner garment. Although he had boots and wasn’t naked, it was still a bit inappropriate.

“Yeah. No one was looking anyway.” He also nodded and dressed himself in the meantime.

“No one was looking?” Ji Yunshu was puzzled. “Then, where did you get those steamed buns?”

“I just took them on the way.”

‘Shame on you! Stealing is stealing!’

Ji Yunshu gained a new level understanding of this deity!

Which eyes saw him steal? He clearly left money to pay for those steamed buns!

After eating a steamed bun, they cleaned up and left the temple to the pier.

Due to the calm water, many boats were docked at the pier. They picked a boat and quickly return to the city.

Jing Rong wasn’t reassured to leave her alone, so he wanted to accompany her back.

“No, I’m going to the yamen.”

“At this hour?” Jing Rong couldn’t understand why.

Ji Yunshu nodded before she walked in the direction of the yamen while explaining herself. “If nothing unexpected occurs, the yin yang corpse case will be solved today.”

“Did you come to a conclusion?” Jing Rong followed behind her.

“Wait until I’m done checking something and you will know. However…” She came to an halt and gave Jing Rong a serious look. “I need to ask your Highness to not expose my gender as to avoid unnecessary troubles.”

With a faint smile, Jing Rong stated, “As a matter of fact, this prince is used to you wearing male clothing.”

“…” With nothing to reply with, Ji Yunshu simply accelerate her pace.

Jing Rong laughed and followed suite

They had yet to reach the yamen’s entrance when Magistrate Liu saw them and was somewhat surprise.

Original and most updated translations are from volare. Please don’t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.

Chapter end