Chapter 134: The Fragrant Corpse

The cabinet opened, releasing a wave of fragrance that was utterly intoxicating.

The compass in my hand suddenly stopped spinning.

Contrary to my earlier guess, what was hiding inside the red cabinet wasn’t an eye—but a person. To be precise, it was a dead body.

Yet, I could still feel its eyes staring at me, wide open.

The flashlight in Jade Corpse’s hand first illuminated the person’s hands—long, slender fingers, like those of a woman.

Then it moved to the chest, and finally, I confirmed it was indeed a woman. When the light landed on her face, I caught a glimpse of her silhouette. Her features… I had seen them before in a photograph. Strange spices had been used to preserve the moisture in her body.

There was no mistake. It was Guo Furong.

Zhou Liangliang’s girlfriend. Before he left, he had given me a photo of her. And Zhou Liangliang had told me that Guo Furong had gone mad and later died.

So why was her body here?

Behind Guo Furong, at the back of the cabinet, was a scroll painting depicting a classical beauty with a high bun, her smooth back exposed as she turned her head to look behind her.

An eye was embroidered on her arm.

At the sight of Guo Furong’s body, I took two steps back. Then, when I got a clear look at the painting on the scroll, I retreated another two steps until my back hit the opposite wall, my heart pounding uncontrollably.

A suffocating sensation surged through me. I pulled out my phone, intending to call Zhou Liangliang—and Shen Yihu. I needed to report this. I needed the truth.

But the call still wouldn’t go through. Outside, the rain grew heavier.

Sweat dripped down my face.

Something felt off. Guo Furong’s face seemed familiar—especially her cheeks and cheekbones. I had definitely seen them somewhere before.

Little Rascal sensed my confusion. *”Woof… woof… woof!”*

*Guo Qiqi!*

The two women looked strikingly similar. And most importantly, they both shared the surname Guo.

A continuous stream of fragrance wafted from the cabinet—rich, mellow, and not at all unpleasant. For a moment, it was almost soothing.

But the situation was bizarre. The faint scent lingering in the air… Could this be a “fragrant corpse”?

In 2001, in Dangshan, Anhui, a well-preserved female corpse from the Qing Dynasty was discovered. When unearthed, her face was still rosy, her skin elastic, dressed in lavish official robes, with two sword wounds on her neck. The discovery caused a sensation.

Various legends emerged—was she the Fragrant Concubine of Emperor Qianlong? The murdered wife of a frontier general? A woman the emperor had once admired during his travels south of the Yangtze?

Her body still emitted a fragrance.

Thus, she became known as the “Fragrant Corpse.”

Now, Guo Furong had appeared behind the sealed door of Room 302, alongside seven human skulls, the red cabinet, and black tape.

The mysteries only deepened.

For now, I sensed no sign of the eye. Covering my mouth with my sleeve, I stepped forward and carefully shifted Guo Furong aside, then took down the scroll from the cabinet to examine it closely.

I knew nothing about art or traditional Chinese painting, but even I could tell—this was a masterpiece.

The woman in the painting had her head tilted slightly, resting on her shoulder, her jade-smooth back exposed. The way she looked back over her shoulder made her all the more alluring.

After staring at it for two minutes, I felt an uncontrollable urge—to pull her into my arms, to lose myself in her gaze, even if it meant my ruin.

With great effort, I snapped out of it and rolled up the scroll. The moment I did, I felt an immediate sense of relief, as though the eye had finally vanished.

When I turned back to the red cabinet, I noticed two black rings protruding from the base—right where Guo Furong had been standing.

I reached out and touched the space between the rings. A chilling sensation shot up my fingers, straight to my brain.

*Black iron rods.*

They must have been hidden under Guo Furong’s feet this whole time.

Using a knife, I pried open the floorboards beneath and saw that the rods extended downward. My blade accidentally scraped against one, producing an eerie metallic sound.

Then, my arm brushed against Guo Furong.

The standing corpse lurched forward, toppling toward me.

I caught her just in time and propped her back against the cabinet. My heart raced—what if she suddenly reanimated and bit me?

After all, how does one deal with a fragrant corpse? Even my master’s records had no mention of it. I quickly pulled out a talisman and stuck it on her forehead.

Grabbing a hammer, I went downstairs to investigate. Following the iron rods, I traced their path to a pillar in a second-floor room. After a couple of knocks with the hammer, I discovered something astonishing—the rods extended even further, down to the first floor.

There, I found where they led—but with a slight variation.

The black iron rods connected to a white sandalwood pole, centuries old.

The wooden pole ran straight into the ground. Using the hammer, I broke through the concrete floor and saw that it continued deep into the earth.

But I couldn’t dig further with just a hammer. I needed proper tools.

Rushing back to Room 302, I repositioned Guo Furong and collected the seven skulls. Then, I carried all three unconscious gardeners downstairs and slapped their faces lightly.

One of them groaned awake.

“Call the police. Now,” I said firmly. “Tell them there are seven—no, eight bodies here. Send as many officers as possible. And bring dogs.”

Without hesitation, the gardener pulled out his phone. This time, the call went through.

I checked my three watches—all showed 6:00 PM. It felt like only half an hour had passed, but time had flown.

Sitting with the gardeners, I called Shen Yihu.

“Old Shen, get here now. It’s bad. Really bad. You heard the report—I’m freaking out.”

After a moment of silence, Shen Yihu cursed. “You idiot, getting involved in this mess again. Stay put. I’m on my way.”

Seven skulls and a female corpse—this was a major case. The city bureau dispatched a team immediately. Shen Yihu arrived first, followed by Chen Tutu, who looked slightly better after a day’s rest.

A crowd gathered downstairs. I pulled Shen Yihu and Chen Tutu aside.

“Just the three of us for now. Too many people will make things worse. I don’t even know what’s happening anymore.”

Chen Tutu, though still pale, seemed more composed.

Inside, I first showed them the female corpse and the seven skulls in Room 302.

Chen Tutu squinted. “What the hell is this?”

“Take the skulls downstairs first. My cousin will help.” I signaled to Xie Xiaoyu, who obediently carried the bag of skulls out.

Outside, the police had already set up a perimeter. The sight of the skulls made even the seasoned officers uneasy. Two rookies were questioning the gardeners.

Next, I led Shen Yihu to the first and second floors, finally stopping at the hole I’d made in the ground.

When Chen Tutu and Xie Xiaoyu rejoined us, I called them over.

“Something strange down there?” Shen Yihu frowned.

“Definitely,” I confirmed. “But I didn’t dare dig further. If the whole building collapses, we’ll be buried alive.”

Shen Yihu paced back and forth before deciding, “Let’s check the female corpse first. Maybe there are clues.”

Back in Room 302, I finally told him, “Her name is Guo Furong. She’s been dead for years.”

Both Shen Yihu and Chen Tutu were stunned. A woman with skin like a living person, emitting fragrance—yet dead for years? If they hadn’t known me, they’d never have believed it.

Shen Yihu, ever the detective, asked, “How do you know her name? And who’s the homeless man living here?”

“I came here before for another case. Found it creepy, so I posted photos online. A guy named Zhou Liangliang contacted me, said he and his girlfriend came here at night for ‘adventure.’ Later, she went mad and died. Here’s the photo.” I handed it over. “The homeless guy is a petitioner—rough-looking, fearless, with a Xiangyang accent. Probably still nearby.”

Shen Yihu took notes as I briefed him.

But we hesitated over what to do with the corpse. Eventually, we decided to place her in a coffin temporarily, leaving her in Room 302 while taking hair samples for DNA analysis.

By then, it was almost time for Ye Wenxin’s gathering.

I dragged Shen Yihu out of the building. A perimeter was set up a hundred meters away, with the official explanation being a hostage rescue drill. Since it was an abandoned campus, few onlookers gathered.

Meanwhile, we launched a discreet search for Zhou Liangliang and the homeless man, while digging deeper into the building’s history.

Then came the debate over how to proceed.

Shen Yihu wanted to excavate the first-floor ground immediately. I still thought it was too risky—the safest approach was to demolish the entire building first, then dig.

He argued that if Room 302 was a crime scene, the building couldn’t be torn down until the case was solved. But with skulls involved, identification would take time.

He had a point.

“Let’s wait for the lab results before deciding,” I conceded, sensing the deadlock.

Just then, I faintly heard the melody of *”Tian Mi Mi”* drifting through the air.

Leaving Shen Yihu downstairs, I headed up to investigate.