"grandmother!"

Zhao Yinhu broke free from his mother's hand and ran to the white cloth spread on the ground.

He reached out to lift the white cloth so he could see his grandmother one last time.

"Quickly, stop him!" a middle-aged man from the clan urged.

Zhao Zhide swiftly grabbed Zhao Yinhu and lifted him up around the waist. Zhao Yinhu cried out and struggled, his voice shrill and mournful.

Logically, the elderly should be seen by their descendants one last time. However, Grandma Zhao died of an epidemic, and her final appearance was hardly kind. Putting aside the fact that it might frighten the children, there was also the fear of infecting them with her serious illness.

And so, Zhao Yinhu cried in Zhao Zhide's arms until his eyes were red and swollen, his nose was bright red, and even his voice became hoarse.

Looking at the small mound of earth, Lu Qiqi clenched her fists, deeply feeling the helplessness of not being able to save the patient in her hands.

As Grandma Zhao was laid to rest and witnessed her filial son kowtowing, the villagers gradually dispersed.

As night fell, everyone went to bed early.

Holding a small candle flame, Lu Qiqi pushed open the door to Li Changlong and Zhou Yi's room.

...

As night fell, Lu Qiqi, along with Li Changlong and Zhou Yi, returned once again to the burial site of the deceased villager.

This time, each of them carried a hoe. Lu Qiqi pointed to one of the mounds of earth and said, "This is it."

A cool breeze blew into Li Changlong's neck, making his heart tremble along with his body.

He didn't come during the day, and now that he's doing something dishonorable at night, he doesn't even dare to light an oil lamp.

Only by the moonlight could he see the densely packed mounds of earth, and Li Changlong felt like his scalp was about to explode.

Li Changlong steadied himself and tried to keep his voice at a normal level. He said, "Qiqi, are we really going to do this? This is a very immoral thing to do, and I'm afraid it won't end well."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi's veins throbbed violently. If it were daytime, you would definitely see Lu Qiqi's face covered in black lines.

But now it's so dark that you can't even see faces clearly, let alone black lines.

Lu Qiqi took a deep breath and said, "I'll take responsibility for anything that happens. Let's dig."

Li Changlong had tried to persuade Lu Qiqi all the way, but to no avail. He could only do as Lu Qiqi said.

The three of them then began digging at the mound of earth.

After a frantic digging, they finally uncovered a corner of Lu Qiqi's target.

Lu Qiqi stopped hoeing, stood the wooden pole upright, and leaned half of her body on it to catch her breath.

Looking up, the small mound ends at a towering, dense forest.

Suddenly, several shadows flashed by in the distance.

"Who!" Lu Qiqi shouted sharply.

Li Changlong's heart skipped a beat when Lu Qiqi called his name. He then patted his chest forcefully and asked, "What did you see?"

Zhou Yi stopped hoeing and looked at Lu Qiqi. "Is someone there?"

Lu Qiqi said frankly, "I just saw a few shadows, but I don't know what they were. It was too dark to see clearly."

The main problem was that by the time she called out, the shadow had already disappeared. It was dusk, and the shadow was far away, so it was really difficult to chase after it to find out what was going on. Now, she could only give up.

Li Changlong said, "It might be the wild animal the villagers are talking about; this has happened more than once before."

Lu Qiqi had also heard about wild animals. She said, "We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's dig it out quickly and leave as soon as possible."

Li Changlong was startled and wanted to leave even more quickly, so he swung his hoe even more nimbly.

After digging out the items and filling the pit, Lu Qiqi picked up three hoes, while Li Changlong and Zhou Yi carried the items and left together.

Lu Qiqi had to keep her actions secret, but fortunately she knew of a place in the village where no one would go, day or night.

Those were the two rooms where the coffins were kept.

The villagers avoided the things stored in those two houses, as if they believed that staying away from them would allow them to live well.

This just happened to be convenient for Lu Qiqi.

Lu Qiqi reached out and pushed the door open, and with a creak, the door opened.

Lu Qiqi put down the hoe on her shoulder, took out a tinderbox, lit the oil lamp she had prepared earlier, and said, "Hurry up and bring it in."

When the lights came on, the dark coffin inside was chilling, but there was nothing that could be done; given the circumstances, there was simply no better place to be found.

Li Changlong and Zhou Yi carried it inside, and Lu Qiqi closed the door.

“Take it to the inner room so it’s easier to light the oil lamp,” Lu Qiqi said again.

Lu Qiqi walked ahead, providing light for Li Changlong and Zhou Yi. After passing the main room and crossing a threshold, there were two rooms on either side.

“This way,” Lu Qiqi randomly selected a room, and Li Changlong and Zhou Yi carried it in.

There was a bed in the room, which must have been used by the carpenter to rest. There was nothing on it except a tattered straw mat, which made it easier for Lu Qiqi to carry out her next steps.

Li Changlong and Zhou Yi worked together to place a white object on the bed, and Lu Qiqi placed six oil lamps on the bed for lighting.

When Lu Qiqi lifted the white sheet, who else could be lying on the bed but Grandma Zhao!

What are you doing here?

The sudden, sharp shout startled Lu Qiqi, let alone Li Changlong, who was already flustered.

Fortunately, Zhou Yi reacted first and covered Li Changlong's mouth, preventing him from shouting out loud.

Lu Qiqi quickly covered Grandma Zhao's face. She turned around and, in the light of the oil lamp, could see a person with a serious face, dressed in a black robe.

It is Dr. Luo.

Lu Qiqi asked, "Doctor Luo, what brings you here so late instead of resting?"

After they entered the house, they did not hear the door open. After all, the door had been in disrepair for many years, and it would make a creaking sound whether it was opening or closing.

So, Dr. Luo must have entered the house much earlier than they did.

Dr. Luo's gaze lingered on Lu Qiqi's face for less than three seconds before shifting to the bed.

Lu Qiqi shifted her feet, trying to block Doctor Luo's view, but it had no effect.

Therefore, Lu Qiqi had no choice but to give up and try to persuade Doctor Luo to join the group.

She said, "This body only died today, which is the best time for an autopsy."

Although this is somewhat unorthodox, if it can help figure out the cause of the illness and save the villagers of Tianxin Village, it would be a beneficial thing!

"Dr. Luo, you are also a doctor who saves lives. Doctors have a benevolent heart. I would not have thought of this method unless it was absolutely necessary. I hope you will keep this a secret, Dr. Luo."

Doctor Luo remained silent, scrutinizing Lu Qiqi with his gaze.

Lu Qiqi saw that even after explaining the pros and cons, Doctor Luo remained unmoved.

She longed to recount how respected cadavers were in that other world.

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Qiqi heard Doctor Luo coldly snort, "pedantic."

"It's just an autopsy. How do you think coroners become so skilled? Do you expect them to have murders every day?"

Lu Qiqi blinked. Did this mean they wouldn't stop her?