Chapter 16 Crime Scene

"We've arrived," Zhang Zhiyuan said, "This should be the Yeni Temple."

"Make way, don't block the path!" Several people dressed in sackcloths quickly carried a stretcher up the stairs and through the hall.

As they passed by Zhang Zhiyuan, he subconsciously glanced and found the person lying on the stretcher was covered in bloodstains.

"What are they saying?" Joe James asked.

"They told us not to block the entrance," Zhou Zhi hesitated, "This place doesn't seem like somewhere meant for prayer, does it?"

"Let's go inside and talk," Zhang Zhiyuan led the way into the hall, with the others closely following. Although the architecture here was quite magnificent, with gray-white stone pillars seven to eight meters high supporting the entire dome, there were no guards on the road, and they almost encountered no obstacles on their way to the interior of the temple.

Inside, there were even more people, and the scene was more chaotic. Not only were there people running back and forth, but many were also sitting and lying down; along the wall by the window, there were many crude wooden beds, with many women in black veils weaving through them, and the air was filled with an odd, unpleasant odor.

"This is… a hospital?" Mingzi said in surprise.

"It seems so. In this era, there probably aren't any professional hospitals," Zhang Zhiyuan nodded, "These nuns, to attract followers, always engage in charitable activities, and saving lives is a good choice."

"No wonder," Zhou Zhi suddenly realized, "I remember there's a very famous nurse who was originally a nun…"

"Hey, what are you people here for? We're busy here; can you please not stand in the hall and be in the way?" Suddenly, someone interrupted them.

The group looked towards the source and saw a petite woman with her hands on her hips, questioning them. Her outfit was no different from the other nuns, except she had a red band tied around her arm, probably to distinguish her identity.

"Do you have accomplices being treated in the temple? If you're looking for someone, go to the front desk. This is not where you should be." Her tone carried obvious displeasure, unlike the shying passersby, she seemed to be oblivious to the weapons everyone carried behind their backs, with no trace of fear in her eyes.

"Sorry, we're not here to find someone but to ask some questions," Zhang Zhiyuan took the initiative to explain, "My name is Zhang Zhiyuan, may I know how to address you?"

"Zhang… Zhi… Yuan?" She awkwardly repeated, "Okay, strange name. My name is Jenny, like you, I don't have a surname." She seemed caught off guard by the politeness of the group, and her displeasure somewhat subsided.

"No… actually there is a surname, but never mind, that's not important." Zhang Zhiyuan coughed twice, "Miss Jenny, are you in charge here?"

"I don't manage the temple, I'm just responsible for taking care of the patients, but I'm pretty familiar with everything here, what do you want to ask?" She tilted her chin up as she spoke, clearly indicating that they should ask their questions quickly and leave.

"There was a vicious murder case here, right?" Zhang Zhiyuan led her to a corner of the hall and asked in a lowered voice, "About half a month ago…"

Jenny's expression suddenly turned very somber, "Why are you asking about this? The police have investigated several times already, and everything that could be said has been said—"

"And yet they've come up empty-handed, I know," he said, trying to keep his voice calm, "But just because the police failed doesn't mean we will. Some important people have hired us to re-investigate the case; maybe we will get some results."

"…But it has been so long already."

"Indeed, we can't rely on firsthand evidence any longer, but I have my methods," Zhang Zhiyuan insisted, "You just need to take us to the scene of the crime for a look."

Jenny was silent for a long while, and finally turned around, "Follow me."

...

Everyone followed the nun's steps to a side hall outside the main hall.

"This place was originally used to treat critically injured patients," Jenny pulled up her veil as she spoke and pushed open the wooden door, "but since that incident occurred, it has been cursed and now can only serve as a morgue."

An extremely unpleasant stench of decay wafted out from the room, causing everyone to cover their noses in unison.

"Damn, that stinks!" Joe James frowned, "You guys go ahead; I'll stand guard outside. I can't understand what she's saying anyway."

"I won't go in either," Mingzi said, brushing off her sleeves, "I'm allergic to foul smells."

"Fine, you all stay outside," Zhang Zhiyuan said impatiently, "I'll go in alone." After saying so, he entered the room and quickly surveyed the surroundings—the side hall wasn't large, at most it was about thirty square meters. High windows surrounded the space, the light of dusk slanted through and cast a dim "grid" on the floor.

With this light, he could see that the stone floor still bore numerous black marks, which were almost certainly the result of blood seeping into the ground.

"The crime occurred late at night, and no one knows how the murderer got in or how they managed to subdue so many patients," Jenny said intermittently, "The first to discover something was amiss was the early shift nurse, Vina. According to her description... the scene was too ghastly for words. Several people had been dismembered and reassembled, and the tainted blood had even clogged the door gaps..." At this point, she couldn't help but cover her mouth, a retching sound coming from her throat.

Clearly, for her, this was anything but a pleasant memory.

"You don't need to go on, I know all about it," Zhang Zhiyuan said as he pulled out a notebook and quickly sketched the room's arrangement. Although the sick beds had been replaced with morgue slabs, the overall layout of the room remained the same as it was half a month ago, and he had already confirmed the scene of the crime based on the position in the photos. After doing this, he then continued to ask, "By the way, what's this curse you mentioned earlier?"

"The Scarlet Curse." Jenny unconsciously showed a frightened expression, "The temple spent just two days cleaning this room inside out, but thereafter any patient that came here inexplicably died, their bodies covered in red sores before death. Not just the patients either; even we could be afflicted by the curse... In the end, the head of the temple had no choice but to order the side hall to be abandoned, and it turned into the state you see now."

"I see," Zhang Zhiyuan pondered, "This situation must have occurred in the main hall as well, right?"

"How did you know?" Jenny looked at him in surprise, "Indeed, it happened, but not as frequently as here."

"I have a friend, a medical... a scholar who has done extensive research on curses. As a way to repay you for your help, let me share a way to counteract the curse," Zhang Zhiyuan smiled, "Before seeing a patient, whether for treatment or care, wash your hands with boiling hot water. And those bandages, splints... anything that will touch a wound, boil them in water first. This way, the curse may be mitigated."

"What, boiling water? That's a curse!" Jenny had an incredulous, "What nonsense are you talking about?" expression, "And you've seen enough? You don't need more details?"

"Yes, it's sufficient," Zhang Zhiyuan walked toward the door, "Thank you again for your help, Miss Jenny. I suspect those murderers won't remain at large for much longer."

"So what did you find?" Joe James shrugged at him as they exited the side hall.

"Decisive clues." At this moment, Zhang Zhiyuan was brimming with confidence, "Let's head back to our cabin quickly. If I'm not mistaken, the murderer will likely take action soon."