Chapter 283: The Terrifying Traditional Healer

Chapter 283: The Terrifying Traditional Healer

Forensic Department, Autopsy Room.

Xiao Yu watched calmly at nine metal trays, his gaze fixed on each body part that sent chills down his spine.

A skull, a pair of hands, a pair of arms, a pair of calves, and a pair of thighs.

They were all neatly arranged inside the trays.

Especially disturbing was the eerie smile on the skull.

That expression was at once excited, happy, delighted, and refreshed… abstract yet elusive.

Xiao Yu’s heart was icy, and his body felt even colder.

Nearby, He Li was extracting blood from a female corpse using autopsy tools.

Then she opened the chest and abdomen to remove chunks of internal organs for testing.

As Bincheng’s undisputed chief female forensic pathologist with nearly twenty years of experience, He Li was remarkably sharp and knew corpses inside out—far beyond the average pathologist who spends a lifetime on mechanical autopsies and half-hearted reports.

Her experience and expertise had always been her pride.

But just now…

She had been embarrassingly proven wrong by Xiao Yu, the so-called little brother.

The murder method was identical.

The dismemberment was identical.

The reassembly of body parts was identical.

But there was one element the killer could never replicate.

Pain insensitivity—a condition so rare that fewer than forty cases exist worldwide!

As mentioned earlier, this condition is as incurable as cancer.

Patients are born or become devoid of pain sensation.

Even when grievously injured,

if they wish,

they can have their body dismembered right before their eyes

and still feel not the slightest bit of pain!

Fortunately,

fewer than forty people in the world suffer from it.

Could it be a mere coincidence that Bincheng now has two pain-insensitive patients?

Previously, based on Xiao Yu and He Li’s deductions during an autopsy,

the victim, Jiang Xiuran, was identified as a pain-insensitive individual.

No traces of drugs were found in the body.

Only someone like that could preserve such an eerie smile after death.

Otherwise, who could withstand such a gruesome dismemberment

and still manage to smile?

Yet the deceased female victim had done just that.

It was as if her manner of death had been copied.

Her post-mortem expression mimicked exactly the uncanny smile of victim Jiang Xiuran.

Could the female victim also have been pain-insensitive?

Impossible!

If not, then what could it be?

“Yangjin Hua!”

Twenty minutes later, He Li responded steadily, “The perpetrator is… a terrifying traditional healer!”

Xiao Yu’s expression turned cold.

What is Yangjin Hua?

If that name sounds unfamiliar, then what about Mandala?

In ancient times, it was a primary ingredient in certain prescriptions.

Hua Tuo’s… Ma Fei San.

Bian Que’s… Shui Sheng San.

Pu Ji’s… Cao Wu San.

In short, it was an anesthetic!

Anesthetic is anesthetic—why all the fuss?

Rest assured, traditional Chinese anesthetics differ from their Western counterparts.

That’s exactly why He Li described the culprit as… a terrifying traditional healer!

But why ‘terrifying’?

Simply put…

Ninety-nine percent of traditional healers don’t know the proper formulas for Chinese anesthetics.

Even if someone knows the recipe, they’d never precisely concoct a near-perfect batch.

Today’s Western medical anesthetics are widespread—efficient, convenient, and simple.

Meanwhile, traditional Chinese anesthetics have practically fallen out of use, with few learning the art.

Even if someone did master the technique,

what makes it terrifying?

Now, you tell me.

Western anesthetics are globally available—efficient and easy to administer.

Yet traditional Chinese anesthetics are obsolete, labor-intensive, and risky to use.

So then…

with such effective Western alternatives available,

why insist on using traditional methods?

Come on, tell me—what are you planning?

Isn’t the answer obvious now?

Crime!

Anyone who masters traditional Chinese anesthetics is essentially a traditional healer.

Wouldn’t a criminal traditional healer be terrifying?

Using anesthetics to completely numb a victim’s body?

Only then could dismemberment occur without inflicting pain.

No… Xiao Yu shook his head.

From the victim’s facial expressions, it was evident.

Before death, the female victim appeared mentally and physically at ease—content, excited, even elated.

This suggested that she was fully conscious during the attack.

Only then could such an expression persist after death.

“I found one more thing,”

He Li said with a complex expression, pointing to the lower half of the corpse. “It appears she was dismembered while engaged in sexual activity—the body bears clear marks, yet there are no traces left by the killer.”

Xiao Yu: (ー`′ー)

His expression was conflicted.

“Big sister, why are you telling me all this?”

How could He Li, a seasoned forensic pathologist in her forties, not care about such details?

Shaking off stray thoughts, Xiao Yu frowned.

It was revolting—dismembering someone’s body during unspeakable acts. Murder?

Would a normal person even be capable of this?

Such twisted psychology is among the most depraved, even within perverse circles!

Having confirmed the killer’s modus operandi, Xiao Yu left the Forensic Department.

He headed straight for… Yunwei Psychological Counseling.

“Copying their own crime scene?”

Sitting in the police car’s front seat, Xiao Yu analyzed and pondered.

Two murder-and-abandonment cases—identical methods, identical death patterns.

Both disposal sites were strategically chosen to be far from the Tianyan Surveillance Camera’s view.

No clues or traces were left behind at either scene.

Perfect dismemberment, perfect murder, perfect disposal.

In the end, a perfect showcase of their… masterpiece?

Do they really expect everyone to admire their work?

The police car came to a stop.

Xiao Yu and Guo Qiang walked into the office building, arriving at Yunwei Psychological Counseling.

At the reception, they encountered the intern doctor, Jiang Xin.

“Hello… oh, it’s you,”

Jiang Xin instantly recognized Xiao Yu and nodded with a smile.

“Yeah, it’s you.”

A peculiar glint flashed in Xiao Yu’s eyes as he returned the smile and asked deliberately, “By the way, where’s your receptionist? Why are you here today?”

“Oh, she took leave the day before you left,”

Jiang Xin explained with a smile, “She said she’s visiting her hometown and won’t be back for a week.”

Taking leave… Xiao Yu frowned and, almost instinctively, asked, “By the way, is Dr. Liu at your clinic?”

“Dr. Liu?”

Jiang Xin shook her head, “He also left for another city the day before—he won’t return for three days.”

A cold glint flashed in Xiao Yu’s eyes.

What a coincidence!