Ran Yan lit some Atractylodes and Gleditsia sinensis in front of the coffin, and then put on gloves, carefully examining the skeletal remains inside the coffin. The corpse had been buried for some time; information and trace evidence around the body would gradually disappear with the influence of the environment, vegetation, and weather. Furthermore, the skeletal remains had been moved, destroying their initial condition, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the examination.
Based on everything presented by the skeleton, Ran Yan deduced that this was a woman between twenty-four and thirty years of age. The pelvis bore obvious childbirth scars, and the bones had a pervasive blackish hue, which was quite startling to behold. In such a case, one should suspect that the deceased had died of poisoning. As for what poison, Ran Yan's first thought was arsenic.
