“Ahh!” But just then, Wang Feifei suddenly let out a shriek, staggering backward a few steps until she fell onto the ground, her face turning deathly pale as she pointed speechlessly at the coffin lid: “Hand… hand…”
“Huh?” Liu Dashao turned his head, quite surprised. Although he had been focused on the ceiling just now, he hadn’t heard any sound coming from the coffin. Why was this girl reacting so dramatically?
“Feifei, what’s wrong with you?”
“Hand… hand…” Wang Feifei’s chest heaved rapidly as she gasped for breath, her face flushed red.
“Hand?” Liu Dashao frowned. “What hand?”
“Just now, when you guys lifted it, I saw it clearly—suddenly, from inside the coffin, a hand reached out and rested beneath the lid,” Wang Feifei stuttered.
Following her gaze, Liu Dashao looked cautiously several times, but unfortunately found nothing.
“Debiao, did you see anything just now?” Liu Dashao decided to ask Fan Debiao. Though the fat guy was somewhat odd, he occasionally proved quite observant.
“No!” Fan Debiao blinked.
Meanwhile, Old Diao had already cut through the nylon rope and pushed the outer coffin lid aside. Though still partially covering the coffin, it could now be slid down along the groove to fully open it.
“What happened?” Old Diao dusted off his hands and approached, his expression dark and uncertain. He had clearly heard Wang Feifei’s scream, vividly imprinted in his mind.
Liu Dashao withdrew his hand from around Wang Feifei’s waist, equally puzzled: “She seems frightened. She claimed to have seen a hand sticking out and then retracting.”
“From inside the coffin?” Diao’s eyes narrowed.
“More or less,” Liu Dashao nodded.
“That shouldn’t be. This is only the outer coffin; there’s another inner coffin inside,” Diao murmured thoughtfully.
“Maybe you were mistaken, Feifei?” Liu Dashao patted Shen Feifei’s hand gently.
“No… I really saw it. A hand, so white, but then it suddenly vanished,” Wang Feifei said fearfully.
“Now that’s strange,” Diao muttered, stroking his beard.
“Man, could it be another one of those ‘zongzi’ like back at Bodhisattva Mountain, and even a king of zongzi?” Fan Debiao suddenly recalled something.
“Cut it out with your zongzi nonsense. If you want zongzi, wait for the Dragon Boat Festival. Don’t say such ominous things,” Liu Dashao scolded him.
“Quiet everyone, better be cautious. Young Master, Niren Zhang, Fan Debiao—you come with me to check what’s hidden inside the coffin. Zhong Kui, you and the others stay here on standby. Stay alert and get your gear ready,” Old Diao said calmly.
“Got it, old master!” Zhong Kui saluted with a fist and stepped aside to issue orders. Many of them even prepared firearms; at the very least, they carried Luoyang spades and eyebrow-blade knives. Several members even brought out lassos, ready to trap any ‘zongzi’ that might emerge. In such a confined space filled with people, failing to act first would definitely result in casualties.
Gently pushing the coffin lid, Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao slowly moved away. Looking back, Liu saw Old Diao standing beside the coffin, his eyes fixed inside without blinking. Meanwhile, Niren Zhang maintained his usual expressionless, zombie-like face, one hand always kept behind his back, gripping something unknown. Yet in the eerie silence of the burial chamber, Liu Dashao clearly noticed Fan Debiao’s breathing quickening. Standing up, he glanced inside—and was immediately stunned. Indeed, anyone looking inside would be equally shocked. Yes, water—the entire inner coffin was filled with water.
“Ah!” At that moment, Wang Feifei suddenly screamed, retreating several steps before sitting on the ground, her face pale with fear. She pointed at the coffin lid, stammering, “Hand… hand…”
“Hmm?” Liu Dashao turned his head, somewhat surprised. Although he had been focusing on the ceiling, he hadn’t heard any movement from the coffin. Why was the girl reacting so strongly?
“Feifei, what’s wrong with you?”
“Hand… hand…” Wang Feifei’s chest heaved as she gasped for breath, her face flushed red.
“Hand?” Liu Dashao frowned. “What hand?”
“Under the coffin lid, I just… I just saw it. When you lifted it, a hand suddenly reached out from the coffin and rested under the lid,” Wang Feifei stammered.
Following her direction, Liu Dashao cautiously looked several times, but found nothing.
“Debiao, did you see anything just now?” Liu Dashao decided to ask Fan Debiao. Although the guy was a bit of a character, he could be quite attentive at times.
“Nope!” Fan Debiao blinked.
Over there, Uncle Diao had already cut the nylon rope and pushed the outer coffin lid aside. Although it was still covering the coffin, it could be slid down the groove to open it.
“What happened?” Uncle Diao walked over, dusting off his hands, his expression uncertain. He had clearly heard Wang Feifei’s scream.
Liu Dashao withdrew his arm from around Wang Feifei’s waist, equally puzzled. “She seems to have been frightened, saying she saw a hand reach out and then retract.”
“From the coffin?” Uncle Diao’s eyes narrowed.
“Pretty much,” Liu Dashao nodded.
“That shouldn’t be. This is just the outer coffin; there’s still an inner one inside,” Uncle Diao murmured thoughtfully.
“Could you have been mistaken, Feifei?” Liu Dashao patted Wang Feifei’s hand, comforting her.
“No… I really saw it. There was a hand, so pale, but then it suddenly disappeared,” Wang Feifei said, still shaken.
“That’s strange,” Uncle Diao stroked his beard.
“Holy cow, could it be another ‘zongzi’ like the one at Bodhisattva Mountain, and maybe even a ‘zongzi king’?” Fan Debiao suddenly remembered something.
“Enough with the ‘zongzi’ talk. If you want ‘zongzi’, go eat them during the Dragon Boat Festival. Stop bringing bad luck,” Liu Dashao scolded him.
“Quiet, everyone. Be cautious. Dashao, Clayman Zhang, Fan Debiao, come with me to see what’s really inside the coffin. Zhong Kui, you and the others stay here, stay alert, and keep your weapons ready,” Uncle Diao said calmly.
“Got it, old man!” Zhong Kui saluted and stepped aside, giving orders. Many prepared guns, and at the very least, they held Luoyang shovels or sharp knives. A few even brought out lassos, ready to trap any ‘zongzi’ that might appear, given the confined space and the number of people. It was better to act first to avoid casualties.
Gently pushing the coffin lid, Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao slowly stepped back. Turning around, they saw Uncle Diao standing by the coffin, his gaze fixed inside, motionless. Clayman Zhang, with his expressionless zombie face, kept one hand behind his back, holding something unknown. In the silent tomb, Liu Dashao clearly noticed Fan Debiao’s rapid breathing. He stood up and looked inside the coffin, instantly stunned. The sight inside the coffin would leave anyone dumbfounded. Indeed, the entire inner coffin was filled with water.
Of course, this wasn’t the murky water that accumulates from long-term rainwater seepage in a damp burial site. Instead, it was a translucent, pale purple liquid. At first glance, it looked smooth and silky, almost like a newly launched shower gel from some company. If touched, it would likely feel sticky. But the surprise was just beginning, because the tomb’s owner was actually floating in this liquid, gently rising and falling with the slight movements, emitting a faint fragrance. The scent wasn’t as fresh as jasmine but more like the natural fragrance of a woman, which, when inhaled, seemed to wash away all fatigue. Besides the scent, what shocked Liu Dashao even more was the corpse. Unlike a mummy, it wasn’t repulsive. Instead, it was dressed in a robe made of a material that was neither gauze nor silk, resembling a Taoist robe. The fabric was incredibly thin, almost like cicada wings, allowing a glimpse of the tomb owner’s delicate skin and even some intimate parts. Although the corpse wore a silver-white mask, the graceful figure and snow-white skin suggested that the tomb owner was indeed a woman, a woman of unparalleled beauty, likely no older than thirty. Seeing such a well-preserved corpse, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but feel that this woman wasn’t dead but rather a sleeping beauty, waiting for her prince’s kiss to awaken her. Of course, that “prince” certainly wasn’t him, and it definitely wasn’t the chubby Fan Debiao either.
Fan Debiao, half-leaning on the coffin lid, nervously looked around, fearing that a ‘zongzi’ might jump out and devour him. Seeing Liu Dashao standing still, seemingly in a daze, he widened his eyes. “Dashao, what’s wrong?”
“Dashao, are you okay? Did the ‘zongzi’ scare you silly?”
“Damn, is he really out of it? Uncle Diao, your nephew’s lost it.”
Liu Dashao ignored Fan Debiao until he asked for the third time, then shook his head and sighed deeply. “I never thought… I never thought there could be such a perfect woman in the world.”
“Holy crap, he’s not scared, he’s in love?!” Fan Debiao’s curiosity got the better of him, and he tossed the coffin lid to Clayman Zhang, leaning over to take a look.
He immediately let out a gasp, nearly falling into the coffin.
“This… this is too freaky! Is this even a corpse?” Fan Debiao paused for a moment, then stuck out his tongue in disbelief, still unable to accept what he was seeing.
“It’s not the tomb owner who’s freaky; it’s the people who buried her,” Uncle Diao, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up.
“This tomb must be at least hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. Over such a long time, humidity, temperature, heat, weathering, and natural decay should have turned any well-preserved corpse to dust. Yet, this corpse remains intact, and it’s been submerged in water all this time. How could her skin not rot?” Clayman Zhang’s voice rose several notches, though his face remained as expressionless as ever. But his inner thoughts must have been filled with shock, shock, and more shock!
Uncle Diao nodded, agreeing with Clayman Zhang’s assessment. He paced a few steps, hands behind his back, seemingly deep in thought. “There’s something unusual about this water.”
“I was thinking the same,” Clayman Zhang said, moving around Fan Debiao to take a closer look at the coffin lid. Suddenly, he exclaimed, “So that’s it!”
Uncle Diao and Liu Dashao’s eyes lit up simultaneously. “What? Did you find something?”
“Take a look for yourself!” Clayman Zhang pushed the outer coffin lid heavily, tilting it to reveal a series of strangely arranged characters, crudely connected, interspersed with stars, the Big Dipper, mountains, rivers, and other special pictograms.
Fan Debiao, half his body leaning over the coffin lid, nervously glanced around, fearing a zongzi might suddenly pop out and swallow him whole. Yet seeing Liu Dashao standing motionless, he widened his eyes in shock: “Young Master, are you frozen?”
“Young Master, are you frozen? Did the zongzi scare you senseless?”
“Damn, really scared stiff? Old Diao, your nephew’s gone bonkers.”
Liu Dashao ignored Fan Debiao completely until the third time he called out. Then he finally shook his head and uttered in astonishment: “Never thought I’d witness such a perfect woman in this world.”
“Man alive, so it’s not fear—it’s love at first sight?!!” Fan Debiao, curiosity piqued, couldn’t help tossing the coffin lid to Niren Zhang and leaning in to peek.
Immediately followed by a scream, his posture nearly sent him tumbling straight into the coffin.
“This… this is just too weird! Is this even a corpse anymore?” Fan Debiao paused, then incredulously stuck out his tongue, unable to accept the reality before him.
“It’s not the tomb occupant that’s so strange—it’s the people who buried her,” Old Diao, watching coldly all along, finally spoke calmly.
“This tomb must be at least hundreds, even thousands of years old. Over such a long time, humidity, temperature, heat, natural erosion, and decay should have turned a complete corpse into dust. Yet this body remains perfectly intact, even submerged in water all this time. How could her skin not rot away?” Niren Zhang’s voice had risen several octaves compared to earlier. Though his expression remained the same wrinkled, zombie-like face, his inner thoughts were undoubtedly filled with shock—again and again.
Old Diao nodded in agreement with Niren Zhang. He paced slowly, hands behind his back, seemingly contemplating something: “There’s something wrong with this water.”
“I was thinking the same,” Niren Zhang replied, then suddenly moved past Fan Debiao and examined the coffin lid again, exclaiming: “Ah, I see now!”
Both Old Diao and Liu Dashao’s eyes lit up simultaneously: “What? Did you find something?”
“See for yourself!” Niren Zhang forcefully pushed the outer coffin lid sideways, tilting its underside into view. Before their eyes appeared strange strings of characters, scribbled together in odd combinations, interspersed with symbolic pictographs of stars, the Big Dipper, mountains, rivers, and other unique patterns.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage