Liu Dashao said, “My talismans still have some use for now. Do you have any other important relatives you’d like to see the old man before he’s buried? If not, I’ll burn his body tomorrow after he’s placed in the coffin, only then can everything proceed smoothly and safely.”
Luogu Chen asked, “Why wait until he’s placed in the coffin to burn him? Once he’s inside, how can you burn him without burning the coffin too?”
Liu Dashao nodded and said, “Right now, the old man’s Minghun, his vital soul, has already been taken by the underworld, and his Dehun, his earthly soul, has gone to the peach garden. His Tianhun, his heavenly soul, still remains inside his body. The Tianhun will guard the physical body until it is destroyed before it disappears. We absolutely cannot allow the Tianhun to reunite with the Minghun. Judging from the old man’s condition, his Tianhun has already been tainted by evil energy. He might rise prematurely and enter the Luo family shrine. Meanwhile, the Dehun will return forty-two days after the soul-returning night to retrieve the Tianhun. Before the Dehun arrives, the Minghun will be brought by the underworld’s messengers for a final farewell with the Luo family. At that time, if the Tianhun sees the Minghun, it will definitely attach itself to it. If the underworld’s representatives are responsible, that’s fine. But if they aren’t, then the Minghun and Tianhun will reunite. Heh heh, when that happens, they won’t just be wandering souls anymore—they’ll become real ghosts, true yegui, wandering ghosts! These ghosts are different from ordinary ghosts because normally ghosts consist of the Dehun and Tianhun together. But in this case, it would be the Minghun and Tianhun together. Such ghosts are easily influenced by evil energy and can become powerful, deadly, and invisible spirits that kill without warning! But they would be part of the underworld, which would no longer interfere. The only ones who could deal with them would be Zhong Kui’s people, known as the Yin officials. These uncontrolled evil ghosts are their targets. They are the ones who maintain order between the living and the dead, and they absolutely won’t allow evil ghosts to exist. So the final fate of such evil ghosts would only be complete annihilation! As a Yin-Yang master, I absolutely won’t allow such a thing to happen under my watch. I must first send away the old man’s Tianhun through the Luo family shrine, where it can find the Dehun and stay with it in the peach garden, waiting for the Minghun to summon them when it’s time for their next reincarnation. Generally speaking, the Minghun only comes to summon them before their next cycle of reincarnation, to complete a new life, a new cycle.”
More than twenty people listened in confusion. Liu Dashao finally realized he had been talking too much, so he paused and turned to Luo Ping’an, saying, “Uncle Xiang, please ask the carpenters tomorrow to cut a ten-centimeter square hole at the bottom of the coffin. I have a use for it.”
Luo Ping’an agreed and then asked, “Master Xiao, is everything okay now?”
Liu Dashao put on a serious face and said, “Okay? Just temporarily. If any cats or dogs jump over the old man’s body again, I won’t be able to help. So tell everyone to be vigilant until the body is placed in the coffin. Don’t be careless anymore!” His words were too serious, but he finally realized that playing pranks on others might eventually backfire on himself. Originally, everything was fine, but he intentionally exaggerated the danger, causing everyone present to unanimously demand he stay and help keep watch.
With no way to escape, Liu Dashao could only find a comfortable spot to sit. After settling down, he noticed someone had been following him all along—Luo Siyu. Liu Dashao looked at her and asked, “You’re really scared, aren’t you?”
Luo Siyu replied, “Of course! I’ve read the comic books. Zombies like to bite their own family members!”
Liu Dashao burst into laughter, “That’s just stories. Ordinary zombies only have a Tianhun. How could they possibly tell the difference between family and strangers? However, it’s true that zombies suck blood. After all, zombies are dead people sustained only by a single breath. They hate living things—not just humans, but all animals. They hate the sound of heartbeats. Only by draining their blood can their heartbeats stop. So the only goal of a zombie is to suck blood.”
Luo Siyu turned pale, “Is that really true? I’m so scared!”
She wasn’t the only one scared—several people nearby were listening too.
They also asked, “Brother, what you said—is it really true? The old man won’t suddenly rise up and do something to us, right?”
Liu Dashao said, “As long as the things I mentioned don’t happen, everything will be fine. So now, everyone must stay alert!”
One of them laughed and said, “Brother, you’re not that old, but you’ve got guts! Your magic seems pretty good. Do you take apprentices? I’d like to learn from you.”
Liu Dashao shook his head, “How could I have the qualifications to take apprentices? Besides, this requires talent. Also, working in our profession won’t make you rich. Others would rather die than learn it. Do you still want to learn?”
They laughed and said, “Forget it then. I heard there are a lot of taboos in this profession!”
Liu Dashao said, “Yes, there are many things you can’t do after learning this. I’m starting to regret it a bit myself! Sigh, but the old man insisted I inherit his legacy, so I had no choice. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Everyone, let’s keep a good watch.”
With that, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
He gradually fell asleep, but the dozen or so people in the hall didn’t dare to be like him. They all stayed wide awake. Until dawn broke, Liu Dashao slowly woke up and found Luo Siyu sleeping soundly in his arms, while the dozen or so people around had also fallen asleep. They had been tense all night, since Liu Dashao had only said to keep watch until daybreak. After the third crow of the rooster, they all relaxed, and once they did, they fell asleep one by one. However, Liu Dashao noticed they were only dozing slightly rather than truly sleeping, as no one could really rest well with such a thing on their minds.
Seeing the scene, a mischievous idea flashed through Liu Dashao’s mind. He suddenly shouted, “Oh no! The old man is gone!”
“Ahh! Ahh!” A chorus of screams immediately erupted as everyone turned their eyes toward the mourning hall at once. When they realized they had been tricked, they all turned their angry gazes toward Liu Dashao. He was about to laugh, but a sharp pain shot through his waist—Luo Siyu’s hand had already tightly pinched him. Unable to laugh, he could only cry out in pain. The dozen or so people exchanged glances, their angry faces replaced by expressions that clearly said, “Serves you right, kid.”
Daylight came, and the dozen or so people who had kept watch all night didn’t go home because they all wanted to see how the body would be burned inside the coffin. As soon as the sun rose, more people came. The dozen or so became the focus of attention. The events of the previous night spread quickly, from one person to ten, then to a hundred. By noon, the house of Luo Ping’an was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder. Liu Dashao was quite startled by the scene. He couldn’t even be sure if his magic would work. If it failed, he would suffer a major embarrassment. So he stepped forward and said to everyone, “I know you’re all here to see my magic. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever performed it. I don’t even know if it will work. Also, this spell can only be performed at the third watch of the noon hour. If you have other things to do, please go ahead. I’m afraid I might waste your time.”
When the villagers saw that he was just a teenager, although they had heard the master was young, they hadn’t expected him to be this young. Many of them dispersed, but quite a few remained. It was the middle of winter, with a foot of snow on the ground. They had nothing else to do, and they wouldn’t miss such an exciting event. Most didn’t even know when the third watch of the noon hour was, but they watched each other, none willing to leave first, so most stayed.
As the time approached the third watch of the noon hour, the coffin was completed. At Liu Dashao’s request, the carpenters had left a square hole in the exact center of the bottom board. Although no one knew the purpose of the hole, they simply followed the master’s instructions without asking too many questions. With the help of several people, Luo Ping’an placed the old man’s body into the coffin. Liu Dashao didn’t arrange anything else; everything was done according to tradition. If not for prior knowledge, no one would have noticed the hole beneath the coffin. Inside, everything was lined and covered as usual.
Everything proceeded smoothly, but the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Now that the body was placed in the coffin, everyone’s attention turned to how the young master would burn it. Crowds gathered in the hall and at the door, filling every visible spot. They seemed to have forgotten one thing—that the so-called master wasn’t even inside. Perhaps they were just competing for a better viewing position.
That’s just how people are, especially when they have nothing to do. Whenever something new and curious happens, no one wants to miss out. Those who had already left returned. Almost the entire village came—men and women, old and young, from seventy-year-olds to seven-year-olds. Fortunately, Luo Ping’an’s courtyard was large enough; otherwise, no one could have imagined the chaos.
As the third watch of the noon hour approached, Liu Dashao finally appeared. He carried a bundle of evenly sized Chinese fir wood pieces—each thirty centimeters long, three centimeters wide, and one centimeter thick—made exactly as he had instructed the carpenters. The three carpenters were happy to help, as this allowed them to become Liu Dashao’s assistants and watch up close. Naturally, Suona Wang and Luogu Chen were also in the front row for a close view. Especially Luo Siyu, who had previously disliked the Yin-Yang master, now followed closely behind Liu Dashao, as if afraid to miss anything.
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