Suddenly, I thought of this and broke out in a cold sweat.
Yes, the "Tianxi Mountain" mentioned by the old lady should be referring to this mountain.
Who is the unlucky person?
I had previously inferred that there is another terrifying existence in Qi's village.
Let the Yin-Yang Master die, his soul leaving the body, and he has to leave behind a vengeful ghost. Even worse, he has to collapse into a wandering soul.
Is it possible that this is the so-called "unlucky person" mentioned by the old lady?
"Is it this tomb where the spirit appears?" the leader interrupted my thoughts.
At this time, except for Shiyu and Zhu Yuxu, there were only two people present.
The eyes of the others gradually showed excitement.
They seemed to have completely forgotten the previous events, and all that remained in their eyes was that solitary tomb!
It is obvious that the leader must have said that it was the tomb of the master!
The Lower Nine Streams often deal with corpse ghosts, and the ability to move the tomb of the master is bound to have a significant lure!
"Yes, that's right," I replied, maintaining an unchanged expression, my voice steady.
"Very good," the fat man at the front of the group smiled, looking at the others and said, "Whoever opens the tomb will not only be considered to have made amends for their past mistakes, but they will also be able to take an artifact. As for what kind of artifact it is, I will decide."
The next moment, the faces of Ma Lou, He Xianliang, Tang Ding all showed excitement and hatred.
"I'll do it!" Tang Ding said in a hoarse voice.
"Haha, Tang Ding, you are just a seamstress who is good at sewing corpses. My family specializes in carrying corpses and understands more about possessed corpses. Would you like to come? Don't you worry about making a mess? I will take care of it. My family will not be short on meat and will not leave out the soup for He's and Tang's families." Ma Lou not only looked down upon Tang Ding, but also slandered the ghostly grandma of He's family.
Tang Ding sneered coldly and said, "With the ability you have, you should be able to do something of significance. Master He and I are both in charge. You are just an assistant. Assistant? What is your right to speak? Soup water? Don't you fear that Master He will snap your head off and I will dismember you before sewing you back together?"
In a few words, the atmosphere in the room became tense as if drawn bowstrings were poised to fire.
The expression on Ma Lou's emaciated monkey face became even more menacing.
He Xianliang and Tang Ding moved a little closer, clearly standing on the same side.
The leader did not say much, simply watching the scene before him with a faint expression.
"I will open the coffin. Tang's master, keep an eye on the corpse inside and see if the Mr. Tang inside is still alive. If so, we will share the merits equally between our two families," He Xianliang spoke after a moment.
He glanced at Ma Lou, gave a heavy huff, and spat a thick glob of phlegm in front of Ma Lou.
"You want to have a free meal and still look down on us two families? What kind of ability do you have? If you can fight, then don't just talk."
Ma Lou's face turned a mixture of red and blue, and he didn't dare to open his mouth anymore.
Then, Tang Ding and He Xianliang led the way towards the solitary tomb.
I, followed by the leader, with Ma Lou trailing behind us.
As for Shiyu and Zhu Yuxu, the two did not approach.
Their goal was not here.
In a blink of an eye, we had crossed the stream in front of the tomb and reached the solitary grave.
Looking at the withered grass on top of the tomb up close, a feeling of death became overwhelming.
Lao Gong stood dumbfounded, gazing at the tomb.
He shook his head and said in a dry tone, "Master... why does my heart feel empty?"
"I don't have a heart... my heart... where is my heart?"
Lao Gong shook his head again.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Lao Gong's lips.
This smile was not directed at anyone in particular.
Because he wasn't looking at anyone, his eyes were constantly looking inwards, as if he was seeing himself...
This scene was rather comical, as Lao Gong appeared to have a squint, like a fighting cock.
It makes me feel uneasy and restless inside.
He closed his eyes slightly to dispel the cluttered thoughts in his mind.
Opening his eyes again, his gaze was cold, devoid of any glance at Lao Gong. Instead, he stared straight at the tomb.
He Xianliang and Tang Ding, the two of them, were already digging the grave.
They were using their pre-prepared folding shovel, striking hard with each movement to excavate a large block of soil from the grave.
Very soon, the grass on the tomb was completely flattened, and the mound itself was now uneven and pitted.
Ma Lou was staring intently at the actions of the two.
The other two from the Lower Nine Streams still clung to the leader's back.
The leader had an expression of confidence, as if he had everything under control.
A few minutes later, the grave soil was completely excavated.
What was now visible was a large coffin.
In anticipation, the coffin should have been black.
Because the Yin-Yang Master was murdered and his soul was dispersed into wandering spirits.
Such an unusual death would result in a black coffin.
To my surprise, the coffin in the grave was actually red.
The coffin was a fresh shade of blood red, and even under the faint glow of the moon in Qi Village, it had a faint sense of flow.
"Natural death?" He Xianliang murmured.
Tang Ding, however, drew a short blade from his waist, the sharp tip of which seemed particularly cold and menacing.
"Open the coffin, I will keep an eye on it." Tang Ding's tone was extremely serious, but the excitement in his eyes could not be suppressed.
He Xianliang took out a thin iron prying bar, with the top curved, and overall no longer than the palm of his hand.
Inserting the curved end into the crack of the coffin, He Xianliang exerted a forceful lever.
In the dull creaking sound, as if the wood was cracking...
What can be seen is that there are indeed several cracks on the lid of the coffin, indicating that it has been nailed shut.
He Xianliang frowned and took out the iron prying bar again to remove the nails sealing the coffin.
A sense of melancholy settled in my heart.
The process of sealing a coffin and nailing it shut has its own methods.
A natural death would never require sealing or nailing the coffin.
The red coffin of the Yin-Yang Master is as eerie as Qi Youyou's red coffin!
As the nails of the sealed coffin were removed one by one, the tightly sealed lid gradually became loose.
After the last nail sealing the coffin was dropped into the grave pit, He Xianliang easily pried open the lid with his iron prying bar!
Tang Ding held the short blade, watching the crack in the coffin with extreme vigilance.
The coffin lid was suddenly lifted off.
A burst of gray mist erupted in a puff!
Almost simultaneously, He Xianliang and Tang Ding swiftly waved their sleeves to disperse the gray mist.
What can be seen is none other than an old man's skeleton.
His hair and beard were all white, and his skin was full of wrinkles.
However, his traditional Tang suit was neat and tidy, without a single wrinkle.
Some items were scattered around the corpse.
I recognized Eri Shiyu's compass, but the items in this coffin were more complex and exquisitely antique.
There was also a feather fan, which had become gray and decrepit.
There were several wooden boxes, and it was unclear what they contained.
Greedy eyes glinted in the eyes of He Xianliang and Tang Ding.
The leader's expression remained unchanged, but from his bloated face, I sensed a hint of discomfort.
It's obvious that opening the coffin was also part of the leader's deliberate plan, and there were no unexpected changes during the process of opening the coffin.
The Ma Lou on the side, seemed even more ominous.
"Big Brother, what should we do?"
"Raise the corpse and collect everything?" He Xianliang spoke while looking at the leader's demeanor with reverence.
The leader looked at me.
I took a deep breath and forcefully expelled the stale air.
Without any unexpected changes, it's better for me. I have already thought through the method of summoning spirits, and I will use the Ghost Grandma's methods.
The grave is a good location for summoning souls, making it easier to do so.
The best place, after much consideration, is not in front of the grave.
"Raise the corpse and prepare to take it out."
"Leader, these items here are the harvest of the Hellwarden Guild. You can distribute them among yourselves. I only need the corpse."
"You guys can go out and wait for me. I need to find Shiqing," I said succinctly to the leader.
