Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 149: The Crow
The advantage of Huanglian Mountain Cemetery is that you can bury both the coffin and the ashes together. The more land you occupy, the more you pay; in the end, it's all about money.
What confuses me is the Songling Cemetery where Zhi Qiang and his wife are located. The Chi Family should have been buried somewhere else, yet this time Chiang was interred here. I can't tell if it was Chi Ruiqiang's deliberate choice or if there was another reason.
In any case, it seems unusual to me, especially when I saw him watching the coffin leave. I felt like he was smiling. What on earth was he smiling about? His son had died young, a white-haired person sending off a black-haired one, and he could still smile!
As I got into the car after leaving the funeral home, I couldn't figure out what Chi Ruiqiang meant or what he was thinking.
For now, I just need to focus on my own responsibilities; everything else seems unrelated to me. As long as I complete this task well, the money on my card will increase.
The hearse moved steadily toward Huanglian Mountain Cemetery.
Once we left the city, the scenery changed from lush green to a faded light green. The grass along the drainage channel had been decimated; some were severely wilted, reduced to a pile of dry grass that would ignite easily.
Others had turned yellow and were trembling in the wind.
In the distance, I could see mountains shrouded in mist, their outlines obscured.
A few black dots flew toward us from afar, getting closer. I realized they were crows. The soundproof glass of the car prevented me from hearing their calls, but suddenly, one of the largest and fastest crows swooped down and collided with the car window with a thud, leaving a splatter of blood. The crow must have fallen to the ground, crushed by the wheels and merging with the earth.
As the crow dove down, my fingers instinctively gripped the armrest of my seat as I stared blankly at the bloodstain on the window.
"Master Ma, look..."
"Throw money," I murmured without taking my eyes off the bloodied glass. Crows are omens of misfortune; it was suspicious that one would crash into our window like that. I glanced at the hearse carrying Chiang's coffin; it seemed normal enough. The Eight Great Warriors were seated around the coffin. This vehicle was rented from the funeral home specifically for transporting bodies—commonly known as a hearse.
Behind Chiang's coffin, there were exactly four seats available for people to sit in. The Eight Great Warriors took their places while the one paying for passage sat next to me.
The one paying was a scruffy old man with unkempt hair and a mouth full of yellow teeth that reeked of smoke strong enough to knock out a cow. He stared wide-eyed at the crow that had hit the window, his mouth agape in shock. After a long moment of silence, he finally managed to utter a few words: "Master Ma, isn’t this ominous?"
"Yes."
I gripped the straps of my backpack, closely monitoring the situation around the convoy.
The trees swayed, and a few birds flew by; it seemed the wind was picking up. Looking up at the sky, which had been relatively clear before, I now saw it turning dark and overcast, with a gray haze settling in. The words "Huanglian Mountain Cemetery" finally came into view, and the "Eight Great Warriors" took their positions, ready to lift the coffin. The people getting off the vehicle marched towards Chiang's grave in a grand procession.
The location of the grave was quite good.
Those of us in this line of work know one thing: "If the land is not obstructed by people, and water is not obstructed by people, then it is safe." This isn't just a scare tactic; if the orientation of a grave is wrong, it can lead to poor feng shui, which in turn can drag down the fortunes of living relatives. The consequences could be dire.
It seemed that Chi Ruiqiang must have consulted an expert to quietly select this burial site. Since it was my first time here, I followed the instructions from the Host Family; as long as the money flowed smoothly into my pocket, I wouldn't concern myself with anything else.
However, reality left me feeling quite dissatisfied.
The Eight Great Warriors were all locals, each one a robust man, yet when they lifted the coffin, it felt incredibly heavy.
Inside the coffin was just a High-Quality Imitation White Jade Urn; how heavy could it possibly be?
As I stepped closer to investigate what was going on, a chilling wind swept through, stirring up paper scraps and dust that hit my face. The Eight Great Warriors covered their faces and cursed under their breath. With another shout to lift it again, they managed to raise the coffin.
But to me, it didn't seem that simple.
Each of the Eight Great Warriors looked so strong, yet their legs trembled as they struggled step by step forward.
To me, it felt like the coffin was getting heavier and heavier, creaking under pressure as they carried it. The faces of several warriors turned red from exertion as they trudged along heavily. I even witnessed them leaving indentations in the ground with each step.
Just then, a sudden swarm of crows appeared in the sky, darkening the area. With a rush, as if responding to some special command, they swooped down towards the coffin. Damn! In that moment, panic surged through me.
Before I could react with any tricks of my own, the Eight Great Warriors were startled by the sudden onslaught of crows. They dropped their poles and ran for their lives.
This run would surely spell trouble. "Hey!" I shouted in vain; how could I possibly lift a coffin on my own? Watching it hit the ground made my heart sink—this would ruin Ma Wu Funeral Home's reputation.
Unexpectedly, something even more unbelievable happened. As the coffin fell and tilted over, its lid popped off and out rolled the High-Quality Imitation White Jade Urn, which opened up right before my eyes and left me stunned.
Inside the urn was empty; there were no ashes at all.
Only a crookedly drawn talisman lay within—a Soul Exchange Talisman. How could there be a Soul Exchange Talisman inside a coffin? This was an illegal Evil Arts soul-switching spell! Was there some hidden secret within this coffin that should not be revealed?
The Crow circled low above the crowd, casting a dark shadow that obscured the sun, creating a swirling vortex of blackness. Those beneath it felt small and overwhelmingly fearful, realizing that no matter their choices, they could not escape the confines of this dark whirlpool.
The Eight Great Warriors gathered around, chattering anxiously, “What’s going on, Master Ma?”
“There must be a reason for this. Stay calm and keep the others steady,” he replied.
An old man, kneeling and throwing Joss Paper into the air, repeatedly bowed his head and muttered, “My lord, I have never done anything wrong in my life. Please don’t take me…” One of the Eight Great Warriors hurried to help him up, offering words of comfort.
I turned my gaze toward the coffin lying on the ground.
“Master Ma, I sensed something was off when the coffin was lowered; it felt heavy, like lifting a giant stone.”
I remained silent and walked directly to the coffin, my hands gripping the Coffin Lid. As my fingers brushed against the wood, a sinking feeling washed over me; it was a fine coffin, but there was another layer inside it, and within that layer lay something else.
Comment 0 Comment Count