Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 296 Human Skin
The Xunzi, Treatise on Rites, records that the emperor's coffin had seven layers.

The general idea is that the emperor's burial was carried out in a seven-layered system, consisting of five coffins and two outer coffins.

As time and dynasties changed, the specifications of tombs at different levels in the history of the Celestial Empire varied greatly. This is especially evident in the coffins, with subtle differences in specifications between each dynasty.

The burial standards for people of different social classes were completely different, with the emperor being the most elaborate.

Historically, it is documented that Wang Zanghai enjoyed the deep trust of both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di.

He was responsible for designing important cities such as the Ming Imperial Palace and Qujing City.

No matter how much importance Wang Zanghai was placed on the Ming Dynasty in the early years, he was ultimately just a subject.

However, the coffin placed in front of Hu Ming now has seven layers, which is completely inconsistent with the burial standards of the emperor in that era!
With time limited, Hu Ming had already begun opening the coffin.

At this moment, what lies before Hu Ming is the Emperor's seven-layered coffin, consisting of five inner coffins and two outer coffins.

When talking about coffins, one cannot help but mention the art of feng shui, and the concept of feng shui cannot be separated from the idea of ​​"fate".

The rules governing what level of person corresponds to what auspicious burial sites and burial regulations have long been established, and are even studied as a profound field of knowledge by many experts in this area.

Given Wang Zanghai's level of expertise, he would certainly be aware of this.

However, when he buried himself, he used the burial standards of an emperor from ancient times.

Just how arrogant was Wang Zanghai?

"Sevenfold... that's not something just anyone can handle..."

Yin Nanfeng knew something about this and couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

At this moment, Hu Ming had already nimbly lifted the first few layers of coffins. The last layer was a glass, jade, and green jade coffin.

Both in terms of material and shape, it is a rare treasure, and this jade coffin alone is priceless.

"Arrogant? Arrogant is not a very suitable word to describe Wang Zanghai."

Hu Ming shook his head and said softly.

Through the translucent jade coffin, the figure inside was already vaguely visible; without a doubt, it was Wang Zanghai.

It was the figure of an elderly man, dressed in luxurious burial clothes, his hands folded in front of his chest, lying quietly in the jade coffin.

The place where Wang Zanghai lived in the early Ming Dynasty is almost 600 years ago, and the figures inside are still lifelike, without any signs of withering or decay.

This is not surprising, as ancient techniques for preserving corpses were already quite advanced.

However, for some reason, Hu Ming always felt that the figure lying inside seemed to exude an inexplicable strangeness.

He tapped lightly on the jade coffin with his fingers, listened intently to the echoes, and his brain worked at lightning speed to build a three-dimensional model.

Suddenly, Hu Ming's expression changed drastically. Without thinking twice, he forcefully ripped open the jade coffin lid.

To Yin Nanfeng's astonishment, the coffin lid shattered on the ground. Hu Ming gently pressed two fingers against the cheek of Wang Zanghai's "corpse."

It is unknown what kind of preservation measures Wang Zanghai used, but his skin feels no different from that of an ordinary person, and is even slightly smoother than the skin of a young girl of sixteen or eighteen.

The problem is, even though it was just a light press, Hu Ming's finger pressed all the way down and flattened it!
"What exactly does it mean to go to such lengths, using seven layers of coffins to bury a hollowed-out human skin..."

Yin Nanfeng could see clearly that what was being discussed was not a corpse at all, but rather a human skin that had been ripped off a person's body!
Perhaps due to the superb craftsmanship, this human skin is incredibly lifelike.

If Hu Ming hadn't suddenly noticed something and touched it, it would have been difficult to detect the abnormality based solely on visual observation.

"Moreover, this should be Wang Zanghai's tomb, right?"

"Could this human skin have been peeled off Wang Zanghai's body? What strange things happened to him in his later years?"

Looking at the human skin that had suddenly collapsed, Yin Nanfeng felt a chill run down his spine.

A grand shipwreck tomb was meticulously designed, employing seven layers of coffins completely incongruous with his status, only to find out it was merely a human skin buried there?
This is quite unsettling.

"This human skin wasn't peeled off by someone, it was Nanfeng. You know what a snake shedding its skin is, right?"

"This skin might be a shed human skin!"

Hu Ming keenly noticed something and, without any hesitation, immediately pulled the human skin out of the jade coffin.

Beneath the human skin at the bottom of the coffin, there was a densely engraved image of black-haired snakes shedding their skin.

The images carved inside a coffin must be subtly metaphorical.

Based on this human skin, the only thing Hu Ming could think of was that its owner had undergone some strange change and voluntarily shed this human skin.

Shedding skin represents rebirth.

Having abandoned the practice of using corpse beetle pills, to what extent did Wang Zanghai's research on immortality actually reach?
If he's not dead, then where is he now?
And when he first came in, those snakes didn't run away after he unleashed his bloodline power for the first time; they even tried to attack him!

The human skin buried inside this seven-layered coffin could not possibly belong to anyone else.

Could it be that Wang Zanghai is currently hiding in the shadows, plotting the secret behind the bronze door?
So, the question arises: what exactly did Wang Zanghai see behind the bronze door back then?
For a moment, Hu Ming had a headache.

There are too few clues to deduce any useful information.

However, one thing is certain: this underwater tomb is simply the burial place where Wang Zanghai laid his body to rest.

As for where he is now that he has been reborn, only heaven knows.

and…

If Wang Zanghai hadn't died, the Wang family's situation might not have been so simple...

(End of this chapter)