Genius Club.

Chapter 314 The moon is dark and the wind is high
"That should be a pomegranate tree, right, Lin Xian?"

Gao Yang patted Lin Xian's back excitedly:
“I can’t tell if there are no pomegranates, but this tree is obviously out of place with its surroundings. The style of the painting is completely different!”

Lin Xian nodded:
"Don't worry, that's a pomegranate tree. I've watched pomegranates bloom and bear pomegranate fruit since I was a kid, so I know it's right."

Bright red flowers.

Like fire, like blood, like sunset.

That is the unique shape and color of the pomegranate flower, there is no doubt about it!
"Hurry, hurry, let's go down quickly."

Lin Xian and Gao Yang turned around and walked back, then found a downhill path and successfully reached the valley.

The two of them did not care about the dead branches under their feet and the thorny flowers and plants in the jungle. They walked one after the other on the green grass that was almost knee-high, and walked quickly towards the pomegranate tree they had been searching for for a long time.

Not a moment later.

The two of them trampled out a shallow path on the flat lawn and successfully arrived in front of the pomegranate tree.

Panting and rubbing their itchy arms, they looked up at the huge pomegranate tree that was several meters high, or even nearly ten meters high.

"Pomegranate trees, can they normally grow this tall and big? Isn't that too exaggerated?"

Gao Yang bent down, supported his knees with his hands, and sighed:

"I've never seen a pomegranate tree this big, not in real life, not in movies or TV shows. Could this one be a mutation?"

Lin Xian shook his head:
"Obviously, this is what happens when cultivated species are left to grow in the wild with no one pruning or intervening."

"My uncle's family used to grow pomegranate trees, and they had to prune the branches frequently. When you cut off a branch, two or three new branches will grow from the cut, and the trees will naturally bear more fruit."

"But look at it now... this pomegranate tree has such a good growing environment. There are no big trees around to block the sunlight, and there are no thick roots competing with it for nutrients. These weeds and wild flowers can't take root that deep."

"So, the nutrients, water, and sunlight all come from this pomegranate tree. Plus, it has been growing wildly for 24 years without anyone taking care of it, so it's not surprising that it has grown so big. But to be honest, the fruit from such a pomegranate tree is generally not very delicious, because the nutrients are used in the wrong place."

hiss……

Gao Yang shuddered:
"Even if it tastes good, who would dare to eat the tree grown on a grave?"

He turned on his phone and found that there was still a good signal here. He marked it on the map so that he would not get lost next time he came.

Lin Xian circled around the pomegranate tree.

Intuition... most people don't plant trees in front of graves, right? It would be most reasonable to plant them behind or directly above the location where the coffin is buried.

If it was directly above, it would be really troublesome. Such a big pomegranate tree cannot be handled by the small shovels of him and Gao Yang without large machinery.

But it's not absolutely impossible. After all, this is a pomegranate tree, not as thick as a poplar or willow tree. If you bring an electric saw, it will be enough to deal with it.

"How's your preparation going? Is it comprehensive enough?"

Lin Xian turned around and looked at Gao Yang:

"I trust you more, so I've never asked you. Although you sometimes lead me astray...but generally you're reliable."

Snapped!
Gao Yang snapped his fingers:
"Don't worry, there won't be any problem at all. I contacted a local car rental shop before I came here and rented a Toyota Prado, which can haul things and go off-road, to help us transport our things."

"Honestly, Lin Xian, we really have to thank Zhang Yuqian's parents for choosing such a good Feng Shui location. There is no village in front and no shop behind. It is remote and difficult to find...so we have this opportunity to dig the grave."

"Otherwise...if we really bury him in the ancestral grave in the fields of our hometown according to custom, let alone digging the grave, we will probably be beaten to death by the clan members before we even get there with our shovels."

Lin Xian nodded:
"It's a blessing in disguise. But this situation is inevitable."

He explained to Gao Yang:
"Think about it, why did Zhang Yuqian's father bury her here and choose such a remote grave? That means he still feels guilty! If he didn't feel guilty, if there was no hidden secret in the car accident, he could have buried his daughter in the family ancestral grave openly."

"This is actually better. At least it means... we won't return empty-handed this time. We have to know some truth."

"Then let's go back and get ready. You go drive and get the equipment, and I'll survey the surrounding area to make sure everything is safe. I'll also buy us two sets of rough work clothes, or we'll get cut all over our bodies if we come back again. Then we can buy some flashlights, food, drinking water, and the like."

"Let's contact each other by phone when the time comes. Let's get ready. At about 6 or 7 in the evening, shall we meet at the entrance at the foot of the mountain?"

Gao Yang listened.

Thoughtful.

He circled the pomegranate tree twice, made strange gestures with his right hand, and muttered to himself:
"To find the dragon and divide the gold, look at the winding mountains... each winding mountain is a hurdle..."

Swish.

He opened his eyes, his face solemn:
"No, six or seven is still too early. It should be later."

"What are you doing? You're just pretending."

"You don't understand! There are rules! Besides, the tourists haven't completely left the mountain at 6 or 7 o'clock. If we really run into those hikers who go wherever there is no road... If they see us digging up a grave, it would be strange if they don't call the police!"

Gao Yang waved his hand:
"So, nine o'clock! Meet at the entrance to the mountain where we came from at nine o'clock."

He snorted coldly:
"It's a dark and windy night, it's time to rob tombs!"

……

Ten o'clock at night.

The moon is dark and the wind is high.

The light that belonged to the night was completely obscured by dark clouds.

Not only was there no moon in the sky, there wasn't even a single star to be seen.

Lin Xian and Gao Yang were fully armed and stood in the valley, ten meters away from the pomegranate tree, looking forward.

"No."

Lin Xian turned his head and looked at Gao Yang who was wearing exaggerated equipment:
"Are you serious?"

Gao Yang at this time.

He wore a miner's hat on his head, held a Luoyang shovel in his left hand, an engineer shovel in his right hand, a large cloth bag filled with glutinous rice on his waist, and an ivory tomb-robbing talisman hung around his neck.

The key is……

He had a black donkey hoof in his mouth!
I can tolerate everything else, but I really can’t tolerate this Lin Xian:

"The black donkey's hoof is stuffed into the zombie's mouth, why are you stuffing it into your own mouth? Do you want to kiss the zombie or vomit in its mouth?"

"Oh, really? I remembered it wrongly."

Gao Yang took the black donkey hoof out of his mouth, rubbed his saliva on his clothes, and then put it in his trouser pocket where it was convenient.

"But these equipments are very useful. If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools!"

He raised the long Luoyang shovel in his hand and looked at Lin Xian:

"This thing is used to locate the coffin. It is very necessary. The pomegranate tree itself is so big, and the space around it is so big. We must accurately locate the coffin before we can start digging, right?"

"You don't need to explain the principles, just do the work as soon as possible." Lin Xian urged.

Gao Yang took off the other equipment from his back.

Then he picked up the sharp Luoyang shovel and twisted it two more times to increase the length.

The Luoyang shovel is different from common shovels. Its main function is not to shovel soil or build walls. Instead, it is made up of several sections of hollow steel pipes. The cylindrical shovel at the head is very sharp and can easily penetrate into the soil.

This is actually a geological tool used for deep soil sampling, analysis and research. But Gao Yang obviously did something strange, using a butcher knife to kill a chicken.

Coffins are usually not buried too deep, so there is no need for such professional tools.

If you really want to locate it, just take a long steel bar or a sharp iron rod and poke it into the soil. If you can't poke it anymore or it gets stuck halfway, you have probably poked the coffin.

Lin Xian was too lazy to argue with Gao Yang.

He just wanted to open Zhang Yuqian's coffin as soon as possible to see what was hidden inside and whether there was a body.

Gao Yang has obviously gotten into the role.

He bent forward, picked up the Luoyang shovel, held it high with both hands, and pushed it down!
呲——

The sound of sinking into the soil moistly and smoothly.

Then Gao Yang rotated and applied pressure again, and the Luoyang shovel kept going down, and there was very little length left on the ground.

"Not here."

Gao Yang pulled out the Luoyang shovel and changed the position:

"The coffin wouldn't be buried that deep, so it's definitely not in this position. I'll try somewhere else."

He changed several places and poked the Luoyang shovel into the soil.

at last!

click!
A crisp sound!
Gao Yang used all his strength to thrust the Luoyang shovel into the soil, but this time it had only penetrated a few dozen centimeters when it suddenly stopped and hit a hard object!

"Lin Xian! Come quickly!"

Gao Yang shouted excitedly:
"It's shipped!"

Lin Xian trotted over, grabbed the Luoyang shovel that looked like a thin steel pipe, and poked it up and down.

really.

There was a hard object underneath, and there was a dull sound of it hitting the wood.

"coffin……"

Lin Xian said softly: "It seems that what the old lady said is true. Zhang Yuqian's grave is buried here."

Then, the two continued to use the Luoyang shovel to locate the target.

With a reference point, the rest of the things became much easier. Soon, the two of them had completely determined the position and size of the coffin by constantly inserting the Luoyang shovel.

"call……"

Gao Yang threw away the Luoyang shovel and wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve:
"Fortunately, the coffin is located in front of the pomegranate tree, and the distance is not short. There is no need to worry about the influence of the pomegranate tree's roots. And the burial location is not too deep... Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that the wind and rain over the years have caused soil erosion. We are really lucky."

"It's really good." Lin Xian agreed.

"But there must be something fishy going on when things are out of the ordinary!"

"Will you die if you don't say a word? Dig quickly."

……

Click, click, click.

The two men, one with a shovel and the other with a spade, began digging the soil above the coffin and soon reached the coffin lid.

There was no moonlight, but when I shone the flashlight on it, I could see that the paint had long since rotted and peeled off, and only the rough original color of the wood could be seen. The quality of this wood was really good, and it was still so hard and not completely rotten after being buried in the ground for more than 20 years.

"It's a good thing that we are in the north, where the air and soil are relatively dry. If it were in the south, even the best wood would have rotted away after being buried in the soil for twenty years."

Gao Yang said as he dug the soil:
"So Zhang Yuqian's father is really rich. The coffins are made of good wood, solid wood. I even saw that this one is made of rosewood. Hiss... Rosewood furniture is so expensive. How much would such a large rosewood coffin cost? And this piece of rosewood board is not bad. It can definitely be processed into a tea table."

"Can you say a few words less?"

Lin Xian frowned, stopped the shovel in his hand, and looked at Gao Yang:

"We are digging graves, not treasure hunting. We are already quite nervous. What are you talking about?"

"I'm trying to divert attention!"

Gao Yang shouted:

"Fuck, it's a dark and windy night in the wilderness, and they're digging up a coffin with a female corpse hidden inside... Who wouldn't be terrified?"

Shortly after.

The two men finally shoveled away all the dirt on the coffin lid. The thick coffin lid fit tightly on the coffin and was nailed shut.

Although the edges are rotten.

However, it is impossible for two people to lift such a heavy solid wood plank. They must use a crowbar.

This crowbar has a sharp end, which can be poked directly into the gap between the coffin lid and the coffin board, and then pressed hard to lift it up using the principle of leverage.

Lin Xian pursed his lips.

It really feels like in this deep forest, with a coffin and the pomegranate flowers in front that are as bright as blood... I really feel my spine getting colder and colder.

"Hurry up."

Lin Xian threw the crowbar in his hand to Gao Yang and picked up another crowbar:
"Pry open the coffin and let's see what's inside."

"Hold on."

Gao Yang felt like he was facing a formidable enemy and stopped Lin Xian.

Then he took off the cloth bag around his waist, walked around the coffin, took out the glutinous rice inside, and sprinkled it around the coffin along the way:
"Let me draw a barrier first."

"Is this what you call a materialistic weapon?" Lin Xian complained.

“This is it.”

Gao Yang took out a candle from his backpack and waved it in front of his eyes:

"We have to light a candle southeast of the coffin. As long as the candle doesn't go out, it means we're fine. If the candle goes out, it means the owner of the tomb doesn't agree with us stealing things, and we have to leave it intact."

"Is there anyone who can agree to this?"

"Why do you have so many questions? Traditions and rules have been passed down like this for so many years. Don't ask so many questions! It's disrespectful!"

After saying that, Gao Yang ignored Lin Xian and walked straight to the southeast corner of the coffin.

Stick this candle in the pile of dirt.

Then press the lighter to light the candle.

In this desolate and cold forest, where you can't see your hand in front of you, a small candlelight flickers and makes you feel warm for a moment.

"okay."

Gao Yang clapped his hands:
"All preparations are complete, open the coffin!"

He bent down, picked up the solid steel crowbar on the ground, and stood on each side of the narrow top corner of the coffin lid with Lin Xian.

Click! Click!
The two men used their strength to insert the protrusion on the front of the crowbar into the gap under the coffin lid, and then hit it with the stones they had picked up to make sure that the crowbar had been inserted into the gap so that they could use more strength when prying it open later.

Lin Xian and Gao Yang adjusted their postures again.

The coffin lid was indeed very heavy and was nailed with nails, so two people had to press down at the same time, with one breath and synchronized efforts, to pry the coffin lid up.

"Are you ready?"

Lin Xian looked at Gao Yang.

Gao Yang took a vigilant look at the candle burning steadily in the southeast corner, nodded carefully, and tensed the muscles in his upper arms:
"I'm ready, count down!"

Lin Xian took a deep breath.

Use both hands to hold the crowbar tightly in your palms:
"3, 2, 1, pry!"

The two of them gritted their teeth and exerted force at the same time!

Eeyore~~~~~~
A strange sound similar to a cat's meow was heard!
In an instant!
A corner of moonlight emerged from behind the dark clouds, illuminating the swirling mist, the silent mountains, and the crack in the coffin.

call--

Suddenly a gust of night wind blew, and the candle burning in the southeast corner of the coffin was extinguished in an instant.

Gao Yang's face turned pale instantly!

The crowbar in his hand dropped to the ground with a clang, and he knelt on the ground with a plop, clasping his hands together:

"Grandma! Grandma! Spare us! We are leaving now! Don't come over here! Don't come out!"

"Are you sick, Gao Yang?"

Lin Xian couldn't stand it anymore:

"There's nothing to be afraid of in the first place, but you've really livened up the atmosphere! Come here quickly!"

However, Gao Yang was already frightened out of his wits. His hands were shaking as he tried to hold the black donkey hoof in his trouser pocket, but he couldn't keep it steady.

"Incompetent bungler."

Lin Xian cursed inwardly, stood up, and slammed his left foot on the crowbar with his entire body weight. The lever principle lifted the coffin lid again, making a creaking friction sound. Then he aimed his right foot at the rising coffin lid and kicked it hard to the side.

Bang! "Ah!!!! Eat my donkey hoof!"

The coffin lid that had been moved away shifted and fell heavily, and the sound of the earth shaking was heard along with Gao Yang's howling.

Gao Yang's black donkey hoof threw nothing.

It flew directly over the coffin and hit the pomegranate tree behind. Some branches and leaves trembled, petals fell, and then everything returned to calm immediately.

Lin Xian let out a long sigh...

Then take a step forward.

Lower your head.

Let the light from the mining lamp above shine into the coffin——

Neat and clean.

Neatly stacked piles of clothes, neatly stacked notebooks in the corner of the coffin, once popular dolls, Sony Walkman, makeup mirror, photo albums, flat certificates, upright trophies, hairpins and rubber bands in a glass box, red leather certificates tied together with ribbons, pink plastic photo frames...

This doesn't look like a coffin.

More like a storage room of a young girl.

Lin Xian slowly raised his head.

The spotlight on the miner's helmet moved upward, illuminating the photo frame standing on top of the makeup box.

The photo shows a girl with a beautiful smile.

She looked over here with a deft scissors hand gesture.

The cool dark brown ponytail flew behind her head;

The beautiful eyes curved into two shallow crescents;
The cute dimples on both sides of the mouth are faintly visible;

One in the left corner of the eye...

Just the right teardrop mole.

(End of this chapter)