Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 112 Ingwell's Coffin Lid
Lu Mingfei lowered his head in silence, his gaze fixed on the gray stone coffin in front of him, carved with dragon and thorn patterns, and he was speechless for a moment.

However, that ancient vow was seeping through the heavy stone, wrapping around the surface of his soul like a gentle breeze, as if it were a call.

"Um"

Lu Mingfei looked conflicted, the lines on his forehead furrowed, and a deep frown creased between his brows.

"Should we pry it open or not?"

Is it an unforgivable blasphemy to disturb the eternal slumber of a Storm Hero?

Ingwell, one of the Storm King's wings, a hero of the frontier, deserves the utmost respect for his resting place. Although Lu Mingfei was flexible in his principles, the last vestiges of "江湖道义" (jianghu code of honor) in his heart still made him hesitate when facing a senior martial uncle or master.

But the resonance deep in his soul was not an illusion; it was as if some being deep within the coffin was reaching out to him through the stone.

This feeling caused the Dragon's Blood to stir subtly within him.

He slowly squatted down in front of the stone coffin, his palm just an inch away from the coffin lid, his fingertips slightly curled, as if he were about to grip the crack in the lid at any moment. Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, but then froze in place.
Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and murmured:

"Dragon Warriors have no taboos. Damn it! Stop hesitating! Let's do it!"

The decision has been made, and there is no more hesitation!
His five fingers, covered by arm armor, dug deep into the crevices of the thick stone coffin lid like dragon claws.

"Drink--!!!"

Boom! ! ! !
A deep, thunderous roar exploded in the sealed tomb! The entire stone coffin trembled violently. The heavy coffin lid, meticulously carved from a single piece of hard rock and weighing over a thousand pounds, originally intended to prevent thieves from coveting it, groaned under the weight of Lu Mingfei's pure and brutal violence!

With a screeching sound of rocks scraping and cracking, he forcefully lifted the coffin lid upwards!

The heavy stone slab tumbled and crashed into the pile of bones not far away, making another muffled sound and stirring up a pale white light.

Lu Mingfei remained in the position of having flung open the coffin lid, his chest heaving violently and his breathing slightly rapid.

The moment he lifted the coffin lid, he instinctively took a half-step back, his center of gravity lowered, and his golden vertical pupils narrowed dangerously as he surveyed the inside of the coffin, guarding against any potential dangers, such as poison gas or curses.

The expected skeletons did not appear.

The interior of the coffin was not large, and the firelight could barely illuminate it. There were no rotting corpses, no burial treasures, only an ancient and complete set of heavy armor belonging to a knight from a lost homeland, which had long since become dull and broken over the years, but one could still vaguely discern the style of a warrior who once belonged to a glorious era; a long halberd, the standard style of a knight from a lost homeland that Lu Mingfei had seen in the city of Stoneville.

At last.

A pale white object appeared in Lu Mingfei's sight, and the storm swirling around it was the very aura that had been calling out to him.

Ashes.

Lu Mingfei had seen such a substance before, in the small box that Rodrik had given him.

A surge of joy welled up in Lu Mingfei's heart; he had really found it!
He hesitated for a moment, then his fingertips, which had been hovering over it, finally fell.

hum-

A fierce and indomitable will suddenly pierced through his fingertips, forcefully breaking through Lu Mingfei's mental defenses and directly entering his will!

This lingering will, this powerful, tenacious, storm-like fragment of the soul… Yes… this is Ingwell! The goal he sought! The legendary warrior!

Without needing verbal confirmation, the remnant will had already completed a silent examination and assessment the moment it came into contact with Lu Mingfei's soul.

This will chose to accept it.

He acknowledged Lu Mingfei, as if it were a transfer of power and a trust, as if saying, "You are qualified."

Lu Mingfei raised his hand, about to scratch the back of his head as usual, but suddenly felt that this action was not so dignified in front of his elder's grave—even though he had just lifted the coffin lid.

He thought for a moment, then composed himself, his casual expression vanishing. Facing the empty stone coffin and the pale substance that carried Ingwell's final will, he bent down.

He placed his left hand on his chest, a standard and solemn gesture, performing an ancient Storm Knight salute.

"Thanks, senior."

A deep, sincere voice echoed in the silent tomb.

Since Ingwell himself has approved of his actions, why should Lu Mingfei be polite? Any further politeness would seem hypocritical.

He straightened up and immediately began to act. His mind sank into his personal space, which was piled high with all sorts of spoils, resembling a general store. Rotting mushrooms, faded runes, broken weapons, and even the teeth of unknown beasts.
After searching for a while, he carefully took out a small box made of black wood. The box was opened, and the inside was lined with soft, dark velvet.

Lu Mingfei held his breath, his movements reverent, and carefully guided the floating, pale white substance with his fingers, slowly placing it into the wooden box.

The lid was closed, isolating the faint scent of the storm.

"Next, we need to find a medium to summon the ashes."

he murmured.
-
Lu Mingfei left the tomb, which reeked of death. The fresh air outside the tomb entrance invigorated him, and the lingering stench of blood and decay in his nose was largely dispelled by the cool mountain breeze.

He carefully placed the small box containing Ingwell's ashes in the space, and the strange touch seemed to still linger on his fingertips.

Although this time they got completely lost, plunging headlong into the gloomy and dark waters of the Mengliu River, and were even intercepted and killed by the Blood Finger "Nelius", almost losing their lives there, they were fortunate enough to make a safe return journey.

But... every cloud has a silver lining.

He met the mysterious and powerful Bloodfinger hunter Yura, looted Nelius's weapons and equipment, and more importantly, found the unexpected target of his journey—the ashes of Ingwell, the Hero of the Storm!

This recognition from the Stormwings is far more valuable than ordinary runes or weapons. Thinking of the pitifully few runes dropped by the Gravekeeper, Lu Mingfei pursed his lips, but his excitement at obtaining Ingwell's ashes quickly overshadowed his earlier reluctance.

Worth it!

A long, drawn-out neigh rang out. As specks of pale blue starlight gathered, the agile and graceful figure of the spirit horse Toret appeared beside Lu Mingfei.

It affectionately nuzzled its owner's arm, as if comforting his weary body and mind.

Lu Mingfei patted Toret's smooth neck, then mounted his horse. He took one last look at the silent land of Mengliu in the twilight, then tightened the reins and gave a soft shout: "Giddy up!"

With a burst of power from its four hooves, Torret transformed into a streak of silver-gray light, speeding towards the Saint's Bridge in the direction Yura had pointed out in its memory.

(End of this chapter)