Ancient tomb excavation traces

The platform is like the wooden platform under the emperor's throne in a palace. If it were to be used as a coffin, it would be quite large, perhaps enough to hold seven or eight people. But what would be the point of such a large coffin? I was puzzled.

Bao Cai, who had been avoiding the area when the ancestor said it was a coffin, was now overjoyed to be on his way. While his eye for antiques wasn't as sharp as Chen Tiao's, he had keen ears and a keen nose, always claiming he could smell something valuable. Once he reached the top, he wiped his mouth, leaned over to us, and said, "Such a big coffin, you think it's just for Princess Chu? That's a waste. I reckon there are quite a few funerary objects inside."

I knew he only came up here for the valuables, so I immediately slapped him in the face and said, "Have some mercy. Didn't you hear the breathing inside? It's a man's. I suspect that old King Chu was afraid the princess would be lonely, so he sent her a lot of handsome men to please her."

The ancestor waved his hand, saying that the coffin was now right in front of him, so he could just open it. He then took several prying tools from the bronze terracotta figures buried with him. Just as he found a place to pry open a crack, blood gushed out. The blood flowed down the base wall like a dark, outstretched hand, sending a chill down his spine.

Bao Cai, quick-witted, stepped back and said, "That was terrifying! Is this coffin like the old tree coffin down there? How come it bleeds as soon as it's pried open?"

The old ancestor said, "It's different; this is all human blood!"

"Human blood!" Bao Cai exclaimed in panic, "My God, that's so eerie! Wasn't there someone lying in there who had been dead for hundreds of years? How could there be so much blood? Could it be a demon that has transformed?"

An answer vaguely appeared in my mind. I looked at the pool not far away. Could it be that all the blood that disappeared in the pool had gone into the coffin? Was the so-called "rebirth from the ashes" actually "rebirth from the blood"?

Thinking about it, I realized that I had fallen into the trap of four witches. They were hesitating to make a move against us and staring excitedly at the coffin. Were they waiting for some absurd miracle to happen?

The blood gushing out was increasing, and my ancestor and I, seeing that something was amiss, helped the young Taoist priest and the others up and led them away. Then, stepping through the crimson human blood, we returned to the coffin.

The breathing sounds were louder in the enclosed space, but gradually became quieter after emerging from the gap. I imagined the scene inside the coffin: the corpse inside had come back to life, blood filled the coffin, almost reaching his head, and he was afraid of being choked by the blood, so he pounded on the coffin lid, wanting us to let him out.

Regardless of whether the person inside is dead or alive, or how dangerous the situation is, the coffin must be opened for the ancestor, otherwise he and Chen Yi will live in the shadow of Mi Ling for the rest of their lives.

I helped him pry it open with the spear, when suddenly I saw the flames on both lampposts turn from a blazing red to black. When I was little, some superstitious elders told me that ghosts wear clothes: white for ordinary ghosts, red for vengeful ghosts, and black for the most vengeful ones! I had never imagined fire could turn black, and I was immediately terrified, thinking, "Could what's down there really be the male concubine who was buried with Mi Ling, and because he died so unjustly, he's now jumping out to take our lives?"

Upon realizing this, his previously strong hand suddenly went limp. Meanwhile, the four witches in the distance, seeing this, burst into laughter, exclaiming, "Hundreds of years! We've finally come out! We can finally see our ancestors!" They spoke with a manic, almost delirious, expression, their eyes filled with boundless longing.

Bao Cai said, "Young master, could these witches, who look like ghosts, have mistaken their ancestors like Tie Niu and Liu Hua? Didn't the barbarian girls say that Mi Ling never married? How come they're all calling her their ancestor now? They've ruined the reputation of these beautiful young women!"

Bao Cai and I thought of the same thing. Judging from the words of these four witches, they seemed to have foreseen the strange phenomena that occurred in the coffin today, or perhaps they had planned it for a long time, and the person in the coffin also knew that one day he would return to the world of the living…”

This thought sent a shiver down my spine, and I muttered, "What the hell? Do they think they're some kind of superhuman beings, knowing everything from astronomy to geography, and even able to predict the future?"

At this moment, the black fire flickered between reality and illusion, like a ghost. The ancestor stared at the coffin lid and said, "Little rascal, there's probably no benevolent person inside. You and Brother Liu should retreat first..."

Although I was terrified, at that moment, apart from Bao Cai and me, everyone else around the ancestor was either injured or unconscious... Thinking of this, I disregarded the danger and made up my mind: "Brother Feng, I'm still of use. Even if there really is a ferocious beast inside, I'm still wearing sharkskin, so I won't lose my life in an instant!" As I spoke, I increased my strength.

Upon hearing this, the ancestor remained silent for a moment, then said with pleasure, "Very well..."

Although Bao Cai was trembling, he knew his importance at this moment, and he exerted all his strength, muttering, "Master, I... I've almost given up my life... I even sacrificed a funerary object to save Fatty Chen. If we open the coffin... huff huff..." Bao Cai took a few breaths, changed his posture, and continued, "If we open the coffin, could you please reward me with two of the valuable funerary objects beside Princess Chu? Considering I've done my part, even if I haven't done anything meritorious, I've still put in the effort!"

Upon hearing this, the old ancestor chuckled and said, "Brother Liu, grave robbing is inherently a sinister profession. The funerary objects inside are all snatched from the dead, and their origins are tainted. If you take too many, you'll be haunted by evil spirits, and you might have the life to take them but not the life to enjoy them. Furthermore, to be honest, there's a reason why our sect established this rule. There were a few tomb raiders who took three funerary objects, but they weren't satisfied, so they took five or six more. In the end, they became more and more greedy, and when they encountered danger, the funerary objects wore them down. In the end, the tomb owners kept them and buried them with them."

Bao Cai, having heard from his ancestor that the negotiations for the two funerary objects had stalled, muttered a few words and then fell silent.

As the coffin lid was pushed open, the stench of blood wafted straight to our noses. The black flames, burning ever brighter as the lid was forced open, seemed to be forged from the very essence of Yin.

A moment later, I shivered, a chill creeping up my skin as if the bottom of a freezer had been opened. Seeing this, the ancestor quickly took out a pendant from around his neck. I recognized it immediately; it was a Heavenly Eye Stone. The ancestor tossed it to me and told me to put it on, saying that the evil energy inside the coffin was too strong for me to withstand, and the Heavenly Eye Stone could ward off evil.

I picked up the Heavenly Eye, my heart pounding, and said, "Boss Feng, what are you going to do now that you've given me this?"

The old ancestor chuckled, baring his teeth, and said, "I've spent years in the underworld, my skin is thick and tough, and evil can no longer enter my body!" As soon as he finished speaking, he removed his spear, grabbed the coffin lid with his bare hands, shouted, and suddenly turned around to face the young Taoist priests. He pushed off the ground with his feet, and with both hands, he spun the coffin lid towards the side closest to the wooden door, and the coffin lid landed upside down.

Bao Cai and I were dumbfounded. We had just thought the outer coffin lid was too heavy. Although the three of us could pry it open using the lever principle, moving it would not be an easy task. But we never expected that it would be so light and easy for our ancestor. Now we watched as our ancestor steadily placed the outer coffin lid on the open ground in front of the wooden door.

When I came to my senses, I found that the outer coffin and the inner coffin were not fitted together, but left a gap of about ten centimeters. The space in the gap was mostly filled with blood, which was gushing out of the inner coffin.

The coffin was covered with a "non-clothing," a type of banner painted on silk. The painting on it was stained with blood, and the ancestor carefully cut it off with a red copper scimitar.

Upon seeing the coffin, I was greatly astonished, for it was made of Phoebe zhennan wood, a sacred wood in the eyes of many. This type of wood was nearly extinct by the end of the Ming Dynasty, and what is sold on the market now is either fake or made from materials taken from old coffins by tomb raiders, with prices driven up significantly. Some people buy Phoebe zhennan wood bracelets, unaware that they are carrying something with extremely heavy yin energy.

Seeing my expression, Bao Cai knew this coffin was something special and quickly asked me what kind of treasure it was. When I told him the answer, he beamed and said that if he could carry this thing back, it would be worth it even if he got internal bleeding from the pressure! I laughed at him for being so shameless for money, but he was quite sensible and said that you can't put food on the table.

It's no wonder Bao Cai was so excited. In fact, Phoebe zhennan wood was a treasure of the city during the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty wrote "Ode to the Divine Wood," which refers to this type of wood. Because this wood possesses profound spiritual power, it once appeared in Emperor Qianlong's dream, which is why Qianlong later protected it.

Seeing how big the wooden coffin is now, I'm itching to get inside. This kind of high-quality wood is truly rare. I wish I could lie down in that coffin right now and embrace it.

Just as we were marveling at the precious Phoebe zhennan wood, a thin layer of blood mist, like smoke, swirled around the coffin lid, gradually forming a demonic face. At the same time, the lotus-shaped decorations at the four corners of the Phoebe zhennan wood coffin emitted a mechanical sound.

Bao Cai looked on in alarm and asked, "What happened?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the intricately carved stamen in the center of the lotus flower burst open. It turned out that the stamen was the nail that held the coffin lid in place, and it seemed to have been pushed up by some mysterious force.

The ancestor's expression changed upon seeing this scene, and he said, "A lotus box hides a cotton needle, a seven-inch nail seals a fierce corpse! What's inside is about to come out, get out of the way!"