Raising the Coffin

Datou swung the flashlight above, revealing an indistinct iron network. He hesitated and said, "Most likely, it's that strange bird."

"I hope so. I have a rather ominous premonition," I said, anxiously surveying the surroundings.

"Look here, this coffin seems to have been opened." Laowan, who was studying the painted decorations with Li Xin, made a discovery, pointing at the seal at the seam of the coffin. "It's been scraped off here."

We approached and indeed found irregularities in the coffin's seal. The entire coffin had intricate paintings, making it easy to overlook the uneven seal.

Hansheng felt along the seal with his fingers and suddenly stopped, saying to us, "Hmm, it seems to have been opened. There are pry marks here."

Datou chuckled, "The owner inside won't come out for exercise every day, right? After a workout, they just lie back down."

Li Xin, who was studying the paintings, was scared by Datou's remark, quickly stepping back. I gave Datou a disapproving look and said to Li Xin, "Don't listen to his nonsense. It might be the people from Yushan. If it is, all the valuable items in the coffin must have been taken."

Datou looked a bit disheartened, but he quickly patted his backpack and carefully said, "With you guys, I have enough. Just follow me and stay close."

I turned to Hansheng, "Shall we open it?"

He hesitated for a moment, nodding in agreement.

Seeing him nod, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Having someone like him on our expedition significantly increased our sense of security.

Hansheng took out two pry bars from his bag, handing one to Datou. The two of them inserted the bars into the seams, pressed down together, and lifted the coffin lid. Zhao Min and I joined in, pushing the lid outward. The coffin, made of an unknown material—neither wood nor metal but surprisingly heavy—revealed a gap after much effort, barely enough for one person to enter.

Datou, panting heavily, slapped the coffin, saying, "This thing doesn't look so heavy. Almost as heavy as Liu He's tomb."

I, too, was catching my breath, thinking that the material was indeed unique. I had heard of the burial of Liu He, the Marquis of Haihun, which contained an exceptionally large coffin weighing over seven tons. The one before us was smaller, but the lid alone seemed to weigh at least a ton.

Hansheng, holding a flashlight, was about to go in. I glanced at Li Xin, realizing that my equipment had been lost during the strange bird attack. Now, with only one flashlight, we would have to share. Hansheng inspected the situation, turned to me, and said, "Be careful."

The inside of the pitch-black coffin was chilly. I couldn't help shivering. In the center was a burial, adorned with numerous jade tablets. Although small, it was undoubtedly the main coffin.

I exclaimed in surprise. According to the traditional coffin and burial system, emperors required five coffins and two outer coffins, while princes needed four coffins with one or two outer coffins. Looking at the large outer coffin, I thought the inner structure should have at least three coffins and two outer coffins. Unexpectedly, there was only one coffin inside.

Hansheng pointed to a section of the coffin wall, saying, "Look."

On the indicated part of the wall, there were scratches. Upon closer inspection, I realized there should have been inscriptions there, but they had been scraped off. I looked at Hansheng in astonishment, "Is this the work of the person behind Yushan?"

He nodded, saying, "It's quite possible. Moreover, it seems that this person knows a lot about the occupant of this coffin."

Hearing this, a thought flashed in my mind. I blurted out, "Perhaps, from the beginning, we were wrong! We assumed Yushan was here to find the tomb of King Fox, assuming they were professional tomb raiders after it. While that might be true, looking at the person behind Yushan, his intentions seem obvious. We can be certain that he had never entered here before; otherwise, Yushan wouldn't have lost so many people. The workers who built the Zhenling Platform were all executed, so who leaked the secret of Fox? The answer is clear—its origin!"

Afraid of confusing Hansheng, I continued, "The person behind Yushan knew about the person from Bashu from the very beginning. That's why he came directly here to take things. In other words, they didn't come for King Fox. Yushan's leader must know the person from Bashu, and the two of them have mysterious connections, maybe even inheritance."

Hansheng's eyes lit up. "Makes sense. This is a plot, a millennium-old plot. The predecessors planted the tree, and the descendants reap the fruit. We just don't know what seed he planted and what fruit the other person is harvesting."

With the help of Hansheng's flashlight, I vaguely saw a mark on the wall. I asked him to move the light back, revealing a circular mark. My heart tightened, and I asked him to move the flashlight back, revealing an unmistakable object—the plaque we came here for!

I sighed. After all the experiences, we still fell short. Hansheng patted my shoulder with a smile, "It's okay, Er Ye. At least, we confirmed our speculations. There is a great secret on this plaque, divided into pieces and scattered in the tomb. Moreover, we haven't come back empty-handed. We learned some secrets about that person. Maybe we can find some clues when we go back."

I shrugged, "Well, this trip was a wind

fall for Big Head."

I glanced at the coffin, considering if we should open and inspect it. Hansheng laughed, "I already checked. The seal has been scraped off, and the body is probably gone."

Before I could suggest grabbing a few pieces of the jade tablets even if the body was missing—after all, we needed to recoup the expenses for travel—suddenly, a commotion erupted outside. Hansheng frowned, asking me to stay put while he went out to check. As he jumped out, I couldn't help but think that I was left here guarding a coffin. Couldn't he leave the flashlight with me?

Hesitating for a moment, I realized that the strange bird might have returned. Contemplating whether to go out and help, a gust of wind brushed against me. My heart tightened. Someone was coming down... or did the person inside the coffin emerge?

I tried to ask in a low voice, "Hansheng?"

No response. My scalp tingled. If it was Hansheng, he wouldn't play such a prank on me. Suppressing the pounding of my heart, I cautiously leaned against the coffin wall, trying to discern the darkness in front of me.

The more I suppressed, the more nervous I became. My heartbeat accelerated, and I felt almost suffocated. Just then, a faint gasping sound reached my ears. Cold sweat instantly soaked my clothes. I desperately covered my mouth to prevent myself from screaming. Another gasp, clearer this time, and evidently getting closer.

Feeling like a lamb awaiting slaughter, my mind went blank. Suddenly, a "plop" sounded from the coffin, and my nerves jumped. I thought of the matchbox in my pocket but hesitated to light it, afraid of encountering some terrifying entity.

I couldn't tell if it had been a minute or an hour when the inside of the coffin suddenly illuminated. Simultaneously, a face protruded from the gap in the lid. I exclaimed, frightened. Big Head gave me a disdainful look, saying, "Hurry up! Something's coming down here."

I barely heard what he said because my attention was entirely on the copper plaque on the coffin lid. I swore with my life that the plaque was not there when we came down. Someone in the darkness had just delivered it to us!

Big Head, impatient, urged, "What are you staring at? Do you miss the smell of home? Come up quickly."

I swallowed my saliva and decisively grabbed the plaque, stashing it in my pocket. I took the hand Big Head extended, and once I was up, I saw Zhao Min holding a short knife, guarding Laowan, and Hansheng with his spear, sporting two new bloodstains on his left shoulder.

Laowan was using a flashlight to ward off the creatures, intermittently changing the light's position to the sky. Several dark shadows could be seen, undoubtedly those strange birds. My heart sank. Why were there so many?

Big Head pulled me up and shouted, "It's getting windy, let's go."

I asked about Hansheng's condition. Big Head tugged at me, "No time for sweet talk. He's much tougher than you. I found an exit, let's move."

I didn't have the chance to say anything as Big Head led the way. I signaled Li Xin and Laowan to go first, while I held the flashlight to help Hansheng and Big Head. Hansheng had just shot a strange bird that was descending, toppling it down. Then, he ran over.

However, Zhao Min wasn't as lucky. Being pressured by one bird, she took a step back, inadvertently stepping into the gap between the iron cables. Unable to balance herself in time, she fell.

She glanced at me anxiously, "Hurry, go!"

I hesitated for a moment, then gritted my teeth, rushing past her. She pushed me, and in my nervousness, I shouted at her, "Women, calm down a bit. Do you want to leave or not?"

I had barely finished speaking when a strange bird flapped its wings, landing in front of us. This time, I could clearly see that its terrifying face resembled a bat but uglier, with mouth full of fangs. I had never seen such teeth on any carnivorous animal.

In a critical moment, Hansheng launched an illuminating flare. The glaring white light, like daylight, startled the myriad strange birds, piercing the air with their shrill screams. The bird in front of us also retreated, flapping its wings.

Hansheng rushed over, helping me up, and said, "Go, this is the last illuminating flare."

Right before we entered the thief hole, I instinctively turned around, catching a glimpse of a figure in the fading light of the flare. The person stood quietly beside the coffin.