Chapter 009: First Encounter with the Archaeological Team

Char Wenbin lit incense before the mural of the Supreme Old Lord on the wall, then prepared to open the coffin. As a Taoist priest, he had performed many rituals, and to him, this coffin was no different from opening an ordinary cabinet. After prying off the top mortise with a steel crowbar he had brought along, he attempted to lift the coffin. Finding it incredibly heavy and immovable, he called over a butcher to help. One person grabbed the head, the other the foot, and just as they were about to apply force, the incense stick burning before the mural of the Supreme Old Lord suddenly went out.

Wenbin's heart sank. He gestured to the butcher to put down the coffin lid and bent down to inspect the incense. Though the incense hadn't completely gone out, it was nearly burnt out.

This was strange. As a disciple of the Taoist school, he had offered incense to the patriarch. There were no objections from the dead, so why would the patriarch be upset? Wenbin walked over to the mural.

Just as he approached the mural, a gunshot suddenly pierced the night. In the pitch-black temple, the sound of the gunshot was shocking, and everyone turned to look at my father. His eyes were fixed on the direction Wenbin was walking, and his shotgun was pointed directly at the wall. The spread of the shotgun pellets instantly pockmarked the wall.

Wenbin asked my father what had happened, and my father said there was an old man with a white beard, reaching out to touch Wenbin's head. Sensing something was wrong, he immediately fired.

Wenbin quickly retreated. The two butchers who had heard the gunshot also joined them. The four men stood inside the temple as Wenbin pulled out his compass. The needle on the compass trembled erratically, indicating that something was indeed affecting the surroundings, yet Wenbin, as a Taoist, had not detected the old man.

Just as Wenbin was deep in thought, one of the butchers, Chen Yao, exclaimed, "Look!" Everyone followed the direction of his finger. Blood-red liquid, resembling blood, was seeping out of the bullet holes on the wall. The sight was enough to scare everyone. Even Wenbin was taken aback, and the four men froze in place.

As the gunpowder smoke dissipated, the air filled with an overwhelming stench of blood. Although the two butchers were used to the smell of blood, this time it was different. One of them started gagging. Wenbin frowned and approached the wall with his tool in hand. The high-powered lamps cast a stark light on the blood-soaked wall, sending a chill down my father's spine. He switched his shotgun shells for slugs, the kind used for wild boar. Though usually fearless, even he now felt his legs trembling.

Wenbin cautiously approached the wall and recited one of the Taoist purification mantras:

"By the power of nature, foul air disperses. From the depths of the void, light shines brightly. The gods of eight directions protect me. By the decree of the spirit talisman, I declare to the nine heavens: Spirits of the mountains, rise! Conquer demons and bind evil, saving countless beings. By the sacred words of the Celestial Jade Scroll, reciting this once prolongs life and wards off illness. Demons, submit before me, and let divine energy persist. By this command, so it is decreed!"

After chanting the mantra three times, the stench of blood in the temple diminished considerably. Wenbin signaled the butchers to come over and, using a crowbar they had prepared to open the coffin, jammed it into one of the bullet holes. With a forceful pry, the brick wall crumbled down. The scene that unfolded next was nauseating—my father and one of the butchers vomited on the spot.

A human-shaped wax cocoon was embedded in the wall, and the blood was oozing from the bullet holes in it. Why was there a wax cocoon in the temple's wall? The situation had now far exceeded everyone's expectations. Could there actually be a person inside the cocoon?

Before anyone could react, the sound of wooden planks shifting broke the silence. The wax cocoon gave way under the force and fell with a thud right in front of Wenbin. Wenbin shouted, "Not good!" and rushed back to the coffin. The lid, which they had not been able to move earlier, was now ajar. Wenbin executed a swift "swallow flip" maneuver, reaching the coffin in one leap. He pushed the lid closed again and ordered the two butchers to hold it down, instructing them to stab their butchering knives into the coffin lid. He then quickly used a chalk line to snap a grid over the coffin.

Legend has it that the chalk line was invented by the famous carpenter Lu Ban, and using it to bind a coffin was said to prevent zombies from rising, acting like a magical restraint.

After securing the coffin, Wenbin turned his attention to the cocoon. Although covered in thick wax, a human figure was faintly visible inside. Wenbin gestured for everyone to retreat. They locked the temple doors and returned to my house.

Before crossing the bridge to my house, Wenbin handed out three talismans, instructing each person to burn it and drink the ashes mixed with water. Upon reaching my home, Wenbin told my father to inform the village chief to contact the police the next day, and then went to sleep.

The next morning, the local police chief arrived with his team. They opened the temple doors, and a forensic specialist carefully peeled away the wax from the cocoon. Inside was indeed the corpse of an elderly man, dressed in a Taoist robe sewn with gold and silver thread. The robe had turned dark from being soaked in blood. By the time they exposed the body, its skin had already begun to blacken. The corpse was later taken by a provincial archaeological team that arrived shortly after.

During that time, my condition fluctuated. Wenbin said we had to wait for the archaeological team to finish their work because the answer lay within that coffin. However, the coffin was now under protection, and no outsiders were allowed near the temple.

The arrival of the archaeological team delighted many villagers. The village was remote, and after meals, the elderly and women gathered around to gossip, some of them boasting about their exploits from when they burned down the general's temple. Others teased about their affairs, much to the amusement of the archaeologists.

However, within a month, several members of the archaeological team fell ill, with symptoms similar to mine. The team leader, Lao Wang, was well-versed in ancient relics and immediately suspected something was amiss. After asking around, he was directed to our home.

Lao Wang, a straightforward man, listened to my father's account and insisted on meeting Wenbin. That evening, he and my father brought a few bottles of good liquor to Wenbin's house.

Lao Wang had been through many ancient tombs and had seen his fair share of strange phenomena. He was also fond of studying esoteric arts, so upon hearing that Wenbin was the head of a Taoist sect, he approached him with a degree of reverence.

When they arrived, Wenbin was studying the inscriptions from the temple wall. He had already copied them down from memory and brought them home.

After hearing Lao Wang's request, Wenbin didn't hesitate and asked if Lao Wang had encountered similar inscriptions in his archaeological work. Lao Wang said he had never seen such characters. Based on his decades of experience, he believed the symbols represented a lost language. While he couldn't be sure, he speculated that it might be related to the legendary "Ruyi Scroll." However, a provincial expert in ancient languages might be able to help decipher it.

Wenbin admitted that the temple indeed harbored something strange, but his current skills were not enough to uncover the truth. He believed that some mysterious force was protecting the temple, preventing harm. The answers, he said, might lie in the coffin and the inscriptions on the wall.

Lao Wang explained that the coffin had been transported to the provincial capital, where they were awaiting experts to open it. He estimated the coffin was over a thousand years old, and its preservation was remarkable. The provincial authorities were taking the matter very seriously. There was even a possibility of an underground palace beneath the temple. However, with so many people falling ill, work had been halted. With no other options, he had come to seek Wenbin's help.