Liu Zhonghe was startled by Sanhu's sudden slap. "Master Sanhu, what is this?"
Sanhu smiled. "My apologies, Mr. Liu, for the display."
Liu Zhonghe nodded. It was a private matter, not for him to interfere with. He led the group into the Chen family's house.
Yang Guofu glanced back at Sanhu. "Third, you hit too hard."
Sanhu lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Uncle Yang. It was reckless of me."
Yang Guofu nodded, and everyone followed Liu Zhonghe to the main hall.
In the main hall, a blackish-purple coffin rested in the center, with some fruit and three red candles placed in front of it.
Yang Guofu frowned upon seeing the coffin.
Yu Daohan's expression changed slightly as he looked at the purple coffin. "Uncle Yang, is this… Huai wood?"
Yang Guofu nodded. "Huai trees are commonly known as ghost trees. Like willow trees, they carry a heavy Yin energy. Coffins are usually made from paulownia or other wood. If Huai wood is used, the corpse will likely reanimate within three years."
Yang Guofu looked at Liu Zhonghe. "Where did this coffin come from?"
Seeing Yang Guofu's serious expression, Liu Zhonghe felt a sense of foreboding. "When I arrived, I saw Chen Qingshui already lying in the coffin. Uncle Chen said Chen Qingshui bought it ten years ago."
Liu Zhonghe's voice trembled slightly. "Is there a problem, Master?"
"This matter is a bit difficult."
As he spoke, Yang Guofu walked to the coffin. The moment he saw the corpse inside, Yang Guofu suddenly looked up and scanned his surroundings.
Yu Daohan, noticing Yang Guofu's tense expression, walked to the coffin and looked at the body within.
"Fingernails are purple, teeth have grown longer, veins are bulging on the neck. This is about to reanimate!"
"And, the head is facing inward!!"
Yu Daohan saw that Chen Qingshui's head was not facing outwards but inwards. His heart tightened, and he looked around, his hand instinctively gripping the Kang Long Mace, ready to draw it.
Seeing that something was amiss, the others quickly gathered around the coffin.
Everyone looked at Chen Qingshui in the coffin, their expressions growing tense. Da Hu and the other two glanced around.
Yang Ergou looked at the corpse in the coffin. His master had told him about this situation. When fingernails turn black, teeth grow longer, and veins appear on the skin, the corpse will reanimate and become a Jiangshi.
But why were everyone staring around so nervously?
Sanhu leaned close to Yang Ergou's ear and whispered, "Ergou, look at which way her head is facing."
When Yang Ergou looked at the corpse in the coffin again, his expression changed, and he subconsciously scanned the surroundings.
The corpse's head facing inward was a grave taboo!
No matter where it was, the deceased's head must face the door so that their soul could be reincarnated.
If the head faced inward, it meant the deceased's soul was intended to remain in this old house forever.
The group scanned their surroundings. Yu Daohan shook his head. Yang Guofu and the other three nodded, indicating they saw nothing.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang Guofu hesitated for a few seconds before speaking directly. "There's no time. Bury it immediately."
Liu Zhonghe was taken aback. "This is too fast. Besides, I haven't even chosen a burial plot. Even the fastest would be tomorrow."
"Master, isn't this a bit too hasty? And the burial plot hasn't been chosen yet," Liu Zhonghe said.
Yang Guofu said to Da Hu beside him, "Take the tools and go choose a geomantically auspicious burial plot now."
Da Hu nodded and prepared to head to the village's back mountain to select a site.
Yang Guofu explained to Liu Zhonghe, "This corpse could reanimate into a Jiangshi at any moment. It must be buried immediately."
Liu Zhonghe's face turned pale. He quickly agreed, "As the Master says, bury it immediately."
Creak~
A door on the left side of the main hall was pushed open. Da Hu stopped, and everyone looked over simultaneously.
An old woman and an eighteen-year-old girl walked out.
Yang Ergou instinctively took a step back as he saw the two emerge.
Their complexions were very pale, almost like the dead, with no trace of life.
The eighteen-year-old girl called out, "Daddy."
Liu Zhonghe's face broke into a smile. This was his daughter with Chen Qingshui, Chen Ruolian. "Ruolian, why have you come out?"
Chen Ruolian's eyes were red, clearly having cried for a long time.
The old woman beside her said nothing. Liu Zhonghe called out, "Auntie."
The old woman's expression was blank. She walked directly into the house, like a walking corpse, devoid of soul.
Liu Zhonghe sighed. It was understandable. He had left abruptly when Chen Qingshui was pregnant. He had failed Chen Qingshui and the Chen family.
"Daddy, I want to spend one last night with Mommy," Chen Ruolian said, tears streaming down her face.
Liu Zhonghe was in a difficult position. The Master had just said that if the body wasn't buried immediately, it might turn into a Jiangshi. He hadn't spent a single day with Chen Ruolian since her birth; Chen Qingshui had raised her.
Liu Zhonghe wiped Chen Ruolian's tears and comforted her. "Daddy promises you."
He then looked at Yang Guofu. "Master, I want to stay with Chen Qingshui for one more night."
Da Hu looked troubled. If the corpse reanimated, the consequences would be unimaginable. "Mr. Liu, if it's not buried soon, it's very likely to..."
Before Da Hu could finish, Yang Guofu interrupted him with a shake of his head. He looked at Liu Zhonghe. "Since Mr. Liu wishes to keep her for another night, she must be buried tomorrow."
Liu Zhonghe's face lit up with a smile. "I'll prepare accommodations for you Masters immediately."
Yang Guofu waved his hand. "We coffin bearers have rules. We cannot stay in someone's home casually."