Chapter 58: The Coffin Rises, Fortune Emerges

I caught up with Tong Xuan, who had already reached Uncle Mao's side. She leaned in close to his ear and told him what had happened. It was clear from Uncle Mao's expression that he had become grim. I pulled Tong Xuan aside to a place where no one else was around and asked her, “Xuan’er, what’s going on? Why do you both look so upset?”

Tong Xuan bit her lip at my question, widened her eyes, and said, “You really are clueless. I don’t know how you, Mr. Big Zombie, get by. Those inside are all zombies—your own kind, understand?” With that, she flung her hand and walked away toward Uncle Mao, leaving me standing dumbfounded in a spot far from the crowd.

Am I really that clueless? Damn it, I’m no Taoist, how was I supposed to know there were zombies inside? Besides, how could she be sure without opening the coffins? Shaking my head, I made my way toward Uncle Mao and stood by his side, watching him perform his rituals.

As Uncle Mao worked, he asked Li Fei, “If you’ve already selected a new gravesite, then we shouldn’t delay. We can open the coffins and move the graves now. If you haven’t, it would be better to wait, for fear that if we disturb the earth and cannot find the right spot, misfortune may result.”

Li Fei, being a scholar unfamiliar with feng shui terminology, simply nodded and replied, “Uncle Mao, the grave has long been chosen—over there on that patch of wasteland. It was selected by a feng shui master named Lian Banxian for the Li family. What do you think?” He pointed to a spot about five hundred meters away from the old cemetery.

Uncle Mao followed Li Fei’s gesture, slapped his thigh, and exclaimed, “A truly excellent spot! Dragonfly Skimming Water, Wealth Beyond Measure—a rare grave indeed. This is no ordinary sixty-year feng shui site. Done well, it could restore your family’s fortunes for two centuries!”

He had barely finished when he turned to Li Fei again, asking, “This Lian Banxian you mention, which immortal’s path does he follow?”

Li Fei smiled and replied, “Lian Banxian is a renowned feng shui master from K City, named Lian Yu. Though only in his early twenties, his skills are unmatched. He is the most famous in the business, and he is also a master of Mo Yi divination—his accuracy is said to be a hundred percent.” As he spoke, Li Fei couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up.

Uncle Mao’s frown relaxed into an even more roguish, radiant grin, as if he had just discovered something wonderful. I even heard him mutter softly to himself, “Lame Liu, who would have thought your disciple still walks this earth? Not bad, not bad. You haven’t let the art of Divination die out. You can face your ancestors with pride.”

After his chuckle, Uncle Mao addressed the group behind him, “Start work!” He pointed to the dozen or so strong young men who had arrived by bus following the Mercedes and instructed, “Begin digging at the Old Master’s grave. Anyone born in the years of Ox, Dog, or Rooster must turn their backs. If you disobey and something happens, it’s on you.” At that moment, Uncle Mao truly resembled a grandmaster from an old legend.

Besides the seventeen young men, the Li family had brought more than thirty people in all, sixteen of whom now turned their backs as instructed.

The Li family ancestral cemetery actually contained only three graves: one for the Old Master, one for the Old Madam, and another of unknown identity. The white marble paving made the place seem much larger, with many upright stones resembling headstones but serving no such purpose.

The strong young men, shovels in hand, first pried open the stones and marble. Watching them chip away at the priceless marble, my heart ached as if they were stabbing me—so much money, all gone!

Soon, the three coffins were exposed at the surface, and by then afternoon was well advanced.

Uncle Mao hesitated over whether to raise the coffins, but Li Fei shouted, “Raise them!” At his command, the young men slung ropes to lift the coffins.

Uncle Mao had no time to stop them and could only lead us a few meters away as the coffins were extracted.

I noticed these coffins stood upright, unlike traditional ones. This was the so-called "Rising Coffin, Rising Fortune" method. Seeing Uncle Mao’s dark expression, I began to suspect there really might be zombies inside.

As the coffins slowly emerged from the earth, I heard Uncle Mao say, “Wang Sheng, set up a plum blossom incense array at the coffin mouths. Tell me afterward how it burns.” Then he withdrew ten meters away.

I watched Wang Sheng arrange the incense into a plum blossom pattern at the mouths of the unearthed coffins. The rising smoke twisted and curled, even though there was no wind at all.

All three coffins were now out, and dusk was approaching.

Wang Sheng brought the remnants of the incense to Uncle Mao and said, “Master, look at how they burned!” He handed over three sticks: two short, one long.

At the sight of the burned incense, Uncle Mao hurriedly called to the young men, “Quickly, open the coffins!”

With his command, the coffin nails were pulled from all three at once. As they prepared to open the lids, a flock of birds suddenly burst into panicked cries from the woods, then scattered into the distance as if fleeing from something dreadful.

These coffins, judging by their appearance, had lain buried for a century, yet were still remarkably solid and emitted a faint fragrance. The Li family had evidently spared no expense, using the finest sandalwood. As two men pushed open each lid, the coffins creaked with a strange, eerie sound.

The sun was now half-set, but in the remaining light, the three ancestors inside were revealed.

Astonishingly, after a hundred years, the bodies were not decayed; they looked as lifelike as on the day of death, save for their hands, which had grown ten shiny, black claws.

Wang Sheng, curious, stepped closer and peered inside. Suddenly, realization struck him, and he called out, “Master, come quickly—he’s swollen!” He pointed at Old Master Li’s coffin.

At Wang Sheng’s shout, Uncle Mao also went to look. He saw that Old Master Li’s corpse, and the other two, had begun to bloat. He urgently ordered the young men, “Quick, close the coffins!”

Then he turned to Li Fei and said, “Mr. Li, I suggest we camp here tonight. The four of us will stand guard over your ancestors’ graves. You and your family should return home for now.” Though Uncle Mao’s words were simple, I caught a hint of deeper meaning—almost as if some threat to the family lurked.

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