Chapter 7: The Feigned Resurrection

No. 145 Nanshan Road, Li Yiran!

I remembered the name and the address clearly.

During the day, when I used the compass, something strange happened here. Now that the brass box has been taken away, the oppressive aura still lingers.

It seems the source of this dark energy is not here.

Uncle Dazhuang is a rough man who barely finished a few years of elementary school. This study room is merely for show.

I suppose the most mysterious thing in the study was that brass box. Now that it’s gone, I have no intention of staying here any longer.

The study door can be opened from the inside, so there’s no need to climb out again.

As I stepped out, I saw the crowd in the main hall downstairs in utter chaos.

Uncle Wangcai hurriedly found me, telling me that Liu Qingya had disappeared right under everyone’s noses.

Liu Qingya had been burning joss paper nearby before, but no one paid much attention, nor did anyone watch her out of boredom. One villager, who wanted to smoke and was borrowing lighters everywhere, happened to glance over and saw only joss paper burning—Liu Qingya herself was nowhere to be seen.

Earlier, I sensed something was wrong when I saw Liu Qingya kneeling there. It was likely an illusion conjured by Li Yiran.

Liu Qingya had vanished about an hour ago.

Where she went, I have no idea, but Li Yiran certainly knows.

If Liu Qingya doesn’t return by morning, I’ll confront Li Yiran.

Amid the crowd, I spotted my father. I don’t know when he showed up again. He was smoking a cigarette, looking indifferent as if nothing mattered.

“Dad, I need to ask you something.”

I approached Jiang Yuanshan. Being father and son, I hoped he wouldn’t refuse to answer.

“Follow me,” Jiang Yuanshan said, heading toward a corner.

When no one else was around, he finally spoke, “I know what you want to ask. If I say I don’t know, would you believe me?”

“I never investigated the old tomb back then. What I know isn’t much different from what you know,” he added. “Besides, this doesn’t concern you much. Don’t get involved. Your main duty today is to pay respects, understand?”

“Alright.”

I wasn’t sure if Jiang Yuanshan truly didn’t know or just didn’t want to tell me.

The atmosphere grew awkward, so I said, “By the way, have a look at this.”

I pulled out the piece of paper with the word “Escape” written on it and handed it to Jiang Yuanshan.

When I first got this card, the blood on it was still fresh; now it had almost congealed.

---

“This paper just blew into my hands. Who could have given it to me?” I didn’t suspect Jiang Yuanshan, though he wasn’t present earlier.

But Jiang Yuanshan is just an ordinary man. I still resent how he argued with my grandfather back then.

It was just a few worthless antiques.

What could be more important than family?

“Hand this paper over to the authorities tomorrow. There might be a murder nearby.” Jiang Yuanshan didn’t take the paper from me; he just glanced at it impatiently.

...

“Damn, it’s a resurrection!”

“Dazhuang, don’t scare us, will you?”

“Uncle Dazhuang, if you’re unhappy about something, just send a dream—don’t mess with us.”

“...”

While Jiang Yuanshan and I were talking, a sudden commotion erupted in the living room.

Not good!

I rushed toward the living room.

In the coffin, Uncle Dazhuang suddenly sat upright.

This is a sign of corpse mutation!

“Everyone, step back! Don’t get close!” I shouted as I hurried over.

Another baffling event—how could he be coming back to life?

I had seen Uncle Dazhuang’s death face. Though suspicious, it certainly didn’t suggest resurrection.

Resurrection requires conditions: the deceased must have unresolved grudges, a breath stuck in their throat preventing departure, leading to corpse mutation.

Without any talisman, I bit down on my already scabbed right index finger, breaking the skin again. I dashed forward and pressed my finger against Uncle Dazhuang’s forehead.

The corpse finally slumped back down.

“A few of you, help me close the coffin lid!” I ordered.

We couldn’t wait for the funeral anymore; the coffin had to be sealed immediately to prevent any further incidents.

“On it!”

Some of the village elders, seeing that I had some ability, quickly obeyed.

A dozen middle-aged men lifted the coffin lid, which weighed several hundred pounds, made of prime cypress wood, and rested it on the side.

Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

“Damn, that was terrifying,” Uncle Wangcai said, coming over and recounting the incident. “We were chatting when I suddenly felt a chill behind me. When I turned, Uncle Dazhuang was sitting up. Scary, right?”

“It’s okay, Uncle Wangcai,” I smiled. “Actually, some special people’s joints can still move after death. Though they might make strange movements, they’re still dead. No need to be afraid.”

I made up a few comforting words to smooth things over.

To this day, I still don’t fully understand what’s going on. Uncle Dazhuang’s death wasn’t simple, and Uncle Wangcai showed some symptoms too.

Many things weren’t recorded in those two ancient books.

This struck at my knowledge gap, but my grandfather once told me: whether in life or work, one must learn to adapt.

We can’t wait any longer!

After searching the villa’s rooms for a long time, I finally found a mirror in Liu Qingya’s room. I brought it to Uncle Wangcai and said, “Uncle, look in the mirror.”

“What do you mean? Xiao Chen, you think I’m ugly?” Uncle Wangcai’s face darkened, clearly displeased. In the countryside, telling someone to look in a mirror is never a compliment. There’s an old saying: “Why don’t you look at yourself before criticizing others?”

“No, look at your forehead,” I added.

“What’s wrong with my forehead?”

He took the mirror and examined himself carefully. “Strange, why is it darkened? It was fine this morning when I left. I didn’t bump into anything.”

“Uncle, I asked Liu Qingya. When Uncle Dazhuang died, he also had a black spot on his forehead,” I paused, then said, “There are things you need to tell me.”

“Come with me. Let’s find a quiet place.”

Uncle Wangcai grabbed my sleeve and led me upstairs.

As for the main hall, there weren’t many people to begin with. After Uncle Dazhuang’s resurrection scare, most went upstairs.

If it weren’t for the lack of transportation at night, most would have left already.

Uncle Wangcai and I searched the second and third floors for a while but found no empty rooms. So I took him directly to Uncle Dazhuang’s study.

It was empty, so it would be quieter.

We stood inside. Uncle Wangcai lit a cigarette and began, “What we encountered by the Weishui River back then is similar to the village legends. I’ll start from when I entered the ancient tomb; that part differs quite a bit…”