Volume Two: The Hidden Burial in the Gorge Chapter 114: The Radiant Banner, the Bone-Seeking Lantern

As soon as I heard those words, hope surged within me. I hurriedly asked, "My dear grandfather, if you have conditions, just say them! Quickly, how can I save them?"

The old stall owner pointed to the copper coin hanging on my chest. "Give me this..."

I was stunned, my heart stirred. I never expected that the old man would want this Five Emperors coin. If he wanted money, to save my third uncle and the others, I could agree to tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands. But he specifically wanted this coin. It was something my third uncle and I had risked our lives to obtain. Moreover, it played a crucial role in igniting the Yang fire I had lost with the Five Emperors Buddhist lamp. My third uncle valued this coin more than any treasure he had ever acquired.

Hesitating for a moment, the old man yawned and sneered, "Forget it. If you’re unwilling to part with it, keep the coin yourself. This old man is tired and going to sleep."

He made as if to leave. I quickly stopped him. "Sir, wait! I agree."

"Finally willing to part with it?" The old man looked at me sideways.

I nodded and reached up to take the coin from around my neck, handing it to him.

The old man waved his hand. "Not now. We’ll go to the cliff valley in a bit; you wear it for safety. After everything is done, then I'll want it. But don’t worry, boy—I always keep my word. I only borrow it for a year. After that, it’ll be returned."

I was skeptical. Usually, when someone borrows something, they say it’s a loan out of politeness. If they don’t return it, what could I do? Besides, one coin, no matter how precious, couldn’t outweigh three lives.

I nodded in agreement, urging him to hurry and save them.

The old man waved his hand. "No rush. That procession moves slowly. We have plenty of time to catch up."

Thinking it over, it made sense. When I saw those ghosts, they took almost ten seconds to take a single step. Perhaps because their bodies were sewn back together, they feared moving too fast or their flesh would fall apart again.

The old man led me out of the room into a side chamber in the courtyard. I hadn’t noticed the room before. Now I saw it had a small iron door plastered with many yellow talismans. The wind made the talismans flutter loudly, yet they seemed nailed to the door.

The old man took out a key, unlocked the iron door, and led me inside.

Instantly, a strong stench of blood and rot hit me, mixed with some indescribable odors. The smell was overwhelming, making me dizzy.

He fumbled and lit an oil lamp.

With the room now illuminated, I noticed a large basin in the center that took up almost the entire space.

Inside, there were still many blood-red flesh fragments.

Remembering the old man’s profession, I immediately understood that this was where he stored the broken bones and flesh he collected. Likely, he sorted them here before handing them over to the deceased’s family.

The thought almost made me vomit.

Fortunately, my stomach was already empty. Clutching my mouth, I barely held myself back.

The old man lit a pipe of dry tobacco. Suddenly, I understood why he smoked so much.

The thick tobacco smoke greatly masked the foul odors.

Besides a few fragments, there were no intact body parts or bones left in the basin. He must have finished sorting the last cliff burial’s remains.

Pointing to the basin, he said, "See? Here I separate every person's bones and flesh, then put them back together properly before handing them over. Sorting takes me half a year each time."

Looking at the basin, it was easy to imagine the old man carrying back piles of broken flesh and bones, then burying himself in sorting. What kind of skill must that require? Every profession has its secrets; you can’t underestimate any without understanding it.

He took two large robes from a nearby rack and tossed one to me. "Put this on."

I nodded and slipped on the robe.

It was a fiery red robe, almost painful to look at.

The fabric was stiff and cumbersome, making movement awkward. But seeing that the old man wore one too, I said nothing.

He took me back to the original room, fumbled around the stove, and scooped something into a bowl. After adding water, he handed it to me. "Drink this."

"What... what is this?" I grimaced at the dark water, topped with a greasy film. I cursed inwardly—why had my stomach been so unsettled since arriving? Would drinking this cause side effects?

Seeing my hesitation, the old man said coldly, "This is for your own good. But I advise you not to ask what it is—I fear you won’t drink it if you do."

His words made sense. Holding my nose, I gulped down the bowlful.

Surprisingly, the dark water had no distinct taste. It was only the mental barrier that made it difficult.

Once the preparations were complete, the old man was ready to set out.

Though knowing the procession moved slowly, an hour had already passed since I arrived.

Where was the procession now? Were my third uncle and the others among those corpses? It was all still a mystery, and my anxiety burned.

The old man took two white flags from the door, stuck their poles into his belt behind his back. I saw the flags were covered in dense runes, with characters on each—one reading "There is a Path in the Netherworld," the other "Bone Collector Sent by Heaven."

Dressed in his red robe with the two white flags on his back, he looked like a stage performer—almost comical. But in the dead of night, his conspicuous attire was unsettling rather than amusing.

That wasn’t all. He also took down two lanterns from the doorframe. The lantern skins were pale yellow, thin but not transparent.

He struck a match and lit the candles inside. The candlelight filtered through the thin skin, casting faint shadows that flickered like a revolving lantern.

Seeing my curiosity, he explained, "This is my bone-collecting gear. The flags behind are the 'Clear Path Flags,' and the lanterns are called 'Bone-Seeking Lamps.'"

I nodded. "These lanterns look nice, quite beautiful."

He snorted. "Of course they do. They’re made from human skin."

"Human skin?" I nearly threw the lanterns in fright.

There was nothing around this old man that wasn’t terrifying.

(The End of This Chapter)

Enjoy reading, enjoy the excitement!