Volume Two: The Secret Burial of the Cliff Valley - Chapter 122: Refusing to Shed Tears Until Seeing the Coffin

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Masu, upon seeing me, tried to approach my side but barely took half a step before his body wavered, nearly falling. It looked as if neither of his legs obeyed his commands. I hurried over to help Liang Yue up and asked the old stall owner, “Master, what’s wrong with them? Weren’t they rescued? Why can’t they use their legs properly?”

The old stall owner replied, “They were under control for quite some time; their vital energy and muscles need time to recover. Don’t worry, some movement for three to five minutes will make them better.”

Liang Yue frowned and asked, “Li Yang, what exactly is going on here? Where are we?”

Masu also looked puzzled and recalled, “Didn’t we enter Nanliu Village? Then the fog came... and after that...”

I waved my hand, “Don’t ask too many questions now. Hurry and move your bodies. I’ll explain slowly. Tell me, after the fog appeared, did you have any contact with my third uncle?”

Liang Yue thought for a moment and said, “I was following Old Ma at the time and heard your third uncle shout for us all to stick together and not get separated. But the fog was so thick that after a while, I lost sight of your third uncle and could only stay close behind Old Ma. Then Old Ma stopped…”

Masu continued, “Yes, I stopped because the compass in my hand malfunctioned; the needle spun wildly and never stopped.”

I nodded, “In that case, the compass is unreliable. Then what happened?”

“After that, Old Ma and I looked for your third uncle but couldn’t find him. At that moment, my head started feeling dizzy. I thought I saw a neatly arranged group passing in front of me, and I unconsciously followed them. What happened next, I can’t remember…”

Old Ma nodded, saying his experience was similar to Liang Yue’s. This was mostly what I had expected. It seemed my third uncle might have been in the same situation as Old Ma and the others, but perhaps because he had some spiritual cultivation, the soul-guiding banner didn’t completely confuse him, which explains why his experience differed.

Noticing my mood darken, Masu asked, “Looks like you saved me and Liang Yue, but why isn’t your third uncle here?”

The old stall owner pointed to the cliff, “He jumped with them.”

Masu and Liang Yue were shocked, staring at me. I struggled to control my emotions; this wasn’t the time to grieve. The outcome was still uncertain. I briefly recounted the main events to Liang Yue and Masu.

After I finished, Masu shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum and waved his hands, “Li Yang, don’t tease me. I’d believe it if someone else was in danger, but your third uncle? Jumped off here? No way. That crafty old Daoist, as soon as the fog rolled in, he’d know what was going on and would have prepared. We’re both fine; how could he be in trouble? I’m telling you, if anything happened to him, I’ll write my name backwards.”

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Liang Yue also said, “I believe Master Dongbin. His cultivation is so advanced; he wouldn’t be in trouble.”

My heart had been heavy, but their words rekindled some hope.

The old stall owner snorted, “You really won’t believe it until you see the coffin.”

“Alright then,” he said, “Seeing is believing. To put your minds at ease, I’ll take you down to pick the bones. Whether he’s dead or alive, you’ll know once we get there.”

Carrying his lantern, the old stall owner led the way, taking an inconspicuous little side path beside the platform.

Masu walked along the path, whispering for me to look at the ground. I saw the grass on the side path was trampled and bent in different directions.

Masu said, “See? This grass is trampled but not dried out yet, obviously stepped on recently. If your third uncle really went to the cliff top, he must have come down this way. That old rascal, scaring us like this—he’ll get what’s coming if we meet him.”

I felt a surge of joy. That meant there was a strong chance my third uncle was still alive.

Unexpectedly, the old stall owner turned and said, “That banner-wielding person also left this way. That grass was probably broken by him. Your third uncle… the odds aren’t good.”

The old stall owner’s words were harsh; the hope I had just kindled was doused by his cold water.

But he was our lifesaver, so I dared not question him.

Liang Yue, however, was not so reserved. After hearing the old man, she retorted, “Sir, can’t you say something hopeful for once? Why do you only speak ill omens?”

The old stall owner snorted, “I’m just a humble stall owner doing this grim job, so I speak grim truths. This is like bitter medicine—easy to say nice words, but don’t get too joyful and invite tragedy.”

I knew arguing with the old stall owner would only lead to more harsh words. He was blunt and spoke his mind.

I signaled to Liang Yue to stop talking and followed the old stall owner as we descended from the cliff top to the valley below.

The narrow path down the mountain was steep, with some sections nearly vertical at ninety degrees. Fortunately, the moonlight was bright; relying on the lantern alone would have made progress nearly impossible.

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The old stall owner was very familiar with the route. The path forked many times, but he made decisions without hesitation, greatly shortening our time to reach the cliff bottom.

It took us a little over an hour to descend from the cliff top to the base.

Looking up at the sky, the old stall owner said, “There’s less than two hours till dawn. Ahead, past that patch of woods, is the cliff burial site. Normally, I would only come to pick bones three days after the burial. Today I’m breaking the rule to check. If your third uncle is there, I’ll find him quickly. I feel partly responsible for this. Whether he’s alive or dead, I’ll give you an answer.”

I quickly said, “Master, we want to go in with you.”

The old stall owner shook his head firmly, “No. The cliff burial is a forbidden area in Nanliu Village. By bringing you here, I’ve already broken a taboo. You must not enter there. Twice a year, it becomes a mass grave, filled with yin energy, howling winds, and many wild beasts and insects. I fear I won’t be able to protect you. Wait here. I’ll be back within an hour.”

With that, he took the two translucent flags from my hand, lifted his bone-seeking lantern, and strode toward the woods. After a while, I heard him chanting from afar:

“Mountain, stone, water, earth, seeking corpses, gathering bones, dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth, yin souls enter burial, yang souls seek ancestors, mountain spirits return to caves, insects and vermin enter the earth…”

It turned out the chant was long; he must have taught me the first part so I could remember.

As he went deeper, his voice gradually faded until it was no longer audible.

I knew the old stall owner was not exaggerating. The cliff bottom was a true mass grave, where many bodies fell from the top each year, devoured by wild dogs. Despite the old man’s efforts to collect bones and clear the place, it was not suitable for ordinary people to stay there long.

(End of chapter)