Volume One: The Graveyard of Eight Coffins Chapter 20: The Coffin of Thorns That Drives Away Evil

Third Uncle nodded, “Were all the coffins the same size?”

Old Wei shook his head. “Eight coffins—one large, seven smaller. The seven smaller ones were carted away without incident. But when they dealt with the big one—the one unearthed while digging the foundation for the main building of Tianyou Plaza—something strange happened.”

Third Uncle asked, “What happened?”

Old Wei lowered his voice. “Those seven coffins were all a bit battered, but the large one was different. When they found it, it looked almost new, not decayed at all, as if it hadn’t been buried for long. When they tried to lift it out, something odd occurred. At first, six men tried, hauling it with ropes, but the coffin wouldn’t budge, as if rooted to the ground. They added six more, used poles to pry, ropes to pull—still nothing. Finally, they brought in a crane to hoist it…”

I interrupted, “Come on, even a crane couldn’t move it? That’s unbelievable.”

Old Wei shook his head. “That’s not it. As they were tying the ropes to the coffin, readying the crane, suddenly there were sounds from inside… Strange noises, like a mixture of crying and some animal’s dry howling, and a rattling as if something inside was scratching at the wood. The crowd was terrified; most people fled. The crane operator wouldn’t dare touch it. The CEO of Tianyou Group, Wu Tianyou, happened to be there. Maybe someone wanted to impress the boss—a bodyguard, actually, volunteered. While everyone else was scared, he refused to believe in ghosts. He grabbed a pole, jumped down, and struck the coffin three times.”

At this point, both Third Uncle and I were listening intently, and Old Wei himself seemed nervous. He took another sip of his drink and continued, “Guess what happened?”

I said impatiently, “Stop teasing, Old Wei, just tell us.”

Old Wei looked a bit embarrassed and hurried on, “That bodyguard was a strong man, broad-shouldered, and the pole was thick as a child’s arm. He struck three times, but the coffin wasn’t damaged at all. Even more frightening, on the third strike, the pole snapped with a crack and half of it flew up into the air. The bodyguard looked up, and the broken pole fell, hitting him right on the temple. He died instantly. And from inside the coffin, wisps of black vapor began to seep out.”

With that, the remaining crowd scattered further, leaving only Wu Tianyou, his staff, some construction managers, and a hired Taoist priest.

The priest was somewhat skilled; he saw the fierce energy from the coffin owner had leaked out. There was only one way to temporarily suppress it: fight evil with evil. He could write a coffin-stabilizing talisman, but it required blood from someone with spiritual energy.

No one expected that Wu Tianyou, who had stood aside, suddenly drew a knife and stabbed himself in the right thigh.

Before anyone could react, he stabbed himself twice more. Three cuts in total, and blood gushed out, splattering onto the coffin.

When the blood hit the coffin, it made a sizzling sound.

The Taoist hurriedly began writing the talisman, using Wu Tianyou’s blood as ink. When he finished, he pressed the talisman onto the coffin.

Amazingly, as soon as the yellow talisman was affixed, the black vapor dissipated.

The priest shouted, “Quick, now’s the time, lift the coffin!”

Tianyou Group quickly gathered another team and used the crane to hoist the coffin out. Where it was sent for examination is unknown, but rumors later spread that the coffin was made of extremely rare golden-thread nanmu wood. As for how the corpse was handled, outsiders never found out. After that incident, construction at Tianyou Plaza halted for two months before resuming. Later, it was said the priest provided a solution, and from then on, no further accidents occurred at the site. All eight buildings were completed smoothly.

At first, Tianyou Plaza was bustling, boosting the local economy, and even this hotel saw its business soar. Yet, as fate would have it, in just a few years business at the plaza plummeted, with several suicide incidents—jumping from the buildings—and the number of merchants dwindled to almost nothing.

Third Uncle then asked Old Wei about the suicide incidents. Old Wei didn’t know much, but he mentioned a detail: those who jumped were all original tenants of the plaza. They jumped late at night, meaning they stayed behind after closing, and died during the midnight hours. Prior to each incident, someone had heard a melancholy flute melody coming from the rooftop.

Third Uncle paused, “A flute melody? What kind?”

Old Wei shook his head, “I’m not educated, I wouldn’t know what melody it was. I never heard it myself—it was Old Xiao, the night watchman at the plaza, who told me.”

With that, Old Wei had finished recounting all he knew about Tianyou Plaza.

I thought for a moment and asked, “I noticed Wu Tianyou still limps—is that from the incident back then?”

Old Wei replied, “Exactly. It must be. Suppressing that cursed coffin came at a price.”

Third Uncle made no comment, waving his hand, “Old Wei, eat up. Then head home and rest.”

Old Wei looked at the table full of dishes and stammered, “You… you’re not eating?”

Before we could reply, he asked, “If you’re not eating, could I pack these up for my wife?”

Third Uncle and I exchanged glances and smiled.

I waved my hand, “We’re not hungry. Just ask the waiter to pack it up. We’re heading upstairs.”

Old Wei beamed, nodding and bowing in thanks. Seeing his happy face, I couldn’t help but feel moved—how easily satisfied are those living at the bottom of society. As the saying goes, contentment brings happiness—how many chase after that? This five-star hotel’s restaurant was a first for Old Wei, and for me as well. Old Wei was satisfied—what about me?

Third Uncle and I returned to our room. He glanced at me and said, “You’re generous. We didn’t eat a bite, and Old Wei took it all.”

I laughed, “Isn’t it all billed to the room? If you want, just order another meal upstairs.”

Third Uncle waved his hand, “Forget it. There’s instant noodles here—let’s make do. Wu Tianyou should be arriving soon.”

While eating our instant noodles, Wu Tianyou did indeed arrive with Liang Yue.

Seeing us, Wu Tianyou frowned, “Why are you eating that?” He glanced at Liang Yue, displeased.

I quickly said, “Mr. Wu, we ate downstairs already, just having noodles for a snack.”

It was meant to let Liang Yue off the hook, but the excuse sounded lame. Liang Yue was unimpressed, giving us both a contemptuous look.

Wu Tianyou said, “Still, you don’t need to eat that. You could order some desserts…”

Third Uncle waved his hand, “No need, no need. We’re fine. Mr. Wu, let’s talk business.”

Wu Tianyou nodded, sat down, and set his cane aside.

Third Uncle glanced at it and casually asked, “Mr. Wu, forgive me for asking, but about your leg…”

Wu Tianyou gave a bitter smile and began recounting the events of that year. His version was much like Old Wei’s, though less vivid and glossing over some details. He mentioned stabbing his thigh to suppress the coffin as if it were nothing.

Third Uncle nodded and asked, “I notice your cane is quite special—does it have a story?”

Wu Tianyou smiled, “My useless brother, Wu Tianxiong, gave it to me when he saw my leg was bad. He’s never done much right, but it was thoughtful, so I’ve kept it.”

Third Uncle asked, “Has your leg always been like this?”

Wu Tianyou shook his head, “Not always. At first it wasn’t so bad—I could walk normally. Only in the last couple of years has it gotten weak. Without this cane, I can’t get around anymore.”

We chatted with Wu Tianyou for less than an hour; he was so busy, taking calls one after another. As nothing more could be gleaned, we wrapped up the conversation.

Wu Tianyou stood, waved his hand, and Liang Yue placed a small leather bag on the table. She unzipped it, revealing two thick stacks of cash.

Mr. Wu said, “This is two hundred thousand—your fee for all your trouble. Whether you succeed or not, you’ve earned it. If you pull it off, there will be more.”

Third Uncle’s eyes shone. He feigned modest refusal, then gladly accepted.

Mr. Wu directed Liang Yue to assist us, then left the hotel first.

Liang Yue said, “It’s late, you should rest. I’m next door—call me if you need anything.”

She turned to leave, but Third Uncle stopped her, asking, “Assistant Liang, do you have a key to the main building of the plaza?”

“A key? When do you want to go?” Liang Yue asked.

“I can’t say for sure. Sometimes we might need to go on a whim, so having a key would be convenient.”

Liang Yue waved her hand, “I don’t have a key, but I can get someone to unlock it. So just call me when you want to go.”

Third Uncle hesitated, “That might not work. We’ll probably need the key at night. I’ve mentioned before—that place has a lot of bad energy. You’re a young woman…”

Liang Yue was visibly annoyed, “So what if I’m a woman? You act like being men makes you so capable. I’d like to see what you can really do. That’s settled—you can’t enter without me anyway.”

With that, Liang Yue tossed her head and strode out proudly.

“You… that girl…” Third Uncle shook his hand angrily, turning to me, “I really just want what’s best for her.”