Volume One: The Eight Coffins of the Corpse Field Chapter 21: Buried Alive

I sneered, “It’s only natural for someone following a figure as formidable as Wu Tianyou to have a bit of attitude. Besides, she’s young and beautiful—who wouldn’t be attracted? By the way, Third Uncle, you’ve been in Shenzhen for years, haven’t found me a Third Aunt yet?”

Third Uncle glared at me, his expression somewhat uneasy. “What nonsense are you talking about? Why drag me into this? I think that girl’s not simple. On the rooftop, she showed a bit of her skill, chasing after that person who was spying on us. You can’t pull off moves like that without some real training.”

I curled my lip. “Skill? Hardly. She’s just nimble, that’s all. If you ask me, she’s latched onto Wu Tianyou for his money.”

Third Uncle waved his hand. “But she wouldn’t give us the keys, and we really need her for that mall.”

I was taken aback. “Third Uncle, are you really planning to go to that mall? Didn’t you say it’s a place of great feng shui and there’s no need to go at night?”

He sighed. “It’s not just a place of powerful feng shui, but there’s depth to the waters here. If things go wrong, we might end up with nothing but trouble—like chasing a fox and getting filthy instead. I was ready to give up, Wu Tianyou seemed easy to talk to, maybe I could ask him to extend the thirty-thousand debt. But then he pulled this stunt…”

As he spoke, Third Uncle patted the leather bag on the table, stuffed with two hundred thousand in cash.

I said, “Third Uncle, your eyes are shining at the sight of money, aren’t they? It’s true what they say—money can make the devil work.”

Third Uncle shot me a sidelong glance. “Why are you acting like you’re above it? Don’t tell me you don’t envy this money?”

I replied, “Of course I’m tempted, but compared to my life, life’s more important.”

Third Uncle waved his hand. “Relax. I’m not the type to risk my life for money. It’s a bit troublesome here, but with me around, there’s nothing we can’t handle. I checked out the feng shui during the day. What’s left, we’ll have to see at night. I figure with one sweep tonight, we’ll catch at least some fish or shrimp.”

He opened the bag, pulled out ten bills, and handed me five. “Keep these for pocket money. The rest I’ll lock in the room’s safe.”

I curled my lip and said, “Third Uncle, you’re stingy. Only five hundred for me?”

He waved his hand. “I told you, it’s just pocket money. We’ll split the money properly once things are settled. If we mess up, we may have to give it all back.”

I nodded and asked, “When are we heading out?”

Third Uncle glanced at the clock in the room—it was just past eight in the evening. He said, “We have time. Let’s take a hot bath and rest for a bit. We’ll leave around eleven.”

This suite was luxurious, and even the bathroom had a double bathtub. Third Uncle and I soaked in hot water, washing away days of fatigue. Afterward, lying on the bed, we came to a simple truth: the life of the wealthy is damn comfortable.

With some time to spare, I asked Third Uncle, “About that powerful feng shui—what did you see? Tell me about it.”

He nodded, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

Third Uncle didn’t usually smoke, but he’d light one occasionally. As smoke curled around him, he said, “Didn’t I mention during the day—the terrain of Tianyou Plaza forms an Eight Pythons Entwining the Dragon setup? And those eight coffins Old Wei mentioned confirm my judgment. In ancient China, many were skilled in feng shui—not like now, when such people are rare. In the Qing dynasty, this place was a dragon vein, but also a malicious dragon. Someone would have spotted that. But as in nature, everything has its counterbalance. Fortunately, beside the evil dragon, there were eight pythons, forming a standoff.”

I asked, “So those eight coffins are the eight pythons?”

Third Uncle shook his head. “You’re mixing concepts. The dragon and pythons refer to the feng shui layout, not actual creatures. The coffins are real, likely arranged by a master. Now, with skyscrapers everywhere, the feng shui is much obscured. But in the Qing dynasty, the layout was surely clear. The eight pythons’ feng shui was strong, with a tendency to transform into flood dragons. If they did, it’d become an Eight Flood Dragons Strangling the Dragon situation, destroying the dragon vein. So the master thought to use eight evil coffins to suppress the pythons, preventing their transformation.”

Third Uncle explained at length, making it as clear as possible. At first, I was confused, but gradually my thoughts grew clearer.

Third Uncle continued, “Those eight coffins couldn’t be empty—the people inside mattered most. Only those with immense malice and resentment could suppress the pythons’ position. So I suspect they chose eight heinous murderers from the death row, and buried them alive in the coffins.”

“Buried alive? They put living people into the coffins?” I felt goosebumps rising.

Third Uncle nodded. “Anyone who coveted this feng shui must have been a big shot to go to such lengths. Only then would the murderous energy from those criminals after death suppress the eight pythons. But they didn’t expect that centuries later, the ground would be disturbed again, breaking the eight coffins and thus the Eight Pythons Entwining the Dragon setup. Now the evil dragon is unleashed, growing increasingly ferocious. A few deaths are a small matter.”

I was stunned. “If deaths are a small matter, what’s the big deal?”

Third Uncle shook his head. “Hard to say. After so many years, the feng shui has changed a lot—it depends how much evil energy the dragon retains. When feng shui shifts, the most direct sign is a surge of yin energy. The main building, painted red, was probably meant to ward off evil, but now it’s backfired and become the chief culprit for attracting evil. Wandering spirits gather, all concentrated in that main building. That’s why I plan to check it out tonight.”

I hadn’t thought much about going to the main building, but after hearing Third Uncle, my scalp tingled. I complained, “Third Uncle, are you crazy? You know ghosts gather there and you’re still walking right in?”

He patted the bag. “Take people’s money, help them avert disaster. Didn’t Old Wei say, before the jump, someone heard flute music from the rooftop? That’s strange—I need to figure it out. If I do, maybe I can stabilize things and at least stop further suicides. You nearly jumped yourself today—there must be a reason.”

“Can I not go?” I asked timidly.

Third Uncle glared at me. “Do you want the money or not?”

“I do.”

He laughed and scolded, “My dear nephew, you want the money but won’t work for it? Isn’t that shameless? Besides, Assistant Liang is going too. If you leave an old Taoist like me to take her into the building in the dead of night, people will talk.”

I waved my hand. “Fine, fine. I’ll go. Let me sleep for a bit—you wake me up when it’s time.”

I knew there was no escaping this trip. Third Uncle wouldn’t let me off easy.

The bed was ridiculously comfortable, and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. After some time, I was groggily awakened by Third Uncle shaking me.

He scolded, “How big is your heart? Your snoring shook the ceiling—I didn’t sleep a wink. Enough, it’s time.”

I rubbed my eyes—the clock showed eleven.

Yawning, I took a patch Third Uncle handed me. “Stick this new seal patch on your shoulder, or you might get hit again. It’s pitch-black, and if I don’t notice you, it’ll be bad.”

I nodded, applied the new warding patch to my shoulder.

Third Uncle had already packed our things. We each had a backpack, and he gave me a peach wood sword for protection.

With all these precautions, my nerves were even more unsettled.

We left the room and knocked on the door next to ours.

Soon enough, Liang Yue opened the door. Unlike us, she was dressed in sportswear, looking energetic. She said, “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting forever—thought you weren’t letting me join.”

Third Uncle smiled wryly. “Miss, this isn’t a game. I’d rather not take you—just give me the keys.”

Liang Yue grinned, “I don’t have the keys. I am the key—let’s go.”

She shut the door behind her, cheerfully leading the way. She looked less like someone heading to a haunted building and more like someone off on a picnic. Having experienced the terror of haunted houses myself, I couldn’t tell whether this fearless companion would be a blessing or a curse.

We left the hotel and found ourselves in a truly bustling area. It was nearly midnight, yet the streets were still ablaze with lights—neon flashing, nightlife thriving.

That eased my anxiety a little. With so many people around, surely any ghosts would be less dangerous?

So I thought, but later events proved how naive I was.

Led by Liang Yue, we returned to Tianyou Plaza.

In stark contrast to the bright, lively streets outside, almost no lights shone within Tianyou Plaza. In a few buildings, the sparse lights didn’t give me any sense of safety; rather, they looked like ghostly flames, the air thick with an eerie, chilling atmosphere.

Third Uncle, unfazed by the scene, asked Liang Yue, “Which way do we enter?”

Liang Yue pointed at the main building. “At night, the front entrance is locked. We have to go around back—there’s a small door, and a gatekeeper inside. I can ask him to open it.”

I asked, “With all the trouble in this building, someone still dares to guard the door?”

Liang Yue curled her lip. “Why not? What’s there to be afraid of? Not everyone’s as timid as you. The gatekeeper, Uncle Xiao, has been keeping watch for our Tianyou Group for years.”

Hearing Uncle Xiao’s name, I recalled Old Wei mentioning a watchman at Tianyou Plaza who’d once heard flute music from the roof. It must be the same person.

Liang Yue led us across the plaza, around to the back entrance of the main building. The area was dark, and each of us carried a flashlight.

Liang Yue swung her flashlight, and I saw an iron door appear before us.

“This is it…” she said, stepping forward to knock.

The banging echoed through the quiet night, carrying far into the distance…

(End of chapter)