Volume One: The Cemetery of Eight Coffins Chapter 29: Once Again, Moktora

After lingering for a while to gather information, I returned to my room in a daze, feeling utterly lost. The room was empty, and the belongings on my third uncle’s bed were strewn about haphazardly, which made my heart ache inexplicably. When I left, everything was fine, but now, only I had come back. Though Old Xiao assured me that my third uncle and Liang Yue would be safe for at least three days, my heart felt hollow, uncertain whether to believe him.

I went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on my head to force myself to calm down, then collapsed onto the sofa, my headache intensifying the more I thought. One thing was certain: Old Xiao could freely access the underground parking lot, which was far from ordinary. At the very least, he must know something. He had left me an address, and I had to follow this lead—it was the last clue I had.

Perhaps the tension had worn me out. As soon as I relaxed, I drifted into a confused sleep. I worried about what would happen the next day, so I slept fitfully, waking early to ask the front desk where Ping’an Alley was.

The receptionist told me that Ping’an Alley was a rather remote part of the city, currently undergoing relocation, with most old residents already moved out and only a handful still living there. I nodded, bought some supplies from the hotel supermarket, and charged them to my room.

Carrying my purchases, I took two buses and finally arrived at Ping’an Alley just before nine. The alley was lined with single-story houses, some already demolished. After asking around, I found No. 4—a small courtyard with a gatehouse.

The main gate was open. I knocked but received no response, so I walked in. The yard was dilapidated; a table sat in the center, where Uncle Xiao was eating breakfast. His hunched back and frail body made him look like a mouse as he ate.

I approached, and Uncle Xiao didn’t even lift his head. “Have you eaten?” he asked.

I set my things down. “Uncle Xiao, I’ve eaten. Please take these.”

He put down his chopsticks and nodded. “Sit.”

I took a seat and, anxious, asked, “Uncle Xiao, about last night…”

He waved his hand dismissively. “I know you’re not ordinary people—daring to investigate despite the dangers inside. I’ll tell you everything I know, not for you, but for Liang Yue. She’s the only decent one in the entire Tianyou Group. If anyone else gets into trouble, I wouldn’t care, but I can’t let anything happen to her.”

I nodded eagerly. “Please, tell me. My third uncle is still inside, and I’ll risk everything to save him and Liang Yue. What’s going on with the underground parking lot?”

Uncle Xiao sighed. “All I know is that Wu Tianxiong had it sealed off. As for what’s really down there, I’m not sure.”

“Wu Tianxiong? Wu Tianyou’s brother?” The name immediately conjured his fierce, malevolent face.

Uncle Xiao nodded. “Luckily, I still have a spare key for the stairwell iron door. What’s below is more terrifying than you imagine. If I hadn’t pulled you out, the consequences would have been dire.”

I was stunned. “Liang Yue and my third uncle were there too—how could you tell I was different from them?”

Uncle Xiao smiled. “I have my ways. If I’m not mistaken, you have a flaw, don’t you?”

I waved him off. “Nonsense, what flaw? I’m perfectly fine…”

He sneered, took a matchbox from the table, and struck a match. Holding the burning match, he brought it near my right shoulder, then my left. When the flame hovered over my left shoulder, it suddenly extinguished.

I stared at him, speechless with shock.

He put away the matches. “No wonder the other two were drawn in, but you remained clear-headed. Turns out you’re missing one of the three yang flames…”

I was startled. “Uncle Xiao, you know about this?”

He nodded. “Just the basics. Otherwise, with all the chaos in that building, how could I stay there at night?”

That made sense. Grabbing his hand, I pleaded, “Uncle Xiao, you must have a way—something to save my third uncle and Liang Yue, right?”

He gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “I only know a little, and it’s not enough to save them.”

“How can that be? You can’t fool me, Uncle Xiao. If you know about yang fire, you know more than just the basics. My third uncle said these things can’t be understood without real skill. And you can come and go from the basement—surely you can rescue them.”

He shook his head again, lit another match, and waved it over his own right shoulder. The flame flickered and went out.

Eyes wide, I realized even Uncle Xiao was missing a yang flame.

He tossed the match and looked at me. “Now you understand? Their methods go beyond that flute-like thing—there are other tricks. I placed rotten meat in my room, let the stench cling to me, and that masked my scent enough to move below undetected.”

So that was the strange smell I noticed on him and in his room. I stood and paced the courtyard. “Uncle Xiao, you’re confusing me—what’s really going on? How did you lose a yang flame? Are my third uncle and Liang Yue in danger? How can I save them?”

He shook his head. “I know Wu Tianxiong is behind all this, but I don’t know his exact plans. I don’t dare ask. He had someone take my yang fire to keep me quiet. If I don’t cooperate, I won’t get it back. I’m old—missing a yang fire, I won’t be able to reincarnate after death. That can’t happen.”

I wasn’t concerned about his predicament. “Wu Tianxiong? Are you saying all the suicides and hauntings in the building are his doing? Why? Isn’t Wu Tianyou his brother?”

He waved his hand. “Wu Tianxiong’s no saint. Tianyou Group’s real estate relocations are his responsibility, and he has a gang that does forced evictions, profiting handsomely. Did you know that when Tianyou Plaza’s foundation was dug, eight coffins were unearthed?”

I nodded.

He continued, “I didn’t see them myself, but I believe those eight coffins are now in the underground parking lot.”

Stunned, I exclaimed, “What? How is that possible?”

He said, “It’s thick with yin energy down there. I hadn’t realized it before, but later, when Wu Tianxiong came, I overheard a phone call of his mentioning coffins. He also spoke of a bone flute, some herbs, a spinning top…”

“Bone flute? Herbs? Hellgrass, datura?”

Uncle Xiao nodded repeatedly. “Yes, hellgrass and datura—you know them?”

I waved my hand. “What else do you know?”

He shook his head. “That’s all. If you want to save them, don’t let three days pass. Within three days, they should be safe. And you see my house? Wu Tianxiong offered me twenty thousand to move out. Liang Yue is the only one with a conscience; when she found out, she said she’d ask Mr. Wu for help. This house is all I have left. Wu Tianxiong is trying to ruin an old man’s life…”

Uncle Xiao managed to tie everything back to himself. Once he finished with the important matters, he continued to grumble about Wu Tianxiong.

Seeing that I could get nothing more from him, I left his home, feeling lost. Though Uncle Xiao hadn’t given me a direct way to save my third uncle and Liang Yue, I learned a great deal. The focus of the problem shifted onto Wu Tianxiong—he was likely behind it all. And again, datura was mentioned.

The mention of datura made me think of someone. I remembered clearly: when my third uncle and I were researching in the library, an old professor named Ma helped us find information about datura. He seemed fascinated by it and even left us his address.

Now that datura had come up again, it was only natural I thought of him. My mind was in chaos, desperate for any solution, so I decided I had to find this professor in hopes of new progress.

Time was pressing. I returned to the hotel and asked the manager to unlock Liang Yue’s room. Wu Tianyou had already instructed the manager, so they didn’t refuse my request.

I was in a neighboring city, needing to visit Bincheng University to find the professor—a considerable journey. I found the keys to Liang Yue’s jeep in her room, and drove her car at full speed to Bincheng University.

My visit to Uncle Xiao had taken the whole morning, and by the time I reached the university it was past three in the afternoon.

After asking around, I learned there was indeed a Professor Ma Su in the Paleontology Department’s office building. I thought to myself, what an unfortunate name—wasn’t Ma Su the one executed by Zhuge Liang?

I wasn’t sure if this was the Ma Su I needed, so I tried to go in. But the guard refused, saying Professor Ma was leading a project with his graduate students.

I had no choice but to draw a datura plant from memory on a piece of paper, handed it to the guard, and told him Professor Ma would see me if he saw the drawing—that it was a matter of life and death.

The guard, half convinced, took the paper to Ma Su. Soon, I heard hurried footsteps descending the stairs. The first man down was the same elderly gentleman I’d met in the library.

I greeted him, “Professor Ma, hello.”

“It really is you…” Ma Su was delighted, looking around and asking, “Where’s the other one?”

I forced a smile. “I’m Li Yang. The other is my third uncle—he couldn’t come.”

Ma Su nodded and asked, “So? Did you hear about this plant again?”

I hesitated. “I’m not sure, but there’s news.”

He quickly led me to his office, poured me a cup of tea, and said, “Tell me everything. What happened?”

(End of chapter)