"The yin energy is so heavy, boss, there's something foul inside."
Hu Bayi's gaze swept towards the interior of the house, his brow furrowed. He wondered what exactly this Daoist Dan He was up to.
"Brother, brother, here's a flashlight..."
Li Wangcai tremblingly handed over a flashlight. Zhang Tian took it, holding his peach wood sword in one hand and the flashlight in the other. A chilling wind blew from within the house, as if several small ghosts were staring at them.
"Qilin, do you smell it? A scent of death, of decay." Zhang Tian sniffed the air and looked at Zhang Qilin.
"There are corpses inside."
Zhang Qilin uttered a few words, and Zhang Tian's expression changed. He quickly switched on the flashlight, its yellow beam illuminating the interior of the house. The next moment, Li Wangcai scrambled behind Zhang Tian and the others, while Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi exchanged glances.
Inside, densely packed, lay countless black coffins. Yellow talismans were pasted on each of them. The coffins were bound with threads dipped in chicken blood. The entire room, spanning over ten meters, was filled with coffins.
"No wonder the yin energy is so heavy. It's full of coffins. It seems the entire layout of the Yin Yang Shop was designed to nourish these caskets," Zhang Tian marveled, looking at the multitude of coffins.
"This is the first time I've seen so many coffins. Master never told me about this," Wangcai whispered from behind.
"Clang."
At that moment, Zhang Qilin had already stepped inside. Beneath his black robe, he slowly approached the center of the room.
"Let's go, we're going in too." Seeing this, Zhang Tian, holding his peach wood sword and flashlight, charged in. These things shouldn't be active during the day, and judging by the resentment permeating the room, each coffin contained something extraordinary. It was clear Dan He had prepared them intentionally.
"Boss, there are exactly forty-four coffins." Hu Bayi counted them and wondered why so many coffins were hidden.
"It seems we need to ask our Martial Uncle for clarification. Qilin, have you found anything?" Zhang Tian hurried over as he saw Zhang Qilin crouching on the ground.
"There's a mechanism here." Zhang Qilin spoke, pressing down on a stone block on the floor. Instantly, the block shattered, revealing a palm-sized box inside.
"Amazing, brother! How did you find it?" Li Wangcai's eyes shone with admiration.
"This brick corresponds precisely to the forty-four coffins," Zhang Qilin stated calmly. If Fatty knew Qilin had spoken so much, he would surely jump up.
"What do you mean?" Li Wangcai was bewildered. What did this have to do with a mechanism?
Seeing his junior brother's confusion, Hu Bayi explained, "There are forty-four coffins here, and they are arranged according to certain secret feng shui techniques. For instance, the position of the forty-fourth coffin is the most malevolent star. Combined with the unusual sound of the floorboards, that's why..." Hu Bayi scratched his head, realizing he might have said too much, "Do you understand?"
"Brother, even though I don't understand, it sounds very logical," Li Wangcai gave a thumbs-up. Zhang Tian, however, ignored them, his gaze fixed on the box. With a light flick of Zhang Qilin's little finger, the lid of the small box sprang open. Inside was a piece of white paper.
"Again." Zhang Tian was exasperated. What exactly did Daoist Dan He want to achieve?
"My dear disciple, I am going to avenge our fallen compatriots this time, and I may not return. By the way, I heard that the legendary Xu Fu's tomb has been discovered recently, and it might contain important items. If possible, I will go and see."
"You must guard these coffins well. If, one day, the Yin Yang Shop is targeted by anyone, tear off the talismans on the coffins."
"If no one comes, then leave them; they will be useful in a hundred years."
The letter ended there. Zhang Tian's mind went blank. Dan He was actually going to Xu Fu's tomb? So many people were interested in Xu Fu's tomb these days. However, it made sense. With Dan He's strength, perhaps only Xu Fu's tomb could restrain him. Thus, the danger level of Xu Fu's tomb must be very high, at least comparable to Lu Shangwang's tomb and the Underwater Tomb.
"Boss, Martial Uncle is also going to that tomb?" Hu Bayi was somewhat surprised. What a coincidence.
"His primary objective should be to kill Xiao Fuji, and the secondary objective is the tomb. But I suspect he's gone to see the tomb. We're definitely going anyway; we'll find out then," Zhang Tian said softly. It was best to be cautious. Perhaps they might even find their missing Martial Uncle. What a surprise that would be for Yi Mei! Thinking of Yi Mei and Dan He meeting as spirits made Zhang Tian want to laugh. He wondered what kind of chaos they would cause together.
"Boss, it seems Xu Fu's tomb is very dangerous. Martial Uncle is trapped in there. Should we be even more careful?" Hu Bayi's expression turned serious.
"If the place is filled with children, would bringing only candy be too simplistic?" Hu Bayi added.
Zhang Tian pondered. "Dealing with children, there aren't many other methods. However, we still have some powder that should work."
"If we really need to prepare, we can drink some animal blood then," Zhang Tian said. Their current equipment was quite mature, and he couldn't think of much else to prepare in a short time. Moreover, they didn't know if the tomb was truly filled with children. If it were something else, it would be even more troublesome. Hu Bayi understood the logic and said no more.
"Here, Wangcai, take a look at Martial Uncle's words." Zhang Tian handed the paper to Wangcai. Wangcai looked at it several times, his eyes filled with reluctance.
"Brother, what Xu Fu's tomb did Master go to? Can I go?" Wangcai looked at Zhang Tian with longing. Zhang Tian shook his head. Letting him go would only be a burden, and he wasn't suited for tomb exploration.
"No, you stay here. Remember Martial Uncle's instructions: guard the Yin Yang Shop. And absolutely do not tear off the talismans," Zhang Tian said. He was worried Wangcai might tear off the talismans, or some animal might, which would be troublesome. "Also, after I leave, I will set up another formation here to prevent any problems."
"Okay, thank you, brother. But I'm still a bit worried about Master," Wangcai lowered his head, feeling sad. If he were stronger, could he go find his Master? He wasn't sure.
"Go on, help us get some ghost money," Zhang Tian patted Wangcai's head. Wangcai nodded and ran outside.
"Boss, seal it?" Hu Bayi looked at Zhang Tian.
"Seal it. At least to ensure little brother's safety."
"And set up an illusion formation as well, to prevent any malicious individuals from causing trouble here," Zhang Tian said. Hu Bayi nodded in agreement. Zhang Tian then proceeded to set up several formations in the courtyard.
Meanwhile, Wangcai returned with a large bag of ghost money. Zhang Tian nodded with satisfaction, looking at the silver paper. With this, they would at least have some security.