Gong Fugui took a cigarette and took two hard puffs before continuing,

"At the time, I issued gag orders to those who knew, telling them that no one was allowed to talk about this, especially not to let the governor know."

"The governor never believed in ghosts and gods. In his eyes, as long as you had people and guns, even the King of Hell had to step aside. Besides, he was especially curious."

"With the governor's personality, if he knew there was such a grave on the mountain, he would have dug it open even if he knew there was nothing inside."

"But I didn't expect that in less than half a month, the governor heard about the Qiulong Grave and insisted that I go up the mountain to dig it up. I refused at all costs, but as a result, the governor was so angry that he removed me from my position and assigned me to the engineering battalion, making me go up the mountain with others. He also said that if I didn't go, he would execute me."

"I was really forced by him and had no choice but to find the most famous feng shui master at the time, 'One-Eyed Tong,' begging him to go up the mountain with us."

"At that time, the governor removed me from my position, so I couldn't lead troops. He had his adjutant take us to the Qiulong Grave."

"His adjutant was also a man of some ability. Although his reputation wasn't as great as One-Eyed Tong's, it wasn't far off."

"At that time, I just mingled in the engineering company and followed them up the mountain. When the two of them saw the Qiulong Grave, they were both dumbfounded. No one dared to open that grave!"

"But if we didn't open the grave, we wouldn't be able to explain ourselves to the governor. In those years, human life was cheap! If the governor was unhappy, he could really drag us out and execute us all."

"As for running away, that was even more impossible. Several of us had elderly and young families. Who could abandon their families and escape for their own lives?"

"We had thought about getting a fake coffin to fool the governor, but who could guarantee that there weren't the governor's spies among the hundred-odd people who went up the mountain?"

"Even if the governor hadn't arranged any spies, there were plenty of people who wanted to climb the ladder. As long as one person went back and said a few words to the governor, we would all be finished."

"One-Eyed Tong stomped his foot in anger, constantly cursing me for坑人 (kēng rén – screwing people over), while the adjutant thought for a long time before pulling One-Eyed Tong aside and earnestly persuading him to open the grave."

"One-Eyed Tong had no choice, so in the end, he could only bite the bullet and open the grave."

"He first had people saw open the Qiulong Wood below, planning to expose a hole, and then slowly probe into the grave."

"Who knew that as soon as we struck the tree trunk with an axe, blood spurted out, and the person swinging the axe couldn't dodge in time and was splattered with blood on his face. He wiped it downwards and peeled off a layer of his skin."

"That person clutched his face and rolled around on the ground like crazy. As he rolled on the ground, the flesh and blood on his face fell off in chunks. Before long, he stopped breathing. When I took his hand away, all the flesh on the man's head was gone, leaving only a bloody skull."

"Our group was so frightened that no one dared to touch the grave anymore, but we didn't dare to go back like this, so we simply set up camp on the top of the mountain."

"The next day, as soon as it dawned, the adjutant called people to get up, but the people in one tent couldn't get up no matter what. I went over and looked inside, and everyone in that tent was gone."

"Each of them died in the tent with a blackened face, as if they had been bitten to death by a snake. However, not only could we not find a single snake bite mark on their bodies, but they were also lying straight on the ground, as if they were sleeping side by side."

"I took a closer look and realized that they hadn't just died in their sleep. Their hands were all clawed into the ground, and their heels had kicked the ground open several inches. It was as if after being bitten by a snake, someone had covered their mouths and pressed them to the ground, which was why they died in a row."

"I originally planned to burn the corpses, but One-Eyed Tong wouldn't allow it. He said he could use these dead people."

"One-Eyed Tong left the dead people for a day, and it wasn't until the sun was about to set that he had people lift up the bodies, heads facing the tree trunk, and place them under the tree. He also drew things on the heads of the dead."

"One-Eyed Tong told us all to go back to our tents and not to come out no matter what we heard at night. No lights or fires were allowed in the camp. In short, we couldn't have any light at all. If anyone made light and was dragged away by the dead, don't blame him."

"We did as he said. At night, I heard cracking sounds coming from the Qiulong Grave, like someone was gnawing on wood."

"I didn't dare to look out, but I could imagine a few dead people hugging the wood and gnawing on it!"

"Before long, I heard someone in the tent next to me screaming for help like crazy. Later, the person's movements were like being dragged away, going down the hillside, and then there was no more movement."

"I was so scared that I sat in the tent all night hugging my gun. It wasn't easy to wait until the next morning before I crawled out of the tent."

"Last night, someone really died in the camp. The tent next to me had been torn open, and one soldier was missing."

"I asked around and found out that the man was so frightened by the sound of wood coming from the Qiulong Grave that he wanted to light a cigarette to calm his nerves. As soon as he lit the fire, the tent was torn open, and the opening was right next to the person smoking."

"The people in the tent watched as a hand reached in from the outside, grabbed the man's clothes, and dragged him out. They were all so scared at the time that no one dared to stop it, so they just watched helplessly as a person was dragged away."