Chapter 1 How Are These Tombstones Narrow at the Top and Wide at the Bottom?

"Why are these tombstones narrow at the top and wide at the bottom?" Yao Shunyu also noticed something was wrong. Traditionally, tombstones are straight up and down, representing a smooth journey to the afterlife. These wooden tablets made him increasingly uneasy.

The fatty got very close, trying to find some words on a relatively large wooden tablet, but no one expected that he would step on a patch of slippery grass, and his body would uncontrollably lean forward. As a result, he fell directly onto the tombstone, pressing the wooden tablet down and straddling it before Jiang Cheng and the others could react.

"Ouch! Damn it, damn it, I'm sorry!"

The fatty, who had fallen to the ground, was dumbfounded by this scene. He trembled as he got up and immediately bowed to the miserable wooden tablet to apologize, even though he didn't know who the owner of this blank tablet was.

But in the next second, Jiang Cheng and the others' expressions suddenly changed. The fallen wooden tablet did not break. Instead, the lower half, which was buried deep in the soil, was turned up, and this part... actually had words on it!

Because the handwriting had been buried for too long, most of it was blurred, but the few words in the center could still be barely recognized: Youji Jiangjun (Mobile General) Dai Mochong.

These words had been crossed out with a thick, red brush.

"This... this is a general's tomb!"

Li Bai said in surprise. The rank of Youji Jiangjun was not low. Throughout the dynasties, it was a position around the fourth or fifth rank. It was established in the Ming Dynasty's garrison army, ranking below the Canjiang (military counselor). They led mobile troops to defend the area, a military officer with real power. Such a person was buried here without anyone knowing.

But that's not all. The bottom of this wooden tablet was actually carved into the shape of an arrow, and it was also traced with a red pen in a serious manner. Seeing this scene, combined with the red cross on the name, Li Bai was deeply shocked and blurted out, "It's... it's a wangming pai (death warrant tablet)!"

Jiang Cheng also thought of this when he saw the shape of the wooden tablet. It was too similar, really... too similar! The fatty, who had triggered all of this, thought he had caused a disaster when he saw everyone's faces and was about to die. Jiang Cheng explained, "The so-called wangming pai is the token thrown out by the executioner in ancient times when executing the death penalty. The token is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, shaped like an arrow."

"In ancient times, it was stipulated that the name and main crimes of the prisoner should be written on the hand shackles, so that people could understand at a glance. This was also called minggu (clear shackle). Later people improved it further, inserting a wooden tablet with the prisoner's name and crimes written on it behind the prisoner's back. The moment the tablet was pulled out was the moment the head fell. This is also the origin of the three words wangming pai."

"There is also a saying that if the blood splattered when a person dies can dye all the writing on the wangming pai red, then it proves that this person has a great injustice. After entering the underworld, justice will naturally be served to overturn the case."

Next, in order to verify their guess, Jiang Cheng and the others successively pulled out several wooden tablets nearby. Sure enough, there were names below. Who would have thought that the Hou (Marquis) family would be so vicious, using struck-by-lightning wood as tombstones, and even modifying them into the shape of wangming pai. This was to make those buried in them unable to be reincarnated for eternity!

And Jiang Cheng and the others' guesses gradually became reality. These wooden tablets distributed in the weeds were not placed randomly, but were arranged according to the hierarchy of status and official rank, from the outside to the inside. The official rank gradually increased. Correspondingly, the struck-by-lightning wood material and the size specifications of the wooden tablets were also increasing.

Having figured this out, Jiang Cheng and the others no longer hesitated and went directly to the very center. As expected, after parting the layers of weeds, a very tall and imposing tombstone stood in the very center. It was almost as tall as a person, the tablet was thick, and it was made of black struck-by-lightning wood, which was very rare. Just looking at it was full of majestic momentum.

This tombstone must be pushed down, because Jiang Cheng had to confirm whether the identity of this person was the person he thought it was. But looking towards the sky, the originally clear weather gradually turned cloudy, and a few dark clouds floated from the horizon. It seemed that there would be a thunderstorm soon.

Perhaps because he was in this place and greatly affected by the environmental factors, Jiang Cheng was worried that he would be punished after pushing down this tombstone and be struck by lightning or something. So he turned his head to look at the fatty.

Soon, Li Bai also looked at the fatty, and finally Yao Shunyu.

The fatty was staring at the dark cloud, and suddenly found three people standing in place, turning their heads and staring at him. He panicked a little, "What... what are you looking at me for?"

"It's nothing, come and help me push this tombstone down too. We need to confirm whether the person buried here is that person." Jiang Cheng said calmly.

The fatty looked at the cloud, and then at the tablet. That cloud was about to float over his head. "I know what you're afraid of. You're afraid of being struck by lightning if you pull out someone's tombstone, right?" The fatty said unwillingly, "You're afraid, but am I not afraid? Do you understand 'Do not impose on others what you do not desire'?"

Having been together for so long, Li Bai and Yao Shunyu also knew that this fatty had surprisingly good luck. It was simply luck incarnate. A very strange idea even floated in Yao Shunyu's mind. He even felt that it didn't matter if the lightning struck, anyway, Wang Fugui could avoid it. As long as he stayed far away, he wouldn't be struck.

But seeing Jiang Cheng's tangled expression, the fatty still softened. He knew that the doctor was an orphan and usually didn't do much good. It would be fine if the lightning didn't come, but if it did, it would probably hit the doctor.

"Forget it, forget it, I give up." The fatty rolled up his sleeves and walked forward. Just as he pressed down on the tombstone to push it down, in the next second, he seemed to suddenly realize something, and immediately let go, smiling innocently at the tombstone, and bowed politely a few times. "Hello, great man, this junior learned about the grievances of the predecessor and suffered sleepless nights. Today, I came here specifically to restore justice to the predecessor. If... if there is anything disrespectful below, please forgive me, please forgive me."

After waiting for a while and seeing no movement, the fatty was a little embarrassed to directly push down someone's tombstone after saying so much, so he changed his posture, hugged the tombstone, and wanted to use force to pull the tombstone out.

Seeing this scene, Yao Shunyu couldn't help but worry about him. This tombstone was inserted into the soil in the shape of an inverted arrow, and the tombstone was quite large. It would take a lot of strength to pull it out. Wang Fugui, he…

"Predecessor, excuse me!"

The fatty roared in a low voice, his muscles tensed all over, and his upper body clothes were stretched by the muscles for a while. After a few seconds, he pulled the tombstone out of the ground.

As the tombstone was unearthed, the lower half was completely exposed to everyone's sight. Jiang Cheng and the others took a deep breath, and the guess in their hearts was finally confirmed. The bottom of the tombstone read: Tomb of General Zhenjun Weiwu (Army-Pacifying and Awe-Inspiring General) Guo Shaotang.