A soft sound in the silence instantly drew the attention of the three.
Unlike the dull thud when hitting skull bone, this sound was crisp and pleasant, even carrying a lingering hum.
Knowing his previous kick was too reckless, Fatty immediately took out his folding shovel to atone, intending to dig out whatever was hiding beneath!
The soil here was exceptionally soft, and the shovel slid in effortlessly. With grunts and heaves, Fatty unearthed more than half of the object without much effort!
But when the white beam of the flashlight shone upon it, what appeared before them completely surpassed their imaginations!
...It was an ancient structure buried under layers of human bones!
The structure was not large, roughly five meters long, three meters wide, and two meters high. But though small, it was complete. Even this miniature house was intricately designed with carved beams and painted eaves, its corners and ridges sloping.
Intricate ruyi carving patterns were densely distributed on the walls, making the building, now covered in dirt and dust and having lost its former exquisiteness, appear somewhat opulent.
Most astonishingly, the entire structure was made of a peculiar kind of wood. This wood, buried underground for many years, had not rotted. When the shovel struck it, it even sounded as if it were hitting jade.
"Damn..." Wu Tianzhen circled it, "This is too strange?"
Seeing Fatty's disdainful look, as if he didn't understand his astonishment, Wu Tianzhen explained, "Ancient wooden structures mostly used intricate mortise and tenon joinery for component assembly. Even without a single iron nail, the building's stability and firmness could be ensured."
"This structure appears to have been buried for at least eight to nine hundred years, if not a thousand. To still be so complete and exquisite, it shows the exceptional skill of the craftsmen back then."
Zhang Qiling did not join Wu Tianzhen's impromptu lesson. He stared at the structure for a while, feeling that there seemed to be some abnormal protrusions on the wooden top covered by a thin layer of soil. He leaned closer and used his scabbard to brush away the dirt.
...Then a row of nails was revealed.
Just as Wu Tianzhen was saying, "even without a single nail," Zhang Qiling stared at the densely exposed nail heads at the top for a few seconds, then subconsciously covered them back with dirt using his scabbard.
Though he buried the dirt quickly, Wu Tianzhen, who had been keeping an eye on him, saw him squatting there doing something and immediately looked over.
"Xiao Ge, what are you doing?"
Zhang Qiling: ...
He remained silent for a moment, then once again dug away the dirt.
Wu Tianzhen, upon seeing this, was indeed greatly shocked.
"My God, so many nails?!"
"This is impossible??"
Seeing Wu Tianzhen's face slapped, Fatty almost burst out laughing. However, considering that the echo insects might mimic even laughter, he didn't truly laugh out loud, instead holding his breath until his entire face turned red and his body trembled.
Wu Tianzhen ignored Fatty's arrogant mockery, his mind preoccupied with a greater puzzle.
"Although some ancient buildings did use nails, even the Forbidden City's interior used nails for fastening."
"But no craftsman would ever leave nail heads exposed like this, especially for such an exquisite structure. Why are there so many exposed nails?!"
As he spoke, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, reminding him of the archaeological site of a Sui Dynasty tomb he had visited before.
"Unless, this isn't a building at all—"
"But rather—"
Just then, a dull thudding sound was heard!
Under the gaze of the three, the tightly fitted nails on the top suddenly began to shake violently. Accompanied by a chilling scraping sound, they were being pulled out from the inside to the outside, one by one!
However, the pulled-out nails did not fall. Instead, they floated eerily in the air, trembling slightly as if strung together by threads!
Under the flashlight's beam, drops of blood were slowly trickling down from the bottom of the nails!!
At this moment, Wu Tianzhen finally uttered his conclusion—
"...It's a coffin!"
"This is an evil coffin sealed with iron nails, suppressing malevolent energy, ensuring the person within never finds eternal rest!!!"
As his words fell, the coffin lid, freed from the nails, was suddenly pushed open by a surge of force. A faint, sinister laugh emanated from within, crisp and clear, sounding like that of a child!
"Retreat!"
Shouting to Fatty and Wu Tianzhen, just as the thing inside was about to emerge, Zhang Qiling leaped up, using gravity and immense force to slam down onto the coffin lid!
Kneeling on one knee, he tightly gripped the Black Gold Ancient Saber and thrust it down. The hard wood was easily pierced like tofu, splinters of wood flying out with a bloody hue, falling alongside his black robe!
With a bang, the coffin lid that had just been pushed open was heavily smashed back down. The Black Gold Ancient Saber plunged all the way in, and with a sound of flesh tearing, the eerie laughter from within immediately ceased!
Fatty and Wu Tianzhen, who had retreated from the center of the battle, breathed a sigh of relief. But then they saw Zhang Qiling's expression change. He swiftly drew out the Black Gold Ancient Saber, and like a nimble swallow, he spun sideways in the air, his long leg kicking the coffin's side with the momentum!
And the moment he sprang up, the coffin lid silently disintegrated into powder!
Countless imperceptible fine threads, like steel blades, stood still in the air. Just as they were about to turn and attack, they were instantly kicked away by Zhang Qiling's side kick!
The coffin flew out, plowing a deep furrow in the soft ground, and after a second of silence, it exploded violently!
A crimson figure, carrying fine threads, turned into an afterimage and charged forward, colliding head-on with the Black Gold Ancient Saber!
The luxurious clothes exuded a foul odor, and the putrid blood splattered onto the ground. This was a female child zombie!
It wore a sweet smile on its face, its pale, baby-fat cheeks appearing sinister and terrifying as they were propped up by two hands!
And around its neck was a gaping wound from which blood continuously flowed!
Zhang Qiling's previous strike had precisely severed its head, but it was now holding its own head in its arms!
Missing its target, it instantly retreated. The head in its embrace opened its mouth, and the giggling laughter rang out again.
The surrounding fine threads, as if guided by something, slowly stitched its head back onto its neck like threading a needle.
It was only then that Zhang Qiling noticed that this female child zombie was covered in stitching lines.
...It had died young, its body not intact, and its resentment ran deep. After its body was stitched together, it was sealed in an iron-nailed coffin, with a ghost tree planted above to bury its bones for years. The malevolent energy of countless lives was infused into the iron nails to ensure this child's vengeful spirit could never be free, never find eternal rest!
Compassion flickered in his heart for a moment, but Zhang Qiling's expression quickly turned stern!
Having died from a cutting wound, this female child zombie could not be eliminated by slashing.
Zhang Qiling's Black Gold Ancient Saber merely shifted slightly, and Wu Tianzhen, who had been watching intently, caught it!
He instantly took off his blood-stained jacket and flung it out!
"Xiao Ge, use this!!"
At the same time, a flash of white light appeared, and Fatty had thrown out the Faqiu Seal, which struck the female child's skull with a heavy thud!
"Go!!"
Zhang Qiling paused, then immediately redirected the Black Gold Ancient Saber. The tip of the blade pierced through the bloodstains on the clothing, and with a series of saber hums, the Qilin Fire instantly erupted!
The clothes turned to ash in a second, and the blade, wreathed in fire, surged like a prairie fire, piercing through the female child zombie's chest without pause!
The Faqiu Seal's divine power suppressed the wound, preventing it from healing, while the raging flames instantly enveloped it.
When Zhang Qiling landed lightly, the Faqiu Seal fell into his hand, and he passed it to Fatty.
At this point, the female child zombie had completely vanished, as if it had never existed.