The bronze coffin showed no reaction!
Qin Yexuan gave a surprised sound and pushed hard against the lid.
He saw small bronze dragons carved into the inner wall of the coffin, along the bottom edge. They extended upwards on both sides, with an ancient and rustic design.
Most remarkably, these small dragon carvings had their mouths open, and streams of mist continuously sprayed from them.
Qin Yexuan formed the Mingwang Seal with his fingers and lightly tested the outer wall of the bronze dragons.
It turned out there was a layer of strange, heat-generating jade stone wrapped around them.
It was a very clever mechanism, utilizing the condensation within the coffin. The dew flowed into the bronze dragons, then evaporated through the heated jade, spraying out the mysterious mist.
This created the mysterious scene of the bronze coffin being shrouded in fog.
It was a miracle created by human effort and wisdom.
But!
This also proved that the coffin was designed to be ventilated when it was made, otherwise, dew could not have formed inside.
"Hmm? A bronze coffin that needs ventilation, and it's from the tomb beneath King Zhou's Lutai Palace. What does this imply?"
In his mind, that mysterious power seemed to laugh: "It implies that King Zhou of Shang didn't die back then. The great conflagration was all fake. He actually hid in this coffin."
Qin Yexuan felt something was wrong: "Then why didn't he come out earlier? After thousands of years, has that King Zhou been hiding in the coffin all this time?"
"That's because he was in a deep sleep. The Sky Wisdom Jade is a treasure that controls souls. By holding it in his mouth, he could make his soul fall into a dormant state, preserving his body from aging. Perhaps King Zhou made an arrangement with someone to dig him out on a future date."
"Or perhaps he had other plans, but things went wrong. That old fellow was very unlucky and remained buried underground until now, when the Lutai tomb was opened. The Sky Wisdom Jade was forced to appear, and the bronze coffin where King Zhou hid also came out."
This explanation felt far-fetched. Qin Yexuan shook his head and cautiously began to open the second layer of the coffin.
Beneath the bronze coffin lid was a blanket woven from jade pieces.
The thin jade pieces were like transparent silk. It was hard to imagine what technology in that era could have shaved jade so thinly.
As the blanket was slowly pulled back, a pair of feet were revealed!
Qin Yexuan's eyes flashed, shocked.
Because the feet were wearing socks!
They were a pair of gray old man socks! The kind you could get ten pairs for ten yuan at the small shop opposite the school.
Why did a bronze coffin from a thousand years ago contain socks that only appeared in modern times?
Qin Yexuan abruptly pulled away the jade blanket and saw an old man dressed in a sweater and trousers.
The old man had his arms crossed, resting peacefully, even with a strange smile on his lips.
There was no ancient King Zhou, no Sky Wisdom Jade, not even any burial objects!
Wait... so that's how it is!
Qin Yexuan's eyes gleamed, and he suddenly turned and rushed outside.
Outside the library, the old dean was leading a group of faculty and staff to move things, preparing to help Qin Yexuan decorate the new student union office. They ran into Qin Yexuan as he rushed out.
"What's wrong?" The old dean was now afraid of trouble. "Is something wrong with that strange thing inside?"
Qin Yexuan's expression was stern. "Where is the old man who was in charge of the library?"
"Who?" The old dean was a little confused.
"The gatekeeper who was the first to discover the bronze coffin!"
The old dean immediately shouted to the back, "Where's someone from the Human Resources Department? Come out and explain!"
The head of the college's Human Resources Department scratched his head. "Gatekeeper Uncle Liu? He was so scared that he resigned early this morning, leaving without even asking for his wages. Oh, and his small room by the trash station is still there. I heard the old man was so frightened he didn't even pack anything."
The people from the college next to them secretly laughed.
They were mocking the old man for being short-sighted, scared by just a bronze coffin. Ignorance was like that.
Qin Yexuan snorted, "What are you laughing at! Didn't you notice anything unusual about him?"
"Unusual?" The group of people looked dazed.
Qin Yexuan swept his gaze over them, not holding back at all. "That 'old man' must have been different from usual. Look into my eyes and try to recall carefully."
Human memory is sometimes unreliable.
A gatekeeper was someone these people wouldn't even spare a second glance at normally.
But the details hidden deep within their memories would not be lost.
Qin Yexuan, using his Heart Control Technique, helped them find those overlooked details.
A young girl responsible for faculty and staff logistics was the first to remember. "I didn't pay much attention before, but it's definite that Uncle Liu wasn't in good health. However, when he left today, his steps were very quick, and he ran out of the teaching area in one go, at least eight hundred meters, without even panting."
"That's right, Uncle Liu wasn't tall, but today when he walked past me with his back hunched, he was over a head taller than me..."
Everyone who had encountered "Uncle Liu" today began to recall.
Because the situation was so chaotic at the time, no one paid attention to an old gatekeeper. Now, under Qin Yexuan's Heart Control Technique, the scene from that moment slowly emerged.
"Uncle Liu's mask was also strange. It looked like it was made from a sleeve of his clothes, and it looked very funny. He didn't even know how to wear a mask..."
As more and more details came together, everyone was horrified to realize something was wrong.
"Qin, what on earth is going on?" The old dean felt very flustered.
Qin Yexuan said coldly, "The one who left the school today was not Uncle Liu."
"Ah! Then who was he? And Old Liu didn't leave the school? Where is he now?"
Qin Yexuan pointed behind him. "Uncle Liu, lying in the bronze coffin! Unfortunately, he's already dead."
A collective gasp of cold air filled the room.
Even though it was broad daylight, the words sent chills down their spines.
"And the one who disguised himself as Uncle Liu and left the school was the person who was originally lying in the coffin!"
Who that person was, Qin Yexuan didn't say; it was no longer important.
The old dean found two brave security guards to carry out Uncle Liu's body. They couldn't contact the old man's family at all and could only report to the police.
However, there was no news from the police.
Finally, Qin Yexuan made a decisive move and sent him directly to the funeral home.
At the funeral home, Su Ning Shuang arrived with her team.
She was shocked when she received the call from her brother-in-law.
"An ancient bronze coffin from thousands of years ago... a gatekeeper who died mysteriously. This is the most mysterious case I've ever seen."
Su Ning Shuang's investigation team was conducting an autopsy at the scene, and the analysis report came out immediately.
It seemed that after the last incident, Ning Shuang had replaced her team members. Now she had capable subordinates who worked efficiently.
"Brother-in-law, where should we start? This is our first joint case. I hope to hear your opinion."
Qin Yexuan found it amusing. This little girl already knew about what happened in Xiangjiang, yet she still played dumb.
He said softly, "First, let's find out how this gatekeeper Old Liu died!"