Nine Dragons Pulling The Coffin

Chapter Three: The Black Cat Rises from the Dead

If I had known Huixiang would be used by tomb raiders, I would have stayed up all night to guard the seven-day mourning period.

I didn't believe in ghosts and spirits before, but now, after dealing with more and hearing so many taboos from Liu Hechou, I've come to believe that there's a world for the dead.

In other words, as my methods of exhuming people have become more skillful, my worldview about exhuming people has been unconsciously established…

Life goes on; it's peak season for exhuming, and a good time for me to make money.

However, because of Huixiang's matter, Liu Hechou didn't want me to go back into the water. In his words, I'm now tainted by Huixiang's karma and it's not suitable for me to make pacts with other spirits.

I asked him when Huixiang's matter would be over, and Liu Hechou pondered for a long time before speaking at length.

"That depends on how big a fuss they're going to make. I suspect this matter won't end well. Think about it, Huixiang lived a life of hardship, suffered mental problems, and was constantly abused for years. Even after her death, she was forced into an arranged marriage. Her resentment is probably comparable to that of the Yellow River Goddess."

I thought about it and agreed. Huixiang's experiences, both in life and death, were truly tragic. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't want to be reincarnated in the underworld either.

There are many things to do in the countryside. It's better when I'm not home, but now that I'm in my hometown, I can't avoid weddings and funerals.

Our village elder, Xie Guangcai, has died, and I have an obligation to keep vigil for his descendants.

That old scoundrel Xie Guangcai was a scoundrel. He often harassed widows and orphans when he was young, and even in his old age, he didn't learn his lesson, using candy to trick children. Huixiang wasn't abused by him back then; some even said she was truly violated by him.

It's said that good people don't live long, but bad people live a thousand. Xie Guangcai lived to be over seventy and was still robust; when drunk, even ordinary young men couldn't beat him. No one could have imagined that he would hang himself from the old locust tree at the village entrance, completely naked when he died.

No one mourns the death of such a person; they only sigh that it was a good death.

So, there weren't many people keeping vigil that night, besides myself and a few close relatives and nephews who, like me, couldn't refuse.

Keeping vigil is a very tedious thing. Young people like excitement, and knowing that I worked with Liu Hechou as a bailiff, they asked me if I had encountered anything strange.

I was bored, so I told them a few strange tales I had heard from Liu Hechou. There are gods watching over us, and we shouldn't talk in the middle of the night, but fictitious folk tales weren't a taboo.

After listening for a while, the group got bored; they wanted to hear the real thing.

To be honest, the person I most want to confide in is Huixiang, but the karma hasn't been resolved yet, so I dare not speak of it even if you kill me.

"Brother Lan, I heard you were the one who fished out the 'stupid' Huixiang from Shili Ferry?" my cousin Xie An suddenly asked me.

I didn't answer, but asked him why he suddenly brought up Huixiang.

Xie An glanced at Xie Guangcai's memorial tablet on the altar and said in a low voice, "Brother Lan, actually, I saw Uncle Guangcai the night before last when I came back from night fishing."

Ever since that kid caught a nine-pound red carp in the Yellow River, he's been obsessed. He's either fishing or on his way to fish all day long, and fishing until dawn is a common occurrence.

He said that when he got home around midnight the night before last, he saw Xie Guangcai wandering around the village with his tail between his legs.

"Maybe he was sleepwalking," I said.

"Besides Uncle Guangcai, I also saw..." Xie An swallowed and stopped.

"What else did you see? Did you see him holding a rope? Did he accidentally hang himself while sleepwalking?" the village chief asked.

This chief was a simpleton, fearless and daring to talk about anything, even death.

"Brother Lan, let's talk at the door. There are some things I can't say in front of Uncle Guangcai."

Leaving Xie Guangcai's courtyard, I handed Xie An a cigarette.

"Brother Lan, I only mentioned this to you because I know you're brave. I saw Uncle Guangcai running ahead, with someone vaguely following behind."

"What kind of person?" I asked.

"Just a figure, I couldn't see the face, but the way he walked looked a bit like Huixiang from Shili Ferry."

"Are you sure?" My heart started to chill, but I forced myself to remain calm and continued to press.

"Of course I can't be sure. If I were, would I dare tell you this? I was terrified; I didn't even dare turn on my flashlight," Xie An said dismissively. "You've got guts, kid, daring to keep vigil tonight."

"Do you think I wanted to come? We live so close, we're practically family."

Although Xie An couldn't be sure it was Hui Xiang, I felt this was completely unrelated.

Firstly, the biggest suspicion was that Xie Guangcai, that old bastard, would never intentionally seek death; secondly, he really had done something to wrong Hui Xiang.

I chatted with Xie An at the door for a while, reassuring him a couple of times that there are no ghosts in the world, it's all people causing trouble, and then went back to keep vigil.

In the first half of the night, there was still some conversation, but in the second half, sleepiness came over me, and the only sound in the mourning hall was the flickering of candles.

I struggled to stay awake until two in the morning. The others, who had gone to bed early, were sprawled out in their places. Just when I was about to give up, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the mourning hall, followed by the sound of a cat.

A cat's trick, a dog's fright.

As I was wondering where the cat was, I saw a dark shadow flash before my eyes.

Looking again, I saw a huge black cat perched on the head of the coffin.

The black cat belonged to Xie Guangcai. This old scoundrel was shrewish and at odds with his neighbors, yet he kept a black cat he treated like a son.

The black cat, perched on the head of the coffin, stared intently at me with its cat-like eyes.

I knew cats were taboo, so I raised my mourning stick as if to scare it away, but it remained unmoved.

I don't know if it was my imagination, but I thought I saw it smirking at me.

Now I panicked. I knew this was strange and wanted to wake the others to think of a solution. But just then, a series of muffled thuds came from inside the coffin.

I jumped, my hair standing on end.

Undoubtedly, a false alarm is a terrifying thing, especially for us fishermen; the psychological impact can be devastating.

If Xie Guangcai really climbed out of the coffin right in front of me, how could I ever dare to fish in the Yellow River again? The noise inside the coffin grew louder and louder, but strangely, the sleeping people seemed completely unaffected, still snoring away.

Fortunately, Xie Guangcai's coffin lid had been nailed shut beforehand, so he couldn't climb out anytime soon.

Coffin nails, also known as "descendant nails," are seven in total, made of brass, and are nailed in by the descendants on the day of burial. Xie Guangcai had no children, so the coffin was nailed shut long ago. Actually, it was mainly because his death was considered unlucky; the funeral organizers feared it would attract evil spirits, so they nailed it shut beforehand.

As the old saying goes, "Better to die a friend than yourself." I planned to run away before Xie Guangcai climbed out of the coffin. Whether the others would suffer was not something I should worry about now.

I immediately turned and ran towards the door.

But before I even reached the door, the two heavy wooden doors creaked shut, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't open them.

Damn it, I've already given up, and they won't even give me a way out? I turned my back to the door and looked again at Xie Guangcai's coffin.

The coffin throbbed violently, as if the entire ground was collapsing with it. The black cat's smile grew deeper and more eerie.

"Meow!"

With a piercing screech from the black cat, I saw it leap like an arrow to the roof beam, finally pushing the coffin lid open from the inside, which then crashed heavily to the ground.

The next moment, Xie Guangcai, dressed in his funeral robes, sat up from the coffin, his face deathly pale, his lifeless eyes darting about incessantly.

When his eyes finally stopped moving, his gaze locked onto me.

"Hehehe..."

Xie Guangcai chuckled and jumped out of the coffin. Just as he landed and steadied himself, the black cat that had jumped onto the roof beam landed perfectly in his arms.

In all my years, I, Xie Lan, have never witnessed such a bizarre scene: Xie Guangcai, suddenly appearing, carrying a black cat, walked towards me step by step.

With no way to retreat, I began to bolster my courage. Running away doesn't guarantee escape, and facing it isn't necessarily the hardest thing to do.

I, Xie Lan, am a master of martial arts, capable of evading all dangers. Why should I fear a dead man!

My mourning staff was still in my hand; I planned to wait until Xie Guangcai got close before delivering the legendary "head-splitting blow."

He was getting closer and closer. Just as Xie Guangcai was about to reach my attack range, the black cat seemed to hate me even more than he did. It sprang from his arms, baring its fangs and claws, and pounced at me.

"Damn you! Die!"

I immediately aimed at the black cat's head and slammed it down hard!