White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 1 Coming out of the coffin
In the late spring night, a light drizzle shrouded the distant green mountains in mist. Firelight flickered on the hillside outside Xiaoqu Village, and the occasional low chirping of wild birds could be heard from the mountains.

A group of more than ten people, carrying lanterns and wearing straw raincoats, silently walked into the depths of the mountains and forests. These people were all sturdy, with thick calluses on their palms, clearly skilled farmers.

Old Jiang, looking dejected, allowed the two burly men on either side to support him and lead him towards that place as if he were being held hostage. His cloudy eyes concealed a deep hatred, which inadvertently glanced at the three people in front of him.

These three men were tall and upright, with steady steps. Underneath their raincoats, they wore light black armor, carried long swords or held broadswords, had piercing eyes, full foreheads, and slightly protruding temples. They were clearly masters of the martial arts world.

The man wielding the broadsword had broken the tendons and bones of his lower legs.

"Old Jiang, we've been walking for half an hour and we still haven't seen the place you mentioned?" A hoarse voice came from behind the three martial arts masters. It was an old man with a short beard who asked.

Upon hearing the old man's question, the suppressed hatred made Old Jiang's voice turn cold as he said, "When the young master was buried, the master specially ordered people to find an auspicious burial site in the mountains. That's why it was a bit remote, to avoid being discovered."

"Old village chief, you can't go back on your word. After I lead you to the young master's grave, I'll spare my brat's life."

"Hehe, don't worry, Lao Jiang. In this world, no one will turn down real money. Once we find the burial site and come down the mountain, I'll release him in front of you."

The short-bearded old man smiled and agreed, then turned to the three men in front of him and said respectfully, "It is truly remarkable that you three gentlemen are so capable. This old servant of the Bai family had been on the run for several months, yet you were still able to capture him and bring him back."

But does the Bai family truly possess the legendary secret treasure? Even Old Jiang, the Bai family's loyal servant, knows nothing about it. I fear my esteemed officials have wasted their efforts.”

The middle-aged man on the left, carrying a sword, sneered, "Loyal servant? What kind of servant is truly loyal to the death? They are only loyal when there is profit to be made, and they abandon us when the profit is gone. Didn't he still lead us to this cemetery?"

As for the hidden treasures in this tomb, you'd better not know if you want to live a few more years, old bandit.

Listening to the conversation of the people in front, Lao Jiang remained unmoved. He knew a thing or two about the Bai family's land, property, and even their gold, silver, and secret money. What secret treasure could there be? Most likely, these people had inquired about the Bai family's past as a prominent family outside of Northeast China from their old stomping grounds. These strange stories were just a cover for their business.

Thinking of his former master, Old Jiang couldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow. To escape the pursuit of his enemies and the calamity of the war in Guandong, the master had specially moved thousands of miles to this Central Plains, where he found a small mountain village, hoping to become a wealthy landlord and live out his remaining years in peace.

Who would have thought that this chaotic world would come so quickly? It's also because the villagers of Xiaoqu Village, who appear to be simple and honest mountain farmers, are actually a den of bandits. The master's family had only settled here for a few years when the young master contracted tuberculosis and died.

Then the war spread throughout the land, and the government was completely unable to control the mountain people and villages. Taking advantage of the chaos, this group of bandits killed the master's family and stole their gold and silver treasures. Only he was lucky enough to escape with his life, and he led the master's only bloodline southwards.

Unexpectedly, they were still caught by these people.

"Is this the place?"

A cold voice rang out, and the man among the three, who was unarmed, spoke up, interrupting Old Jiang's recollection.

Before me lay a dense, lush forest, shrouded in mist as far as the eye could see. Once inside, the sun never rose, making it difficult to discern directions.

Looking at the dense forest before him, Old Jiang sighed softly. He knew he was doomed to die, and he only hoped to leave a bloodline for his master and the Bai family.

He nodded indifferently and said, "Yes, this is indeed the grove. Go five hundred paces to the right, and you'll see a grove of locust trees. The ninth one from the east, under the old locust tree, is where the young master is buried."

"I've brought you all here; shouldn't I see my child now?"

"Hehe, no rush. We haven't even seen the coffin yet, so we don't know if it's real or not." The old village chief chuckled and stroked his short, white beard. "I've heard that the Bai family has several secret money-making sites. I'll have to trouble you, Old Jiang, to take us there one by one."

In our village, there are over a hundred people, young and old, and we all rely on these everyday items.

Old Jiang felt a chill in his heart. These secret funds were known only to him and his master; even the women of the Bai family were unaware of them.

He couldn't help but blurt out, "How did you know...?"

The old village chief chuckled meaningfully, without replying, but simply pointed, signaling the men on either side to help him up and lead the way.

The group walked through the dense forest, the light from their lamps flickering. The mountain wind blew and the drizzle intensified. Water droplets dripped from the edges of their raincoats, and two rows of footprints of varying depths were left on the muddy ground.

In a nest in a tree, a crow was startled awake and perched on a branch, its pale eyes silently watching the people in the forest.

The old village chief stood under a locust tree. Two men threw Lao Jiang, who was soaking wet, onto the ground. Mud smeared his forehead, and his hair was disheveled, making him look extremely pathetic.

He lifted his head from the mud and looked up at the old village chief, whose face was somewhat ferocious. The pain from the broken bones in his knees made him gasp.

"Look carefully, is this the place?" The old village chief grabbed his hair, revealing faint sword wounds on his palm, and said sternly, "If you dare to deceive us and delay the adults' business, not only you, but your precious son will also lose his life."

Old Jiang suppressed his hatred and said in a sorrowful voice, "It's definitely here, it's definitely here. I personally witnessed the young master's burial back then, and his coffin was buried under this locust tree."

Seeing his certainty, the old village chief turned around and softened his tone, asking, "Gentlemen, shall we open the coffin immediately?"

The young man among the three did not answer him. Instead, he took out a small bronze compass from his sleeve. The pointer on the compass spun on its own without wind, and after circling three times, it stopped in the direction of the locust tree.

He then spoke, "Let's open the coffin as soon as possible, lest something go wrong." "Yes, sir!"

The old village chief waved to the men and said, "Come here, hurry up and dig out the coffin."

Upon hearing the village chief's order, more than ten men stepped forward, picked up shovels, and began digging into the soil under the locust tree.

Three martial arts masters stood aside, quietly watching the crowd digging in the soil.

The man on the left with the knife glanced at it a few times and asked in puzzlement, "Brother Duan, you said the Bai family possessed such a rare treasure, so why have they fallen into such a state?"

The young man surnamed Duan in the middle shook his head and said, "Even if there are rare treasures in the world, they can't withstand the tide of history. After we retrieve the treasure, we'll have to trouble you two to escort it back with me."

Brother Zhao's "Hua Yun Saber" and Brother Li's "Ming Jin Sword" are both renowned and even listed on the martial arts rankings. They should be able to protect me.

The middle-aged man carrying the sword humbly replied, "Brother Duan flatters us. We are nothing but empty names. If we were to encounter a top master in the martial world, we would have no choice but to flee for our lives."

As the three were talking, in less than half an hour, a pit three feet deep had been dug under the big locust tree.

As Tian Erzhuang was digging in the soil, he shoveled away, and soon he felt something hard under his shovel, which made his hands go numb. He squatted down and parted the loose soil with his hands, and saw something dark.

"Dig it!"

Tian Erzhuang shouted with delight, and the men who were still digging around came over and cleared away the loose mud and wet soil.

Old Jiang, who was slumped on the ground, also looked over, but his face was covered in dust and dirt, and his mouth was full of the earthy taste of mud.

All eyes turned to this place, and there lay a shiny black coffin buried in the pit. Even in the dim rainy night, the coffin's glossy black color was visible, clearly indicating that it was a very expensive coffin.

"Wow~"

A flapping sound came from the big locust tree, and a black crow landed on the coffin lid, its white crow eyes staring straight at the crowd.

A mountain breeze blew by, rustling countless leaves in the forest, and the drizzle suddenly stopped.

Seeing this scene, even the burly men present, full of vitality, couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

The old village chief hesitated. Even though he was a bandit, he still had some fear of ghosts and spirits. He looked at the three martial arts masters, "Sirs, this..."

The man surnamed Duan snorted coldly and suddenly shot out a silver needle from his right hand. Before anyone could react, the needle pierced the black crow's body. The crow only had time to let out a mournful cry before it fell onto the coffin lid, its crimson blood dripping onto the coffin.

As the group of men gasped in astonishment at his flying silver needles, the man surnamed Duan calmly declared, "Open the coffin!"

Old Jiang, lying on the ground nearby, said in a low voice with a sorrowful expression, "Young Master! It is my fault for disturbing you. May your spirit in heaven protect my child..."

As he muttered to himself, five men had already gone down into the pit and were pushing the coffin, which had been buried in the mud for years.

"squeak~"

With a sound of wood rubbing together, the coffin lid was slowly pushed open, and the three martial arts masters came to the front of the coffin and stared intently at it.

"Whoo~"

The night wind blew, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and the cold moonlight shone down. The black crow's corpse on the coffin lid fell into the soil, but no one noticed that there was no longer a drop of blood in the black crow's body.

The coffin lid was pushed open, and moonlight shone into the coffin. The sight inside sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

Tian Erzhuang felt his breath catch in his throat. He saw a fair-skinned young man in fine clothes lying in the coffin. His long, black hair was tied with a jade crown. He had thick eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and blood-red lips. His hands were clasped in front of his chest, as if the person in front of him was just asleep, as if he would open his eyes and wake up at any moment.

"This……"

"This……"

The old village chief couldn't help but exclaim in horror, "How is this possible? This young master of the Bai family died of tuberculosis five years ago. Five years have passed. Even if he hasn't turned into bones, his body should have rotted away by now. How can his complexion be even more vibrant than when he was alive?"

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! It truly is the legendary treasure, the Corpse-Nourishing Pearl! It is said that it nourishes corpses with yin energy, using the essence of the earth's yin to warm the corpse and protect its soul, allowing it to remain uncorrupted for a thousand years!"

The man surnamed Duan was overjoyed and said, "It seems it really is true! Gentlemen, let's get started."

　New book launch! I've got myself in the zone, haha, and I hope to bring you some interesting stories! Thanks for your support, everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)