Gou Zai, a corpse sewn into a spirit in a mortuary during the Republic of China era, became a spirit

A mysterious coffin... and it's even chained up!

Xie An instinctively felt uneasy. "Is this female officer in cahoots with Li Zhonglin?"

Li Erniu shook his head. "That female officer had a cold expression and didn't say a word after entering. I don't know if she and Li Zhonglin are acquainted. By the way, that female officer was brought by Manager Liu from the Liu Family Leverage Shop in the southern suburbs."

Manager Liu...

Xie An frowned upon hearing this.

Manager Liu has always had a strained relationship with my father...

The term "槓房" refers to shops that specialize in carrying coffins for burial. While there is some business competition between them and mortuaries, there is a clear distinction between them.

The core of the coffin room is the "coffin stand" and the "coffin cover". The coffin stand is the wooden bar used to carry the coffin, and the coffin cover is the ornate canopy covering the outside of the coffin.

The number of bereaved families reflected their status and financial resources.

Ordinary people are buried with eight-person poles; well-off families or small officials use sixteen-person poles; and wealthy officials' families are buried with thirty-two or forty-eight poles. The huge team of pole bearers is a big scene on the street.

The highest-grade was the imperial palanquin used for the emperor's funeral, which required 128 people. The funeral of the empress dowager of the previous dynasty also used an imperial palanquin with 128 people, and the famous Risheng Palanquin House in the capital was responsible for its construction.

It is evident that reaching the level of Risheng in the leveraged housing industry is already considered being a master figure of paramount importance.

Although the Great Xin Kingdom no longer has an emperor, the funerals of powerful warlords and wealthy families still strive for the highest standards and are very prestigious.

The Liu family's business is located not far from the Qinghe Mortuary. They've always been at odds with my father, openly and secretly competing for his business. The two employees even got into a fight over it once. Now that Manager Liu has taken the initiative to deliver a coffin, I'm afraid he's up to no good.

With a sullen face, Xie An hurried towards the reception hall in the front yard, sensing a chilling and murderous aura from afar.

Two soldiers in military uniforms with bound legs stood ramrod straight on either side of the hall entrance, holding Hanyang rifles, looking imposing. When Xie An approached, they raised their guns to stop him, but Li Erniu, with a smile, announced, "This is our young master," before the two soldiers allowed him to pass.

Xie An had barely stepped into the hall when his pupils suddenly contracted.

The father, whose leg injury had not yet healed, was being roughly pressed down on the blue brick ground by two armed patrolmen. One of them stepped on the father's head with his leather boots, while the other pressed the muzzle of a rifle against the father's forehead.

Zhou Xuli was kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy from a young patrolman sitting in the chief seat. The young man was about thirty years old, wearing a dark blue police uniform with a belt around his waist and a holster on his gun. He had a cigar in his mouth, smoking it leisurely.

Xie An recognized the man as Li Zhonglin, the head of the Special Virtues Section of the Yongning County Magistrate's Office Police Station. Li Zhonglin was Wang Qinian's direct superior and had repeatedly extorted money from him under the guise of breaking superstitions.

I thought he would come to investigate within three days of Wang Qinian's death, but he didn't come until eight or nine days later.

They arrived late, but the storm was fierce.

Seeing his father and Zhou Xuli's expressions, Xie An felt a surge of inexplicable grief and indignation, but he didn't show it. He noticed a group of people on the left side of the hall.

Leading the group was a tall, upright young female officer, dressed in a well-fitting dark gray woolen uniform, without any unit insignia, only collar and sleeve patches. Her expression carried the coldness and aloofness of someone who had long handled extraordinary affairs. She carried a Colt M1911 pistol at her waist, but what was even more striking was the old but heavy leather briefcase she always carried.

Standing beside the female officer was Manager Liu, who was wearing a traditional Chinese jacket. Next to him were two burly, shirtless porters guarding a black coffin bound with iron chains.

Upon seeing the coffin, Xie An felt the panel pulsating incessantly, similar to the first time he saw Luo Bosi, but even more intensely.

Xie An weighed the options in his mind and thought to himself: This female officer has no military insignia; she must be someone important. Judging from Li Zhonglin's demeanor, it seems he wasn't there to ask Wang Qinian a question.

But to find out the truth, we need to ask.

Xie An stepped into the hall and looked at the policeman who was stepping on his father. "Take your foot off. The mortuary is open for business. No matter how important the matter is, people should be allowed to speak while standing."

The two patrolmen remained unmoved. Li Zhonglin, with a cigar in his mouth, squinted at Xie An without saying a word.

Xie An took a deep breath, turned to Li Zhonglin, and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Section Chief Li, I wonder which law my father and Chief Zhou violated to deserve this treatment? If it is a serious crime, there should be an arrest warrant and a written explanation."

"Law? Regulations?" Li Zhonglin scoffed, flicking his cigarette ash. "Shoucheng, you certainly know how to use new terms. But what happened today really can't be handled by ordinary laws."

He turned to the side, gave a slight bow to the female officer, and said with a deliberately respectful tone, "This is Shen Molan, the officer in charge of the Special Affairs Section under Commander Zhang of the Tianjin Garrison."

Female officer Shen Molan simply nodded slightly, her gaze calmly sweeping over Xie An before finally settling on the iron-chained coffin, as if the commotion in the hall had nothing to do with her.

Li Zhonglin continued, "A few days ago, Commander Shen led his troops to suppress a notorious band of river pirates on the outskirts of Yongning County. For the sake of the country and the people, he lost a capable subordinate. Logically, the remains of a loyal martyr should be returned to his hometown with honor. But—"

He drawled, "That brother was filled with resentment. He couldn't rest in peace once he was in the coffin. Ordinary coffins couldn't contain him. He made a racket all the way here, and black water seeped out. Manager Liu is a veteran in the funeral industry in Yongning County. He recommended your Qinghe Mortuary, saying that it's a century-old establishment with 'sleeping soil' for burying the dead, which might be able to appease the spirit. That's why Commander Shen personally escorted him here."

Manager Liu immediately chimed in, his face beaming, "Yes, these are heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country, even the Governor's Mansion has them on their register. For us in this line of work, being able to share the burden of the nation is a great honor! Commander Shen personally came to our door, which is a huge honor for your Xie family, but your father flatly refused, saying things like 'we can't accept them' and 'it'll cause a major incident'? Isn't that disheartening for the soldiers and a slap in the face to the Governor's Mansion?"

Li Zhonglin's face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair: "The county magistrate's office has repeatedly ordered local gentry and merchants to cooperate with the military and overcome these difficult times! Now that Commander Shen has the need, your Qinghe Charity Estate is making excuses and delays. What are your intentions? Since you are unwilling to serve the country, what use is there in keeping your dilapidated estate, which only promotes feudal superstition?!"

Upon hearing this, Xie An finally understood the reason, and felt a mixture of joy and worry.

Fortunately, Li Zhonglin did not inquire about Wang Qinian's matter. He guessed that Wang Qinian had investigated but found no clues, and knowing that Wang Qinian had a bad habit of smoking opium, he assumed that it was just an accident.

What's worrying is... the thing in this coffin is really fierce.

The panel's reaction is so intense... perhaps this crisis is also an opportunity?

Let's agree to get through this immediate crisis first, and then have Radish investigate at night to find a way to move or deal with the situation...

"Section Chief Li! Commander Shen! It's not that we don't want to accept it, it's that we can't!" Xie Bingxiang, ignoring the pain in his leg and the blood on his face, said in a hoarse but urgent voice, "Old Zhou, quickly tell the officers about that coffin!"

Zhou Xuli knelt and turned to Shen Molan, his old face filled with fear: "Commander Shen, please be wise! I've been in charge of cases my whole life, and I've seen at least eighty or a hundred ominous coffins! But this coffin... it's... it's eerily ominous!"

His trembling hand pointed to the pitch-black coffin: "Ordinary corpse transformations, whether they ooze blood or make strange noises, always leave traces. But this coffin… it's bound with 'corpse-binding chains' soaked in black dog blood and cinnabar—a method used only against 'fierce corpses'! When I opened it to inspect it just now, I clearly saw that the inner walls of the coffin were covered with a layer of grayish-black 'corpse wax,' and at the bottom, there were swirling 'yin sludge'! This is a sign that the deceased's soul, scattered by malevolent energy and forcibly trapped within the body, is turning into a 'fierce corpse' as resentment and earthly yin energy converge!"

Xie Bingxiang nodded repeatedly, and said in a distressed voice, "Commander Shen, if this kind of coffin is placed in an ordinary place, it will cause a great change within seven days. It will be incredibly powerful, with poisonous claws and teeth. Even black dog blood and peach wood swords cannot harm it! The only way to suppress it is to find a pure yang place where 'nine yangs converge' or the altar of a Buddhist or Taoist master, and slowly dissolve its evil energy with righteous methods. Alternatively, it is best to burn it directly."

"The burial ground here is a 'yin-embracing-child' site, a place where yin energy gathers and nurtures souls. Putting this coffin in is like adding fuel to the fire! Not only will it fail to appease the spirits, but I fear... I fear it will immediately provoke the evil spirits within to break free, and then the entire area within ten miles will suffer!"

Their words, laced with the jargon and trembling fear characteristic of those in the industry, echoed through the chilling hall.

A fleeting hint of panic crossed Manager Liu's face, but he forced a smile and said, "Manager Xie, Steward Zhou, you're exaggerating. What 'Earthly Fiend Corpse'? That's all ancient history. I think you're clearly just unwilling to share Commander Shen's burdens..."

Li Zhonglin then bowed to Shen Molan and said, "Commander Shen, you see, this group of people are spouting nonsense and spreading rumors. They are clearly resisting military affairs and showing contempt for the Governor's Office! In my humble opinion, this mortuary is a den of iniquity. Today, we should seal it off and take the criminals back for thorough interrogation!"

The air in the hall suddenly became tense. Several patrol officers raised their guns again, the muzzles subtly pointing at Xie An and his two companions.

Shen Molan, who had remained silent throughout, finally spoke slowly: "Since Qinghe Mortuary refuses to provide a temporary resting place for the deceased, we cannot force them. However, such a mortuary truly has no purpose, so let's proceed according to Section Chief Li's wishes..."

A seemingly casual remark determined the fate of everyone in the mortuary and ended the Xie family's business spanning three generations.

Zhou Xuli and Xie Bingxiang, who had been holding their breath, let out a sigh of relief, their faces showing fear and despair.

Just then, Xie An walked to the coffin, reached out and pressed his hand on it, and a special feeling immediately flashed through his mind.

The phantom of the mandrill between his brows suddenly revealed an intense, hungry urge.

It seems that the stuff inside... is some kind of food that mandrills really like?

After a moment's thought, Xie An spoke up: "Commander Shen, please calm down. My father injured his leg a few days ago, so I will temporarily take charge of the estate. You are working hard on the front lines to suppress bandits, and as a citizen of Daxin, it is my duty to serve you from the rear. I will accept this coffin from my estate."