Chapter 1 February 12th

nside the white coffin, the woman didn't look old, she was in her prime, wearing a burial shroud, with a waist like willow branches and a flat belly, not like she was pregnant. Yet there was a circle...February 12.

In the early spring, when the rabbit leaps (in the lunar calendar), all things awaken from their winter slumber.

In this chilly spring, the wind on the river is as sharp as a knife. The mountains disappear in ten thousand hues, like withered graves.

On the banks of Yin Yi Jiang there was a county.

That was a county called Chang.

On the north slope of Chang County, there is a stunted mountain ridge that looks like it's limping. On the ground are three incense sticks and paper money for the dead. Two men in rough hemp clothing are squatting by a pit, with a shovel and freshly dug earth at their feet.

At this moment, neither of them spoke, their eyes fixed on the white lacquer coffin in the pit.

According to folk customs, the color of coffins is divided into five kinds: red, white, black, and gold.

There are strict requirements here.

For example, an elderly person who died of natural causes is considered a joyful passing, so a red coffin is used;

Those who die horizontally or on the battlefield are put in black coffins because black belongs to the element of water, which can subdue evil spirits;

Poor families, unable to afford coffins, often wrap their deceased in straw mats or use a few pieces of wood as makeshift coffins. These are coincidentally yellow, hence the association of yellow coffins with the impoverished.

A golden coffin, naturally, is something only noble kings and aristocrats could afford;

As for the last kind of white coffin, its craftsmanship is particularly special.

That is used only by unmarried women and men.

According to the clues obtained by Zhuanzi and Chenpi, the woman buried in this newly dug grave should be a pregnant woman who died from an accidental fall, not a white coffin.

"Brother Zhuan, this is evil! How could this be a coffin for an unmarried woman Wasn't it said that the one buried here was a pregnant woman"

"Could it be a woman who is pregnant before marriage"

"Or did we dig up the wrong grave"

Chen Pi's two lips trembled and quivered as he spoke.

It is important to note that for a woman who hasn't yet been married, becoming pregnant before marriage has always been considered shameful by her parents, aunts, uncles, and clan. In many places where private punishments are common, clans may even resort to cruel punishments like dunking in a pig cage.

How could anyone possibly bury him

That's what it all boils down to.

“You ask me how I know, as if I'm her father. Anyway, since we're already here, let's just get on with it. Come down and help me pry open the coffin. Let's finish this quickly and get out of this creepy graveyard.”

Chuanzi is a tall man in his early thirties.

Chenpi was a few years younger than Zhuanzi, thin and timid, with no backbone. Zhuanzi led Chenpi into the pit, then spat several times into his palm. In the darkness, the two used shovels to pry open the coffin nails. It took them a lot of effort, working together before they finally managed to heave open the lid.

After opening the coffin, they lit a torch and looked inside. The two were greatly surprised.

Plop!

Chen Pi, who was more timid, was so scared that he fell straight into the grave.

The night temperature was very low, even I could see my own white breath. Inside the white coffin, the woman didn't look old, she was in her prime, wearing a burial shroud, with a waist like willow branches and a flat belly, not like she was pregnant. Yet there was a circle of black stitching on her neck.

It turned out to be a head that had been severed and then sewn back together.

>

Just now, Chen Pi was scared by the black stitches on the neck of the female corpse.

Because it was dark at night and my vision was blurred, at first glance, I thought a poisonous centipede, about an inch thick, was lying on the coffin body, just about to jump up and bite.

>

And the woman's body in the white coffin showed no black spots or lividity, nor did it have a stench. Instead, there was a faint but pleasant scent of musk, as if she had died only a few days ago and probably hadn't even reached the seventh day since her death.

People are still fresh.

This is the translated text:

The corpse was strikingly beautiful, just her face was abnormally pale. This being a dead person is quite normal. She was dressed in a crimson robe as a burial garment.

If he hadn't been so scared that his legs went weak, and hadn't recovered yet, Chen Pi would definitely have to marvel at how beautiful this dead woman was.

Looking at the strange female corpse in the white coffin, Zhuanzi's face changed slightly, but he forced himself to calm down and spat: "What are you panicking about It's just a dead person."

"When it comes to the dead, this north slope is a graveyard. The very ground we're standing on is filled with buried corpses and skeletons."

“If you want to leave here quickly, come and help me carry the corpse. Be sure to remember to lift the corpse over her clothes and don’t touch the corpse directly, be careful not to be taken away a breath of living yang energy by the corpse.”

Quan heaved his foot lightly against Chen Pi, who was already scared and sitting on the ground.

Then, under the coaxing and threats of the thug, Chen Pi, with his trousers and sleeves covered in mud, climbed out of the grave and trembled as he went to help the woman corpse inside the white coffin.

Little did they know.

The frail and delicate female corpse looked unexpectedly heavy. Chen Pi failed to lift it for the first time, tumbling backward and nearly landing headfirst into the coffin.

Quanzi's eyes were quick and his hands even faster. He grabbed Chenpi's belt just in time, preventing him from bumping into the female corpse and taking a bite out of her face.

After a fierce glare from Zhuanzi, Chen Pi gritted his teeth and continued to help the female corpse.

The dead are much heavier than the living.

Otherwise, how would there be the idiom "deadly heavy," "deadly heavy"

This time, I finally successfully lifted the female corpse without any surprises.

Here's the translation:

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

The female corpse was pinned under the Chen Pi, with half her body dragged and resting on the edge of the coffin.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Zhuanzi leaped with astonishing agility. It turned out he was a master martial artist in disguise! He planted his feet firmly on either side of the coffin lid in a classic horse stance, ready to disinter the corpse.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!

It turned out to be two scoundrels who came at night to steal corpses and make money from the dead.

Perhaps because the body was moved, the neckline of the corpse's burial robe was a little open. Chen Pi, who was supporting the corpse, unintentionally saw the faint white flesh inside the collar with her trembling hands. Her eyes went wide.

And as if by fate, unexpected events began to pile up one after another.

Meow, under the night on the grave mound, I don't know from which grass pile it sprang out a head of black hair, hungry green-eyed feral cat actually ran to the grave mound to find corpses to eat.

Folklore says that there are three taboos regarding a deceased person's body after death:

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

First, the dead cannot fall to the ground;

Second, the vital energy of the living cannot be lent to the dead;

Thirdly, cats, foxes, and weasels should not come into contact with corpses.

Because the deceased person's throat is blocked with resentment that cannot be swallowed, and cats are yin in nature, when the two clash, it is guaranteed to cause an ominous omen of a corpse being faked.

Whether or not this rumor is true, in this situation, it's better to believe it exists than not.

"Quick! Stop that mangy stray cat!"

“For heaven's sake, don't let this stray cat jump into the coffin and touch the corpse!”

The little boy was so nervous his heart was in his throat, but by the time he reached out, it was too late. The wild cat had nimbly leaped into the white coffin and jumped onto the corpse.

"Oh no!"

No sooner had Zhuanzi's words left his mouth than the wild cat that had jumped into the white coffin suddenly stopped moving. It stared fixedly at the two people outside the coffin, its emerald-green eyes filled with coldness and numbness.

>

Losing any feeling.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

It was as if a pair of dead eyes were staring straight at the plug and the dried tangerine peel.

This beast stood right on the corpse's chest, completely still, staring straight at the two living people beside the coffin.

"You little beast, get lost! Running around in the middle of the night through these desolate mountains and graveyards, deliberately trying to scare your old master!"

With a shout, Chen Pi, who had been frightened earlier, suddenly found his courage. He picked up a stone he had dug out while robbing the grave and smashed it at the wildcat that had jumped into the coffin.

Who would have thought that the wildcat would not dodge or avoid.

The wildcat was directly smashed to death by Chenpi inside the coffin, its head burst and bleeding. This scene was something no one had expected.

“I call your father, Chen Pi!”

“Brother Chuanzi, didn't you tell me to smash it Now, what are we going to do”

"Don't you run for your life right now! Damn it, stop messing with the corpses and coffin boards. Are you really stupid, Chen Pi, or are you deliberately acting crazy to fool me!"ats or use a few pieces of wood as makeshift coffins. These are coincidentally yellow, hence the association of yellow coffins with the impoverished.A golden coffin, naturally, is something only noble...