Ghost Pot

Chapter 16

At this moment, Mayor Guo interjected, "Youfu, there are many things that cannot be explained from a materialist point of view. For example, Old Guo's body. I clearly saw him being put into the coffin with my own eyes. Four-inch-long iron nails firmly nailed the locust wood coffin shut, but how did he get into the stone coffin?"

"You mean a coffin made of locust wood?" Master Fei asked in surprise.

"Yes, this old man Guo has an eccentric personality. He prepared his coffin a long time ago. No one in Hedong ever uses locust wood to make coffins," Mayor Guo replied.

"That's right, folk customs consider coffins made of locust wood to be unlucky," Secretary Qin confirmed.

Master Fei smiled and said, "It's indeed a bit strange that Old Man Guo used a coffin made of locust wood." He looked up at the night sky and said, "It's almost midnight, so let's hurry up and fill the coffin with soil."

Mayor Guo glanced at Secretary Qin and whispered, "Father-in-law, this moonstone coffin must be a very valuable antique. What do you think..."

"No! Restore it to its original state. Do you have a death wish with such a malevolent aura?" Master Fei, with his keen ears, rebuked him sternly upon hearing this.

Mayor Guo was so frightened that he ducked his head and quickly picked up a hoe to fill the hole with soil.

Before long, the soil had been backfilled. Master Fei stepped on it and then said solemnly, "Secretary Qin, tonight's events are a state secret, and no one is allowed to disclose them."

Secretary Qin replied with a serious expression, "My brother Youcai and I are both Communist Party members, and we are willing to guarantee with our Party spirit that this matter will never be leaked."

Chapter 22, Part 1

The moonlight was cool. On the way back, Master Fei squinted. The white earth energy that had been winding its way from the mountain valley to Fenglingdu had completely disappeared. The energy had dissipated after the stone coffin was opened. The "Ghost Embracing Incense" that Guo Pu had set up had been passed down for more than 1,500 years, but it had finally been cut off tonight.

The children inside the old house were all fast asleep, but Qin Ruhua would occasionally stand at the door, waiting for them to return.

At the entrance of the old house, Mayor Guo accompanied Secretary Qin and Taoist Priest Fei to the town's guesthouse for the night. You Fu returned to his room exhausted and lay down on the bed fully clothed.

Tonight is the most bizarre night I've ever experienced. Putting everything else aside, how did Old Man Guo's corpse end up in the ancient stone coffin underground for no reason? And then it vanished right before everyone's eyes. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it.

Does this mean that ghosts really exist in this world?

Fu couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. The thought of going to Old Guo's new grave to open the coffin and examine the body after dawn made him increasingly uneasy. His long-held atheism was on the verge of collapse. He felt a nameless fear gripping his soul. He didn't fall asleep until the rooster crowed twice.

After breakfast, car horns sounded outside the old house. Mayor Guo and his entourage had returned, along with several town government staff. They hurriedly headed towards the back of the mountain after carrying hoes, shovels, and other tools.

"If there is wealth, an autopsy cannot be performed without the consent of the family. Fortunately, Old Man Guo has no children, so the government will handle the matter. However, we must also be careful to minimize the impact. You are the town's special police commissioner. If the public has any objections, you must do your best to persuade them," Secretary Qin instructed.

"Yes, Secretary Qin," Youfu replied.

Turning into the mountain valley, we saw a new grave made of yellow earth in the distance, without a tombstone, standing alone on the hillside.

"This is Old Guo's grave. He was buried a few days ago, and the seven-day mourning period hasn't even passed yet," Mayor Guo said, pointing to the grave mound.

"Start digging," Secretary Qin ordered.

Several government staff members immediately got to work. County Party Secretary Qin and the town mayor were both present. Everyone wanted to show their abilities, and no one wanted to fall behind.

Before long, the locust tree coffin was revealed in the pit. Old Guo insisted on not having it painted, so it was buried in the natural color of the locust wood.

Secretary Qin glanced at Master Fei.

Master Fei waved his hand, signaling the others to step aside for the time being. He then quietly descended into the pit, bent down, and pressed his ear against the coffin lid, listening intently.

Several government officials couldn't help but chuckle; they had never seen anyone listen to the sounds of a dead person inside a coffin before.

Master Fei listened for a while, then stuck his nose out and sniffed at the gap in the coffin lid. He then jumped up and ordered, "You can open the coffin now."

Two iron hoes were inserted into the gaps in the coffin lid, and then pressed down hard. With a creaking sound, the coffin lid was slowly pried open...

The soft morning sunlight streamed into the locust wood coffin. Old Guo, dressed in a gray polyester Zhongshan suit, dark blue nylon socks, and yellow rubber boots, lay quietly inside…

Chapter 22, Part 2

"This is just an empty coffin?" Mayor Guo breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Moonstone Coffin can absorb moonlight from not too deep underground. I speculate that when Guo Pu buried this coffin, it was only about a foot deep. Over the past thousand years, natural subsidence has caused it to sink to more than two meters. If it were any deeper, it probably wouldn't be effective," Master Fei analyzed.

"If there are no corpses, where did that white earth energy come from?" Secretary Qin was still completely baffled.

"Well..." Master Fei hesitated, "The Moonstone Coffin can capture some of the moon's yin energy, but it's not enough to create an aura that envelops the old house. Could it be..."

"Could it be something?" Secretary Qin pressed.

Master Fei recalled the faint, inexplicable smell he had detected inside the stone coffin, but that was just a guess... After a moment of contemplation, he said, "The coffin lid has a 'Gu' hexagram from the I Ching carved out. The earth's energy comes from those hollowed-out yin and yang lines. In short, the I Ching is profound and complex, and even I have not fully understood it."

"Then, where did Guo Pu hide Feng Hou's remains inside the stone coffin back then?" Secretary Qin asked, puzzled.

"I'm afraid only Guo Pu's direct descendants know this," Master Fei replied.

"You mean the 'Hidden Wind Map'?" Secretary Qin asked, seemingly having a sudden realization.

"Indeed, Guo Pu hid Feng Hou's remains and other burial objects, marking the exact location in the 'Hidden Wind Map,' instructing his descendants to keep it a secret and pass it down through generations. To prevent natural disasters and man-made calamities such as war and plague, he set up this 'Ghost Embracing Incense' feng shui mystery, protecting his descendants from the calamities of successive dynasties after the Eastern Jin Dynasty..."

Youfu chuckled, then quickly shut his mouth again.

Master Fei looked at Youfu and asked with displeasure, "What are you laughing at?"

Youfu had no choice but to tell the truth: "I don't understand why Guo Pu would go to such lengths to set up such a huge scheme. Are the remains of Feng Hou from thousands of years ago really that important? In short, the whole thing is unbelievable from both a logical and emotional standpoint."

"Well..." Master Fei coughed, stammering as he tried to evade the question, "The thoughts of reclusive masters are bound to differ from ours..."

At this moment, Mayor Guo interjected, "Youfu, there are many things that cannot be explained from a materialist point of view. For example, Old Guo's body. I clearly saw him being put into the coffin with my own eyes. Four-inch-long iron nails firmly nailed the locust wood coffin shut, but how did he get into the stone coffin?"

"You mean a coffin made of locust wood?" Master Fei asked in surprise.

"Yes, this old man Guo has an eccentric personality. He prepared his coffin a long time ago. No one in Hedong ever uses locust wood to make coffins," Mayor Guo replied.

"That's right, folk customs consider coffins made of locust wood to be unlucky," Secretary Qin confirmed.

Master Fei smiled and said, "It's indeed a bit strange that Old Man Guo used a coffin made of locust wood." He looked up at the night sky and said, "It's almost midnight, so let's hurry up and fill the coffin with soil."

Mayor Guo glanced at Secretary Qin and whispered, "Father-in-law, this moonstone coffin must be a very valuable antique. What do you think..."

"No! Restore it to its original state. Do you have a death wish with such a malevolent aura?" Master Fei, with his keen ears, rebuked him sternly upon hearing this.

Mayor Guo was so frightened that he ducked his head and quickly picked up a hoe to fill the hole with soil.

Before long, the soil had been backfilled. Master Fei stepped on it and then said solemnly, "Secretary Qin, tonight's events are a state secret, and no one is allowed to disclose them."

Secretary Qin replied with a serious expression, "My brother Youcai and I are both Communist Party members, and we are willing to guarantee with our Party spirit that this matter will never be leaked."

Chapter 22, Part 3

The moonlight was cool. On the way back, Master Fei squinted. The white earth energy that had been winding its way from the mountain valley to Fenglingdu had completely disappeared. The energy had dissipated after the stone coffin was opened. The "Ghost Embracing Incense" that Guo Pu had set up had been passed down for more than 1,500 years, but it had finally been cut off tonight.

The children inside the old house were all fast asleep, but Qin Ruhua would occasionally stand at the door, waiting for them to return.

At the entrance of the old house, Mayor Guo accompanied Secretary Qin and Taoist Priest Fei to the town's guesthouse for the night. You Fu returned to his room exhausted and lay down on the bed fully clothed.

Tonight is the most bizarre night I've ever experienced. Putting everything else aside, how did Old Man Guo's corpse end up in the ancient stone coffin underground for no reason? And then it vanished right before everyone's eyes. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it.

Does this mean that ghosts really exist in this world?

Fu couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. The thought of going to Old Guo's new grave to open the coffin and examine the body after dawn made him increasingly uneasy. His long-held atheism was on the verge of collapse. He felt a nameless fear gripping his soul. He didn't fall asleep until the rooster crowed twice.

After breakfast, car horns sounded outside the old house. Mayor Guo and his entourage had returned, along with several town government staff. They hurriedly headed towards the back of the mountain after carrying hoes, shovels, and other tools.

"If there is wealth, an autopsy cannot be performed without the consent of the family. Fortunately, Old Man Guo has no children, so the government will handle the matter. However, we must also be careful to minimize the impact. You are the town's special police commissioner. If the public has any objections, you must do your best to persuade them," Secretary Qin instructed.

"Yes, Secretary Qin," Youfu replied.

Turning into the mountain valley, we saw a new grave made of yellow earth in the distance, without a tombstone, standing alone on the hillside.

"This is Old Guo's grave. He was buried a few days ago, and the seven-day mourning period hasn't even passed yet," Mayor Guo said, pointing to the grave mound.

"Start digging," Secretary Qin ordered.

Several government staff members immediately got to work. County Party Secretary Qin and the town mayor were both present. Everyone wanted to show their abilities, and no one wanted to fall behind.

Before long, the locust tree coffin was revealed in the pit. Old Guo insisted on not having it painted, so it was buried in the natural color of the locust wood.

Secretary Qin glanced at Master Fei.

Master Fei waved his hand, signaling the others to step aside for the time being. He then quietly descended into the pit, bent down, and pressed his ear against the coffin lid, listening intently.

Several government officials couldn't help but chuckle; they had never seen anyone listen to the sounds of a dead person inside a coffin before.

Master Fei listened for a while, then stuck his nose out and sniffed at the gap in the coffin lid. He then jumped up and ordered, "You can open the coffin now."

Two iron hoes were inserted into the gaps in the coffin lid, and then pressed down hard. With a creaking sound, the coffin lid was slowly pried open...

The soft morning sunlight streamed into the locust wood coffin. Old Guo, dressed in a gray polyester Zhongshan suit, dark blue nylon socks, and yellow rubber boots, lay quietly inside…

Chapter 23, Part 1

“He’s back again…” Mayor Guo’s expression changed drastically, and he said in a trembling voice.

Youfu's atheistic psychological defenses completely collapsed, and Secretary Qin beside him couldn't help but tremble slightly. Only Master Fei stared at the corpse in the coffin without changing his expression, with a faint smile on his face.

He first instructed Secretary Qin to order the government officials to move away and avoid the area. Then, he pulled the acupoint peg from behind his neck, jumped down, and stood beside the coffin, saying, "Old Guo, let me test whether you are a human or a ghost..." After saying that, he inserted the acupoint peg into the corpse's Tanzhong acupoint.

The Tanzhong acupoint is the meeting point of the Ren meridian and the Mu point of the pericardium. It is also called "Yuan'er". There is a saying that "when the Yuan'er acupoint is pressed, even ghosts will jump three times".

Old Guo's body remained motionless, but a white mist slowly emanated from his ears, nostrils, and mouth. After a while, his facial skin began to change color, his face gradually withered and collapsed, and then his entire body gradually shriveled up, finally resembling a brown mummified corpse that had been weathered for many years.

"How could this happen?" Secretary Qin asked, his heart pounding with fear as he looked at the changes in the corpse.

Master Fei pulled out the acupoint stake and chuckled coldly, "I finally understand..." He looked up at Mayor Guo above the pit and asked, "Did all of Old Man Guo's ancestors use this kind of locust wood coffin?"

“Let me think,” Mayor Guo recalled. “Yes, I’ve heard the elders talk about this. The Guo family ancestors in the old house were all rather eccentric, and they only used locust trees for their coffins.”

“That’s it,” Master Fei nodded. “The reason why locust wood is called ‘wood ghost’ is not just based on the character itself. Since ancient times, among all plants, the locust tree has been considered to have the heaviest yin energy, easily attracting unclean spirits. The Shuowen Jiezi (a dictionary of Chinese characters) explains, ‘Locust, wood. From wood, with the sound of ghost.’ Especially at midnight, the wind blowing through the locust leaves makes a strange sound, which is popularly known as ‘ghost clapping.’ In ancient times, grieving women often sought out locust trees to hang themselves. When Guo Pu left his will, his descendants used locust wood for coffins, intending it to facilitate ‘transferring qi and changing form’…”

"Transformation of qi and form?" Secretary Qin asked, puzzled.

"It is said that 'shifting qi and changing form' is an ancient incantation and witchcraft technique, which has long been lost. The Moonlight Stone Coffin connects with the Guo family's ancestral graves through the earth's energy, absorbing the biomagnetic field of each generation's corpses, commonly known as 'corpse qi,' into the stone coffin, forming a corpse illusion that is indistinguishable from a real person. Then, it gradually disperses with the earth's energy towards the old house. The ominous white mist that I saw last night was that. The corpse illusion can exist for decades, changing generation after generation. However, it cannot be opened to release the qi, otherwise the form will dissipate. Therefore, the old man Guo that we saw in the Moonlight Stone Coffin last night will disappear in an instant," Master Fei explained.

"Oh, so that old man Guo was formed from qi. No wonder he evaporated in the blink of an eye," Mayor Guo said with sudden realization.

Master Fei continued, "The true body of this old man Guo's corpse has emptied of its internal energy, and once the dantian is broken, the bones naturally shrink and the flesh caves in."

"This Guo Pu actually has such abilities..." You Fu muttered to himself, looking utterly lost.

"Of course, Guo Pu was a once-in-a-millennium master of Yi studies and the founder of Feng Shui. He was well-versed in astronomy, the Five Elements, divination, and witchcraft. Unfortunately, his incantation techniques have long been lost, and only the Feng Shui treatise 'The Book of Burial' has survived to this day," Master Fei said with a sigh.

Just then, everyone saw a blur before their eyes, and a dark shadow, as swift as lightning, silently pounced on Master Fei at the bottom of the pit...

Chapter 23, Part 2