Ghostly Encounter

I asked Old Wang, "In this building, which family has always lived here?"

Old Wang said, "The room on the first floor where you live used to be occupied by a woman surnamed Shen. She was probably sick and never went out. Aunt Mei would visit her regularly. After you moved in, we thought that woman surnamed Shen had died."

Tian Li said, "After we open the coffin and see what's inside, we'll go talk to Aunt Mei and see if she knows anything about the situation."

As noon approached and the sun shone brightly, the three of them pried open the coffin lid with shovels, and to their surprise, it was effortless. It turned out the lid wasn't nailed in place. I grabbed the front of the lid, while Tian Li and Lao Wang lifted the other end, and together they slid it open. The lid was incredibly heavy, and a stench of decay wafted out. We held our breath and struggled to move it. As the lid slowly opened, the three of us were shocked by what we saw inside.

Inside the coffin lay three corpses, one on top of the other. The bodies were completely dry, shriveled skin covering the bones, and the corpses were naked. Tian Li had never seen Liu Fengcai before, but Lao Wang and I recognized her. Although she looked very different from her human form, her hair was tied in a ponytail with a Hello Kitty charm hanging from the hair tie. Now that the mummified corpse was lying there, we could see it clearly; it must be Liu Fengcai.

I thought of a beautiful young female college student who ended up like this, and I couldn't help but feel sad for her. Her whole family consisted of only the father and daughter, and they both died within three days. It was a truly tragic massacre.

Old Wang and I used the fire hooks from the coal stove to pull up the three corpses. To everyone's surprise, I recognized the second corpse—it was Aunt Mei! Old Wang was terrified, and Tian Li frowned as well. Her corpse was different from Liu Fengcai's; her face was lifelike, and her clothes were clean and tidy, as if she had washed and dressed herself before lying down there.

None of us can understand the reason behind this. The whole thing is too unbelievable. It is not surprising that such a large coffin was buried in the yard, but judging from the soil on the ground, it has not been dug up for at least several decades. Moreover, there is a very solid cement flower bed on top that is connected to the ground. How did Liu Fengcai and Aunt Mei's bodies get in there?

But the thought of meeting Aunt Mei just a few days ago and renting this house from her really gave me a fright. I couldn't figure it out no matter how hard I tried. Since I couldn't understand it, I guess I just had to accept it.

When we saw the third corpse, all three of us broke out in a cold sweat. If Liu Fengcai's corpse was tragic and Aunt Mei's corpse was peculiar, then the third corpse could only be described as terrifying.

This is a corpse without skin. What's even stranger is that the muscles on her body have not decomposed. The muscle texture and veins are clearly visible, making her look as fresh as a cow or sheep that has just been skinned in a slaughterhouse. Judging from the body, this should be a female corpse.

I suddenly had a gut feeling: this skinless female corpse was the woman in the portrait I had seen before. Who else could it be but her? I had only seen her photos before, which I thought were scary enough, but I never imagined that the corpse would be even more grotesque and terrifying. After reading Zhang Daolin's notes, any pity I felt vanished instantly. No wonder Zhang Daolin was so ruthless back then; it was probably because the evil practice of skinning and eating the living corpse was too bloody and cruel.

After examining the three corpses, the thick fog before my eyes gradually coalesced into a clear clue in my mind. I think I am the only one among those present who knows the truth of the matter.

I asked Tian Li what to do with the three bodies. Tian Li looked at the bodies and said, "I'll have the police take the three bodies away in a car, check them, and then cremate them."

I thought to myself, "This is pretty good. I was just having trouble figuring out how to burn it, but it was solved so easily." I asked Tian Li, puzzled, "How will you explain this to your superiors if they find out?"

Tian Li said, "Of course, I'll tell the truth, but the official written report can't be written exactly like that. Don't worry about these things, I'll take care of them."

This has always been my biggest worry, because if I told the police the truth, I'd be arrested as a lunatic, and I simply couldn't come up with a lie to explain all these events. Hearing Tian Li speak so confidently, a weight was finally lifted from my heart. The matter of this century-old corpse has finally been resolved, and Zhang Daolin can finally relax.

Tian Li remembered something else and said to me, "This matter is not over yet. You and Lao Wang shouldn't stay here. Go to Hongqishun Restaurant at the intersection and order a table of food and drinks. You can eat slowly first, and I'll pay later."

I asked Tian Li if there was anything else she needed to do, and Tian Li smiled and replied, "I'll take some people back to the branch office, and then I'll come find you. We have no clue about the ins and outs of this matter. The only clue is Aunt Mei, the one you mentioned who rented you a house. We'll go to your house to investigate later."

Tian Li went back to the police station to find someone to move the coffin. Lao Wang and I were going to Hong Qi Shun on the street to order a table full of food and drinks so we could eat and wait. Just as we stepped out, we ran into Fatty driving up to find me. It turned out that Fatty was worried I would forget that I had to go to work at the newspaper tomorrow, so he bought some new clothes to remind me. Perfect timing, the three of us could eat and drink together.

Although Old Wang was quite old, he was a complete busybody. When he saw that there was going to be some action that night, he got excited and shouted loudly, which attracted strange looks from the diners and staff in the restaurant.

I felt I should keep a low profile, so I changed the subject and said to Fatty, "I'm not going to work at the newspaper tomorrow. I've been through a lot these past few days, and I seem to have matured a lot. After witnessing the deaths of some people, I never realized before how fragile and fleeting life is. Compared to the vastness of the world, human life is truly insignificant. I've re-examined my life more than once, and now I've finally come to my senses. I don't want to run away anymore. Once things settle down for me, I'm going back to Beijing to face my life directly. I'm going to see Han Yena, and I'm going to tell her again that I love her. Whether she can forgive me or not, I will accept the outcome I deserve. I'm not the coward I used to be."

Fatty was overjoyed to hear this, saying that I had finally figured it out myself, and then he told me some good news: "My wife wasn't feeling well today, and when she went to the hospital for a checkup, she found out she's pregnant. I'm really going to be a father this time."

When I heard my buddy was going to be a dad, I was naturally happy for him. The image of Fatty holding a chubby baby flashed through my mind, which I found hilarious and couldn't help but laugh out loud. But then I remembered that the hole in my room hadn't been patched yet. What if Tian Li went there? Wouldn't I become a suspect? So I winked at Fatty and went to the bathroom.

Without stopping, I rushed back to the cabin. The large coffin and the three female corpses had already been taken away by the crane. There was no one there. Looking around, perfect timing! There was still a lot of soil piled up outside that hadn't been filled back in yet. I quickly ran back and forth a few times to fill the hole in the cabin, then dragged the bed over and put it on top of it. I saw that it was right next to the wardrobe. I thought to myself that I was not going to come back to sleep tonight no matter what. I would deal with everything tomorrow.

Before leaving, I realized I'd forgotten something. I hadn't touched the ten thousand yuan that Jin Laopian had given me, so I stuffed it into my pocket. As for the Black Flame Lamp, I was having a headache. It was too big to carry. I could wear it on my waist when I crawled out of the tunnel, but not now. In the end, I stuffed the lamp into the wardrobe. Fortunately, not just anyone could enter the formation here, and since it was a haunted house, I wasn't worried about thieves.

Back at the restaurant, I walked in almost immediately after Tian Li. Fatty and his friend had been sitting there for an hour or so. Seeing Tian Li enter, they perked up and whispered to me, "Your honey's really something! You're such a jerk! I'm going to tell Han Yena."

Upon hearing this, Tian Li glared at him and said, "You, Chai Yong, after all these years, you're pretending not to recognize me, just like Old Feng!"

Fatty then recognized Tian Li and hurriedly apologized, seemingly a little afraid of her. He quickly said that he had finished eating and needed to rush back to work.

Tian Li shook hands with the fat man to say goodbye in a generous manner. Seeing that she hadn't had lunch yet, I casually ordered a few more hot dishes.

I asked Tian Li, "How can you be so sure that Aunt Mei is related to that skinless female corpse? Maybe she was just a victim like Liu Fengcai."

Tian Li said, "What you said makes sense. At noon, I just said she was an important clue based on my years of experience in police investigations. After returning to the station, I checked the files on Aunt Mei and that building. Guess what I found?"

Chapter Twenty-One: The Codex Book

Of course I knew the ins and outs of these things, but I was still a little curious about Tian Li's abilities, so I pretended not to know and urged her to ask, "Inspector Tian, stop keeping me in suspense, you're making me anxious! Tell me what happened."

Tian Li smiled gently and said, "It turns out that Aunt Mei's real name was Zhang Meiyu. After checking the files, we found that she lived in this building before Liberation. The exact year and month of her birth is vague in the files, so we don't know. We estimate that she was over seventy years old. There was also a man who was Aunt Mei's relative, named Zhang Daolin, who lived here. He disappeared the year after Liberation, in 1951. The forensic examination revealed a major discrepancy: the skinless female corpse, based on bone density, was only thirty years old! We're in a hurry and haven't had time to do further verification yet. However, I've already arranged for them to take tissue samples and burn them as soon as possible, to avoid any unforeseen complications."

Finally, Tian Li said, "Old Feng, it seems the only way to get further clues is to search your room." I felt a pang of bitterness in my heart. I knew I absolutely couldn't go into that room. Not only was there a hole dug in there, but there was also a dead body inside. How could I escape responsibility? Luckily, I had tried to cover it up earlier, but Tian Li wasn't someone to be trifled with. Did she think she wouldn't see through it?

But as the conversation progressed, I couldn't help but agree against my will: "That's right. This matter involves the lives of many innocent people, and we must get to the bottom of it."

The plan was set. The three of them had a hearty meal and asked the restaurant waiter to brew two pots of tea. They would start their operation once they had digested their food.

I was anxious, afraid that Tian Li would bring Lao Wang to search my room. I looked at my watch and said to everyone, "It's almost five o'clock now. I think it's getting late. How about we go tomorrow? Inspector Tian, what do you think?"

To my surprise, Tian Li said, "Let's not delay, let's set off now." I was so angry I could only glare at her helplessly.

As darkness fell, the twilight enveloped the small Western-style building, making it appear peaceful and ancient. However, the more peaceful it seemed, the more uneasy I felt, sensing that some great danger awaited the four of us ahead, though I refused to show it on my face.

Looking at my composed expression, Tian Li said thoughtfully, "Old Feng, you've changed."

I was startled, thinking she had figured something out, and quickly asked her what was going on.

Tian Li said, “I feel that deep in your calm gaze there is a yearning for adventure and battle. Even if the sky were to fall and the earth were to crumble before you, your eyes would remain as clear and calm as the night sky. I really admire this professional demeanor. I really want to ask you what you have been doing these past few years and how you have developed such a temperament. Why haven’t I met a man like you?”

I was sweating. I'd never been praised like this before: "You flatter me. I'm just an ordinary person, the most ordinary of all. Xiao Tian, your poetic descriptions are so eloquent. I didn't realize until today that I'm actually such a profound and great man. Why don't we just start dating? I'll take care of your boyfriend, Xiao Tian."

Tian Li glanced at me and said, "That's the only bad thing about you. It'll never change, no matter how many years pass. If I gave you a stick, you could climb up to the Queen Mother of the West's garden and pick peaches! Let alone the fact that I don't have a boyfriend yet, even if I did, could you steal him away?"

Just then, Old Wang's wife came to find him, saying that his father was sick and she couldn't take care of him, so she asked him to come and help. Old Wang looked at me and Tian Li, and reluctantly left with his wife. I was just looking for this opportunity, so I quickly persuaded Tian Li: "Old Wang is gone, and I'm afraid we won't be able to manage on our own. We're too short-handed. Let's come back tomorrow. I also have something to do; I need to pick up a guest who has come from afar at the station. Let's rest for the night and expose him tomorrow!" After saying that, I turned around and tried to slip away.

But I bumped right into a fat guy. I was about to start yelling when I realized it was Fatty again. I quickly winked at him and said, "Fatty, don't you go home after get off work to take care of your wife? You're almost a father, and you still have no sense of responsibility?"

Fatty looked at me strangely and said, "So you knew to pick someone up? Then I made a wasted trip. I'm such a busybody!" He turned to leave, but I grabbed him. "What are you talking about? Who are you picking up? I didn't know. Did Han Yena come?"

Tian Li watched us with interest from the side. Fatty had no choice but to say, "This afternoon, I received a long-distance call from overseas. When I heard it was for Fatty, it took me a while to find out it was that guy Jin Laopian. He faxed something to me and asked me to pass it on to you. Luckily, I work for the telecommunications company, otherwise the fax fee for that piece of paper would have been enough to make you regret it. Jin Laopian also said that Master Qin is coming to Beijing and told you to be careful. I've never heard of you knowing a Master Qin before. An overseas friend, an international friend, that's pretty impressive, but it just sounds really awkward, like he's involved in organized crime. What, aren't you going to pick up this guy?"

Chapter Twenty-Two: Corpse Oil Gu

Tian Li looked at the line of words I wrote and read it silently, I don't know how much she understood.

I calmed down and analyzed it one by one. The Rongwang Tomb in Nandan, Guangxi, is the most dangerous tomb Qin Jianjun has ever excavated. According to Jin Laopian, the process was quite strange. The appearance of this line in the fax indicates that Qin Jianjun attaches great importance to this place because he lost a very important jade box there, which may contain the last piece of dragon and phoenix jade. Now that Qin Jianjun has collected all the books, he should have uncovered many secrets. In order to uncover all the hidden secrets, perhaps this trip back to China is to go there and find the lost jade box from the Rongwang Tomb?

Tian Li said, "Does 'Beware of Miao people at Beijing Railway Station' mean you should go to Beijing to find someone, or that someone will be waiting for you at the station? But what does 'Beware of Miao people' actually mean? It's really strange." It's clear that these words have aroused Tian Li's great curiosity.

Why would Jin Laopian be so cryptic? Using bookish gossip as a code—Jin Laopian couldn't possibly be that skilled at it, could he? If it was written by that Master Qin, and he sent it to me through Jin Laopian, was he trying to tell me some information but couldn't meet in person? Looking at this fax, I realized I hadn't noticed when I was solving the

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