Белая мантия

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On the first floor, I live in unit 104, the innermost unit in the hallway. The three apartments next to mine are unoccupied. On the second floor, unit 201, the outermost apartment, is occupied by siblings Yang Qin and Yang Bin. Unit 202 is occupied by a family of three: a husband, wife, and their daughter. The husband, Mr. Wang, is in his forties and unemployed, occasionally doing small business. His wife, in her mid-thirties, is an accountant, and everyone calls her Sister-in-law Wang. They have a seven or eight-year-old daughter, Xiaohua, who is in elementary school. Unit 203 is occupied by Mr. Liu, a taxi driver, and his nineteen-year-old daughter, Liu Fengcai.

After chatting for a while, it was almost time to eat. The adults from each family went to cook. I'm a bachelor, so as long as I'm full, my family isn't hungry. When I'm hungry, I can just cook a few packets of instant noodles. So I stayed in the yard and idly sat.

Around six o'clock, Yang Qin and her brother returned home. Yang Qin went home to cook, and Yang Bin saw me sitting in the yard smoking, so he came over to chat with me. Because Yang Bin didn't go to school and was from out of town, he didn't have many playmates. He saw that I was also from out of town, and that I wasn't pretentious and had a funny way of talking, so he liked to invite me over to play. I also liked him quite a bit, so we chatted idly for a while.

After chatting for a while, Yang Bin asked if I could tell stories. I said, "Telling stories? I'm an expert at that! What kind of story do you want to hear?" Yang Bin thought for a moment and said, "Brother Xi, how about a ghost story? I especially love hearing scary stories back home." I agreed verbally, but cursed inwardly, "That brat, of all things to hear, he has to tell ghost stories. I've been obsessed with ghosts these past few days, even my stories have to be about ghosts. I need to scare him a bit today. Otherwise, he'll keep asking me to tell these supernatural stories."

I was just thinking about which scary joke to tell to frighten Yang Bin when Yang Qin brought out the food and invited me and Yang Bin to eat together. I wanted to refuse, but the aroma of the food was so enticing that I hadn't had this kind of home-cooked food in a long time. I quickly pretended to cough and swallowed my saliva.

Yang Bin also pulled my arm and urged, "Brother Xi, come eat with us. My sister's cooking is delicious. Come on, come on." I pretended to be polite for a few moments, then sat down with them in the courtyard to eat. Yang Bin asked me to tell stories while we ate, and Yang Qin was also very happy to hear that I could tell stories, urging me to start.

I quickly shoveled down a couple of mouthfuls of rice, and a joke had already come to mind. I used to tell jokes to my classmates when I was in college. Although I haven't had many opportunities to show off my skills since I started working, I still remember the experience from back then. Telling a scary story requires creating an atmosphere, so I lowered my voice and slowly began to tell the story.

Chapter Eighteen Disappearance in the Middle of the Night

The story I'm about to tell you is extremely tragic, and it's absolutely true (this is a trick I often use; it's a form of psychological suggestion. The word "true" immediately makes the atmosphere heavy, and the audience goes from a relaxed state to a serious one).

Right after liberation, there was a man surnamed Lin who had transferred from the army to become a policeman in the local area. His job was forensic examination. A forensic hospital, in essence, involved dissecting corpses and analyzing crime scenes. The Public Security Bureau issued this policeman, surnamed Lin, a camera. Why issue cameras to forensic doctors? Because forensic doctors needed to photograph and archive the bodies of victims. Lin used this camera to take many photos of corpses. None of these deaths were natural; some were killed in car accidents, some were stabbed to death, and some fell from heights.

And so, forensic pathologist Lin has been in this profession for twenty years. He can't bear to replace this camera because it works so well, and the photos it takes are so realistic that viewers would think they are really looking at a corpse. This camera has taken countless photos, but one thing is certain: it has never been used to take pictures of living people.

Once, a forensic doctor surnamed Lin was investigating a murder scene. He had this camera with him and took some valuable photos. Just then, leaders from the Public Security Bureau came to inspect the work at the scene, and the bureau chief also came. Because the leaders' arrival was sudden, there were no reporters to interview them. The bureau chief thought it would be a pity not to take a group photo with his superiors, given such a rare opportunity. Just as he was worrying about this, he saw the camera hanging around the forensic doctor Lin's neck and asked him to take a picture of him and the leaders. This was an order from the leaders, so how could the forensic doctor Lin disobey? He adjusted the focus, pressed the shutter, and snapped a picture of the leaders and the bureau chief.

Back at the office that evening, forensic pathologist Lin developed the photos and found that all the photos taken that day were normal, except for two group photos with the leaders. There seemed to be a problem with the exposure; the whole picture was dark, and the two leaders' faces were unrecognizable. No! Not just unrecognizable, this was exactly what the corpses looked like when photographing dead bodies!

Lin, the forensic doctor, was horrified. If his superiors saw this, they'd be making things difficult for him! He quickly destroyed the photos and negatives, then packed his things and went home. Unexpectedly, the next day at work, he received bad news: the two leaders who had been photographed the day before were in a car accident and had both died. In such cases, the forensic doctor had to be at the scene. Upon arrival, he saw that the faces of the two leaders' bodies were twisted and deformed, indicating they had suffered greatly at the time of their deaths. Lin suddenly felt this looked familiar, and then he realized it was exactly the same scene as in the photos from the previous day.

He thought that this camera had taken countless photos of death; perhaps it was filled with too much yin energy and resentment, thus creating a powerful curse. This thought weighed heavily on his mind. That day, after work, he went home and, as usual, read the newspaper and ate dinner. Suddenly, he realized he had brought his camera home. It belonged to the government; he had never brought it home before. He figured he must have been feeling uneasy today and had unintentionally brought it home. Sigh, he'd better bring it back to the station tomorrow.

Just as he was getting ready for bed, he noticed his wife fiddling with a camera. Startled, the forensic doctor exclaimed, "Stop! Don't touch that! It's too dangerous! Did you take a picture of yourself with it just now?" His wife shook her head, and the forensic doctor was relieved. Suddenly, his wife's eyes flashed with a fierce light as she glared at him…

As I was telling this story, I suddenly pointed at Yang Bin, who was listening intently, and said, "But I took a picture of you!" Yang Bin was so startled that his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open, unable to close. After a long while, he finally recovered, clutching his chest and saying, "Brother Xi, what you said was so scary, it sounded like it really happened." I had been telling the story for almost half an hour, and this was exactly the effect I wanted. I was pleased with myself, and my joy was evident on my face.

Yang Qin was also quite frightened: "That's too exciting! Anyone with a weak heart would be scared to death." Then I told two more jokes, which made the siblings laugh out loud. Just then, Fatty rushed in from outside and said to me, "You're telling jokes again? You're almost thirty and you still like to do this. Stop talking nonsense and come with me. I have something urgent to tell you."

The Haihe River was just a short walk from home, so we took a stroll along its banks. It was the first time I had ever seen the night view of the Haihe River in Tianjin. The lights on both banks were dazzling, reflecting off the water and making it shimmer with gold. Its beauty was indescribable, but I had many things on my mind and had no heart to appreciate it.

I asked Fatty, "What's the rush? Can't you come to my room to talk? Why do you have to come out?" Fatty said, "I really don't want to go into your room at night. I can muster up the courage during the day, but your room is really weird. You should be more careful. You should find somewhere else to stay. Don't be so stubborn and refuse to admit it. You almost lost your life the other night. It's a wonder you can still stay here."

After what happened the night before last, I didn't want him to worry about me, and I didn't want to involve Fatty in anything that happened in the future, so I didn't tell him what I had said to Jin Laopian. I definitely couldn't talk about killing Brother Sen. So I changed the subject and said, "After you left yesterday, a female ghost actually came out at night and wanted to sleep with me. When I saw that she looked terrible, with a mouthful of yellow teeth, I kicked her away."

Fatty chuckled as I made him laugh: "You're the kind of person who's all bark and no bite. Even with a knife to your chest, you can't help but spout nonsense."

I asked him, "What's the rush? It's not just about me moving, is it? You've said this a million times already, aren't you tired of it?" It turned out that Fatty was in a hurry to find me because he had found me a job, and it would be finalized in two or three days. He was worried that I would rush to find a job on my own and miss the interview, so he came to tell me.

I was incredibly touched. Fatty said, "Alright, stop it. It's nothing. You helped me a lot when I was struggling back then. We're brothers, so don't stand on ceremony." Fatty then asked me, "Now that you're starting to see some progress at work, what are your plans for the future? Are you just going to drift along like this, or do you have some other plans?" I said, "What plans? My mind is too chaotic right now. I don't have any long-term plans yet. I'll just drift along for a while and think about it after I've adjusted my mindset." Seeing that it was getting late, past ten o'clock at night, we parted ways and went home.

There were no lights in the courtyard, and I could only barely see the road by the light coming from the windows of the building. As I entered the courtyard and walked towards the building entrance, I caught a glimpse of a woman in white squatting motionless in the left corner of the courtyard. I wondered who this was, squatting here to urinate in the middle of the night.

Since it was a woman urinating, I felt embarrassed to stare. But because the situation was so strange, I couldn't help but glance back as I entered the building. This time, I saw clearly that it was Liu Fengcai, the daughter of Mr. Liu from the second floor. She's a college student, and I had spoken to her in the courtyard that afternoon; she's a very intelligent girl. I thought to myself that since we knew each other, I shouldn't meddle. Perhaps all the toilets in the building were full, and she had no choice but to relieve herself in the courtyard. Looking at her again would have been impolite.

I hurried into my room. I turned on the light, lay down on the bed, and immediately thought of the time I spent with Han Yena. A wave of sweetness washed over me, mixed with a bittersweet feeling. Gazing at the bright light bulb, I felt as if I had lived two lifetimes. The wonderful life I had just lived a few months ago seemed infinitely distant, so beautiful that it felt unreal, like a dream.

Then I drifted off to sleep... I slept very soundly, without a single dream. When I woke up, it was already bright daylight. I stretched and felt refreshed, and the gloom in my heart seemed to have lessened considerably. I thought to myself, this is the fourth day I've stayed here, and nothing has happened. It seems that being attacked by the century-old corpse the day before was indeed a dream.

Nothing much happened that day. He went out for a stroll during the day, but when he returned in the evening, there was a commotion in the building. Mr. Liu's daughter, who lived on the second floor, had gone missing.

It was already past 6 PM, and several neighbors were gathered in the yard, all looking anxious. I overheard them talking and learned the reason: Mr. Liu's daughter had gone out to buy medicine for her father at 8:30 PM the previous night and hadn't returned since. Mr. Liu had been searching for her since last night, visiting relatives, friends, and even her classmates' and teachers' homes. He went to the police station to report her missing, but the police said that it wasn't considered a missing person case until 48 hours had passed and wouldn't file a report.

Mr. Liu's wife died in childbirth, leaving him and his daughter to depend on each other. He cherishes his daughter dearly. Liu Fengcai is a day student who goes home every day after school, but she has been missing for a whole day and night. How could Mr. Liu not be worried? The neighbors all comforted him, telling him to relax and that the young woman was probably just playing around and had forgotten to go home. They said that tomorrow is Saturday, and they would all go looking for her together in the morning and they would eventually find her.

I also tried to persuade Mr. Liu a few times. I originally wanted to tell him about seeing Liu Fengcai squatting in the yard when I came back last night, but since I had only moved here two or three days ago, I didn't know the details. Besides, it was dark, so maybe I was just seeing things. So I didn't say anything more.

That night I had a dream: I heard a girl crying in the yard. I was curious, so I went out to see what was going on and found Liu Fengcai squatting in the corner of the yard, crying sadly. I was about to go over and ask her where she had been these past two days when I woke up.

I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and took a shower when I woke up this morning. Thinking about what happened last night, I felt a little scared.

Around 11 a.m., Fatty came to pick me up in his car, saying he wanted to take me to meet his uncle. I asked him what kind of job he had found for me. It turned out to be a copy editor at a newspaper. I cursed, "Damn it, we both studied finance, and you want me to go to a newspaper to type? Are you trying to kill me?"

Fatty said, "Damn it, stop talking nonsense. You know how hard it is to find a job these days. If you don't do this, thousands of people will be scrambling to take your place. You're so good at talking, aren't you? Making up some newspaper stuff, what's so difficult about that? Besides, you think you're so important? Actually, the section I've assigned you is the least popular one, nobody reads it, it's just ads and nonsense." I thought, "Oh, it's one of those stupid sections in the newspaper. What's so difficult about that?" So I agreed to Fatty's offer.

I had lunch at Yanbinlou Restaurant and met Fatty's uncle, a little old man surnamed Sun. We talked about reporting guidelines and related policies. In short, I made a very good impression on Old Man Sun, and he asked me to start working at the newspaper office the day after tomorrow, which is Monday, so I accepted the job.

After saying goodbye to Old Man Sun, Fatty said he would take me out for some fun today. I said, "Is it appropriate for you not to go home to be with your wife this weekend?"

The fat man arrogantly declared, "At home, my word is law. I can stay home whenever I want. Even if that woman comes begging me to come home, I won't listen to her. I don't tolerate her behavior."

I said, "You're just bragging, you've forgotten the days you had to kneel on the washboard at home." Later, Fatty told the truth: it turned out that his wife's company had organized a trip to Panshan for its employees this weekend.

I was discussing with Fatty where to go for fun. Fatty hadn't been to many places, only knowing to go to bathhouses to find prostitutes. After what had happened these past few nights, I suddenly became devout, so I said, "Are there any efficacious temples in Tianjin? I'd like to go and burn incense and pray to the Bodhisattva."

Fatty said, "There are many temples in Tianjin. Famous ones include Dabeiyuan Temple, Guajia Temple, Fengshan Yaowang Temple, and there is also a nunnery in Nanshi, but I forgot what it is called."

I said, "You know a lot of details. Are you a Buddhist?"

Fatty said, “I’m an amateur believer. I believe when I think about it and I don’t believe when I don’t. I believe when something happens and I don’t believe when nothing happens. I’m quite familiar with these temples because I know a lay Buddhist who practices at Dabeiyuan Temple. His Dharma name is Qinglian. His son works with me, and we have a good relationship. Occasionally when I see the old man, he always tells us about Buddhist principles and karma.”

I wanted him to introduce me to this old man. So Fatty drove me to Dabei Temple, and we entered through the back gate. After walking a short distance, we arrived at the lay Buddhist's residence.

Chapter Nineteen: Destiny

After Fatty introduced me, we exchanged pleasantries and chatted for a while. I found Qinglian Jushi's speech to be quite refined, and he was indeed a learned man who understood Buddhist principles. Since arriving in Tianjin, countless strange things had happened, and I had many questions in my mind. I told Jushi about how Fatty and I found six coffin nails holding a woman's photo in a cabinet in our room, but I omitted the terrifying experience that night. I wanted to ask him how to resolve this matter and, incidentally, verify whether what I had learned from books was true.

The layman was startled and asked for details. After thinking for a while, he said to us, "I once heard a deceased old friend mention that it might be the Six Ding Disfigurement Formation. It is an extremely powerful spell, specifically used to suppress fierce ghosts and demons that are difficult to subdue and convert. I have lived for over sixty years and have never seen it before, and I do not know the reason why. Your encounter with these six nails is also a coincidence that cannot be avoided, but you must be more careful in your actions afterward."

I was already mentally prepared for this, but hearing what the layman said now reminded me of the fortune teller at Longhu Mountain. The fortune teller said that my life would not be long. Why don't I ask the layman how I can avoid disaster and misfortune?

I asked, "I would like to ask the layman to help me with my fortune telling, to see if I will have good or bad luck in the coming days."

The lay Buddhist smiled and said, "Buddhism only talks about karma, not destiny. All the karmic retribution in life is formed by cause and effect. The cause of the past becomes the effect of the future. If you want more blessings and less disaster, you can only do good." After listening, I seemed to understand something, but I couldn't fully comprehend it in a short time. So I told the lay Buddhist about my experience of having my fortune told at Longhu Mountain.

The layperson said, “Although Buddhists do not perform character divination, I have a fellow disciple who used to perform character divination for people before he became a monk, and he was almost always right. Even after he entered the Buddhist order, he still occasionally tries his hand at it to help people resolve their doubts. Today, you two are also destined to meet. It just so happens that my fellow disciple is next door. I can take you to have a few characters divined and ask him for some guidance, which will be of some help to you in the future.”

Next door was a meditation hall, its walls white, quiet and clean. Being inside made one's worldly thoughts disappear. The person inside must be the senior disciple the layman had mentioned.

We explained our purpose to the old monk, who said, “Because so many people come to have their characters analyzed, it has interfered with my meditation practice. Therefore, I have an unwritten rule for character analysis: no matter how many people come, each person can only have one character analyzed, and each character can only be used to ask one question. If they come again in the future, I will not have another analysis done. May I ask which of you two has come for analysis, and what character do you wish to have analyzed?”

I pondered to myself, this old monk is so stingy, only willing to divine one character. Since that's the case, I'll let him divine Liu Fengcai's whereabouts. She's been missing for almost three days, and I saw her in the courtyard the night she disappeared. I even dreamt of her last night. Although we weren't close, we were neighbors after all. Maybe her misfortune was because of the coffin nails in my house. This matter can't be explained by common sense, but ultimately it has to come down to me.

I used to be a very selfish person, always thinking of myself first. But after experiencing a series of changes, I've matured a lot and now consider others first in everything. But then I thought, my own life or death is also crucial. So why not let the old monk do the divination for Liu Fengcai first, and then I'll have him evaluate the divination process at Longhu Mountain? That's like getting two divinations done, a huge advantage, and it leaves him no excuse to refuse. Hehe, even if you, old bald man, are as cunning as a devil, you'll still have to drink the master's foot bath water.

My mind was cunning, but I feigned respect: "Please, venerable master, divine a single character. I wish to inquire about the whereabouts of a girl." The old monk replied, "What character do you wish to divine? Please inquire." I thought to myself: Last time in Hangzhou, when I had a character divined, I chose a single character because I wanted a good result, but things didn't go as planned. This time, I couldn't think too much about the consequences; I had to just say a random character, the more casual the better. Without further thought, I uttered the single character: "No."

The old monk wrote the character "不" (not) on a piece of white paper with a brush and said, "The character '不' indicates that the woman is underground. I will explain the meaning of the character to you. The character '不' is neither too high nor too low, which means she is underground. The extra stroke at the bottom is on the left. When you gave me the character, you were sitting to the southwest of me. Therefore, I have concluded that this woman is buried in the southwest corner on the left."

I recalled seeing Liu Fengcai squatting in the left corner of the courtyard on both occasions. The entire building faces south, and indeed, the left-hand side upon entering is the southwest corner. I was filled with admiration: "Master, you are truly a divine astrologer."

Then I asked the old monk about the fortune-telling in Hangzhou, but he just shook his head and didn't answer, as if he had already seen through my thoughts. I cursed him a dozen times in my heart: "Old bald thief." Seeing that there was nothing more to ask, I wanted to take my leave.

Unexpectedly, the old monk wouldn't let us leave. He launched into a long discourse on Buddhist principles, the impermanence of life and death, profound and subtle meanings, truly eloquent and eloquent. However, being laymen, Fatty and I were utterly bewildered and couldn't understand a word he said.

Finally, I understood some of what he meant. He was specifically telling me that my future was bleak, that I might suffer a bloody disaster, a terrible calamity, and ultimately be reduced to ashes. He advised me to take life and death lightly and to convert to Buddhism now, following his example to avoid misfortune. The old monk talked for a full two hours before letting us leave. Fatty and I felt like we'd been granted a pardon and ran out of the Great Compassion Temple. It was already 5 PM. Fatty invited me to dinner, but I was eager to get back and tell Master Liu about her daughter's whereabouts, so I asked Fatty to drive me home. On the way, Fatty bought me two roast chickens for dinner.

When they got home, they found that Mr. Liu, who lived on the second floor, was not home. Yang Qin said that he had gone to the police station.

After I went back to my room, I put the roast chicken on the table and ate it while reflecting on what I had seen and heard that day.

Yang Bin came to find me and invited me to his house for dumplings. As soon as I heard it was dumplings, my mouth watered, especially since they were made by such a cute girl as Xiaoqin. Without saying a word, I went to Yang Bin's house.

While having dinner, I chatted with Yang Qin and took the opportunity to ask her some questions about the building. Yang Qin said that she and her brother had lived there for more than half a year, and they got along well with their neighbors and had not seen anything strange.

I noticed a thick copy of the *I Ching* in her room. I was surprised that a girl who ran a clothing business would study this. Seeing my curiosity, Yang Qin said, "Actually, I don't understand it either. Before my father passed away, he was a member of the *I Ching* Research Association in our hometown's provincial capital. This book is his heirloom. I don't understand it either, but I've always carried it with me because I thought it had sentimental value. If you understand the *I Ching*, you can explain it to me sometime."

Actually, my understanding of the Book of Changes is limited to having heard of the two words; I know nothing about its contents. However, wanting to show off in front of Yang Qin, I said, "This? I know it very well; I read it every day when I was in school."

Seeing that I was playing the tune haphazardly, Yang Qin asked, "Then why is this book called the Book of Changes?"

I said, "Yi means change. Because this is a book about the laws of change in things, it is called the Book of Changes." I was afraid that Yang Qin would ask more difficult questions, so I changed the subject and told her and Yang Bin about a few books that I had read.

I spoke fluently, gesturing as I went, when someone knocked on the door. Yang Qin opened it to find two police officers. I still had so much to tell Yang Qin, but seeing two policemen suddenly appear made my heart skip a beat. I secretly worried that the police might be there to arrest me because of the tomb raiding and murder.

I heard from the police that a body was found in the Haihe River. The ID card on the body belonged to Mr. Liu, who lived on the second floor here. He had no relatives and his daughter was missing, so he asked his neighbor to identify the body.

When I heard the police say that they had found Mr. Liu's body in the Haihe River, my mind went blank, and I prayed in my heart, "Please don't let it be related to that century-old corpse."

Then, thinking of how Mr. Liu's daughter had been missing for three days and was most likely dead, I felt a deep sadness.

Yang Bin was left at home, while Yang Qin and I followed the police to the Hedong Branch of the Tianjin Municipal Public Security Bureau. We signed the papers and were led into the morgue by a policeman. When I was a child, I played in the hospital where my parents worked and saw many bodies of patients who had died from serious illnesses, but this was the first time I had ever identified a body in the morgue of a public security bureau.

The cool-toned walls and white mosaic tile floor created an incredibly oppressive atmosphere in the morgue. The forensic doctor, wearing a large white mask, opened the freezer and pulled out a male corpse. As soon as the white sheet covering the body was pulled back, I knew without a closer look that it was indeed Mr. Liu. He lay naked and still on the metal plate, his face peaceful, as if asleep. Yang Qin, timid, dared not look and hid her head behind me. I wanted to take the opportunity to hug her to comfort her, but it was inappropriate in this situation, so I had to forcibly restrain myself.

I suddenly noticed that Mr. Liu's body was frozen white in the freezer, but there were several black marks on his wrists, as if they were left by a pair of black hands that had pinched him hard, which were very conspicuous.

I remembered that night when the century-old corpse came and took my hand to walk with her. I was only spared because I was wearing the genuine Pangolin Armor; otherwise, I would be the corpse lying here being identified after that day.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shudder, thinking to himself, "What a stroke of luck." Just as he was deep in thought, someone suddenly slapped him hard from behind, and a sharp female voice shouted, "Feng, Yi, west!"

That slap nearly killed me, and the sound of that voice scared me half to death.

Looking back, I saw a policewoman standing behind me, a capable female officer with short hair and big eyes, very pretty and spirited. The more I looked at her, the more familiar she seemed, and I wondered if I knew any police officers like her.

The policeman said to me, "You don't recognize me? It's only been two years, and you can't even tell me?"

It was only then that I remembered that this police officer's name was Tian Li, the younger sister of a classmate of mine and Fatty's from college. Back then, we used to compete to give her flowers, and she got along well with both of us. She was studying at a police academy. I never imagined that we would meet again in the police station morgue two years after graduation. I was overjoyed and couldn't help but grab her soft little hand, too excited to speak. If we weren't in a morgue, I would have hugged Tian Li tightly, because her taut chest immediately reminded me of my girlfriend, Han Yena.

Tian Li looked around and said that this was not the place to talk, so she led Yang Qin and me to her office.

I noticed that Tian Li's police uniform had two bars and three crosses on the shoulder insignia. I thought to myself, "This woman must be a workaholic. Wow, she's made it to the rank of First-Class Inspector. I'm really happy for her, but I'm also a little worried that she won't be able to get married." When we arrived at her office, Tian Li saw that Yang Qin was in a hurry to go home to take care of her younger brother, so she sent an officer to drive her home in a police car.

I had so much to say to the pretty and voluptuous policewoman. I recounted the various incidents that had occurred since I came to Tianjin from Beijing. Tian Liyuan's eyes widened in astonishment. Finally, she said, "Master Liu's death was indeed strange. The forensic examination determined that he was grabbed by the wrist and pushed into the river, causing his death. However, according to the eyewitnesses who reported the case, they saw Master Liu jump into the river from the Beian Bridge by himself, with no one else around. Moreover, there were many witnesses. It's truly incomprehensible. It seems to be another unsolved mystery."

I almost blurted out about the century-old corpse, but after weighing the pros and cons, I decided to tell her about my fortune-telling, how the old monk pointed out the burial site of the missing Liu Fengcai, and how I hoped Tian Li would bring people to investigate. Tian Li told me, "Don't tell anyone about this. I'll come to your house tomorrow during the day, and we'll investigate in your building. It seems this matter can't be investigated openly by the police. But if there really are ghosts endangering the lives of ordinary people, although I can't exorcise ghosts, it's my duty. Now that I know about this, I can't just sit idly by. I'll investigate in my private capacity and make sure to get to the bottom of it."

I knew Tian Li was quite skilled in martial arts during her school days, and now that she's been promoted, with her help, even though this matter is tricky, we should be able to handle it together. I thought to myself: if all Chinese police officers were as wise, brave, and dedicated as Tian Li, the current state of public security wouldn't be so bad.

Chapter Twenty: The Century-Old Corpse

Seeing that it was getting late, Tian Li drove me home and then went back. When I entered the yard, I paid special attention to the corner of the wall on the left. There was only a flower bed with a dozen or so withered flowers, but I didn't see Liu Fengcai this time.

I got nervous, thinking something terrible was going to happen, but nothing happened all night. I was scared to death for nothing, so I just gritted my teeth and thought, whatever happens, happens. I've only been in Tianjin for less than a week, and I've encountered so many strange things. Even if you add up all the strange and dangerous things I've experienced in the first half of my life, it wouldn't be more than one percent of what I've seen in the last few days.

Since we're here, let's make the best of it. As the old monk said, this is "fate." Since we can't avoid it, we might as well accept reality and face it with equanimity.

The next morning, Tian Li came to see me in casual clothes. We discussed it in the room, and Tian Li said, "Since the old master of Dabei Temple said that Liu Fengcai is buried on the left side of the courtyard, let's dig it up and see what's going on."

I'm an impatient person, and I act on my impulses. I went upstairs to Old Wang's house and borrowed two shovels. When Old Wang heard that we were looking for Liu Fengcai's body, he also came to help. He was afraid that his wife and children would be scared, so he sent them back to their parents' house to visit.

To the left of the yard was a dilapidated cement flower bed, which was integrated with the ground. To dig up the ground, we had to smash the flower bed. The cement of the flower bed was very solid, and it took us a lot of effort to see the soil under the flower bed. The three of us took turns digging frantically with shovels.

More than an hour later, we dug down to a depth of about two and a half meters. I spotted something and quickly shouted, "Stop digging! There's something down there!"

After clearing away the clods of earth and soil, we were surprised to find a piece of vermilion lacquered wood. I said, "This looks like a coffin lid." The two nodded in agreement.

Digging outwards from the coffin lid, we discovered the coffin was unusually large. We had to widen the pit's diameter. After digging for another two hours, a huge vermilion coffin appeared in the pit. Over time, the coffin had begun to rot. I suppressed my wildly beating heart, because this coffin was extremely similar in shape to the one that Fatty and I had fallen into, and even the degree of rot was about the same!

The three of them were exhausted after half a day, covered in sweat. I said, "Let's not rush to open the coffin." I handed Old Wang a cigarette. Old Wang had brewed a pot of oolong tea at home. Let's relax with cigarettes and tea, and then we'll open the coffin and get to work.

Old Wang said while smoking, "I've lived in this building for over ten years, and I never imagined there was such a huge coffin buried under the courtyard. It's really frightening. Luckily, I sent my wife and kids to visit, otherwise they would have been scared sick if they saw it."