C1 Hearing the Corpse's Language

I once heard an elder in the village say that I was a child found among the dead.

I had been left in the wilderness, freezing for three days and nights, yet I was surprisingly sprightly when found.

However, once my adoptive father took me home, I fell gravely ill, suffering from relentless fevers and delirium.

My adoptive father exhausted every city hospital and countless home remedies, but nothing seemed to work.

Out of desperation, he spent the last of our savings on a child-sized coffin, tearfully prepared me for burial, and set a date for my funeral.

By all accounts, my life should have been over, but against all odds, I emerged from my grave on a rainy night seven days later, completely cured of my illness.

From that moment on, I was different from others.

I could hear the dying words of the deceased and see the invisible chains binding the living.

These chains were dark iron links that shortened as death approached. Gradually, a figure would appear, pulling on the chain.

But this figure was neither Black and White Wuchang nor a soul reaper, but something else...

I confided only in my adoptive father, who upon hearing my story, made me swear never to reveal it to anyone else.

Simultaneously, I discovered a secret about him—I couldn't see any chains on him.

I kept this secret for twelve years, until an incident at the age of fifteen compelled me to speak out, which led to dire consequences.

One sweltering summer evening, I witnessed a disturbing scene in the village's old temple: a man in his fifties was on top of a girl, with a man in his twenties standing nearby.

"Dad, be quick. Once the drug wears off, Xiaofeng will wake up..."

Though young, I understood the atrocity unfolding before me and was filled with rage. I grabbed a stone and hurled it at the corpulent man.

He yelped in pain and cursed, looking for the assailant. I hastily concealed myself in the underbrush by the temple wall.

Shortly thereafter, the father and son hastily left the decrepit temple with their pants in tow. It was only then that I felt brave enough to approach.

Upon entering the temple, I was struck dumb. Amidst the foul stench, I saw a girl's exposed body and a scattering of blood on the floor.

It was Ms. Xiaofeng!

Fury clenched my fists tight. At that moment, Ms. Xiaofeng made a soft whimpering sound.

I quickly grabbed some nearby clothes and covered her with them. She soon regained consciousness and upon seeing her state, she screamed in utter despair.

Fearing the return of those two brutes, I quickly covered her mouth and explained what had just occurred.

After hearing the story, she retreated to a corner and wept quietly.

"Ms. Xiaofeng, should we call the police?" I suggested.

But Xiaofeng shook her head vigorously. She didn't want the disgraceful incident to become public knowledge, and she was also scared, knowing that Sunn Youde and Sunn Xingwang, the father and son, were the wealthiest and most powerful figures in the village.

"Ms. Xiaofeng, I understand your predicament. Let me handle this."

"Changsheng, what are you planning to do?"

"Don't worry. What I'm going to do is neither illegal nor will it involve your family. Ms. Xiaofeng, you're the only one in this village who's been kind to me, who doesn't see me as a freak or a harbinger of bad luck. I, Changsheng, won't let the wicked take advantage of you." My cheeks flushed slightly as I spoke, and I dashed out of the ruined temple.

I borrowed a shovel and headed to the cemetery at the western edge of the village. Night had fallen, and I was surrounded by uneven mounds of graves.

A chill wind caused me to shudder, but I steeled myself, located the new grave, and set to work.

The task ahead was even more daunting and harrowing—I was about to exhume a grave!

Since the burial was recent, the soil was loose, and it didn't take long to uncover the dark coffin.

Thankfully, the coffin lid wasn't securely fastened. I pried it open with the shovel and gently slid it aside. The dim moonlight illuminated the body of the recently deceased.

When I caught sight of that ghastly pale face and the eyes that were fixed on me in an unblinking stare, I involuntarily took a sharp breath. With my hands pressed together, I addressed the corpse, "Big Brother Zhuang, every grievance has its source, and every debt its debtor. Please, don't be upset. Changsheng simply wishes to ask you one thing..."

I repeatedly bowed to the corpse, and after a short while, his eyes closed. Struggling to keep my fear at bay, I leaned in closer to listen...

The Yin Qi was seeping into my entire body, but what truly chilled me to the bone wasn't the aura emanating from the corpse, but the secret that Da Zhuang had taken to his grave, the one he'd never had the chance to reveal...