C1 The 1st Chapter

Sunset Inhabiting Mountain lives up to its name, with the Sui River winding around it like a jade belt, cradling a piece of translucent emerald. As the mountain breeze whispers through the leaves, it feels as if the mountain and trees have been given life by some mystical force.

Tang Mingquan, however, has no time to appreciate the beauty of Sunset Inhabiting Mountain. For him, there's only one reason to be here: dealing with the dead.

Yes, Tang Mingquan is in the business of grave robbing, a profession that many consider to be morally questionable.

On the night of the Ghost Festival, when the gates to the spirit world open, spirits roam freely. The night wind is cool, the sound of a flute echoes, and beneath the trees, a red-clad skeleton rests. Obsessive love and resentment give birth to spirits, while a demon laughs from a tombstone. Vines wrap around trees, trees around vines, and on the branches, the dead find their perch.

Everyone in the trade knows that during the Ghost Festival, the air is thick with ominous energy, making it a night when spirits wander. If he weren't desperate, Tang Mingquan wouldn't choose this day to climb the mountain. He looks up at the sky. The midday sun is blazing, causing sweat to trickle down his back. There's not a breath of wind, and the heat is stifling.

"Boss, it's time. Let's open the coffin!"

Tang Mingquan nods. "In a moment, you and Wu'er will go down and lift the coffin lid. Keep your back to the coffin, and no matter what you hear, don't look back. Just run forward. Stop after twenty-four steps, kneel, and stay silent." He had already learned that this was a shared grave. In wealthy families, several servants might die each year. The more considerate masters would use a large coffin to bury them together, while others would simply wrap them in a mat and toss them into a mass grave. The Yuan'an Yan family, a notable clan, wouldn't skimp on the burial arrangements for their servants.

However, he risked everything to open the grave on this perilous day, not for wealth or treasures—what kind of burial goods could a few servants have, anyway?

With a sharp crack, the coffin lid was lifted. Following their master's instructions, the apprentices carried the lid forward for twenty-four steps, then knelt down with their backs to it.

Tang Mingquan tightened his grip on the sacrificial knife and peered into the coffin. This knife was as renowned in their trade as the black donkey's hoof, a tool for warding off evil. It had seen much bloodshed, using malevolence to counter malevolence.

Inside the coffin, just as he expected, lay several servants, perfectly arranged. Their hairpins and hairstyles were impeccably intact, but their expressions were uneasy. Some faces were frozen in terror, others had eyes wide open, unable to find peace in death. Tang Mingquan couldn't help but sigh inwardly—so young, yet so unfortunate.

He crouched down and lit two rows of candles in front of the grave, chanting a prayer for the departed. Strangely enough, the ghastly expressions on the female corpses gradually softened, as if they had fallen asleep.

Tang Mingquan then scattered rice around the grave and told the apprentices waiting nearby, "Sam, you can lift the coffin now."

In their line of work, real names were never used to avoid attracting the attention of spirits. The "Sam" Tang Mingquan referred to was actually Wei Ao, the third child in his family, hence the nickname. He was clever and quick-witted, earning Tang Mingquan's favor.

A few of the men, including Laosan, heaved together and lifted the coffin. It was a lightweight coffin, and the young women inside were barely eighteen or nineteen, delicate and frail. The strong men carried it with ease, taking just a few steps to get out of the pit and head down the mountain.

Tang Mingquan breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to grave robbing, arranging ghost marriages was even more morally questionable. Some families, mourning a son who died before marrying, would arrange for a deceased young woman to be his bride in the afterlife. Finding a suitable match, especially one who had recently passed, was no easy task. If they couldn't find one, they'd resort to buying. This was a lucrative opportunity for some.

Given Tang Mingquan's position in this line of work, he wouldn't have considered doing something so unsavory unless he had no other choice. It was a matter of survival.

Just as he was about to pack up, Laosan's shaky voice called out, "Master."

That call was enough for Tang Mingquan to know something was wrong. "What is it?" he asked, noticing the strong men were sweating, their faces flushed. Laosan's forehead was even showing bulging veins.

"Master, this coffin is so heavy." His legs were trembling violently. What was supposed to be a lightweight coffin now felt impossibly heavy, as if it weighed a thousand pounds. His legs felt like they were shackled with iron, and his calves were quivering. If he hadn't been holding his breath, he might have collapsed right there.

Something was wrong. Tang Mingquan felt a chill run down his spine. Despite all precautions, choosing the peak of noon when the sun was strongest to open the ceremony, they still couldn't avoid it. This was a restless spirit pressing down on the coffin!

"Hold it steady, don't let the coffin touch the ground," Tang Mingquan shouted urgently as he saw his apprentices struggling. They were at the foot of the hill, with the Sui River right in front of them. Water symbolizes the yin, and the coffin held the body of a woman who had died unjustly. If the coffin touched the ground, it would spell disaster.

Hearing their master's words, the apprentices took deep breaths and strained to lift the wooden planks on their shoulders a bit higher.

Sweat beaded on Tang Mingquan's forehead as he bent down to rummage through his pockets. He moved quickly, knowing his apprentices couldn't hold out much longer.

Peachwood sword, black donkey hoof, soul-fixing needle... he muttered under his breath. Just then, a loud crash echoed as the coffin hit the ground.

Tang Mingquan's eyes widened in shock. He grabbed his ritual knife and quickly stepped in front of his apprentices.