Chapter Ninety: The Sudden Attack (Reinforcements)

It was indeed the body of a beautiful woman in the coffin. Her clothing remained exactly as it had been when she was laid to rest, and from the style it appeared to date from the Sui dynasty. Her face was as lifelike as that of the living, still supple and elastic; her pink lips were parted slightly, revealing a little pair of white teeth as lustrous as jade. Her figure was even more alluring. At a glance, one could tell she was no ordinary being in ancient times; at the very least, she must have been a concubine.

The discovery caused quite a stir. That very day, many reporters came to investigate, but they were stopped by the police arranged by Liu Chuanmin. Following Uncle Mao's instructions, the road section was temporarily sealed off as a restricted zone, and no one not on official duty was allowed inside.

Even so, some reporters, as if they had grown wings, somehow managed to get through layer after layer of roadblocks. The result was miserable: some had their cameras smashed, others were beaten, and all were thrown out of the restricted area.

Uncle Mao had already been staring at the woman in the coffin for more than an hour. He hoped to find some clue from this incorruptible body, but he had neglected the stone coffin. On the side facing away from the crowd, black liquid had somehow begun to seep out.

The woman still lay there with serene composure, motionless in the coffin. Her pink silk garments, despite the wilderness wind, did not stir at all, as if those winds could not even touch the sleeping woman.

Old Ma was studying the lid of the vermilion wooden coffin with a magnifying glass. From his tightly furrowed brow and sweat-beaded face, one could see that he seemed to have discovered something.

It seemed Old Ma truly deserved his reputation as a lecturer at a key archaeology institute in City Z. He really did have skill; he had even deciphered the meaning of the talismans from the Sui dynasty.

Just as Uncle Mao was still observing the poised woman lying in the vermilion wooden coffin, he suddenly heard Old Ma, who was studying the lid, slap his forehead and shout, "Old Mao, this is bad. The key point is the stone coffin, not this wooden one. The wooden coffin is only a decoy!"

With that, he rushed toward the stone coffin. Old Ma's actions truly startled Liu Chuanmin and the others, and they too, still dazed and confused, followed him toward it.

"It's too late. It has escaped. I'm afraid everyone here will see blood tonight!"

No sooner had Uncle Ma said this than a voice rang out from among the migrant workers: "Master, you must help us! We laborers have old parents above us and children below us. We really don't have it easy. Please, you must help us!"

The speaker was a young man, though stout and strong-looking. Judging by him, he too had probably been forced to abandon school because he could not afford the fees.

As soon as the young man finished, the crowd became restless. They all turned toward Uncle Mao and Uncle Ma, saying, "Yes, masters, our families depend on us strong hands for everything. If something happens to us, what will become of our homes? Please, you must save us!"

Looking into those innocent eyes, the migrant workers were nearly ready to kneel and beg Uncle Mao and Uncle Ma.

At that moment, Liu Chuanmin played an important role: he maintained the workers' psychological defense.

This deputy mayor was indeed quite esteemed. He addressed the workers in a firm voice, saying, "Everyone, please trust the masters. They will surely find a way. Calm down. Go back to what you were doing!"

Though the scene carried a faint air of old-fashioned superstition, Liu Chuanmin himself was a deeply superstitious man. He firmly believed it was better to trust that such things existed than to believe they did not. Though he bore the label of being backward and superstitious, he insisted that the world contained supernatural phenomena. If the deputy governor were not his third uncle, he would have been dragged down long ago.

After Liu Chuanmin spoke, the scene quieted. Each person, heavy-hearted, returned to his post to continue working. Only Uncle Mao and the others remained by the stone coffin, still studying it.

"Master, how do you tell whether a corpse is a zombie or something else?"

The speaker was Wang Fugui. Seeing that no one else intended to speak, he decided to break the silence and ease the awkwardness. His question was directed at Uncle Mao.

Uncle Mao glanced at Wang Fugui, then at the sky, and said lightly, "There are good people and bad people among the living; there are corpses, and there are zombies, among the dead. Once you've truly seen them, you'll know. When this trouble has passed, if Director Wang is interested, I can let you see a real zombie."

After speaking, Uncle Mao smiled and took a business card from his pocket, handing it to Wang Fugui. On it was written: Master Mao Jiuying, geomancy expert, specializing in both yin dwellings and yang dwellings.

Wang Fugui looked at the card and gave a foolish grin. "Heh heh, absolutely, absolutely!" he said. Then he turned his head toward the vermilion wooden coffin, avoiding Uncle Mao's direct gaze so that he would not be seen as a coward.

In truth, Uncle Mao was not really any kind of geomancy master. Even now, I still have not figured out why he never worked yet lived so comfortably and without worry.

But he was a descendant of the Southern Mao tradition, and I suspect that behind him there must still be a branch of the Southern Mao order, just like the disciples of the Southern Mao and Northern Ma sects we encountered on Mount Fengdu that time. They must have come from some hidden place, not from within the city itself.

The reason I think this is that ever since leaving Mount Fengdu, I have never seen any of them again. Of course, they may also have gone to all corners of the world, or elsewhere.

The study of the stone coffin was still ongoing. There was the famed Associate Professor Ma Tao of the archaeology world, scanning back and forth with a magnifying glass over those incomplete stone talismans. As he examined them, he said, "The general meaning of the talisman is that the Great General has passed through here. This is a talisman of extreme yang power, formed from the accumulated force of auspicious stars on the jiashen and maoshi days. It is usually used to seal powerful malignant spirits. It seems the thing inside really is a fierce star. With our strength, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to defeat it!"

No sooner had Uncle Ma finished speaking than black clouds churned overhead, and thunder rumbled on and on.

It had clearly been a bright afternoon only moments before, but the sun was instantly swallowed behind those sudden black clouds. Only a sliver of sunlight pierced through and shone upon the earth, like countless golden pillars descending from heaven, creating a magnificent spectacle in City Z.

Uncle Ma, Uncle Mao, and Lian Yu had no mood to admire such a sight like ordinary people did, because they knew this was the omen of the fierce star's arrival. That bank of black clouds was nothing more than a decoy trick.

Just as everyone was marveling at the spectacle, two bats, three times the size of ordinary ones, flew in from the distant sky toward Uncle Mao's direction. They landed precisely on both sides of his shoulders. No one noticed the whole process, because the wilderness had already grown very dark.

"What are you doing here? Don't you know a fierce star is about to appear? Hurry and take your father back for treatment!"

After saying this, Mao Qiu flicked at the smaller bat, trying to knock it off his shoulder.

...

Smith Carter and his son appear. What kind of surprise will they bring? Please look forward to it. The next chapter will be even more exciting.