Hao Wenming's eyes widened as he slammed his hand hard on the bronze coffin lid. "Damn it! It's a Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin! I get it now — all those legends are lies. King Baijie was murdered! The figures in the tomb aren't sacrificial children, they're soldiers — soldiers guarding King Baijie's corpse."
As soon as he said this, Po Jun's face started turning pale. He asked, "Who hated King Baijie so much that they used the Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin? Even in death, they wouldn't let him reincarnate."
I only understood half of what he meant. Sun Fatty scratched his head and leaned closer to Po Jun. "Look at your face in the mirror — you're like blue-and-white porcelain. Is the Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin really that terrifying to scare you this much?"
"It's not terrifying, it's immoral — completely lacking virtue," Po Jun said angrily. The Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin was originally the harshest form of punishment in the Shang Dynasty. Back then, people already believed in reincarnation — death was just the start of the next cycle of rebirth. With that mindset, people dared to kill and loot recklessly, even rebel. Failure was just death, and death meant reincarnation. As people say today, "Eighteen years later, another hero is born."
Those who were so reckless troubled the Shang rulers greatly. If they weren't afraid of death, what could they possibly fear? Later, a Taoist advisor gave King Xuan of Shang an idea: since these people were unafraid to die, let them die but never truly be dead.
Strictly speaking, these people still died, but their souls were trapped inside a specially made bronze coffin. Their souls and bodies were sealed together, forced to watch their bodies slowly decay. Any suffering the body endured would also be felt by the soul. The worst part: the soul would be imprisoned in the coffin forever, unable to reincarnate. When the Shang Dynasty was overthrown by Zhou, King Xiao of Zhou abolished this cruel punishment.
"That's not much different from that Soul-Binding Nail," Sun Fatty said, coming closer.
"No, it's different. The Soul-Binding Nail is basically used to extend life. When nailed, you can still control your body. If you live long enough, you can even pull out the nail yourself and reincarnate. But the Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin is passive — it's like the final death sentence, permanently stripping away the right to reincarnate."
"So what do we do now? Open the coffin and let King Baijie out to breathe freely?" I asked.
Hao Wenming gritted his teeth. "Open it first. We need to see what's inside clearly."
Though called a bronze coffin, the Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin actually contains other metals similar to lead. After thousands of years, the lid and body of the coffin had rusted together as one.
Sun Fatty came up with an idea. First, he loosened the connection between the coffin lid and the body, then pulled out over a hundred Soul-Binding Nails from the corpse. Together, Po Jun, Sun Fatty, and I lifted one corner of the coffin lid to create a narrow gap. Hao Wenming took the chance to wedge a dozen or so Soul-Binding Nails into the gap.
Once all four corners and sides of the coffin were propped up with the Soul-Binding Nails, Po Jun and I pushed the lid sideways. With these hundred or so makeshift rollers, it wasn't hard to move the lid halfway open.
"That's enough," Hao Wenming said, standing in front of the coffin, staring inside. Among the numerous burial items was a corpse wrapped layer by layer in what looked like linen cloth.
"Is this really King Baijie?" Sun Fatty asked. "Why does he look like a mummy?"
Hao Wenming's eyes scanned the coffin multiple times before settling on the mummy.
"Leader Hao, there's something wrong with the cloth on the corpse," Po Jun said as he prodded the linen with his baton. Even after three thousand years, the cloth still retained some flexibility.
Hao Wenming pinched a corner of the linen and recognized it instantly. The cloth wrapping the corpse was Sheng Hemp — a burial cloth reserved for the royal family of the Shang Dynasty. Historical records say that wrapping a corpse in Sheng Hemp prevents decay and keeps away snakes, insects, and rodents. The use of Sheng Hemp was highly restricted — only very few royal relatives could use it. It was only during King Zhou's reign that its use was relaxed, but not long after, Sheng Hemp vanished completely.
When King Zhou ascended the throne, it was discovered that the Sheng Hemp specially used by him contained this cloth reserved for the dead. Unable to find the mastermind behind it, King Zhou furiously arrested all Sheng Hemp artisans nationwide and executed them. From then on, the method of making Sheng Hemp was lost forever.
Hao Wenming clicked his tongue and said, "Rip open the Sheng Hemp and let King Baijie get some air."
Po Jun slid one end of his baton under the Sheng Hemp and gently lifted it. Though the cloth was still somewhat flexible on the surface, after thousands of years it had become brittle inside. Without much effort, Po Jun tore through the layers of Sheng Hemp wrapping the corpse.
The corpse wrapped in Sheng Hemp was revealed. It was a man in his forties. I was confident in this because the corpse preserved the exact state he was in at death. He was completely naked, with sickly pale skin that still seemed somewhat alive. His eyes were half-closed, and from my angle, I could see his pupils were crystal clear without any cloudiness. At that moment, I felt a strange urge to lean closer and listen for his heartbeat.
If it weren't for everything we had experienced along the way, knowing a bit of background, I wouldn't believe he'd been dead for nearly three thousand years. He looked more like he was asleep — having slept for three millennia straight.
"Is this the Hundred-Jointed King, or a thousand-year-old demon? Who here believes he's been dead for over two thousand years?" Sun Fatty muttered, but as he spoke, his eyes kept darting toward Hao Wenming.
Hao Wenming was staring at the Hundred-Jointed King as well, but his way of looking was peculiar. He wasn't focusing on other parts, only glancing a few times at the bronze coffin occupant's hands.
"He's not the Hundred-Jointed King," Director Hao finally gave a conclusive statement.
Our previous judgment had been completely wrong? Po Jun was stunned for a moment. "Chief Hao, did we mess up? This isn't the tomb of the Hundred-Jointed King?"
"The tomb is indeed the Hundred-Jointed King's," Hao Wenming said gravely, "but the person buried inside this Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin is not the Hundred-Jointed King."
Sun Fatty blinked and asked, "Then who's lying in that coffin?"
"Anyone but the Hundred-Jointed King," Hao Wenming squinted. "The Hundred-Jointed King was the last monarch of the ancient Zhi Kingdom. Though few records survive, one thing is certain — he was born with a unique trait: aside from the thumbs, all his other eight fingers were fused together. Take a look at the person in the coffin — do you see such an abnormality?"
I glanced at the figure lying in the bronze coffin. The five fingers on each hand were of different lengths, showing no sign of the Hundred-Jointed King's remarkable condition.
Our previous plan was to find the secret passage left by the Hundred-Jointed King. Now that it was confirmed the corpse in the Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin wasn't him, what next? The eyes of me, Sun Fatty, and Po Jun all turned to Director Hao.
Hao Wenming's face was serious, his hands resting on the coffin as if contemplating something. Before he could figure it out, a sudden smell of burning filled the tomb chamber. Then Sun Fatty shouted in alarm, "The corpse is on fire!"
Looking back at the bronze coffin, flames were already flickering out of it.
The fire was erupting from the corpse's ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. All eight of us stared in horror. Something big was happening.
I took off my jacket, intending to smother the flames while they were still small. But before I could step forward, Po Jun grabbed me firmly. His face was very serious as he said, "Don't go over there. This fire is different."
What kind of problem could fire have? Before I could ask, the flames on the corpse suddenly shifted. The red fire flickered strangely. At the same time, the inside of the coffin lost all color, as if playing a black-and-white movie. Then the red flames suddenly withdrew into the corpse, only to burst out again — this time, the flames were black on the inside and white on the outside. The sight was suffocating.
Hao Wenming shouted to us three, "Everyone, step back!" But he stayed beside the Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin, taking photos of the burning corpse with his phone. It was clear he feared these black-and-white flames. After snapping pictures, he quickly stepped back, staring coldly at the burning body.
Sun Fatty had already backed far away, grumbling, "Damn, who pissed off the unlucky bastard in the coffin? Locked up for thousands of years and now being burned alive the moment he shows up!"
Po Jun and I also moved behind Hao Wenming. Sun Fatty hunched over, standing seven or eight meters behind us. He valued his life after all. But if the three of us went down, even he wouldn't escape the disaster alone.
Seeing Hao Wenming still fixed on the crackling burning corpse, I hesitated, then poked Po Jun and asked, "What kind of ghost fire is this? It burns but has no color?"
Po Jun didn't answer directly. He sighed and said, "You and the Great Sage have no idea if you're lucky or not. Your first outing and you've seen Soul-Binding Nails, Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffins, and even encountered the Nameless Karmic Fire. When you go back, remember to buy some lottery tickets."
"Karmic fire? And nameless?" Sun Fatty, sensing the danger wasn't great, stepped forward a few steps, moving behind me and Po Jun. "What's that mean?"
Po Jun glanced at Hao Wenming. Seeing no objection, he explained, "Nameless Karmic Fire, also called Underworld Fire, is said to burn away all evil karma in the world. Those who committed unforgivable crimes in their previous life are sentenced by the underworld judges never to reincarnate, to be burned into nothingness by this fire. Mortal fire can only consume the flesh, but this underworld fire can burn the soul clean."
Sun Fatty's face changed color as he continued, "So you mean anyone burned by this Nameless Karmic Fire won't even have a soul left? No chance to reincarnate — completely finished?"
Po Jun nodded, "Pretty much, or so they say."
"Then why are we still standing here? Let's get out of here now!" Sun Fatty said while already moving toward the tomb entrance.
Po Jun sneered, "You're pathetic. Nameless Karmic Fire only appears targeting specific people or creatures. If you don't provoke it, it won't attack."
"Still better to be careful," Sun Fatty muttered, not moving his feet but ready to run at any moment.
Po Jun ignored him and imitated Hao Wenming's stance, watching the Nameless Karmic Fire gradually dim. After a few flickers, the flames extinguished.
Hao Wenming stepped forward and glanced inside the coffin again. Po Jun said, "It should be safe now."
Approaching the bronze coffin again, I was stunned. The corpse that had been lying there moments ago was completely gone. There was no trace left inside — not even ashes. Meanwhile, other items in the coffin, like the Sheng Hemp burial cloth and accompanying burial goods, remained intact.
Po Jun explained, "Nameless Karmic Fire is targeted. It won't burn unless provoked."
Sun Fatty returned to the coffin and peered inside. He asked Hao Wenming, "Chief Hao, the coffin is open and the fire is out. Can we find the secret passage out?"
Hao Wenming, pacing around the coffin, glanced at Sun Fatty and said, "It should be somewhere in this tomb chamber. Let's try to find it."
Sun Fatty leaned against the coffin and snorted, "Maybe we should go back to where we fell in and wait for Ouyang Director to send help. On this trip, we've encountered all kinds of strange things…"
His bad luck struck again. Just as he was talking, his foot stepped on a Soul-Binding Nail. Before he could finish, he slipped. Because of his heavy build, he fell headfirst into the Corpse-Sealing Bronze Coffin. The fall scared him badly. Inside, Sun Fatty scrambled and bumped into some hidden mechanism.
With a crack, the coffin's base suddenly split open, revealing a pitch-black hole. Sun Fatty, wrapped in Sheng Hemp and burial goods, fell down. He shouted, "Who pushed me?"
In that moment, I vaguely saw a blue figure falling along with him. Everything happened too fast for us to react. Sun Fatty was already at the bottom, making grunting noises, so it seemed he was okay.
Hao Wenming stood by the coffin and shouted down, "Great Sage, are you alright? Can you move?"
I asked, "What fell down with you?"
Sun Fatty groaned, "Not dead yet. Chili, what did you see? Was it the burial goods? My ass feels like it's been hammered…"
Hearing he was fine, the three of us breathed a sigh of relief.
"What's the situation down there?"
"Wait, let me check." A faint light appeared from below — Sun Fatty had lit a lighter.
I called down, "Sun Fatty, didn't your lighter run out of fuel?"
He snapped back angrily, "Chili, is this the time to talk about that?"
"Enough chit-chat," Hao Wenming shouted down, "What do you see? Tell us."
"There are murals on the walls, but I can't make out what they depict. Also… there's another coffin down here. Hey, aren't you coming down?"
I estimated the drop. Luckily, it wasn't too high — about seven or eight meters — a jump that should be manageable.
Hao Wenming climbed to the coffin's edge and shouted, "Great Sage, move aside. I don't want to hit you."
"All clear, I'm coming down." Sun Fatty stepped back to clear a landing spot.
Without further hesitation, Hao Wenming jumped down, followed by Po Jun and me.
Compared to the main tomb chamber above, this space was fairly roomy. Unlike other cramped tombs, there was no decoration here — only a lone coffin placed in the center. As Sun Fatty said, four murals adorned the surrounding walls.
The murals were not artistic masterpieces but realistic depictions, seemingly telling the story of a war's beginning and end.