Chapter 35 - Soul-Capturing Yin House (Part XI)

Chen Shaoxian removed the yellow cloth from the coffin and pried out the nails. He summoned four police officers and drew symbols of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise¹ on their hands. After the drawings, he instructed each officer to hold a corner of the coffin, ready to open it.

However, at that moment, dark clouds suddenly covered the sun, casting a gloomy shadow over the Zhuo Family’s estate. A gurgling sound emerged from within the coffin, which then began to tremble. The four officers stepped back in fright.

Chen Shaoxian shouted, “Don’t move!” He placed a Bagua Mirror directly above the coffin and softly chanted, “Qian-kun Bagua, channel the true spirits, exorcism breaks the curse.” After finishing his chant, he slapped the Bagua Mirror forcefully. It boomed loudly, and with that sound, the coffin shook violently but then stabilized.

Suddenly, a gust of wind dispersed the clouds, and sunlight once again brightened the area, bringing a sense of relief to everyone present.

Chen Shaoxian’s expression grew solemn as he thought, “The resentful energy inside is so strong it almost shrouded the sky.” He turned to a Zhuo Family Member and asked for four candles.

Once Chen Shaoxian received the candles, he coated them in incense ash and placed one at each corner of the coffin. After lighting them, he addressed the four police officers, “You are law enforcers, inherently commanding respect and fear. When I signal to lift the coffin, shout ‘Weiwu’ as loudly as you can. The louder you shout, the greater your inherent authority will become. After shouting, immediately open the coffin. Once opened, throw aside the coffin lid and step back.”

Steadying his mind, Chen Shaoxian counted with his fingers-one, two, three-and on three, he shouted, “Open the coffin.”

The four officers mustered their strength and bellowed, “Weiwu!” The flames from the candles flared up with their shout.

The coffin was opened instantly, and the officers promptly tossed aside the lid and retreated.

At the same time, Chen Shaoxian yelled, “Zheng Lei.”

Zheng Lei, who had been waiting nearby, heard his name called and swiftly poured the powder from the box into the burning brazier, producing a burst of white smoke.

The moment the coffin was opened, a swirling black fog emerged, but as soon as it encountered the white smoke rising from the brazier, it immediately turned into gray dust and settled down.

After the fog had dissipated, Chen Shaoxian instructed Uncle Hua and another police officer to put on masks. The three approached the coffin and peered inside.

Inside the coffin, there was a thick layer of murky water, within which lay a body, barely distinguishable.

Chen Shaoxian picked up a piece of burning charcoal from the copper basin and placed it into a corner of the coffin. The charcoal hissed upon contact with the filthy water, then disappeared beneath the surface.

As the charcoal submerged, the water around it cleared significantly. Chen Shaoxian continued to place more charcoal along the edges of the coffin, and soon, the murky water became crystal clear.

With the water now clear, Chen Shaoxian looked at the corpse inside and cursed under his breath, “Such a damn beast.”

Even the faces of the two police officers showed signs of distress.

Startlingly, the coffin contained a female corpse, which showed no signs of decay, appearing as if she had just died, with no foul odor present.

The woman appeared to have been pregnant, her face frozen in an expression of agony. Her abdomen was opened, and the fetus inside was missing. Her lower garment, a maternity skirt, was soaked in blood, and her hands were positioned on either side of her lower belly, clenched as if she was protecting her child. Despite being submerged in water, her body showed no signs of bloating.

Uncle Hua swallowed hard and gritted his teeth, “From the looks of it, the fetus was removed while this woman was still alive. The person who did this is a real beast.”

Chen Shaoxian’s eyebrows twitched, and his hands, clenched into fists, turned pale from the force.

Liang Luo and Zheng Lei came over, saw the situation, and also cursed.

Chen Shaoxian then said something that shocked everyone present. He declared, “This female corpse is not dead.”

Looking at the people around him, he explained, “This is a coffin made of locust wood used to nurture spirits. The water inside has been treated with mystic arts. Moreover, the deceased had not finished her natural lifespan, her blessings were not exhausted, and her soul could not reincarnate. Being a pregnant woman whose fetus was forcibly removed, she is filled with resentful energy, and her soul has been trapped within her body.”

Chen Shaoxian took a deep breath and continued, “The condition of this female corpse is as if she has retained all the painful sensations from the time of her death. So, I say this woman is not yet dead.”

Everyone nearby was stunned by his words.

Chen Shaoxian, uninterested in their reactions, called Mr. Zhuo over to see if he recognized the female corpse.

Mr. Zhuo approached, startled by what he saw, and then stated that he did not recognize the corpse in the coffin.

However, at that moment, the eyes of the female corpse suddenly opened and stared directly at Mr. Zhuo.

This nearly scared Mr. Zhuo out of his wits.

Chen Shaoxian asked Mr. Zhuo to move around, but no matter how Mr. Zhuo moved, the corpse’s gaze followed him, causing Mr. Zhuo’s legs to tremble. Zheng Lei, Liang Luo, and others nearby began to shake as well.

Chen Shaoxian then called over Zhang Xinyi and his older brother to stand by the coffin, but the female corpse did not look at them. He then summoned Zhuo Junfan’s older brothers, and this time the corpse’s eyes fixated on them, almost scaring them to tears.

Scratching his head, Chen Shaoxian thought, “It seems this female corpse is targeting the Zhuo family members, but why are the brothers also involved?” He suddenly remembered the stewing human head: “Could it be because of the Vengeful Spirit Corpse?” But he immediately dismissed the thought.

Seeing Chen Shaoxian deep in thought, no one dared to disturb him.

Suddenly, Chen Shaoxian realized something and said to himself, “I know why they can’t leave their home.” With that, he searched the coffin again and, finding nothing, turned and shouted to the Zhuo family members, “Go back inside and keep digging.”

Chen Shaoxian had become the leader they all looked up to, and now they would trust him to lead them through walls if he told them it was possible.

Hearing Chen Shaoxian’s call, they picked up their tools without a word and began digging inside the house.

After digging about half a meter, they uncovered a wooden board. After clearing the remaining soil, they saw that the board was not very large, about one meter square. Removing the board, they found a small box underneath.

Chen Shaoxian examined the wooden board and then the small box. Suddenly, he froze and then said fiercely, “The person behind this has really calculated everything, even creating a Coffin of the Ghost Mother Searching for Her Child.”

Footnote:

1. Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise(青龙,白虎,朱雀,玄武): 青龙 (Azure Dragon), 白虎 (White Tiger), 朱雀 (Vermilion Bird), and 玄武 (Black Tortoise) are the Four Symbols, which are mythological creatures in Chinese culture representing four cardinal directions and elements.