The Heavenly Mechanism Coffin! It... is Operating?!!

The familiar, high-pitched voice made Fan Wu's lips twitch. He didn't need to turn his head to know who was anxiously shouting for him to spare the coffin – it was that Squad Leader from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau.

--Xie Jiuyi!!

Fan Wu had thought that by changing inns for the night, he could avoid encountering anyone from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau again.

But he discovered...

He had been naive.

He had acted rashly!

He saw Xie Jiuyi, like a hero from a wuxia film, leaping over eaves and scaling walls to arrive.

However, it didn't look graceful. Fan Wu could tell he was in a sorry state, with a faint scent of blood on him, likely from an injury.

Why were both a Squad Leader and a Squad Leader from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau injured tonight?

His mind raced with a thousand thoughts.

The sword Fan Wu was about to bring down ultimately did not fall upon the coffin.

Seeing this...

Xie Jiuyi, who had rushed over, couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. He realized then that his forehead was covered in a cold sweat from sheer nervousness.

Because...

When Fan Wu had raised his long sword and was about to strike, Xie Jiuyi, watching from afar, had felt his heart leap into his throat from tension.

Thankfully... thankfully Fellow Daoist Fan had stopped in time. Otherwise, there would have been no way to explain this!

Xie Jiuyi knew just how formidable Fan Wu was.

If that sword had fallen...

The coffin would likely have been lost!

"I am here. Thank you, Fellow Daoist Fan, for sparing the coffin!" Xie Jiuyi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, a mix of lingering fear and immense relief in his voice as he spoke gratefully.

Afterward, he pulled out a large stack of talismans and tossed them toward the coffin.

One by one, the talismans landed precisely on the coffin.

It was as if an invisible adhesive held them to the coffin's surface.

Each talisman bore elegantly written script.

Xie Jiuyi formed a hand seal and muttered softly, channeling the magical power within him. A unique, mysterious field of energy enveloped him.

The script on the talismans simultaneously flashed with a golden light.

The coffin trembled violently...

Then it returned to stillness, finally ceasing its movement and its leakage of Yin energy.

Everything returned to calm.

Fan Wu felt that Xie Jiuyi's smooth and practiced actions were likely intended to reseal the coffin.

It seemed the coffin held some kind of secret.

But he didn't want to know.

Nor did he wish to know.

However, Xie Jiuyi, still feeling fortunate, spoke up at this moment. "I don't know what's going on, but this 'Heavenly Mechanism Coffin' has been restless lately."

"It's one thing to encounter anomalous entities trying to snatch it on the road, but after arriving in Baihe County, it even tried to escape on its own."

"Thankfully, Fellow Daoist Fan, you helped control it."

Fan Wu: "..."

He really didn't want to know anything about the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin.

But Xie Jiuyi was now revealing some of its secrets.

Perhaps it was because, in Xie Jiuyi's eyes, this information wasn't considered a secret...

Or perhaps Xie Jiuyi trusted him, Fan Wu, greatly?!

Damn it!

Fan Wu really hoped it was the former!

Seeing Fan Wu's silence, Xie Jiuyi seemed to assume he had guessed Fan Wu's thoughts and continued his explanation. "Fellow Daoist Fan might be curious why I'm in such a sorry state."

Fan Wu: "?"

Which eye of yours saw me being curious?

Xie Jiuyi continued his explanation. "Tonight, our Imperial Astronomy Bureau was preparing to use the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin to uncover the truth behind a strange case."

"We didn't expect that the coffin would forcefully break open the seal while we were caught off guard."

"We were taken by surprise and accidentally injured. However, they were only superficial wounds that will heal in a couple of days."

"Fellow Daoist Fan need not worry."

I'm not worried about a damn thing!

Fan Wu suspected that he might have had some connection with the Great Zhou Dynasty's Imperial Astronomy Bureau in a past life.

Why did he run into people from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau wherever he went?

Moreover, the people from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau were like sticky candy.

Fan Wu didn't want to get involved with them, but they actively approached him to chat.

He was speechless!

At this moment.

Fan Wu noticed movement from elsewhere, and it seemed like more people were rushing over.

With his extremely keen five senses, he immediately knew that the newcomers were also from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau.

It was the female Squad Leader he had met during the day.

As expected.

Another familiar figure appeared.

It was Shen Jiyue!

Upon seeing the "Heavenly Mechanism Coffin" that was temporarily sealed inside the inn, Shen Jiyue's reaction was exactly the same as Xie Jiuyi's.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, Shen Jiyue noticed... a familiar face before her.

"Fellow Daoist Fan? Why are you here too?" Shen Jiyue's tone was filled with surprise.

It wasn't enough to have one person from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau show up, now another one had arrived.

Fan Wu didn't respond to Shen Jiyue's curious question.

He silently sheathed the Demon-Slaying Sword.

"Squad Leader, it was Fellow Daoist Fan who just stepped in to help us control the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin when it tried to escape," Xie Jiuyi explained for Fan Wu.

Shen Jiyue suddenly understood.

When she looked at Fan Wu, her face was full of gratitude: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Fan, for your timely assistance! The Imperial Astronomy Bureau is deeply grateful!"

Shen Jiyue sighed emotionally, "As expected of a disciple of that Old Heavenly Master, Fellow Daoist Fan, you possess such righteousness!"

At this moment.

Xie Jiuyi frowned, deep in thought. He suddenly spoke, "Squad Leader, to use the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin, we have to temporarily remove its seal. But the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin isn't docile; if we remove its seal, it's very likely to try and escape again."

"If Fellow Daoist Fan hadn't happened to encounter it just now, it might have already escaped Baihe County. By then, we probably wouldn't even be able to find it, and we'd be held accountable and punished by our superiors."

Shen Jiyue looked at him and replied, "Just say what you want to say! There's no need to beat around the bush."

Xie Jiuyi took a deep breath, "I think, with just us, it will be difficult to keep an eye on the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin while using it. But if Fellow Daoist Fan is also here, it might be different."

"I've witnessed Fellow Daoist Fan fighting anomalous entities before. It's no exaggeration to say that, with Fellow Daoist Fan alone, he could overthrow the Baihe County branch of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau!"

"Since the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin is here, Fellow Daoist Fan is here, and you, Squad Leader, are also here. If the three of us join forces to watch the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin, I believe that even if we break its seal, it won't be able to fly away!"

"Therefore, my idea is – we use the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin right here!"

Xie Jiuyi's suggestion caused Shen Jiyue to fall into thought.

Meanwhile, Fan Wu's head was filled with question marks.

"Fellow Daoist Fan, we don't want to trouble you, but we didn't anticipate the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin being in this state."

Xie Jiuyi thought for a moment and then said to Fan Wu, "If Fellow Daoist Fan is willing to help guard this coffin, the Imperial Astronomy Bureau can offer you..."

"Not interested." Fan Wu blurted out these four words before Xie Jiuyi could even finish.

Although Xie Jiuyi wasn't resorting to emotional blackmail and was merely making a transactional request.

Fan Wu still didn't want to get too involved with anything related to the Imperial Astronomy Bureau.

The reason he interrupted the other party so quickly was Fan Wu's fear that he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation.

After all, the esteemed Imperial Astronomy Bureau...

The rewards they promised were likely hard to refuse.

To prevent his resolve from wavering, Fan Wu directly cut off the "spell"!

This caused Xie Jiuyi to freeze for a moment.

Xie Jiuyi scratched his head, "Fellow Daoist, I haven't even had a chance to tell you what the Imperial Astronomy Bureau can offer you yet..."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Suddenly.

The Heavenly Mechanism Coffin, which had been temporarily sealed by Xie Jiuyi, trembled once more!

But this tremor was different from before.

Inside this Heavenly Mechanism Coffin... there seemed to be some strange noises emanating from within.

Fan Wu had sharp hearing.

He heard... a sound like gears turning within the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin.

At the same time...

He could even hear the sound of a pen tip writing on paper!

He also noticed that when the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin made such a strange noise, Shen Jiyue and Xie Jiuyi, these two from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau...

Both wore expressions of shock, as if they had seen a ghost.

Shen Jiyue's eyes widened.

She murmured in shocked disbelief, "The Heavenly Mechanism Coffin, it's... it's operating?!"