Coffin Pressing Longevity

"Bought?"

Before the guest room of the Tian'an Village funeral band, Wei Lai furrowed his brow, unable to hide his surprise.

"Yes, by a young Daoist priest. He only just left. Perhaps you even ran into him when you arrived, sir."

After saying this, Master Zhong could not help asking:

"Sir, could those Nabo perhaps be some ancient antique?"

Seeing the faint hope and concealed regret on Master Zhong's face, Wei Lai understood what he was struggling over. He broke into a smile.

"They are not antiques, merely Buddhist ritual implements."

"Buddhist ritual implements?"

Master Zhong was confused, yet inwardly relieved.

If they had truly been antiques and he had sold them off cheaply, he feared he would not sleep a wink tonight.

"Old sir, have you ever heard the opera Mu Lian Saves His Mother?"

"You must be joking, sir. I'm just a rustic funeral musician—how would I know any operas? Even if I'd heard one, I couldn't tell you its name. I just listen to the bustle in a muddle."

Master Zhong looked embarrassed.

"When you have the chance, old sir, find a storyteller and listen. The object Mu Lian throws in that opera is a Nabo. It is a Buddhist ritual implement used to deliver spirits, much like Buddhist prayer beads or a Buddhist bell."

Rather than turning to search for it, Wei Lai patiently explained.

"Now that you mention Buddhist prayer beads, sir, I understand. I thought it was some antique. No wonder so many people came looking for it in one night."

Master Zhong finally let out a complete sigh of relief.

"After all, a ghost marriage is a rare sight. With so many people watching the excitement, it is inevitable that someone would recognize it. Drawn here by the joy of discovering a treasure—it is only to be expected."

"That makes sense. This is my first time playing for such a wealthy household too. The spectacle truly is rare."

"Since the Nabo has already been sold by you, old sir, I shall not disturb you further. Farewell!"

"Safe travels, sir!"

Wei Lai cupped his hands and turned to leave.

Alongside his annoyance, a sense of mutual appreciation rose in his heart.

If he had guessed correctly, the one who bought the Nabo had to be the young Daoist priest he had encountered at the stairs.

He, too, must have been an interesting fellow.

Having discovered the treasure, he had still waited until the host family finished the ghost marriage before coming to collect it. He knew moderation in contention—a person worth befriending.

Hopefully, they would meet again if fate allowed!

Wei Lai smiled faintly as he left the inn and looked up at the sky.

Under the dim night, the bright moon hung high while the stars lay obscured.

"The hour is still a little early. I'll wait until everyone is asleep before making my move."

With that thought settled, he returned to his lodgings and waited silently.

The night deepened.

"Bang! Bang!"

"Fourth watch of the Chou hour! The air is dry, beware of fire!"

Just after the fourth watch, a window creaked open. A figure, ghostlike, stepped across the blue tiles and pottery shards, took the dark alleys, and headed toward the brilliantly lit place.

Qian Dayuan truly deserved to be called the chief proprietor of the Wanbao Merchant Guild. Even deep into the night, his residence remained brightly lit.

Large red lanterns hung high overhead.

Wei Lai moved through the shadows, vaulted over walls, passed through corridors, and saw the solitary red coffin parked in the front courtyard before the servants' quarters.

On the offering table at the head of the coffin sat a memorial tablet, fruits, and sacrificial offerings of livestock—everything was in place.

Two servants keeping vigil beside the coffin had also fallen asleep like mud.

Wei Lai formed a hand seal and flicked out two rays of spiritual light, which landed on the servants to keep the noise of opening the coffin from waking them.

Only after finishing this did he walk before the coffin. With one hand gripping the coffin lid, he suddenly exerted force. The descendant-sealing nails were utterly unable to withstand his strength.

With a creak, the lid flew open.

Wei Lai looked inside. What he saw was utterly unlike what he had expected. His pupils abruptly dilated, and his body shot backward like a rainbow.

Moonlight spilled into the coffin like water, illuminating the eerie thing within as brightly as day.

Under that moonlight, a figure suddenly sprang upright from the coffin and slowly turned to look at him.

"It's you?"

Wei Lai stared in utter astonishment. The man in the coffin was none other than the young Daoist priest he had brushed past at the inn stairs.

"Did you take the wrong script?"

Mo Chuan looked strangely at the young man dressed as a scholar, a profound sense of absurdity washing over him.

"Script? What is that?" Wei Lai looked baffled.

"Never mind that! In the middle of the night, why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing here?" Mo Chuan asked.

"Saving someone, naturally! Right, where is the woman from the coffin?"

"Looks like we really did take the wrong scripts."

Mo Chuan muttered.

This was too much of a coincidence. Discovering the Nabo at the same time was one thing, but they had both come intending to save someone. It was enough to leave him completely at a loss.

"You know the woman in the coffin?"

Rather than answering, Mo Chuan asked in return.

As for where the woman from the coffin had gone—

He had temporarily placed her inside the Sacrificial Dao Furnace.

"I don't. I heard she was not dead, so I came to take a look."

"Oh? And if she isn't dead?"

"Then of course I'll save her. Hmm, why is fellow Daoist lying in the coffin?"

"If someone is missing from the coffin, shouldn't this poor Daoist fill the spot?"

Mo Chuan's face was full of teasing amusement.

Wei Lai laughed, then cupped his hands with a solemn expression.

"Truly, heroes see alike. I, too, intended to lie in the coffin and meet the demon causing this mischief!"

"Easy enough. Come, come, come—the coffin is yours to lie in!"

Mo Chuan scrambled up in one motion and beckoned.

"This humble scholar thanks fellow Daoist for yielding it to me!"

"Truly, the bigger the forest, the stranger the birds. You treat even a coffin board as treasure."

"Ah, as the saying goes: better try another man's coffin than try another man's shoes. A coffin presses down longevity; it is a matter of great joy. Naturally, this humble scholar treasures it."

Wei Lai answered with utmost seriousness, whether intentionally or not.

"There's even such a saying? I've learned something new. But tell me, is there really a demon at work?"

Standing to the side, Mo Chuan watched as the scholar truly jumped in without any reservations. Could he really be an open and upright man?

"Of course! Madam Liu's second son died young over ten years ago. Why would he dream of a wife for no reason? And when I observed that ghost matchmaker in the daytime, I sensed faint demon aura lingering around her. I fear humans and demons have colluded, acting under someone's orders."

As Wei Lai spoke, he looked toward Mo Chuan. "Has fellow Daoist found anything?"

"This poor Daoist merely saw that the woman's eight characters are supremely yin and supremely Baleful Intent. I fear some demon has set its sights on her as a great tonic, so I decided to investigate."

Having experienced the Great Five-Armored Demon's life-plundering incident in Changlan City, Mo Chuan was naturally exceptionally sensitive to one's eight characters.

"There is such a method? Master was right—beyond the heavens are other heavens, beyond men are other men."

Wei Lai looked astonished, clearly never expecting Mo Chuan's angle on the matter to be so unconventional.

"Someone is coming. Lie there properly! This poor Daoist will be outside, and if there is an opportunity, I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Many thanks to fellow Daoist for your full assistance!"

"We simply share the same foul taste!"

With that, Mo Chuan greased the soles of his feet. Nimble as a fox, he vaulted over the wall and onto the roof in a flash, vanishing without a trace.

Hearing faint footsteps that seemed both present and absent, Wei Lai hurriedly closed the coffin lid as well.

Not long afterward, two servants carrying lanterns approached timidly.

When they saw the coffin guards sleeping like thunder, anger immediately flared in their hearts. They hurriedly shook them awake, and a round of complaints and scolding was unavoidable.

Listening to the movements outside, Wei Lai gradually relaxed.

As his thoughts turned over the day's events, he found them rather interesting!

Wait, they had been so focused on discussing demons that they had forgotten to exchange names.

He wondered which sect that Daoist belonged to. If he could bring him into the mountain gate, then with such character, Master would surely be delighted.