The Thing in the Coffin

Qin Yanan was unwilling to leave just like that. Liu Chang'an didn't take it seriously, but she didn't have his strong mental fortitude. She was only thinking about what would happen if she called Liu Chang'an and something happened to him. How could she face her great-grandfather's instructions?

"I'm not going back. You're coming to the hospital with me." Qin Yanan took Liu Chang'an's arm and tried to pull him away.

"Have you ever seen any abnormal human being who likes to go to the hospital?" Liu Chang'an refused without hesitation.

"If you survive being struck by lightning, you'll become an abnormal human being? Well, you are quite abnormal, so you should definitely go to the hospital to get checked out." Qin Yanan said irritably, unwilling to let go of her arm.

Liu Chang'an felt it was inappropriate. An Nuan often did this kind of pulling and tugging, and Liu Chang'an never shied away from it. But could Qin Yanan be the same? The two girls' body shapes were too different, and the passive effects of pulling and tugging were also different.

He pulled his arm out.

"I really won't go." Liu Chang'an hoped that Qin Yanan wouldn't force him. After all, Qin Yanan wasn't Zhu Juntang. If Zhu Juntang forced him, he could kick Zhu Juntang into the swimming pool, but he was a little soft-hearted towards Qin Yanan.

Seeing Liu Chang'an's resolute yet slightly displeased expression, Qin Yanan had no choice but to say, a little annoyed, "Fine, whatever you want... If you feel unwell, go to the hospital right away."

"Thank you for your concern, I will." Liu Chang'an smiled.

Qin Yanan gently shook her head. She understood the helplessness of being an older sister, having to take care of her younger brothers but being unable to do anything about them.

Fortunately, she was just a distant cousin. Qin Yanan rolled her eyes at Liu Chang'an and picked up the food box and bowls that had fallen on the ground.

"You can go now, I'll take care of it," Liu Chang'an said.

Qin Yanan then left without looking back.

Liu Chang'an watched her back. Women holding umbrellas always expend more effort to maintain their balance and twist their bodies in the wind and rain, making their beautiful backs even more swaying and moving, just like the ink-wash landscape in the misty rain.

Liu Chang'an picked up the food box and the bowls and chopsticks. The muddy ground wasn't hard, and the fine porcelain bowls weren't damaged. It was just that dinner was wasted.

After cleaning it thoroughly, Liu Chang'an finally arrived at the civilian armored transport vehicle that had been parked there for a long time.

"I knew it! The water droplets from the earth dragon in the 1900s were right under this tree!"

Old Man Qian appeared at Liu Chang'an's doorstep at some point, holding a black wooden umbrella, and pointed at the sycamore tree.

"Old Man Qian, what are you doing out here in this rainy weather?" Liu Chang'an waved his hand.

"The rain has lessened, and the thunder has subsided. With something this serious happening, I had to come and see. The tree in front of my house was chopped down; I've hardly ever seen anything like this in my old age. What a celestial phenomenon! It must be either evil spirits at work or a precious treasure being unearthed."

"So tell me, what exactly happened? Let's analyze it." Liu Chang'an followed Old Man Qian's gesturing, looking up at the sky and down at the ground.

Old Man Qian looked around, leaned closer to Liu Chang'an, tugged at his sleeve, took a couple of low breaths, and then, swallowing hard, said, "There's treasure underground!"

"Then you go ahead and dig," Liu Chang'an suggested.

"Since I'm willing to tell you, of course I'm asking you to join me." Old Man Qian chuckled. "I'm so old, how long would it take me to dig? If someone else notices, I'll have to share some with them. Let's dig together, sell what we find, and then go play mahjong for 10 yuan a game. Wouldn't that be more fun?"

"Wait for your son to come back so we can dig together. I promise I won't let it out." Liu Chang'an felt that there was no other point besides digging a bigger pit to raise loaches, even though he was the one who first said there was a treasure under the phoenix tree that could absorb vital energy.

Old Man Qian clicked his tongue, glared at Liu Chang'an with an ungrateful look, and walked away indignantly.

Liu Chang'an knew that Old Man Qian wasn't really sure if there was any treasure. Anyway, since Liu Chang'an was just wasting his time directing him, he wasn't losing out. What a sly old man!

Liu Chang'an checked the car. He didn't know if the lightning was absorbed by the coffin or if the armored transport vehicle itself had some lightning protection measures. Everything was normal. He took the keys and drove the car out of the community.

I haven't driven for many years, but this is similar to many people who learned to ride a bicycle as children, didn't ride it for more than ten years, and then when shared bikes appeared, they went to try them out, and they could just hop on and ride.

The driver's cab of this vehicle is a bit more complex and has more functions, but the basic driving method can't just be to use your feet to step on the steering wheel. Liu Chang'an didn't expect to encounter traffic police checks or anything like that. He drove all the way out of Junsha and stopped in the buffer zone of the green belt of a newly built, remote highway.

The rain stopped, and droplets of water hung on the emerald green leaves. The newly laid grass had grown longer, becoming softer and neater. Liu Chang'an glanced at the distant city; the lights of the bustling traffic illuminated half the sky, and the dark clouds that had been looming large had thinned and unfurled considerably.

Liu Chang'an opened the carriage door.

The light was turned on.

It felt different, the atmosphere was different. I used to think that there was some ferocious creature coveting blood in the coffin, but now it has become peaceful and dignified, like the unearthed bronzes in the museum, washed clean of their embellishments and revealing their simple beauty.

Aside from this change in feeling, there was nothing else about the coffin in front of him. There was no sign of the coffin lid being lifted, as Liu Chang'an had imagined, revealing a figure dressed in Qin and Han dynasty clothing staring wide-eyed at him.

The first thing Liu Chang'an noticed was that an extremely fine, Blood Red thread had emerged from the almost invisible seam between the lid and the coffin, circling around the edge. The original needle-sized scarlet bloodstain had vanished without a trace, as if it had transformed into this thread.

Liu Chang'an closed the carriage door and locked it from the inside. Even a civilian armored vehicle has a certain degree of protection in its interior walls. It wouldn't be easy for Liu Chang'an to escape, especially with him here just in case... If there were any ferocious creatures released from the coffin, Liu Chang'an would naturally reseal it.

He was just prepared and not too worried. After all, a hen that was content with one chick a day couldn't be too fierce.

Liu Chang'an sensed the atmosphere in the carriage for a while, then reached out and placed his hand on the coffin lid.

Just like the Phoenix-Pattern Bronze Basin, Lotus-Lid Dragon-Pattern Square Hu he saw in the Xiangnan Museum, Liu Chang'an closed his eyes and thought of Zhao Jianzi of the State of Jin, and many scenes related to Zhao Jianzi. When his hand was on the coffin lid, many complicated scenes also appeared in Liu Chang'an's mind.

It wasn't very clear; it was fragmented and pieced together, stemming from his memories of the Western Han Dynasty, but not really connected to the coffin.

What's going on?

Liu Chang'an was somewhat puzzled. Seeing the Phoenix-Pattern Bronze Basin Lotus-Lid Dragon-Pattern Square Hu reminded him of Zhao Jianzi, but shouldn't he be thinking of scenes related to coffins?

No, it's mostly about his own experiences and scenes, interspersed with stories of other people.

Liu Chang'an didn't think much of it. Since it had actively summoned the lightning, it meant that opening the coffin now would be in its own interest. If the timing was wrong, it could only be said that it was its fate.

Liu Chang'an applied a little force, and sure enough, the coffin lid no longer felt like it was fused together with the coffin body; it became slightly loose.

A faint scraping sound arose, as if two wet tiles were being pressed together, and the coffin lid slowly slid open.

He saw a little girl lying in the coffin.

"You... it's you who ruined my life again!"

The little girl opened her eyes and saw Liu Chang'an. She was surprised and angry, and an endless resentment rushed towards her. It was as if all the efforts and patience she had accumulated had turned into endless despair because of meeting Liu Chang'an. She no longer wanted to struggle. After she finished speaking, she seemed to have died of anger. She did not make a sound and closed her eyes heavily.

The current price for the high-end custom-made item is close to 2900. I don't know how much it will be by noon tomorrow, but I will definitely be adding more chapters. Thank you all for your support and generous donations.