When Xie Yue severed the first chain, the Bronze Chests in the cavern rang out together.
No one was hiding inside them. The metallic clang came from broken bone plaques at the bottom of the chests. As soon as the chain broke, black-and-red incense ash clinging to the plaques began to scatter. Hu Liena immediately covered the chest openings with Divine Slaughter's Domain, while Yan used a fingertip flame to bake away the outer layer of medicinal powder without burning the writing on the plaques.
"Don't take the chains apart one by one," Bai Jin said. "They're pinning down the Medicine Troughs. Move the chests first."
Xie Yue hooked the severed chain to his side, then used his Moon Blade to cut through the bond between the chest bottom and the stone floor. He kept his wrist straight so the blade would not touch the dark red marks behind it. Yan carried the cleared Bronze Chest to the way in and handed it to two patrolling Soul Masters outside, then came back for the second.
Seven months of independent patrols served the three of them well. They did not wait for Bai Jin to assign every step. The ledgers, implements, and identity plaques they could move each had their place. Whenever they found remains, Hu Liena put them in a separate cloth bag and numbered them together with the objects nearby, never casually identifying someone from a single plaque.
As they filled the third bag, Yan spotted a broken shovel pinned beneath the bones. A faded strip of cloth was tied to its handle, and beside it lay two copper buttons wrapped in a collar. This person's belongings had never gone into a Bronze Chest, and his name was not on a plaque. Hu Liena told Yan to take the