Lord Shenxiu
Chapter 374: The Coffin Carrier (Vote for Monthly Ticket)

Chapter 374: Chapter 374: The Coffin Carrier (Vote for Monthly Ticket)

"Heihe Daoist, at last you have come!"

From within the manor, a large group of people suddenly emerged, led by a portly old man holding jade prayer beads, followed by several maids and servants, with Zhang Tiezhong standing guard on one side.

The elderly man, upon seeing the Daoist descend from the sky, hurried to greet him, his face filled with excitement, "Old man has been eagerly waiting for the Daoist for many days!"

"When he spoke these words, Zhong Shenxiu was not greatly perturbed, but the scholar beside him let out a cold snort, clearly aware that he had been treated as a ’spare tire’."

This family encountered trouble and naturally sought out a familiar Daoist first.

It seems the Daoist was delayed with other matters, and that’s why the family had no choice but to seek help from other remarkable characters.

"He Weng, don’t rush, let poor Daoist first greet a few fellow Daoists."

Heihe Daoist amiably exchanged a few words with He Weng and then looked towards Zhong Shenxiu, the scholar, and the monk, bowing slightly, "Poor Daoist Heihe, has met the esteemed ones."

"Xian Yunzi, passing by this place, came to stay for the night," Zhong Shenxiu replied with a smile.

"Lu Jianping, wandering here, heard that this family had some trouble, so I came to offer assistance," said the young scholar, who was displeased with He Weng for seeing him as a backup. However, seeing a truly powerful Daoist imbued with mana, he still observed full courtesy.

"Amitabha, this humble monk Yuan Kong, has made a grand vow to wander the ten directions to raise alms for the construction of a Buddha temple and cast a golden statue of the Buddha!"

Yuan Kong Monk clasped his hands, looking very honest and simple.

"Fellow Daoists, meeting is fated, and it just happens that He Weng’s family affairs are more than I can manage alone, I still request the assistance of all of you," laughed Heihe Daoist.

"I wield my sword on my journey to eradicate the strong who oppress the weak, and to vanquish demons and evil spirits. We scholars carry an unwavering righteous spirit in our hearts and naturally cannot shirk our moral duty," Lu Jianping clasped his hands and said.

"What has happened to He Weng’s family?" asked Zhong Shenxiu with a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Ah, it’s simply a misfortune for the family," He Weng covered his face, "This old man is too ashamed to speak of it, let Zhang Tiezhong tell you."

He coughed twice, rotating the jade Buddha beads in his hand, and was helped by the maids to return to the back courtyard.

Zhang Tiezhong gave a wry smile and said, "Please follow me."

He led the four individuals to a tightly shut courtyard and sighed, "This place was originally the dwelling of the master’s most beloved granddaughter, Miss Mei Rui. At the age of twenty-eight, she was beautiful and intelligent, extremely filial... But a year ago, she was discovered to be pregnant... The master was furious, and immediately had the maids who served Miss Mei Rui severely tortured, but they couldn’t extract any explanation."

"Later when they asked Miss Mei Rui, she only said that every night a handsome young man came to visit her..."

"How audacious!"

Lu Jianping shouted angrily, "This must be the work of a demon using the technique of the Yin God to leave the body, committing this act of sneaking fragrance and stealing jade..."

He had seen plenty of such stories in rural records and storybooks.

"Wait... could it really not be a Martial Arts expert who climbed the wall at night?" Heihe Daoist suddenly spoke up.

"You must know that although the technique of the Yin God leaving the body can be used to sneak fragrance and steal jade, after all, it is not a flesh and blood body, how could it possibly conceive? Unless it was not a Yin God, but a Primordial Spirit!" explained Zhong Shenxiu.

"Absolutely impossible, since that day, we martial masters have been standing guard outside Miss Mei Rui’s door night and day, and not a single outsider has entered, but still..." sighed Zhang Tiezhong, obviously feeling disgraced as the Protector after such an incident.

"What happened afterwards?"

Yuan Kong Monk intoned a Buddhist chant and inquired further.

"Then... Miss Mei Rui died, it was not by the order of the master and the others, rather, she took her own life, ten months after conceiving..."

Zhang Tiezhong’s face showed a look of fear, "Although the master and others were heartbroken, they could only prepare for the funeral, however... on the seventh night after her passing, that night... thunder struck from the sky, hitting the coffin. The coffin split open, and from within came the sound of a baby’s cry..."

Lu Jianping was startled and alarmed, "Coffin child?"

If what preceded was a demon swordsman tale, they were now squarely in ghost story territory.

"Indeed..."

Zhang Tiezhong’s face was stricken with fear, "That night, several maids and servants died for no apparent reason... We suspected that resentful infant spirits were causing mischief, so our master called for the talismans left by Daoist Heihe to seal the estate, bringing peace at last, though every night we still heard wailing from within the courtyard."

"So you’re saying... that inside this courtyard, the original murder scene remains?"

Zhong Shenxiu asked with a smile.

"Exactly!" Zhang Tiezhong nodded.

"What do you all think?" Daoist Heihe looked toward the three of them.

"Amitabha, since there is suffering, it must be transcended," Monk Yuan Kong declared with his hands pressed together, his Dharma Image dignified.

"This baby has an odd origin," said Lu Jianping, "Though somewhat innocent, it harmed people later, so it’s not innocent anymore."

"Since everyone speaks thus, I have no objections."

Shenxiu smiled amiably, just going with the flow.

"Then let me, the humble daoist, first set up an array around the courtyard to isolate the inside from the outside and block the vengeful spirits, and then we can enter the small courtyard together to drive out demons and exorcise evil spirits, how does that sound?"

Daoist Heihe made this proposal.

"Very well."

Zhong Shenxiu had no objections and followed the others as they busied themselves, burying Array Plates and small flags in the corners of the small courtyard’s walls.

As Shenxiu received them, he casually examined the items and found the Array Plates and flags to be quite rudimentary, not Magic Artifacts, merely ordinary items engraved with talismans.

After everything was set up, Daoist Heihe, full of vigor, announced, "It’s high noon, under the three suns, all evil retreats. With my array to aid us, what have we to fear? Follow me and cut down demons and exorcise evil spirits!"

He rode the black wind to the front of the small courtyard door, saw a yellowed and torn piece of talisman paper, and chuckled as he peeled it off with a hand.

Crack!

The door to the courtyard burst open, and a chilling wind rushed forth, bone-piercingly cold and causing involuntary shivers.

"How has this place become a Yin land?"

Stepping into the courtyard, Daoist Heihe held a horsetail whisk in his right hand and kept calculating with his left, "If this continues for a few more years, an Evil Qi might even be cultivated here, what’s going on?"

Shenxiu saw the courtyard in ruins, with an occasional few skeletons clad in servant attire, clearly victims of the Coffin child.

He looked up to the sky, only to see a dark cloud that had drifted over at some point, obscuring the three suns and casting a frightening shadow.

From the hall facing the courtyard, suddenly, chanting could be heard.

The group looked at each other, and in the end, it was Shenxiu, with hands clasped behind his back, who walked into the Spirit Hall.

Coffins were shattered, and bones lay everywhere, covered in a thick layer of dust.

At the center of the hall, atop a meditation cushion, a young monk was striking a wooden fish and chanting scriptures.

He had rosy lips, white teeth, and gentle eyes that were as still as an ancient well, faintly radiating a profound sense of tranquility.

Upon seeing him, Monk Yuan Kong immediately prostrated, "This is not a demon, this is... Buddha’s son!"

"Halt, don’t be deceived," Shenxiu suddenly shouted loudly.

Lu Jianping felt dizzy for a moment, and when he looked again, he saw the young monk’s face twisted with malevolence; the Buddha Beads on his chest were startlingly made up of miniature skulls.

In his hand, he held a human bone, striking a wooden fish carved from a Heavenly Spirit Bone!