In the funeral shop, there was one red and one black coffin.
The black one was passed down from Liu Youdao’s master and crafted by Yang Qiying, with who-knows-what hidden inside.
The red coffin was an ancient and mysterious grand coffin that Liu Youdao excavated from the Ghost King Mausoleum on the Ancient Yin River Dao, likely belonging to a high-ranking Ghost General or Ghost King’s concubine.
At this moment, Xu Qing resembled a person buying raw jade stones for gambling, but instead of jade, he was gambling with coffins.
Xu Qing had no prior experience in opening boxes, let alone such a grand mystery right before his eyes.
What if it turned out to be some frightful old ghost? How terrifying would that be!
To prevent being scared out of his wits, Xu Qing used every trick in the book to gather this group of supernatural experts from various fields to protect him.
With more people came more courage, and with more strange things, even more courage!
A zombie surrounded by a few spirit-possessed little animals encircled the two coffins.
At this moment, the Galloping Immortal Disciple, Hou Yuan, stood before the coffins, feeling utterly apprehensive.
Both coffins reeked of sinister energy, and they did not look easy to handle.
"Daoist friend, respect for the dead is paramount. Perhaps we should let this go?"
Xu Qing glanced at the old man who wanted to flee on the spot and thought, "Am I not worth respecting?"
"Daoist Hou, what are you afraid of? Do you think something inside can rise from the coffin?"
"Daoist, please stop! The more you say, the more uncertain I feel!"
Beside them, Xuan Yu seemed even more eager than Xu Qing and urged, "Hurry up! Old man, stop dawdling, and let’s see what treasures are inside!"
Seeing that the supernatural experts had spoken, Hou Yuan reconsidered and calculated that with Ancestors Huang Lao Xu and Qing Qing overseeing, there was no reason to fear two measly coffins.
"Which coffin do you want to inspect first?"
"Let’s start with the black coffin, to warm up." Xu Qing put on his Finger Tiger with one hand and drew the Silver Snake Sword he had confiscated from Qing Luo with the other.
The blade, emitting a green glow, was laced with a potent poison that faintly shone.
Seeing this, the courage Hou Yuan had painstakingly mustered dissipated once again.
"Xiao Yun, step back. If something happens to Grandpa, take your great-grandfather back to Northern County..." At this moment, even the war-torn Northern County seemed safer than the Jin Sect to Hou Yuan.
After making his farewell, Hou Yuan beat his waist drum and started chanting the Assist Soldier Spell. As the eerie wind swirled, extinguishing all the lights, Xu Qing, proficient in the Lighting Technique, snapped his fingers to relight the room.
"What kind of magic is this?" Xuan Yu was full of wonder.
Without looking back, Xu Qing replied while glancing at the mouse-like, gray-furred Hou Yuan, "It’s the Undying Light Technique, which can only be performed by someone whose soul is pure and immaculate."
"Only a kind-hearted person can learn it."
"What about kind-hearted cats?"
"Are you kind-hearted?"
Hou Yuan’s eyelids twitched violently as he listened to the conversation between man and cat behind him.
It was unclear whether it was due to the X-ray Technique or being distracted by the rambling youth, but the banners and funeral covers on the black coffin rustled as the blood-red lines drew out gray fuzz, resembling moldy white buns.
As the seal on the coffin weakened under the Gray Immortal’s sinister aura, the possessed Hou Yuan finally saw a vague image through the coffin board.
Blood-red beads, the size of beans, moved back and forth in the eye sockets as Hou Yuan emitted a sharp, shrill voice, "There seems to be a person inside, but I can’t see it clearly. We need to remove some talismans to make it out!"
Xu Qing frowned slightly and pinched the Chinese astrology hand signs, his fingers moving as if they could spark a fire.
Finally, he deduced the signs: the main sign was Shock, with the Funeral Star in motion, signifying grief and mourning; the changing sign was Departure, with an energetic Five Elements, indicating a leader who commands authority.
These omens were mixed.
The great misfortune lay within the coffin, while the positive omen was on himself.
After some deliberation, Xu Qing made up his mind.
After all, wasn’t the Funeral Star always in motion? Moreover, he was never without its presence!
Besides, having come this far and with so many supernatural beings around, what was there to fear!
Xu Qing immediately gathered his resolve and began peeling off the Vermillion Yellow Talismans on the coffin one by one.
When most of the talismans were gone, Hou Yuan suddenly spoke up, "Stop! I can see what’s inside clearly now!"
"It’s a person, someone in red."
"What do they look like? Are they male or female?"
At this moment, not only Xu Qing was staring intently at the black coffin, but the small spirit-possessed animals, including Xuan Yu and Huang Lao Xu, were all attentively waiting for the revelation.
"It’s a woman, her appearance..." Hou Yuan leaned closer to the coffin, almost touching the lid.
"What does she look like?"
Just when everyone was anxiously awaiting an answer, Hou Yuan suddenly exclaimed and stepped back three steps in a row.
Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat, even Xuan Yu’s fur stood up in alarm from the shock.
"She’s hideous, utterly hideous! It scared me to death..." Hou Yuan clutched his chest, trying to calm down.
"It’s a Female Yaksha inside!"
Xu Qing felt a jolt in his heart.
According to the Corpse Nourishing Scripture, zombies were categorized into five realms: Wandering Corpse, Hidden Corpse, Undying Bone, Flying Corpse, and Corpse Immortal.
Among them, a Flying Corpse was also known as a Flying Yaksha or Black Evil.
If it was a Flying Yaksha, it would be impossibly strong, not even the reincarnated Master Yang could possibly rival it, let alone subdue it.
Xu Qing furrowed his brows, sensing something was amiss.
Yang Qiying was merely a named disciple of the Yin Corpse Sect; how could he possess a Flying Corpse? Moreover, if it were truly a Flying Corpse, how could a mere black coffin hold it down?
"Daoist Hou, did you see clearly? Is it really a Flying Yaksha?"
Hou Yuan replied in confusion, "What Flying Yaksha? I’m saying the woman inside is exceptionally ugly, like a Yaksha."