Chapter 165 Preparations... Opening the Coffin!
Inside the Yu family's living room.
Looking at Chen Mo, who seemed to have lost his soul, Yu Zhenghong felt a pang of guilt and sorrow.
He took a deep breath and stepped forward, his voice heavy:
“Mr. Chen, I’m so sorry. It was our Yu family’s ignorance that made us a tool in the hands of the Lin family’s parents, causing the death of Lin Xiudi, and also… causing you great suffering.”
He bowed deeply and said, "I, Yu Zhenghong, apologize to you on behalf of the Yu family."
Chen Mo slowly raised his head. His bloodshot eyes held no hatred, only a desolate sorrow.
He shook his head, his voice hoarse and dry, "No... I misunderstood you."
He forced a smile that was more like a grimace, his eyes staring blankly into the void, as if pleading with a figure he could never see again:
"Xiudi's parents... told me back then that it was your Yu family who, relying on their wealth and power, forced them into a ghost marriage..."
"They said you were interested in Xiudi's birth chart and there was no way to refuse, so that's why I..."
He closed his eyes in pain, his body trembling slightly.
“No wonder…no wonder they wouldn’t let me see Xiudi after she was diagnosed. I told them I was willing to sell everything I own and go bankrupt to get her treatment.”
"But they said it was no use, that it was too late, and told me not to cause trouble..."
"So that's how it is. It's all about money! It's all for their precious son!"
As the Yu family listened to the truth pieced together by Chen Mo's broken voice, they felt a tightness in their chests, their eyes stinging, and their throats feeling as if something was tightly blocking them.
The murderer's greed and cruelty are appalling, and the Yu family, as Shen Yuepo said, is the source of this tragedy.
Even their "I'm sorry" seemed so pale and powerless.
Guilt and helplessness weighed heavily on the hearts of the Yu family.
The next day, at noon.
The sunlight was so bright it was almost blinding, dispelling the autumn chill, but it couldn't dispel the somber atmosphere that hung over the Xiao family's ancestral tombs.
The Xiao family ancestral tomb is located halfway up the mountain behind Zhuxi Village, backed by continuous green mountains, and its feng shui layout is indeed excellent.
However, at this moment, the atmosphere in front of Xiao Zhenshan's grave, Xiao Yizhou's great-grandfather, was unusually somber.
Shen Yuepo stood before the grave, her expression cold and aloof.
Her gaze swept over the five robust men Xiao Zhengqing had brought. Each of them was burly, with square faces, full foreheads, bright eyes, and abundant yang energy.
She nodded slightly: "The time has come, prepare to open the grave."
Shen Yuepo took out nine sticks of specially made sandalwood incense that she had prepared beforehand from her cloth bag.
She gestured for Xiao Zhengqing and Xiao Yizhou to come forward.
"Xiao Zhengqing, burn incense and pray, respectfully informing the local earth gods, mountain gods, and ancestors of the Xiao family." She handed three lit incense sticks to Xiao Zhengqing.
"Explain the reason for opening the grave, ask for understanding, and state that a proper burial and reconstruction of the grave will be carried out afterward."
Xiao Zhengqing accepted the incense with trembling hands, his expression extremely solemn. He respectfully bowed three times to each of the four directions of the grave, and then placed the incense in the specially prepared incense burner in front of the grave.
He murmured the reason for opening the grave in a devout voice, praying for forgiveness from the gods and ancestors.
Then, Shen Yuepo handed three more incense sticks to Xiao Yizhou, instructing him to also offer sacrifices in all directions to inform his ancestors.
The last three incense sticks were lit by Shen Yuepo herself. She didn't say much, but simply placed the incense sticks in the ground steadily. A soothing power spread out with the smoke.
Shen Yuepo mixed the cinnabar he brought with him and the blood of a rooster's comb, and quickly drew a simple purification circle about three steps away from the grave.
"Everyone, the five who will take action, enter the circle and may not step out of this circle."
Upon hearing this, the five burly men immediately stepped forward and took the brand-new shovels and hoes.
Shen Yuepo stood at the edge of the purification circle, his hands forming hand seals, and he muttered the obscure and difficult-to-understand incantation for moving earth.
As she chanted, a faint whirlwind seemed to rise around her, swirling up the fallen leaves on the ground.
With a flick of her fingertips, several invisible rays of light entered the tools in the hands of the five burly men.
"Start the excavation! Begin at the southeast corner of the grave. Avoid making noise and being hasty!"
The five burly men exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and, following Shen Yuepo's instructions, began digging from the southeast corner of the grave.
The sound of the soil being turned over was particularly clear in the silent mountain forest.
Despite the intense sunlight, everyone felt a slight chill down their spines.
The amulet, placed on his chest, emitted a faint warmth, barely dispelling the increasingly noticeable chill seeping from the ground.
Shen Yuepo's gaze was fixed on the excavation site, sensing the increasingly clear sinister aura below.
As the soil was dug away layer by layer, a sweet and pungent smell filled the air, making the sunlight seem dimmer, and everyone's hearts were in their throats.
Xiao Zhengqing and Xiao Yizhou watched Shen Yuepo nervously, waiting for her next instruction.
Shen Yuepo's expression was solemn. He stepped forward and stared at the corner of the coffin that was gradually becoming visible.
"Prepare...to open the coffin!"
Soon, the coffin was carried up.
With the efforts of five strong men, accompanied by a teeth-grinding scraping sound, the coffin lid was finally pried loose from all the rivets.
Just as the five of them were about to work together to push the coffin lid open completely, Shen Yuepo shouted sharply, "I'll do it. Everyone, retreat outside the purification circle."
The five burly men felt a chill run down their spines. Without hesitation, they dropped their tools and retreated to the outside of the purification circle drawn by Shen Yuepo with cinnabar. They huddled together, not daring to breathe.
Shen Yuepo held his breath and pressed his hand hard against the edge of the heavy coffin lid.
She managed to push the heavy coffin lid back more than halfway with a single hand.
The coffin was empty.
There was no decaying coffin lining, no expected pile of white bones.
The coffin that should have contained Xiao Zhenshan's remains was completely empty.
The moment the coffin lid was fully opened, a thick, blood-red mist, carrying a bone-chilling cold, suddenly gushed out from the empty coffin.
The blood mist seemed to have a life of its own, rushing straight towards Shen Yuepo, who was closest to it.
Xiao Yizhou's expression changed, and he wanted to step forward.
"Get back, no matter what happens, don't come any closer!" Shen Yuepo warned him sternly, while advancing instead of retreating.
She took out the bone flute from the Reincarnation Ring and raised it upwards.
The bone flute hung above her head.
Shen Yuepo formed hand seals and rapidly chanted:
"Purify and break through obstacles, command the Nine Netherworlds!"
"break!"
The bone flute emitted pure sound waves that suddenly spread outwards from the center of Chen Yuepo.
The sound waves contained a powerful force to ward off evil and purify, and they collided violently with the blood mist.
"laugh!"
The blood mist dissipated rapidly upon contact with the sound waves, its malevolent aura forcibly purified and dispelled.
A deep voice echoed clearly in everyone's ears:
"My dear disciple, after a hundred years of wandering, your master has finally found you..."
As the sound faded, the dissipated blood mist instantly reformed.
Above the empty coffin, a blurry humanoid black shadow coalesced.
The dark figure was surrounded by a blood-red aura, and its face was indistinct.
Only his eyes shone with two crimson lights, staring intently at Shen Yuepo.
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