Chapter 15: The Zombie Says (1)

On the way back, I was still a little dizzy. The Tiancheng ingot, which was now quietly lying in my pocket, was actually so valuable.

Uncle Li’s words still lingered in my ears: “Do you know what a Tiancheng ingot is? These copper coins from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period are extremely rare. Each one is worth a lot of money. If it were a small coin, it would be a treasure, but this one in your hand, do you know, is a ten-fold coin, which is rare in existence. Even the archaeological community does not recognize its existence, but once it is analyzed with high-tech equipment to determine its age, it is a rare treasure!

I don’t know what a small coin is, let alone a ten-fold coin. Uncle Li gave me a lesson, and I only realized that a small coin is equivalent to one yuan, and a ten-fold coin is much larger than a small coin, equivalent to ten yuan.

The Tiancheng ingot in my pocket is a rare ten-fold coin, and it is not important that there are only a few of them in existence. What is important is that it has been nurtured by my master, and it contains amazing magical powers.

I was so wasteful!

In addition, Uncle Li was afraid that I would waste things in the future, so he said to me sternly, “The precious thing about your tiger claw is that it was obtained from a tiger that lived for more than 50 years. Your master said that the tiger could almost be called a 100-year-old tiger demon, and it was almost about to open its spiritual wisdom. More importantly, after your master collected it, he used a soul-collecting talisman to collect its soul and spirit, and sealed them in the tiger claw. Weigh this yourself! A hundred-year-old demon tiger, the most evil of claws, if you were to have it tested for bone age now, it would cause a sensation.

“The agarwood in your hand is a rare variety, and its price is comparable to gold. You can weigh it yourself.”

“Your master’s grandfather loved collecting rare treasures, and he was very particular about the items he used as magical weapons. Your master got the most of them, and I personally prefer copper coins. I got all of them, and the ones I gave you this time are also the best of the best. You treat them like this.”

“More importantly, these things are all protected by your master’s magic power. Even the most ordinary jade, if it is nurtured into a spirit jade, is worth a lot of money. You have a treasure in your hands, but you don’t know how to cherish it.”

The sun was very poisonous, and the hot sun made me even more dazed. I couldn’t compare it to the daze in my heart. It turned out that my master and the others were all rich people? I remembered the few large boxes of my master. Whenever I took them out, they were all paintings by Yun Shouping. I later went to college and accidentally learned that Yun Shouping’s paintings were worth a thousand gold coins, but I didn’t think much about it.

Uncle Li’s words reminded me of this, and I suddenly felt that my master was really amazing! I don’t even feel safe now. Why? Tiger Claw, a whole string of incense sticks are on my body, and oh, I also have a Tiancheng ingot folded into ten coins. Isn’t this a fucking mobile gold vault walking on the road? How can I still feel safe?

When I got home, I excitedly asked my master about this, but he just glanced at me and said, “Don’t even think about taking these things. They were left by your master, and they will be passed down from generation to generation! You can use these magic tools as you like, but the antiques and other things should be kept as decorations, and you can’t touch them even if you starve to death.”

At this point, I finally came to my senses from the surprise of having money. Yes, the things left by the master are more meaningful as a memento than as money. As his disciples, we can only enrich these things and make our heritage more substantial. How can we even think of taking them?

“Pack up and leave for Sichuan the day after tomorrow.” The master didn’t care about these things at all and casually changed the subject.

After my mindset changed, I also became indifferent to the past, and I stopped thinking about these things. I asked, “Master, where are you going to Sichuan?”

“Nanchong.” As he spoke, the master threw something at me. I took it and saw that it was the tiger claw that I had been separated from for eight years.

“Finally, the cultivation is complete. Put it on and take good care of it. You can’t move it again until you can set up a large formation to drive out the soul. I won’t move it again either.”

“Yes.” I was very happy, and the day after tomorrow I could return to my beloved Sichuan.

Nanchong, Sichuan, an ordinary city in Sichuan. The people who have lived here for generations are no different from other Chinese people. They work from sunrise to sunset, are diligent, conscientious, and kind…

If there is anything different here, it is that there are many legends about zombies, especially in a county under Nanchong, Nanbu County.

In 1990, Nanbu County, an ordinary village.

Meng Dawei got up early on this summer morning. It wasn’t a busy time of year, but he had to get up early because the villagers were going to dig up his father’s grave today. He couldn’t object as the son, and he had to assist everyone’s actions. It was still a bit bitter to think about it.

There was someone in the family who got up even earlier than him. It was his wife. After hearing Meng Dawei’s movements, she quickly made a basin of water to wash his face and handed him a towel to wipe his face.

Sichuan men are famous for their love of their wives. On ordinary days, Meng Dawei’s wife Gao Yan doesn’t like to serve Meng Dawei, but today is special, so she has to be gentle with her husband. After all, who wouldn’t feel happy when their father’s grave is being dug up?

After wiping his face and washing up, Meng Dawei sat in front of his house, staring at the sky, which was already bright at 6 o’clock in the morning. He couldn’t understand why it had to be my father. Did the village alchemist make a mistake?

Gao Yan sighed and handed Meng Dawei the steaming hot red oil noodles in her hand. Thinking that her husband was unhappy today, she decided to be especially kind to him and put two eggs in the noodles. She thought that if he ate more deliciously, he would feel better.

Meng Dawei took the noodles and began to eat them with a loud slurp. However, after eating half of them, he sighed and put the noodles down, not even touching the eggs in the noodles.

“Dawei, are you still in a bad mood?” Gao Yan took a small stool and sat down next to Meng Dawei. Her mother had once taught Gao Yan that she could not let her man keep his worries to himself. If he kept them to himself, he would get sick, and if he got sick, who could support the family?

She felt that it was necessary to open up and comfort her man.

Facing Gao Yan’s question, Meng Dawei did not answer directly, but sighed and said in a low voice, “How much incense, candles, and paper money did you prepare?”

“A lot. I bought more than 100 yuan’s worth. Dawei, I know how much you care.” Gao Yan held her husband’s hand and comforted him softly.

Meng Dawei’s eyes turned red, and he quickly wiped them before saying, “You said it, how could it be my father-in-law? After today’s burning, I won’t be able to worship my father for the rest of my life. Today is the last time I can do it. I really want to ask Master Yuan if he has figured it out. How could it be my father-in-law?”

“Dawei, I don’t want to be my father-in-law either. This kind of thing happens in every village. You have to deal with it when you encounter it! The grave of the father-in-law cracked so abnormally that no grass grew around it, and people passing by heard strange noises. You said… Hey…” At this point, Gao Yan also sighed, and her heart was more fearful. Although she was the daughter-in-law of the Meng family, she was not afraid. In her heart, she absolutely did not have the same feelings for her father-in-law as her own man.

From an emotional point of view, she felt that this was still somewhat cruel, but from a more practical point of view, she still hoped to get it over with as soon as possible.

Meng Dawei looked up at the bright sky again and said in a low voice, “The sun must be very poisonous today. I’m afraid I can’t escape it today, Dad…” Thinking about the sad part, Meng Dawei suddenly shed tears.

“Forget it, Dawei, eat the noodles. You’ll need the strength later.” Gao Yan saw her husband crying and her heart ached. She could only hand the noodles to Meng Dawei and gently persuade him.

Meng Dawei took the noodles and ate them angrily. After a few bites, he looked up and said angrily, “If the coffin is opened today, there will be no problem. I want the Taoist priest Yuan to come to my house and set up ten tables of food for me, apologize to me in front of the whole village, and toast to me three times.”

Gao Yan didn’t say anything. It seemed that her husband still had such a faint hope. Even though the characteristics were so obvious, her silence was just that she didn’t want to break her husband’s hope. However, she didn’t think that what her husband said could be realized.

After finishing the noodles, she tidied up the house and took the things she needed to bring to the temple. It was already 8 o’clock, and Gao Yan had just said she was going to go out to see what was going on, but she didn’t expect a few people with a reputation in the village to lead everyone there already.

Before they even entered the door, they could hear everyone shouting, “Dawei, you’re going out to work.”