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墨書 Inktalez
Jiao Ba visibly perked up after hearing my words. "Brother Yi, what's going on over there?"
"Let's talk about it when we get back. It’s not something that can be explained in a few sentences. Can we still leave?" I helped Jiao Ba to his feet, noticing he was still a bit unsteady. It seemed the blow had affected him more than I thought.
Jiao Ba grinned and said, "It's nothing, just a little injury. No big deal. But... what is this? A coffin?" His expression turned grim as he looked at the coffin before us.
"Why are you making such a fuss? It's not like you've never seen one before." I prepared to support him as we made our way out.
Jiao Ba waved his hand to stop me. "When did this thing come here? I thought it was on the deck of the ship?" He looked at me with confusion.
I glanced at him and replied, "How would I know? All I know is that this is just like what happened in my dream."
"In your dream? What dream?" Jiao Ba seemed a bit lost.
"Alright, let's talk about it later. We need to find Shunzi," I said, pulling on his arm, eager to return and see if Shunzi was back.
"Find Shunzi? What's wrong with Shunzi?" Jiao Ba asked, frowning.
I sighed. "Ah, Shunzi suddenly went missing again. It's a bit complicated. Let's head back first."
Jiao Ba stared at the coffin for a moment and then said, "Wait a minute, Brother Yi. Let me take a look at this coffin first."
He started searching his pockets. "Oh no, where's my flashlight?"
I replied anxiously, "If you can't find it, just use your lighter."
He pulled out a lighter from his pocket and began to inspect the coffin's surroundings with its dim flame.
Under the flickering light of the lighter, the coffin appeared even more eerie and sinister, sending chills down my spine. I could even feel a strange coldness in the air that made me shiver unexpectedly.
"The coffin has already been opened," Jiao Ba said without turning around.
"What? Opened?" I hurried over to check with him.
"Brother Yi, look here. The nails around it have all been pried open. It's obvious that the coffin has been opened before," Jiao Ba pointed at the sides of the coffin.
I took a closer look, and indeed, the nails around the coffin had been pried open. The lid looked relatively intact, so if you didn't examine it closely, you would never notice.
"It seems someone got to it first. Who do you think did it?" I turned to Jiao Ba and asked.
Jiao Ba shook his head lightly. "I'm not sure, but I suspect it was that man in black. Don't forget, our plan this time was to catch him; it just didn't go as planned."
I pondered everything that had happened tonight and realized something. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Let's open the coffin and see what's inside."
Jiao Ba showed a hesitant expression. "Brother Yi, isn't that a bad idea? What's inside is the Demon Worm Corpse. If we wake it up, it'll be hard for us to get out alive."
I shot him a glare. "No more nonsense. If I say we’re opening it, we’re opening it. How else will we know if that man in black did this?"
Jiao Ba's eyes twinkled mischievously as he grinned. "Oh~~ I see what you mean, Brother Yi. Alright, let's open it."
Just as we were about to make a move, Jiao Ba quickly added, "Wait, Brother Yi! Have you considered what if there’s no talisman? Then we’re done for; this thing could take our lives in an instant."
He had a point. My reason for wanting to open the coffin was twofold: first, to see what else was inside besides the Demon Worm Corpse; second, to verify my judgment.
If there was a talisman on the corpse, it would prove that the man in black had opened the coffin; if not, then we wouldn't know who did it. However, the risk of finding no talisman was significant and could be life-threatening.
After thinking for a moment, I said, "Let's take a gamble; life is unpredictable. We’ll leave our fates to destiny."
Jiao Ba gritted his teeth. "Alright then, let’s do this."
We each took a side—he stood at the foot while I stood at the head. After steadying the lid of the coffin, I whispered, "Push."
I pushed with all my strength to move the coffin lid, while Jiao Ba over there was so exhausted he was almost shouting. The lid was incredibly heavy, just as heavy as the coffin we had salvaged from the Qing Dynasty Shipwreck.
The lid was slowly being shifted aside, and I glanced down to see an arm of the corpse inside. "I can't do it anymore, Brother Yi," I said. Jiao Ba had collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
"Come on, is that all you can manage? I thought you were a tomb raider," I scolded him, releasing my grip on the coffin.
Jiao Ba weakly replied, "Big brother, I'm injured. I just woke up from a faint; I don't have much strength left. Let me rest for a moment, I'll be fine soon."
There was nothing I could do but wait for Jiao Ba to recover his strength. A few minutes later, I kicked his leg and asked, "Hey Lao Ba, are you alright?"
Jiao Ba didn’t respond but waved his hand dismissively. "If you're fine, get up quickly. Stop playing dead here."
Reluctantly, Jiao Ba got back up, and we continued to push the coffin lid. With a loud crash, the coffin finally opened. I was nearly exhausted; why did this coffin lid have to be so heavy?
But this time Jiao Ba seemed full of energy. He pulled me back several steps and stared intently at the coffin. Just as I was about to speak, he interrupted me, "Don't say anything yet; let's wait patiently for a moment."
We stared at the coffin for several minutes without seeing anything happen. Finally, Jiao Ba beckoned me over to take a look. We walked to the side of the coffin, and by the moonlight streaming in through the window, I saw someone lying inside, but I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.
Jiao Ba lit his lighter and began looking down from above. Strangely enough, the head of the corpse was covered with a piece of black cloth that obscured its entire face; it was impossible to see what it looked like. What could this mean?
I whispered, "Lao Ba, why is there a cloth covering the corpse?"
"Shh... don’t make any noise; just look carefully," Jiao Ba instructed as he moved the lighter downwards.
At the neck area below, I noticed a small yellow paper with a red seal drawn on it. It looked exactly like the talisman from before with Coffin Corpse; this was enough proof that whoever opened this coffin was indeed that Cat-Eyed Man in Black. This confirmed what Jiao Ba had said: this was indeed a Demon Worm Corpse.
"Lao Ba, look! There's a talisman; it seems like that man in black did this," I said excitedly, not quite sure why I felt so thrilled.
Jiao Ba grunted in acknowledgment but didn’t say anything more. His shifty eyes scanned every corner of the coffin. The corpse was covered with a layer of bedding that had decayed beyond recognition.
Jiao Bayi tossed aside the bedding covering the corpse, revealing it completely before us. With the light from the fire, I examined it closely.
The clothes worn by this person were splendid, made of golden silk satin, and I could tell at a glance that they were typical attire from the Ming Dynasty, specifically women's clothing. From this, I could conclude that this corpse was also a woman. Her garments showed no signs of damage and remained in excellent condition.
The woman lay flat in the coffin, her right hand resting on her abdomen, adorned with a Jade Bracelet on her wrist. Her left hand was clenched into a fist beneath her right hand. The skin on both hands was still intact, and the complexion appeared glossy, almost indistinguishable from that of a living person.
I truly began to admire the creators of the Demon Worm Corpse; they managed to preserve the dead so well that even with today's advanced technology, it seemed impossible to achieve such an effect.
At the feet of the female corpse were a pair of exquisite Ming Dynasty women's shoes, the kind exclusive to that era's high-heeled footwear. However, aside from these items, no other burial goods were found in the coffin.
"Could it be that there's nothing else?" I glanced at Jiao Bayi.
He reached out and rummaged around but found nothing. "Indeed, there’s really nothing here. However, this black cloth is quite strange; it seems like it was deliberately left behind by that man in black," Jiao Ba remarked, referring to the black cloth covering the female corpse's face.
"Left behind? What the hell is wrong with him? Why leave a piece of rag?" I was puzzled as to why he would cover the face of this woman. Was it because she looked too outlandish?
Jiao Ba looked at me and said, "Why don’t we take it off and see for ourselves?"
As he spoke, my heart began to race; something felt off, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was. Still, I stubbornly replied, "Go ahead; who is he trying to scare?"
I stepped forward and yanked off the black cloth. But when I saw the face of the female corpse, I screamed in shock and nearly fell to the ground. "My God, how could it be her..."
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