The coffin lid was pried open, and the heavy cover was set aside. A foul stench of decay wafted out.
Cang Lang glanced inside, and his expression immediately changed.
Tang Ning couldn't help but step forward. When she looked down and saw the contents of the coffin, her face turned deathly pale. In the next moment, a figure beside her reached out to cover her eyes, pulling her into a protective embrace.
"Don't look!"
Xiao Yan's deep voice sounded as he shielded Tang Ning's eyes, but it was already too late.
His palm was instantly soaked with tears, and the person in his arms trembled violently, her eyelashes fluttering.
Inside the coffin, the two skeletons had long since decayed, leaving only bones and hair. However, the remains, which should have been neatly arranged, appeared to have been disturbed. One of the skeletons was separated from its head, its bones "entangled" with the other. It seemed that whoever had disturbed the coffin had done so carelessly, only interested in what was inside. The clothes on the skeletons had been torn apart, and the bones were scattered everywhere, with broken pieces lying haphazardly within the coffin.
The inside of the coffin was lined with faded and corroded yellow talismans. The bones, which should have been a dull yellow, were stained with what looked like dried blood, giving the entire interior a sinister, dark brown hue.
Tang Ning clutched Xiao Yan's sleeve tightly, wanting to speak but unable to utter a single word. Tears streamed down her face as overwhelming rage filled her chest. She trembled so violently that it seemed as if her breath had been cut off, and she began to collapse.
Xiao Yan noticed something was wrong and quickly released her, only to see Tang Ning's face turning blue, as if she had lost all strength.
"Tang Ning!"
Xiao Yan hurriedly laid her on the ground, cradling her and pressing his fingers against her philtrum.
"Breathe... Tang Ning..."
"Breathe, listen to me!"
Xiao Yan's voice grew increasingly urgent, but Tang Ning only gasped, her chest heaving as if she couldn't hear anything from the outside world.
"My lady!"
Cang Lang rushed over in panic, and the other black-armored guards also looked alarmed. Seeing Tang Ning in Xiao Yan's arms, refusing to breathe, her face turning purple from suffocation, as if she was about to pass out, Cang Lang was about to speak when Xiao Yan's eyes darkened. Suddenly, he leaned down, pressing his lips against Tang Ning's.
The surroundings fell silent, and everyone's eyes widened.
The Governor... he...
Cang Lang was stunned for a moment, but when he regained his senses, he barked at the others, "Turn around! Close your eyes!"
The black-armored guards immediately turned away and shut their eyes.
Xiao Yan seemed oblivious to the commotion around him. He continued to press his lips against Tang Ning's, the soft touch devoid of any inappropriate thoughts. He simply held the person in his arms, breathing air into her.
Their breaths mingled, and after a moment, he felt her throat move as she began to breathe again.
Xiao Yan's tightly wound heart finally relaxed. He pulled her into a tight embrace, gently stroking her back as he whispered, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Tang Ning leaned against his chest, her breathing ragged. As if hearing the repeated words "Don't be afraid" in her ear, the air flowing into her throat made her feel as if she had come back to life.
Her chin rested against the man's chest, and suddenly, she began to cry, clutching his clothes tightly.
"Brother, I want to kill them! I want to kill them!!"
Her father and mother were already dead. Why couldn't they rest in peace even after death?
She wanted to kill whoever had disturbed their coffin. She wanted to kill them!!!
Xiao Yan listened to the girl's heart-wrenching sobs, holding her tightly in his arms. As his clothes were soaked with her tears, it felt as if his heart had also been submerged in that sea of sorrow.
He held the trembling girl, his dark eyes icy cold.
"Alright, we'll kill them."
...
Gu Helian left quickly and returned just as fast. When he dismounted, two men were thrown to the ground.
Song Wenli and the others also returned. When they saw the state of Song Xi and his wife's coffin, Gu Helian was so furious he nearly killed someone on the spot. The Song family members turned pale, trembling as they looked at Xiao Yan's cold, menacing gaze, realizing that trouble had come.
The "gravekeepers" who had been brought over knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
"We... we really don't know what happened. We were ordered by the master to stay in Shang'an Village to guard the graves. Although it's some distance away, we take turns patrolling the cemetery every day. We even clean the area every few days. It's impossible for anyone to have opened the coffin."
Another man was also trembling. "After the second master and his wife were buried here, no one has touched the grave. Back then... back then the tomb wasn't like this. How could it... how could it have become like this..."
When Song Xi and his wife were buried, these men had also been present. The coffin had been personally chosen by the Rong family, and members of both the Song and Rong families had witnessed the burial. The coffin had been clean that day, and the deep pit for the burial had been dug in advance. There was no way these things could have been inside.
But those talismans...
The two "gravekeepers" were terrified out of their wits.
Tang Ning's eyes were red and swollen. Perhaps she had already vented her emotions, or perhaps the hand gently supporting her had given her strength. She was now able to calm down.
"After my parents were buried, have you been the ones guarding the Song family's graves?"
The two men quickly nodded. One of them stammered, "We brothers are both born servants of the Song family. We've always stayed in Shang'an Village. Not only do we take turns patrolling, but the villagers hired by the master also keep an eye on the area. The ancestral graves are here, and we dare not neglect them."
Their parents, children, and their own contracts were all tied to the Song family. If anything happened to the ancestral graves, their entire families would be doomed.
Tang Ning asked hoarsely, "What if someone came here secretly..."
"That's impossible."
The older man said urgently, "This place is on high ground. Although it's surrounded by dense forests, it faces our village directly. There's only one path down the mountain, and it passes through the village."
"The County Princess and the other officials were allowed to come today because the master's family had informed us in advance. But if anyone else tried to come here secretly, they wouldn't be able to hide from the villagers working in the fields during the day. At night, carrying torches would make them even more noticeable."
Gu Helian said coldly, "He's not lying."
The forest was dense and shaded. Without torches, it would be impossible to see the path clearly. When he had taken people to the village earlier, he had also noticed that this mountain faced the village directly. From the village, the faint light of torches on the mountain could be seen. Moreover, the farmland at the foot of the mountain was thriving, indicating that it was well-maintained.
Xiao Yan asked sternly, "You come here every day without fail?"
The man was about to say that they never missed a day when he suddenly hesitated.
Gu Helian kicked him. "Speak up! If you dare lie, I'll take your head!"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare lie! We do come here every day, even in wind or rain. But... but..."
"But what?" Gu Helian barked.
The man hesitated, glancing at the Song family members.
===========
You can read ahead to chapterr 234 (100+ extra chapters) here
Comments
Post a Comment