Chapter 322: 322 Crows and Humans

Any problems... how could this possibly be without problems?

Although that wasn't the real third-generation director—just the obsession left behind because he failed to become the strongest smith—it looked indistinguishable from a living man, and the director had not only dragged me to dig up graves, but even wanted to steal an old man's coffin lid; it was just plain unsettling to think about.

But... compared to this moral flaw, it was clearly more important to treat Senior Emma's injuries first, so I could only apologize in advance to the old director.

After silently apologizing to the third-generation director with a twinge of guilt, Li Ang carried his coffin lid out of the graveyard and ran toward a derelict lakeside cabin... where the director had temporarily left Senior Emma before leading him to dig up the grave.

"Keep an eye on the graveyard! If anything moves, call me!"

After instructing the crocodile lounging by the door, Li Ang carried the third-generation director's coffin into the cabin, ready to repair Senior Emma's damaged body using the director's method—when he suddenly realized the cabin was empty; Senior Emma, who had been lying on an old wooden bed, had vanished.?!!!

Where is she? Wasn't that crocodile supposed to be guarding the door? How did she disappear?

Startled by Senior Emma's sudden disappearance, Li Ang immediately dropped the third-generation director's coffin lid and rushed outside to question the crocodile guardian—only to see a familiar silhouette by the lakeside not far from the cabin.

"Li Ang?"

As if sensing the disturbance, the tall, beautiful woman by the lake turned slightly, her light chestnut hair gently falling over her shoulders, revealing a slender, pale neck and a gentle, smiling face.

Even though the background behind her wasn't blue sky and emerald sea, but a pitch-black lake of the dead and a lifeless, gray-hazed sky, Senior Emma's mature, tender smile still suddenly calmed Li Ang's heart.

"You're awake..."

After uttering a completely pointless remark, Li Ang set down the struggling crocodile in his arms and walked toward Senior Emma, who sat on a round stone by the lake.

"Senior Emma."

Arriving beside the white round stone where Senior Emma sat, Li Ang spoke with growing urgency:

"The director found an anomaly that can repair your physical injuries—just sit inside for a while and you'll be fine. I just brought it back; you should hurry and..."

"Look at the birds over the lake."

Interrupting Li Ang, Senior Emma turned back to gaze silently at the circling Death Crows above the black lake, her expression calm as she asked:

"Li Ang, do you know what they represent?"

"..."

Are you... seeing these Death Crows and feeling moved, wanting to talk to me?

Uh... I don't mind listening to you open up—in fact, I'm happy to be a quiet listener—but isn't now a bad time?

The director's still holding off the third-generation director, and we're supposed to return the coffin lid after using it. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to just start chatting here?

"It seems the director must have told you."

Seeing Li Ang's face filled with "on the verge of speaking but holding back," Senior Emma smiled again, then softly, with a touch of loneliness:

"These Death Crows aren't mine—they belonged to my clan members who died six years ago. Since that day, when I inherited their lives, I also inherited these Death Crows of theirs.

Though I've never gone this deep, I've secretly come to the Land of the Dead many times and seen them many times; the more I came, the more I could faintly recognize which crow belonged to whom."

"..."

"The one flying highest, refusing to land, desperately staying away from me—that's my grandfather's crow... these birds inherit fragments of the living's consciousness, and like my grandfather, it never once turned to look at me even at the end."

"The one resting on the shore—that's my mother's crow. It often watches me silently, but only watches. The moment I move toward it, it flies far away, refusing any contact."

"The only one that comes near me—that's my sister's crow. She was a few years younger than your sister, always a mischievous child, always clinging to me..."

"..."

Though reason told Li Ang he should immediately interrupt Senior Emma's narration and urge her to lie in the third-generation director's coffin for healing,

Listening to her recount each crow's origin, recalling the loved ones they represented, the words he'd been about to say felt blocked by something, unable to escape his lips—until the crocodile behind him let out a low "gurgle."

No more delays!

Glancing back toward the graveyard and seeing the signal the red-haired director had agreed upon, Li Ang suddenly stood up before Senior Emma's startled gaze, returned to the half-collapsed lakeside cabin, and carried out the third-generation director's coffin lid.

"Senior Emma, I don't mind hearing these stories—but this thing, I stole... uh... I and the director borrowed it from Third-Generation Sir, and we didn't even tell him we were taking it.

So we can't keep using it. We can only use it briefly, and after we're done, we must quickly sneak it back—so could you lie inside first? I'll close the lid, and then we can talk?"

"..."

If you close the lid, I won't see anything—then what's there to talk about?

Giving Li Ang a slightly reproachful look, knowing he was too shy to interrupt her, Senior Emma shook her head, softly murmured "hmm," then rose from the round stone and lay down inside the empty coffin.

"Li Ang, don't close it, please?"

Gently pressing her hand against his wrist to stop him from lowering the lid, Senior Emma gazed dreamily at the circling crows above, her voice soft and tender as she pleaded:

"At the edge of the Land of the Dead, these Death Crows fly so high they're barely black dots. This is the first time they've come this close—I want to watch them a little longer."

"But if you don't close it, won't it affect the healing? And after we return it, we can come back..."

"It's fine. As long as most of the damage is fixed, I can slowly heal the rest myself."

"Alright then..."

Seeing the faint plea in Senior Emma's clear eyes, Li Ang's resolve softened. He stopped pressing, lifted one side of the coffin, and positioned it at an angle where she could still see the lake and the crows, resting it against his chest.

"..."

"Thank you."