Chapter 21: Seven Stars: Blue-Eyed Fox Corpse

I was stunned, thinking, that voice sounds so familiar—isn't that Third Uncle? Isn't he still on the cliff? How does it sound like it's coming from nearby? I quickly turned to look for him, but found no one else around except Fatty. Confused, I suddenly heard Third Uncle again: "There's blood energy on your hand. If you put it into the corpse's mouth, it will immediately reanimate. Don't do anything rash."

I looked everywhere for the source of the voice, and finally realized it was coming from beneath this jade platform. But the jade platform was so richly colored that I couldn't see what was underneath it at all. I hurriedly asked, "Third Uncle, are you under this jade platform?"

Third Uncle said, "I'll explain later. Do as I say: lower the female corpse's head, press your thumb against her throat, and then tap the back of her head. Remember, you must hold her throat firmly, otherwise she'll swallow the key!" I acknowledged and followed his instructions. I pressed the female corpse's throat and gave a gentle tap. A key fell out of her mouth. As soon as the key dropped onto the jade platform, I felt a release in my shoulders. The female corpse's arms dropped, and her body lay flat on the jade platform.

I let out a long breath, thinking, finally free. Then I heard Third Uncle from below again: "Nephew, is there a fat man beside you?"

I looked up at Fatty. He had already picked up the fallen key and was examining it closely. I nodded and said, "Yes."

Third Uncle suddenly asked in Hangzhou dialect: "Check if he has a shadow."

I was taken aback and didn't quite understand what he meant. Reflexively, I glanced at Fatty's feet. His shadow was blocked by the shadow of the jade bed, so unless I leaned out, I couldn't tell if he had one. Somewhat puzzled, I said, "I can't see clearly right now."

Third Uncle's voice sounded very tense. He said to me: "Listen, I'm going to tell you something. Don't be afraid. On my way here, I saw Fatty's corpse. You must be careful. The Fatty in front of you might not be human."

I looked at Fatty. His face was rosy, and his demeanor and movements didn't seem ghostly at all. I couldn't help but wonder: "Third Uncle, could you be mistaken?"

Third Uncle said: "No, it was definitely him. I couldn't be wrong. He's probably one of the grave robbers from the previous batch. Wasn't he just urging you to put your hand into the female corpse's mouth? That was trying to harm you!"

I suddenly felt terrified and asked: "So according to you, the Fatty in front of me is a ghost?"

Third Uncle said: "Yes. No matter what he says, don't believe him. Quickly find something to ward off evil around you."

At that moment, Fatty looked up at me. I suddenly felt his gaze was extremely eerie, full of malice. I was half convinced. I fumbled around and touched the armored corpse's belt, which was still attached to the scabbard of its sword. I thought that ancients usually carved ghost-repelling inscriptions on their belts, so I quickly picked it up.

Although the characters on the belt were very faint, I could still tell at a glance that they were indeed Lu State script. Could this person really be King Lu Shang? And who was the female corpse beside him? His wife? These thoughts flashed through my mind as my eyes scanned the belt. Most of the characters I couldn't understand, but there was a phrase "Yin Xi Bao Di" written in gold powder, which was still easily recognizable—it was indeed a ghost-repelling spell. I felt a surge of joy.

At this point, I thought of something and asked Third Uncle: "Strange, this jade bed is not transparent. How can you see us?" Third Uncle said: "I don't know either. When I look up from below, I can see everything clearly, as if it were transparent glass. I was coming over when I saw you about to take the key from the female corpse's mouth, so I called out to you. Luckily, you could hear me. If you had put your hand in, it would have been disastrous."

I grew more puzzled, feeling something was off. I thought: this jade bed isn't wide; the two corpses on it are placed very close together, and the moonlight isn't particularly bright. To see so clearly through two bodies lying side by side under such light seems almost impossible.

I glanced at Fatty again and saw he was still studying the key. Suddenly I felt something wasn't right. Knowing Fatty's personality, even if he didn't understand my Hangzhou dialect, he would have interrupted. There's no way he would just stare at a key for so long without saying a word.

I jumped off the jade bed and patted Fatty on the shoulder, about to test him. Unexpectedly, Fatty reacted violently to that simple pat. His eyes suddenly blazed with anger and he roared: "You son of a bitch, you've been lying to me all along!" Then he raised the sword in his hand and thrust it at me. I was terrified and jumped back several steps, shouting: "What are you doing!"

His eyes were bloodshot; he ignored me completely and charged again with another stab. Fatty's movements were quite sharp. I realized that if I didn't run, I would definitely be stabbed. So I turned and bolted down the stone steps. Fatty yelled, "Run, will you!" and chased after me with all his might, gnashing his teeth as if I had killed his father.

I sprinted desperately along the stone path. Fatty looked bulky but ran incredibly fast. The stone corridor was short; in another moment I would reach the stone altar at the end, beyond which was a ground full of vines. If I stepped into that, I'd probably be tangled up. I was anxious. Could he really be an evil ghost trying to drag me into death? But what kind of ghost uses a knife to stab people?

With that thought, I realized I was almost at the end. I stopped sharply and swung the belt like a whip at him. Fatty dodged. I lunged forward and bit his hand, thinking that I might be the first person in the world to dare bite a ghost. He screamed in pain and dropped the sword. I kicked the sword out of the stone corridor. That move left me open. Fatty pinned me to the ground and said, "I'll strangle you, damn it!" and immediately grabbed my throat. In desperation, I wrapped the belt around his neck, thinking, if you're ruthless, so am I—I'll fight you to the death! I choked him, and he choked me. The key in such a mutual strangling is to kill the other before you suffocate. I saw that Fatty wasn't holding back; he was squeezing so hard my tongue almost stuck out. I used all my strength, putting in the effort I used as a baby nursing. Unexpectedly, the belt, which looked well-preserved, was of such poor quality that with a snap, it broke.

The belt was made of leather with small scale-like copper armor pieces. When the leather broke, the copper pieces scattered like flowers, falling onto my face. One piece engraved with "Yin Xi Bao Di" fell into my open mouth. Suddenly, I felt a bitter liquid instantly flow down my throat. Remembering that the armor piece came from a corpse, I gagged in disgust. Then I felt a dizzying haze, as if I had fallen into a mass of black fog.

I was bewildered, thinking, could I have already been strangled to death by Fatty? The bitterness in my mouth grew stronger, and the scene before me became clearer. Then, with a sudden jolt, I found myself pinned by Fatty on the jade bed. His eyes were green, and he was clutching my throat tightly. The key had not fallen out of the female corpse's mouth, and her arms were still hooked around my shoulders. The scene was extremely chaotic! I then realized that everything before had been an illusion! I turned to look at the Green-Eyed Fox Corpse beside me. Its mask lay on the ground, and the eyes in its narrow slits had turned toward us, staring straight at us.

I thought, not good. No wonder Fatty had told me not to look. The eyes of the Green-Eyed Fox Corpse were so sinister. Given Fatty's strength, even if I was now awake, he would still strangle me to death. I quickly touched my mouth and found that the armor piece had completely melted. In panic, I caught a glimpse of the purple-gold box in the Fox Corpse's hand. Without thinking, I reached out, grabbed it, and smashed it against Fatty's head. Fatty was tough; he cursed and tightened his grip. I thought, you're not trying to strangle me, you're trying to snap my neck! My heart hardened, and a murderous intent arose. When that intent came, the force in my hand changed completely. I heard a crack, Fatty's eyes rolled back, and his whole body shook from the blow. He collapsed onto me. My throat was freed, and I coughed up a mouthful of blood.

At that moment, I suddenly felt as if the Green-Eyed Fox Corpse's eyes had widened. A strange force compelled me to look at it, and my mind began to go hazy again. In desperation, ignoring Fatty, I pushed him onto the corpse. Fatty was quite stout, and he pinned the corpse firmly. With that pressure, the strange feeling instantly disappeared.