Chapter 116: Second Master Dou

What I really didn't expect was that Dou Zhile's return actually caused quite a stir.

The next morning after the uncle and nephew returned from the mountain, a line had already formed at the entrance of the Dou family coffin shop.

At first, those in line were all villagers from Wufu Town, most of whom were elderly or seriously ill.

By noon, some outsiders began to arrive as well, driving luxury cars, accompanied by bodyguards, bowing and scraping as they handed over invitations, hoping to meet Dou Er Ye.

I once heard my grandmother say that coffin making is one of the four yin trades, with many particular rules.

Ordinary coffin makers, like Dou Jinsuo, can only make coffins for the dead.

Ninety-nine percent of coffin makers in the world belong to this category.

The remaining one percent is divided into four grades according to skill level: Black Plumb Line, Red Plumb Line, Gold Plumb Line, and Blood Plumb Line.

The so‑called "plumb line" refers to the carpenter's ink marker.

It is said that a skilled coffin maker can, with the first line snapped from his ink marker, distinguish good from evil, determine fortune or misfortune, and judge life or death.

Gold and Blood Plumb Line coffin makers are rare; it is said they can freely walk between yin and yang, appear and disappear mysteriously, have eccentric tempers, and are hard to get along with.

A Black Plumb Line coffin maker can make coffins for the living, and reaching the Red Plumb Line already makes one as rare as a phoenix feather or unicorn horn in this world.

I don't know which grade Dou Zhile belongs to, but judging from the grandeur of his return, it's probably more than just Black Plumb Line.

The people from Wufu Town who seek Dou Zhile are all having coffins made for the living; they just want him to tell them how long they have left to live so they can prepare in advance.

As for those who came later, seeking Dou Zhile for what purpose, I have no idea.

But I can roughly guess: it's nothing more than seeking wealth, power, or fame.

I wouldn't rule out those who want to defy heaven and change fate, but whether Dou Zhile has the ability to do so, and whether he is willing to bear such karma, is another matter.

All day long, the entrance of the Dou family coffin shop was noisy, but the gate remained shut.

Li Qingying kept an eye on the situation over there, and until evening she ran back to tell me, "Xiao Jiu, Dou Jinsuo has put forward a condition."

"Huh?" I said, puzzled, "What condition?"

Li Qingying said, "Just now, Dou Jinsuo posted a notice saying that whoever produces the Heaven‑Earth Mandarin Duck Hook will get Dou Er Ye's first order after his return."

"Heaven‑Earth Mandarin Duck Hook?" I frowned, "What is that?"

"It's a kind of thing similar to an anchor." Li Qingying asked, "Do you know what a Ruthless Hook is?"

I nodded.

The so‑called Ruthless Hook is a tool used only when a body cannot be fished out of the water; corpses hooked by it are usually torn to pieces.

Li Qingying said, "The destructive power of the Heaven‑Earth Mandarin Duck Hook is about double that of the Ruthless Hook."

I was shocked in my heart and asked again, "Why would Dou Jinsuo propose such an extraordinary condition?"

"I've inquired, and it's related to the death of his parents." Li Qingying said, "It is said that back then, Dou Jinsuo's parents, while making a coffin, were entangled by a vengeful spirit and both jumped into the river. Dou Er Ye led a search for many days, and when they finally found the bodies…… the sight was horrifying. Dou Er Ye immediately recognized that his older brother and sister‑in‑law had not committed suicide, but had been hooked by a Heaven‑Earth Mandarin Duck Hook and dragged through the water, tortured to death."

Dou Er Ye could not find the murderer, felt overwhelming guilt, and thus retreated to the mountains, withdrawing from worldly affairs.

So that's how it is.

Today, Dou Zhile's return, and this first thing he does, is not merely a show of force.

I muttered, "Dou Er Ye wants to trade his first order after returning for the life of his enemy!"

Li Qingying stroked her chin, nodded, then questioned, "His intention should indeed be that, but there's a problem: the real murderer doesn't need to show himself; he could just hire a scapegoat to take the blame, right?"

Li Qingying's statement is correct, but not complete.

"Old Dou may well know who the real murderer is." I said, "What he wants is not to precisely nail the enemy, but to give a warning by striking the mountain to shake the tiger."

The fact that the other party is willing to produce the Heaven‑Earth Mandarin Duck Hook shows they urgently need this order.

Since the other party is willing to take this step, the Dou family will be forever entangled with them.

Taking revenge is merely a matter of time.

Dou Zhile isn't afraid to wait; after experiencing last night's events, his willingness to return to the Dou family shows he has come to full understanding.

For now I'm still glad that at least he isn't my enemy; otherwise my days would be even harder.

But who would have known that I am already the most important link in his revenge plan?

The line at the Dou family gate stretched for three full days.

Three days later, as dusk approached, the gate of the Dou family coffin shop opened; Dou Jinsuo lifted a white lantern and hung it under the eaves, then told the crowd, "Second Uncle's first order has already been delivered. Please go home; the shop will reopen in a week, and at that time please come early, Big Family."

The people lingered at the coffin shop's entrance for a long time, but in the end they could only leave reluctantly, agreeing to return after a week.

Just as I and Li Qingying were guessing who had so quickly delivered the Heaven‑Earth Mandarin Duck Hook to the Dou family, Dou Zhile stepped one foot into the pawn shop's door.

Li Qingying and I were stunned, watching him hold a cloth bundle, walk straight to the counter, set the bundle down, and say, "Girl, I'm here to pawn something."

With a clang, the contents were heavy; the impact sound was loud, making the counter shudder.

At that moment I felt a sudden ominous premonition.

Out of politeness I still said, "Old Dou, please have a seat; Sister Qingying, pour Old Dou a cup of tea."

Li Qingying went at once.

I opened the cloth bundle and took a look inside.

What met my eyes was a large lump of dark, cold, hard metal piled together; I couldn't see the whole shape, but I realized it was probably the Heaven‑Earth Mandarin Duck Hook.

Li Qingying placed the teacup before Dou Zhile; he didn't take it, just stared at me and asked, "How about it, girl—do you dare to accept it?"

It's not "Will you accept it?" but "Do you dare to accept it?"

A sense of pressure came over me all at once.

Dou Zhile is a living person; this order is a yang task, so I have the right to refuse outright.

But earlier on the mountain I had actually tried to persuade him to come down and take revenge; now that he really has come down, I don't dare to accept someone else's belongings, and I feel a bit embarrassed.

I've basically lifted a stone only to drop it on my own foot.

My mind raced, analyzing the purpose behind Dou Zhile's action.

This Heaven‑Earth Mandarin Duck Hook is the weapon that killed Dou Jinsuo's parents; it is Dou Zhile's first order upon returning to the coffin shop, and its significance is extraordinary.

Dou Zhile now wants to pawn it at Dang Pu, and if Dang Pu accepts this thing, it will have the responsibility to help the Dou family find the murderer.

So… Dou Zhile intends to use this Qiankun Mandarin Duck Hook to tightly bind the Dou family and Dang Pu together.

He, will be my ally!

And this ally, after observing him these past few days, I am also quite satisfied.

Thinking of this, I laughed: "Take it! Dou Lao dares to pawn it, I Xiao Jiu dare to accept it!"