TEFSCBSS Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Digging Graves

Unfortunately, no one cared about what Wang Bokao had to say. The villagers carrying the coffin and escorting him to the altar were only focused on reaching their destination as quickly as possible and completing their task.

Finally—bang!—Wang Bokao felt himself being thrown to the ground. There was a lot of noise outside, but his head was spinning so much that he couldn’t make out a single word.

Once everything around him fell silent, he cautiously lifted the coffin lid. After confirming that no one was around, he quickly crawled out.

“You all better wait for me! Once I get out of here, I’m filing a complaint with your boss!”

Muttering to himself, he swiftly ducked into a concealed pile of grass nearby and checked his belongings.

“Hmm, the script still only has Act One.”

“Hmm, my paper and pen are new—damn it, all my notes are gone.”

“Hmm, the steamed bun is still warm, but don’t think I didn’t notice—this one has an extra fingerprint on it compared to the last time I packed it! Ugh! Who knows who touched it? And they expect me to eat this dirty bun?!”

(Meanwhile, outside the village of Shanshi, Zhao Si was peacefully enjoying his tea in the rest area—until he suddenly sneezed. Achoo! Was someone thinking about him?)

Wang Bokao flopped onto the ground like a deflated pancake. “Ugh, I’m exhausted. I need Lao Han. I need my dear Ertong!”

Perhaps the heavens were moved by his despair because, in the middle of the empty altar, a figure dressed in red suddenly appeared…

—

Meanwhile, at another location, Zhao Wen and the others had been searching the ancestral hall for quite some time. Eventually, they found a logbook from Shanshi Village. The text was all in classical Chinese, but thanks to Gu Qing, they managed to stumble their way through its contents.

As it turned out, the records closely matched their previous deductions—it was all about the history of Shanshi Village and the later tragedies that unfolded.

“This confirms what we suspected, but what do we do next?” Wan Niang sighed, rubbing her temples. They had run out of leads and felt utterly lost.

Zhao Wen remained silent, deep in thought. Then, suddenly, he clapped his hands. “We can try to prevent some things from happening and see if that changes the outcome!”

“Last time, we observed the ritual, and in the end, it failed—probably because someone killed Wuzhen.” As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Li Tiechui. But with his soot-blackened face, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Zhao Wen withdrew his gaze and continued, “This time, we can make sure Wuzhen stays safe so the monks can complete their ritual. Then we’ll see what happens.”

“Also, from what we overheard last time, it seems that the female ghost broke free and started slaughtering the villagers because her portrait was burned. If that’s the case, maybe we can stop the fire from happening this time.”

“If none of the disasters occur, we might witness the monks’ true intentions being exposed. Then we can see how the villagers react—and maybe find a way to escape the village.”

Wan Niang nodded. There weren’t many other options, and Zhao Wen’s plan made sense.

Still, one thing puzzled her. People said that getting placed inside a coffin caused a soul exchange, but when she was stuffed into one, nothing happened to her.

Why?

She turned to Li Tiechui and asked, “Brother Li, after you were swapped last round, did you notice any differences? Did you know your soul had been exchanged?”

Li Tiechui hesitated before nodding. “They give you a new script with a new identity and mission.”

Wan Niang frowned, now even more confused. It seemed she hadn’t been affected by the soul-swapping ritual. Was it because she was a woman and excluded from the process? Or was there another reason?

Right—this time, it was Wang Bokao who had been taken to her courtyard. Maybe she could find a chance to ask him if he noticed anything strange.

“I agree with Zhao Wen’s plan,” she said, “but first, I want to find Wang Bokao.”

“Hah? We don’t even know where he is right now,” someone remarked.

“Uh…” Wan Niang felt a little awkward. She couldn’t reveal what had happened in the previous round, so she had to come up with an excuse. “Maybe we should check the altar? We all end up gathering there in the end anyway, so why not get there early and wait for him?”

Zhao Wen shook his head. “There’s still plenty of time before the ritual. No need to rush. Besides, we haven’t even checked the graveyard yet.”

“Alright, let’s check the graveyard first, then head to the altar.”

The other three agreed, so they left the ancestral hall and made their way toward the graveyard in the back.

At this moment, the graveyard remained undisturbed. The mounds stood intact, undamaged. If not for a nameless stone stele standing at the front, one might have mistaken it for just an ordinary patch of land.

Zhao Wen carefully examined the spot where he had dug last time. The uneven holes and disturbances had been completely restored—there wasn’t a single trace of the previous excavation.

“This level of detail from Su Li is insane. If we hadn’t all experienced the last round, someone might believe it was just a dream.”

He picked up a few shovels that had been left scattered in the corner. “Alright, everyone—we’re digging up the grave.”

…???

Gu Qing looked at him in bewilderment. Wait—who the hell sees a grave and immediately thinks, Let’s dig it up?

Even Li Tiechui, standing off to the side, seemed slightly disapproving.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Zhao Wen asked. “Last time, Zhao Si told me to dig here. I just felt it was disrespectful to the dead, so I chose to dig in the dirt beside the grave instead.”

“But now we know this grave is empty. There’s no harm in digging it up, and maybe we’ll find new clues.”

Though still reluctant, the group eventually started digging.

Sure enough—the grave was empty. There wasn’t even a coffin inside.

However, this time, after clearing the dirt together, they discovered something different.

The soil here was darker and fouler-smelling than the rest. And at the very bottom of the empty grave, they found an old wooden board. It looked like—

“A cellar entrance,” Zhao Wen muttered.

A thick chain was fastened across it, but years of corrosion had rusted it badly. Li Tiechui stepped forward, gave it a hard tug, and the chain snapped off instantly.

“I’m the oldest one here, so I’ll go down first to check if it’s safe. You guys can follow after.”

Without hesitation, he lifted the wooden board. A wave of putrid stench surged up from below, so thick and vile that they instinctively covered their noses. Zhao Wen, being more experienced, stuffed paper into his nostrils.

Li Tiechui craned his neck to look down, but it was pitch black—he couldn’t see a thing.

Zhao Wen handed him a paper lantern. “Here. I took this from the ancestral hall and lit it. Take it with you.”

Li Tiechui accepted the lantern and gave Zhao Wen a long, meaningful look before patting him on the shoulder. Then, without hesitation, he descended the old stone steps into the darkness.

From below, strange noises echoed up. A wet, squelching sound—plop, plop—followed by the creaking of something being pried open, then a series of faint click, clack noises.

They waited.

Several moments later, Li Tiechui’s voice called out from the depths. “It’s safe. Come down.”

Zhao Wen picked up a shovel and gave it a quick swing. “You two go first. I’ll cover the rear.”