chapter 2

When I regained consciousness again, everything before my eyes was pitch black.

The air was stifling, faintly mixed with an earthy, musty smell.

I knew this feeling well-I was inside a coffin, and it had already been buried underground.

All the wounds on my body had been treated and the bleeding stopped, but my limbs were limp and powerless, unable to muster even a bit of strength.

But in this situation, even if the tendons of my hands and feet hadn’t been severed, there was nothing I could do.

Lying in the darkness, my desire to survive only grew stronger.

Before he left, Grandpa had said that there would still be days for the two of us to meet again.

I didn’t believe Grandpa was really dead, and I absolutely couldn’t die like this either!

If someone else were buried alive in a coffin, they might have already panicked or even died of fright, but for me, this was something I was already quite used to.

I replayed the events that happened at the Cao Family over and over in my mind, and finally found a faint glimmer of hope.

I immediately adjusted my state and began to hold my breath.

There is no sense of time in a coffin.

I didn’t know how long had passed when I was startled awake by a sudden “thud.”

Then came several more “thud thud” sounds.

I suddenly realized that must be the sound of coffin nails being pried out.

“You said Miss told us to bury the kid, and now she suddenly wants us to dig him up again. What’s she up to?” a voice faintly came from outside.

“Why do you care so much? Can we possibly guess what’s on Miss’s mind?” another voice replied.

“That’s true, but our Miss is really… really scary!” The first person’s voice trembled.

“Are you looking to die? Watch your mouth!” the other quickly scolded.

“Alright, alright, I won’t say any more.”

The two continued working, pulling out the coffin nails one by one, then began to push the coffin lid together.

“Damn, this thing is heavy as hell!” one of them complained.

“Do you think the kid inside might…” the other asked nervously.

“What nonsense are you spouting? He’s been buried for seven days-don’t tell me you think he’s still alive?” the other cursed.

“No, I’m not afraid he’s alive, I’m afraid… afraid of something else. I heard Grave Mound Ridge is really haunted, and tonight is the Fifteenth of July…”

“Shut up, you’re jinxing us!”

With a loud rumble, it sounded like the two of them had finally pushed the coffin lid open.

Back then, Cao Xuerong had sworn an oath that I would never be able to reincarnate!

If that was the case, she couldn’t possibly leave me buried underground forever-eventually, she would have to dig me up.

That was the slim chance I was betting on!

Now it seemed I had bet right, but if not for my unusual experiences since childhood, I could never have survived in the coffin for seven days.

It was as if fate had decreed it.

“This kid’s corpse looks strange-how come there aren’t even any livor mortis marks?”

As I was lifted out, one of them exclaimed in surprise.

“Livor mortis, my ass! Hurry up and carry him!”

“Why do I have to carry him?”

“Look at you, such a coward. We’ll take turns, alright?”

The two of them cursed and grumbled, then hoisted me up and started down the mountain.

Before long, thunder rumbled across the sky.

“What the hell is with this weather? Why is it suddenly going to rain?” one of them cursed.

“Brother Hao, didn’t I just say Grave Mound Ridge is haunted? They say every Fifteenth of July, there’s always thunder on this mountain-never an exception.”

“Where do you get all this crap? Miss told us to use ninety-nine nails to pin this kid to the Mulberry Tree, and we have to finish before tonight. Time’s tight, so hurry up!” Brother Hao urged.

“Come on, man! Can you not say this stuff in front of the kid? What if he gets agitated and there’s a zombie resurrection?”

“Zombie resurrection, my ass…” Brother Hao cursed, turning his head.

I slowly rolled my eyes back, exposing the whites, and grinned at Brother Hao.

A clap of thunder split the sky, followed by a flash of lightning.

“He’s… he’s resurrected!” Brother Hao screamed and bolted.

I opened my mouth and bit down on the ear of the one carrying me. Amid his heart-wrenching screams, he flung me off.

The two of them tumbled and scrambled down the mountain in terror.

I lay on the ground for a while. Seeing some grass growing nearby, I crawled over, stuffed it into my mouth, chewed, and swallowed the bitter juice.

I ate until I couldn’t swallow anymore, then started crawling deeper into the ridge.

They were only scared off for the moment. If they came to their senses, they’d definitely come back for me.

The mountain path was rugged-walking was hard enough, let alone crawling. A single misstep and I tumbled down, nearly plunging headlong into a deep ravine.

My limbs were weak, so I even used my teeth, biting onto an exposed tree root to pull myself back up.

Thunder rumbled overhead from time to time.

I was already at my limit. If a torrential rain started, I’d have no way out but death.

In the darkness, I didn’t know how long I crawled. My strength was spent, and my mind began to blur.

“I still have to live as long as the Southern Mountains…”

I muttered, then bit my tongue hard to stay awake.

After crawling a bit more, another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and in that sudden brightness, I saw a Small Temple appear ahead.

I was both shocked and overjoyed, like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline. I struggled to crawl forward, but I was truly exhausted. Though the Small Temple seemed close, it felt as distant as the horizon.

Suddenly, I vaguely saw someone standing in front of the Small Temple, watching me.

I opened my mouth to shout, but the thunder drowned out my voice.

When I finally crawled to the temple door, by the light shining from inside, I saw clearly that it was an Old Granny in black clothes, her hair white as snow.

She had clearly seen me, but her face was expressionless as she turned and went inside.

I struggled to the threshold, but couldn’t get over it. Pushing myself, I grew dizzy, and suddenly felt a tightness around my neck.

At some point, the Old Granny had appeared before me, and with one hand, she lifted me into the Small Temple.