The Demon's Chosen.

Ancient Divine Sword

It's precisely because these coffins deteriorate so quickly that the custom of exhumation after three years came to be. During those three years, the bereaved families hustle to save enough money to afford a better coffin, waiting for the three-year period to end to transfer the deceased to a new "home." However, as the saying goes: "Three years of rain doesn't guarantee sunshine, nor does three years of sunshine guarantee rain." Sometimes, three years is too short a period to change one's fortune, and some families, despite saving, cannot afford a new coffin. So, when it's time for the exhumation, they resign to collecting the bones into a ceramic jar, settling their hearts while fulfilling familial piety.

Yet, if by some misfortune the flesh has not fully decomposed at the time of exhumation, a new profession emerges: skinning and deboning the dead. It's uncertain how the living might feel about this, but if the dead could speak, perhaps they would say: why not let everything be, so they can rest in peace for eternity? The coffin, no matter how unsightly, has been a familiar resting place for three years, and now, while sleeping soundly, they are suddenly woken up, skinned, and deboned.

The next tier of coffins is the most common, used by the majority. This type is made of sturdier wood, which nearly guarantees no damage within three years, ensuring that the occupant inside is not disturbed.

Ranked a tier above the sturdy coffins are those made of aromatic wood. The more essential oils they contain, the more fragrant they are. This fragrance not only preserves the deceased inside to remain fresh and clean but also allows the living outside to appreciate it.

The final line of premium coffins was made from a type of wood that also had a pleasant scent but of higher quality, a fragrance that could spread far and last incredibly long. The coffin was exceptionally sturdy in a special way, heavy on the ground but buoyant in water. A body laid inside for three years would be preserved almost as if it were still alive.

Legend has it that when Qin Shi Huang died, he was buried in a coffin made from Phoebe zhennan wood, whose fragrance was so unique it spread over a mile, permeating the entire imperial palace, retaining its scent for a thousand years without fading. Those alive who smelled it felt extremely refreshed, their minds clear, feeling as though they could live several years longer. It remains unclear where this wood was sourced, but since then, no second coffin of the same kind has been made. Unfortunately, descendants have not been able to locate Qin Shi Huang's exact burial coffin to verify the scent and its preservation qualities.

The coffin that the group was carrying was likely the cheapest type since the four bearers did not seem to struggle much, unlike if it were a more solid coffin, which would not be so easily carried by just four people.

"How strange!" Dominic whispered suspiciously.

"Do you notice something odd?" Leanne asked.

"It's strange that the funeral procession shows no sorrow or crying; the person inside the coffin seems to have no relation to these people at all." Aurora replied in his stead.

"No, what I find odd is why hold a funeral at such a late hour? Could something secretive be going on?" Dominic clarified his statement of "how strange."

The three quietly followed the group to an open piece of land near a large tree, where the bearers slowly lowered the coffin to the ground. The flag bearers and drummers also put down their items, lit two more torches, making the scene clearer. Some of them began to dig the earth.

"What's this, carrying the coffin all the way here only to start digging? It's not normal at all." Dominic murmured.

The group quickly dug a deep hole, then jumped down to continue digging, with baskets of earth being steadily brought up, one after another, piling up into a large mound, seemingly without an end. Occasionally, they would switch roles, with those above jumping down to dig, replacing those who came up to dispose of the earth outside.

"It seems they are digging a deeper grave than usual." Aurora observed.

By the end of the fourth watch of the night, the diggers stopped, apparently satisfied with the grave. They quickly climbed out, threaded ropes around the coffin, tied secure knots, then erected a tripod above, beginning to lower the coffin into the newly dug grave.

"What's this?" Dominic couldn't believe what he was seeing, Aurora also showing clear surprise.

The group was lowering the coffin vertically, they were burying a coffin standing up!

Once the coffin touched the bottom of the grave, the group quickly untied the ropes, covered the top with earth. However, they only filled the void beneath the grave to level with the surrounding ground and stopped, not mounding it up like a typical grave.

Finally, one of them lit three sticks of incense, clustering them together on the ground before quickly leaving.

At a glance, it seemed as though they were offering incense to the large tree root, not suggesting that there was a grave underneath.

"What are they hiding in the coffin?" Dominic asked, once the people had walked far away.

"Looking at those three sticks of incense, it's likely that there's a deceased person inside. If it were just an object, there would be no need for incense." Aurora stated confidently.

Leanne, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "There is indeed someone inside the coffin, but this person seems to still be alive."

"A person buried alive? How do you know?" Dominic asked Leanne, astonished.

"They buried the person near that tree root. When they dug the grave, they cut through the roots below and lowered the coffin in. The severed roots touching the outer shell, I can communicate with the surrounding plants and feel the breath of a living person escaping from inside, but the breath has become very weak, sometimes there, sometimes not, and will soon cease altogether."

"These people, with their dubious appearances and actions, there must be some hidden agenda. We need to rescue the person inside first." Dominic said. After seeing that the group had gone far away, he hurriedly ran to the tree root, moved the three sticks of incense aside, and started digging with his hands.

Leanne ran over and said quickly: "The breathing has stopped."

"Both of you step back." Dominic shouted, then unwrapped his sword, drawing it from its sheath. The Emperor Assassination sword appeared, emitting a bright red glow in the dark night, startling Leanne with the sword's aura, forcing her to step back a great distance. Aurora, although not oppressed like Leanne, also stepped back to support her.

"Saving a life is important, you must endure this slight injustice." Dominic spoke to his sword.

Perhaps for the first time, an Ancient Divine Sword was used for digging.

He swung the sword in the air, its blade spinning like a whirlwind, red and shimmering. The air around was drawn into the blade, the wind howling loudly, causing a disturbance in the area, leaves and nearby loose objects were sucked towards the sword's tip.

Having gathered enough force, Dominic thrust the sword into the ground. The earth was upheaved as if a gigantic hand had plunged its fingers into the soil and flung it upwards. The freshly laid soil, not yet compacted, was torn apart by the whirlwind, with dirt and debris flying everywhere, exposing the bare coffin.

He immediately plunged the sword's tip into the top of the coffin, not worried about hitting the person inside since the coffin was buried upright, and the person inside would obviously be at the bottom.

With incredible strength, he lifted the entire coffin out of the grave with one arm and the sword, placing it on the ground next to him. He then quickly thrust the sword into the gap between the coffin's body and lid, prying the lid open to reveal a person lying inside.

This astonishing feat was performed by Dominic in just a few moments, from when Leanne uttered: "The breathing has stopped."

Aurora and Leanne, after regaining their composure, quickly ran to the coffin and peered inside. Inside was a young man, around their age, but his complexion was pale, lips purple, seemingly having stopped breathing.

"Is he dead?" Leanne spoke first.