I looked at the villagers gathering at my doorstep, drawn in by the strange fragrance, their curious eyes filled with speculation. My mind was in chaos.
At this point, I dared not conceal the truth any longer. I spilled everything my grandfather had secretly done over the years.
My father, an honest man his whole life, could not suppress his anger upon hearing it. He furiously kicked my grandfather's coffin plank twice.
It was my second uncle, who had spent years wandering outside the village, who calmed down first. He turned to me and asked how much I had learned from my grandfather over the years.
I answered truthfully, "Bits and pieces."
Without questioning whether my grandfather's knowledge was reliable, my second uncle looked at me and asked, "What do we do now?"
Ah!
What do we do?
I froze. But since I had promised my grandfather, I had to come up with a plan, no matter what happened.
I took a deep breath and looked at the female corpse lying motionless on the bed, as if she were merely asleep. My emotions were complicated.
In this situation, the best choice was undoubtedly to burn her.
But after so many years of my grandfather's constant teachings and indoctrination, the moment I opened the coffin, something unexplainable stirred within me.
However, even a three-year-old child knows that the dead cannot be taken as a wife.
I clenched my teeth, steeled myself, and was about to suggest burning the corpse alongside my grandfather's burial. But then, I suddenly recalled my grandfather's words—corpse fragrance is the same as elixir fragrance.
In other words, the female corpse had already developed an internal elixir, meaning she was likely of extraordinary origins and could not be burned.
For ten years, my grandfather had taught me many things, but most of them were incomplete.
I hesitated, unable to find the right words, and my mind grew even more tangled.
At this moment, my mother, having recovered from the shock, anxiously turned to my second uncle and asked, "Brother-in-law, your father was never reliable. How can you expect Yangyang, just a child, to handle this?"
My father also looked at my second uncle with deep concern.
My second uncle glanced at my mother, then at my father, and asked with a grim expression, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
My parents fell silent.
Then, my second uncle turned his gaze toward me.
I took a deep breath.
Grandfather had said that someone would come to seize the corpse—but that might not be today.
I still had time to prepare.
After thinking for a moment, I said, "Second Uncle, I want to move the female corpse to the old house."
Our old house was located halfway up the mountain, far from the village. It had been given to my second uncle when the family divided property, but he had left for the city and had not lived there for years.
My second uncle hesitated for a moment but agreed.
He dismissed the gathering villagers, and once no one was around, I wrapped the female corpse in a black cloth and carried her to the old house.
Since my second uncle had been away for years, the old house was nearly in ruins, barely able to provide shelter.
I found a room and, ignoring the dust and grime, placed the female corpse on the bed.
Perhaps because of the wind during the journey, the strong fragrance from the corpse had faded significantly by the time we arrived.
After setting her down, I prepared to return home—after all, my grandfather had yet to be buried.
But as I reached the doorway, I hesitated, feeling guilty about the poor condition of the bedding. I turned back and found a clean sheet in a cabinet.
While changing the sheets, I had to lift the female corpse, threading the sheet beneath her.
During the process, unavoidable physical contact occurred.
When our faces were close, I suddenly froze.
It wasn't because of any inappropriate thoughts, but rather a strange feeling.
Under the black cloth, it seemed as if her eyes were open.
A shiver ran down my spine. Could she really be waking up in broad daylight?
After hesitating for a moment, I carefully lifted the black cloth.
Even though it was my second time seeing her, I was once again stunned by her beauty.
She wore no makeup, yet she looked like a finely crafted work of art.
Her thin lips were slightly upturned, carrying an eerie smile.
I held my breath. Only when I saw her tightly shut eyes did I finally exhale.
However, as soon as I covered her with the black cloth again, that same unsettling feeling returned.
Something was off!
I had never personally encountered such strange events, but after hearing my grandfather's stories for years, my worldview had long deviated from that of ordinary people.
Even so, facing this situation firsthand still sent chills down my spine. I only wanted to finish up quickly and leave, focusing on my grandfather's burial first. That coffin of his was probably another source of trouble.
After laying down the sheets, I sprinkled some ash around the bed to temporarily suppress the corpse fragrance, then turned to leave.
But just as I reached the door—thud!
Startled, I turned around and saw that an old book had fallen from beside the corpse.
At the same moment, I had the eerie feeling that under the black cloth, the female corpse's head had turned toward me.
Hiss!
I drew in a sharp breath, quickly picked up the book, and without daring to look at it, shoved it back under the corpse's waist before hastily leaving.
Locking the door behind me, I took a sniff.
The herbal ash was working; the corpse fragrance had weakened significantly.
With the strong mountain winds, the scent would likely disperse soon.
If not…
Well, if someone wanted to take her, they were welcome to.
That was precisely why I had moved her here—far from the village, so fewer people would be affected.
If someone took her away, it would actually save me trouble.
With that thought, I felt much lighter.
As for my grandfather's instructions—fulfilling them depended on whether I had the ability.
Given his half-baked skills, I seriously doubted he had what it took to safeguard this woman.
Back home, my second uncle asked how things had gone.
I lied, saying that I had handled everything concerning Grandfather and that there would be no further issues.
My second uncle said nothing.
The arrangements for my grandfather's funeral were out of my hands, as my second uncle and father took charge of everything.
Perhaps because of the incident with the female corpse, I had no time to grieve properly. Instead, I locked myself in my room and pulled out my grandfather's chest.
Grandfather had been a meticulous man—his skills might have been lacking, but he had plenty of ceremonial tools.
There was a peachwood sword, a geomantic compass, a coin sword, and even a yellow Taoist robe at the bottom of the chest.
I sorted through them and decided to take the peachwood sword and the coin sword, leaving the rest untouched.
However, despite all my careful preparations, my grandfather's funeral proceeded peacefully without incident.
Three days later, he was buried in the ancient coffin, just as he had wished.
As relatives and friends gradually left, I secretly let out a sigh of relief—but my mind drifted back to the female corpse.
It had been days now; surely, someone had taken her.
Yet that night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Finally, in the middle of the night, unable to resist any longer, I quietly took my peachwood sword and coin sword and sneaked up to the old house.
On the way, I kept thinking—if I could protect her, I would try.
If I couldn't, then I would have no choice but to let fate decide.
After all, if what the books said was true, the things drawn by corpse fragrance were anything but benevolent.
Even if just one showed up, I wouldn't stand a chance against it—I had never even seen one before.
As for taking her as a wife…
A living, breathing one would be much better.
Lost in thought, I soon reached the mountainside. A few more steps, and I would be at the old house.
But just then, a group of figures emerged from the mountain path, heading straight for my old house.
Damn.
What you fear the most always comes true.
I quickly crouched down, hiding behind the ridge of a field.
Moments later, the figures arrived at the old house's entrance.
Just then, the moonlight brightened, revealing them clearly.
I sucked in a breath, my scalp tingling.
Those weren't people.
They were a group of stiff-faced, brightly colored paper figures.