Chapter 8: Ghost Coffin at Sunset

Chapter 8: Ghost Coffin at Sunset

At this moment, Qi Tiezui was cold all over and felt as if time had stopped as he watched the child slowly put his hand into the whistle hole. Soon, the childs whole arm was inside, and an unexpected mist formed as the alcohol on his body quickly evaporated due to the rapid rise in body temperature.

Nobody was making a sound, and even Qi Tiezui didn't dare breathe as the sweat on his hands soaked into the hemp rope holding the gong.

He was just thinking that these few minutes had felt like hours, when suddenly, the child's face changed.

He seemed to have touched something.

He immediately started trembling and looked to Zhang Qishan, who stood up and fixed his gaze on him. The child began to sign something with the fingers of his other hand, but Zhang Qishan immediately shook his head. Although the child turned pale and looked very scared, he never took his hand out.

Qi Tiezui's heart almost leaped out of his chest. He kept praying and hoping that it was a false alarm, but now it appeared that his theory was correct and there was actually something strange in the coffin. But he didnt understand the Zhang familys sign language, so he didnt know what exactly the child had touched.

He had heard Fo Ye say several times before that the training the Zhang children had undergone in the northeast was very strict, and most of the children's happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy had been trained out of them. Although the generation born in Changsha had received the same rigorous training, it was said that their temperament was much weaker.

Ba Ye! Before he could fully recover, Lieutenant stuffed the gong back into his hand and brought the horse back over to be buckled to the contraption again. Zhang Qishan threw off his coat, crouched on the outer coffin where the child had just been, and put his left hand between the pipa shears.

Again? Qi Tiezui was trembling all over and felt as if his knees were about to collapse. Unlike the shouting from a moment ago, Zhang Qishan's voice was very calm as he said: "Old Ba, look at me."

Qi Tiezui looked up. Zhang Qishan had already taken out the severed arm, which was completely covered in blood. He threw the severed arm to the medic and then inserted his hand into the whistle hole again. Qi Tiezui's mind went blank, and the smell of blood in his nose immediately made him gag. He told himself he wouldnt collapse as he clung tightly to the gong, fearing that his hands would go slack and he would drop it on the ground again.

Zhang Qishans body jerked violently and he seemed to have touched something, but he didnt show the slightest hint of fear. Instead, he looked expressionless. Qi Tiezui didnt know whether it was an illusion or not, but he saw a few dark red lines appear on Zhang Qishans neck and chest that seemed to be the blood in his veins brought out by the alcohol. Then, Zhang Qishan twisted his arm sharply in the coffin. No one heard a sound, but they could feel the amount of strength that had been exerted. After that, Zhang Qishan slowly pulled his hand out and Qi Tiezui could see that he was holding something.

The thing in his hand was completely black and filthy, which either came from the blood or the filth inside the coffin. He held it up to the dying sunlight and got a good look at it.

****

RIP little Zhang's arm. Oh yeah, I discovered today that somebody else apparently translated some of "The Mystic Nine" like 4 years ago, so if you'd prefer to read their version, it's here. Just want to give credit where it's due, you know they worked super hard on it