Book 7: Chapter 36: Funerary objects in the Lotus Vases

Book 7: Chapter 36: Funerary objects in the Lotus Vases

Water vases? Bao Da Tongs eyes widened in surprise. Since when did water vases count as relics?

Its possible. If they are ancient enough. Wan Li said. However, relics are normally things like funerary objects unearthed from large tombs. Im no archeologist, but isnt it weird to use water vases as funerary objects? Ive heard that in places like the Xian province, its possible to dig up good stuff with just a small shovel. But water vases sound quitequite

I didnt say they were very valuable or culturally significant. Ruan Zhan said helplessly.

Then why did you call them relics? That makes them sound precious! Bao Da Tong blinked. Stop mystifying things, alright?

Ruan Zhan sighed, not knowing what to say. These peoples thoughts ran wild after hearing a single sentence. Did they even give him the chance to explain?

I called those three lotus vases excavated relics because they were truly dug up from the ground. They are also really a few centuries old, or perhaps even older. Furthermore, some unusual things happened as well. Its just a sort of analogy, got it?

Basically, these three water vases arent worth much. The only things worth investigating are the unusual happenings they caused? Bao Da Tong asked.

Ruan Zhan nodded. Thats right. These three water vases are very big and their surfaces are covered in lotus flowers. Any materialistic value would be those painted red lotuses. How were they able to retain their color after being buried for so many years?

You said those three vases were very big. Then what were they used for? Xiao Xia, who had been silent thus far, interrupted. Were they called lotus vases because of the paintings? Or were they really used to raise lotus flowers? If they are related to the supernatural cases, Ive heard of a place where they use water vases as vessels for the dead. Could it be

Wait! Wan Li interrupted Xiao Xia and turned towards Ruan Zhan. You said there were three of them?

There were three!

We currently have only two fiends possessing children. Dont tell me a third ones going to appear? Wan Li was shocked. Just two of them were deadly enough, but three? Wouldnt they be done for?

You would understand if you all stopped asking questions. Ruan Zhan was filled with helplessness from their pestering.

This was one of the reasons he didnt like getting close to others. More people meant more chaos. Problems werent necessarily resolved faster when tackled by more people. Sometimes, working alone was more efficient.

The moment it shattered, the heavy stone lid also collapsed, causing dust to billow in the air. Everyone instinctively scattered. Once everything settled down, the people saw the vase and lid were completely shattered. There were no treasures inside, only a skeleton that was now in pieces due to the collapse.

Many were terrified. Who would have thought they had carried some coffins over to their shrine? They turned and ran. Yet there were some braver ones who remained. They carefully looked at the broken vase. The noticed the skeleton inside had scattered hair and broken teeth, but between a few teeth that were still whole, it held a golden bell tightly in its mouth. Within the broken pieces were also some jewels used as funerary objects. There was also a bronze-handled whisk covered in glyphs. The deceased had clearly been an old Daoist prior to death.

With the allure of valuables and with so many others present, people suddenly werent as afraid. Even those who had run out the doors started returning, both curious about the Daoists origins as well as confused why he would be buried in their village. Yet they lusted after the riches even more. They cant really be blamed for this. Creeks Head Inn was a desolate area and the people were extremely impoverished. They naturally thirsted after wealth. Now that they found some valuables, despite there not being that many, they started wondering if the two other vases were filled with the Daoists funerary objects. They definitely contained even more treasure!

Therefore, they first gathered the items around the Daoist including the golden bell in his mouth. Then, they started trying to open the other two vases. But because they were afraid of damaging the treasures, they didnt smash them like the large vase. Thus they tried to open the stone lids once again. The strange thing was that despite being unable to budge them previously, they moved very easily this time. The villagers were startled yet pleased. Suddenly, a childs voice came form the vase, calling for its mommy!

There were many villagers present and some had brought there children. So while people were startled, they quickly assumed one of the children present had called out. Due to their greed, they ignored the cry and lifted the lid. When the people closest saw what was inside, they all screamed in shock and leapt away. The stone lid once again crashed down!

This time, the lotus vase didnt shatter. Instead, it split into several large pieces. There was some sort of lattice inside the vases body that prevented it from shattering. From the cracks, the people could see there werent any treasures inside the two vases. Instead, in each one was a five or six year old child sitting cross-legged. Since they had kept the vases in the same order after bringing them into the shrine, they clearly saw a boy on the left and a girl on the right.

The two children werent skeletons like the old Daoist. Their clothes were fresh and their faces like paintings, vivid and lifelike. They sat with their faces raised, clearly acting as funerary objects.

The villagers were terrified and fled back to their homes. No one dared bury the two children anew in the middle of the night. Yet the sound of two children calling out rang throughout the night. Mommy! Mommy! None of the dogs in the village dared make a sound that night. Some villagers heard children knocking on doors while calling for their mother, and didnt even dare poke out from their blankets!

The next day, when the sun rose high, the mayor brought some people of faith along with some strong workers back to the shrine. They wanted to return the three back to the earth, and had even invited a local shaman who was said to possess divine power due to her connection to the immortal realm. But as they approached the shrine, they already sensed something was wrong. Not only was there a thick stench of blood, there were even dark bloody footprints leading into the shrine.

They were terrified, but had to investigate the situation. Therefore, they lit torches in the middle of the day as the shaman and mayor led the way inside. The moment they entered, they saw many dead dogs on the floor. Each one had been bitten around the throat and drained of blood. Not a single dog in the village survived, but it wasnt clear why none of them made a sound before dying here. Inside the main hall, the lifelike children had also changed in appearance. Apart from the blood around their mouths, their bodies had started to decay. It seemed that after being exposed to light and air, they could no longer preserve their flesh.

The shaman said that due to the protection of the ancestors, those two young ghosts had already left. However, since they had risen, their bodies needed to be buried far from the village, preferably next to a river. This was difficult for the villagers. Creeks Head Inn was a dry area, and the surrounding villages were the same way. Besides, there was no way anyone would let them bury fiends in their area. If a river was required, they would have to walk several hundred kilometers before finding such a place.

While they discussed what to do, they also found three more commonly seen local lotus vases and respectfully placed the corpses inside. They prayed that the fiends wouldnt punish the villagers for their inadvertent offense. However, it was useless. The ancestral protection the shaman spoke about was also ineffective. The old Daoist never stirred, but that night the two childrens voices sounded once more. They knocked on each door calling for their mommy. Some families even found black child-sized handprints on their doors the next day. Yet that wasnt all. From that day on, people in the village started dying mysteriously. Some tripped randomly while walking and struck their head against a stone, dying on the spot. Others hanged themselves for no reason. Lethal quarrels started between former good friends. The people who had been closest to the vases went insane or fell ill. Even the mayor, whose birthdate was extremely auspicious, had his wife go insane.

Now everyone became afraid, thinking they had to get rid of the three pestilences, no matter what. They were impoverished and had merely wanted to get a share of that Daoists treasures. Now they knew that they were not fated to receive the wealth falling from the sky. Therefore, they secretly sold the jewels to an antique dealer who had previously visited. Using the considerable amount, they tried to have the three vases buried by a lake five kilometers away.

Were they fine after they did so? After Ruan Zhan finished, Xiao Xia asked.