The ancients believed that all things manifested in "images," an all-encompassing concept; this is the principle of "things generate images, images generate numbers." The ancient hexagrams carved on the coffin lid were intricate and profound, yet largely consistent with the diagrams we study today, though their detailed derivations were far more esoteric. I stared at the latter half in silence until Shirley Yang and the others prompted me. Only then did I snap back to reality and inform them that the inscription inside the outer coffin read: "Trigram Kun over Trigram Kun, Shaking the Hundred Li."

Inside the stone sarcophagus, carved in ancient symbols resembling insect tracks or fish bones, was the pattern for the Zhen () trigram. The longer or shorter bone-like markings represented the different lines of the hexagram. The I Ching states: "Prosperity. When Zhen comes, there is alarm, yet laughter follows. Shaking the hundred li, one's sacrificial vessels and tools remain undamaged." This was the hexagram for "Shaking the Hundred Li," followed by verification assessments for the various lines of Zhen. These differed so greatly from the Later Heaven Bagua I knew that I couldn't decipher them.

After enduring the hurricane, we unexpectedly found this stone sarcophagus locked beneath turtle bone. Perhaps it was a miraculous coincidence, but I seriously doubted it. The ancient jade piece with the green head, recovered from Coral Temple Island, likewise concealed profound mysteries and happened to align perfectly with the divination principles of "illuminating the hexagram to generate the image." Looking at this, it was clear that this seabed concealed far too many such relics—so many they were nearly ubiquitous—but most were corroded beyond recognition, which is why they had never received proper attention.

When Shirley Yang and the others asked me to interpret the Zhen hexagram, I explained that in the Bagua, it signifies both smooth passage and the need for self-reflection through shock. It was hard to label it purely inauspicious or auspicious. Zhen is Thunder; Zhen above and Zhen below implies overlapping, continuous thunder. Thunder rocks the heavens and the earth, terrifying people into trembling, yet after a while, they return to easy conversation. The mighty thunder shakes a hundred li, but important sacrificial rites must proceed as scheduled. Whether the arrival of the Zhen thunder is a blessing or a curse is unknown; people feel fear but must remain cautious to avert disaster.

Uncle Ming and Fatty, upon hearing this, exclaimed how timely it was. They had just weathered a massive storm caused by a "dragon ascending the water," complete with terrifying lightning—wasn't this exactly what "Shaking the Hundred Li" meant?

I shook my head. "Although the Zhen hexagram carries the imagery of thunder, it doesn't refer to actual wind, rain, and lightning, nor does it signify the earth splitting open in an earthquake. Only fortune-telling charlatans would explain it that way. Furthermore, the graphic depiction of this hexagram is ancient and complex, likely connected to King Wen's Sixteen Pre-Heaven Hexagrams. Reading it solely through the surviving Post-Heaven Bagua makes it impossible to grasp its deeper meaning. This is not something we mere mortals can casually speculate upon." With that, I instructed Shirley Yang to photograph the lid for preservation. This object must have a profound connection to the "Guixu" at the bottom of the sea. If we ever have the chance to see Zhang Yingchuan again, perhaps he can illuminate its secrets.

Despite saying that, I harbored a faint premonition. If the mystery of "Shaking the Hundred Li" remained unsolved during this voyage, we were likely heading for immense trouble. Still, this would require serious brainpower. I wasn't entirely confident about handling it, yet I didn't overly worry; the ship will right itself when it reaches the bridge, after all. Whatever encounters await us, I would just rely on deducing the Heavenly Way and acting according to the situation.

After carefully handling the coffin lid, we moved it aside to clear a space for opening the inner coffin. Professor Chen mentioned that the Hentian people possessed highly developed bronze technology, capable of forging Heavenly Cauldrons because they mastered Dragon Fire. Seeing this now, their reputation was well-deserved. Both the lid and body of the sarcophagus were fitted with sturdy lug rings, threaded with copper chains as thick as a man's arm. Despite the passage of countless years, where the copper's essence had been washed away by the seawater and mostly encrusted by dead coral polyps, the exposed areas shone with a penetrating clarity, remaining incredibly tough. This was distinctly different from ordinary bronze—it was superior celadon bronze. Without hesitation, I told Fatty to secure it, claiming we needed to take it back for "research."

The others gathered curiously around the inner coffin, eager to see its contents. Shirley Yang probably knew persuading us was useless, and her curiosity was no less than mine. She merely noted that the sea wind was strong, making it difficult to preserve anything once the coffin was opened, and speculated that if these items truly originated from the deep "Guixu," the contents might be the skeletal remains of a Hentian person.

I joked to Shirley Yang, "So it came from the bottom of the sea? Is it similar to the visitors from the bottom of the Atlantic? I wonder if they wore sunglasses."

Fatty interjected, "It might not have bubbled up from the abyssal plain, either. Didn't you see it was tethered to a turtle shell? This great tortoise spirit must have been crawling around the seabed, died in this nearby trench, and a strong black current swept it up, right into our path. It's fate, pure and simple."

After his speech, Fatty produced a box of cooling balm. Each of us dabbed a bit onto the skin beneath our noses. Only Captain Ruan Hei and his two crew members were confused about the purpose.

Fatty explained, "You sea-folk, who live off the ocean, naturally don't understand the rules for getting rich and moving up in the world. We professionals who study this stuff know that if you don't wear a mask, you must apply this stuff to ward off the stench, lest the corpse vapors choke you."

Captain Ruan Hei didn't know what "professionals" Fatty was referring to, but since there was a rule, he followed suit. Gu Cai and Duoling were both curious and frightened, wanting to look but afraid to, hiding behind Ruan Hei and constantly peering toward the stone coffin.

Seeing preparations complete, I looked up at the sky. Although it was daytime, it was overcast with no rain; the sunlight was blocked by the dense clouds. The sea surface was calm, and the black current was receding. Even in daylight, I figured there was no need to prepare the black donkey hooves. With that, I let Fatty, the designated opener, take charge. Although the Tomb Raider's secret art of "raising the coffin to extract treasure" has no taboos, there is still the saying, "Open West, but not North; open left, but not right." This sequence of "East, South, West, North, Up, Down, Left, Right" uses the coffin as a reference point. This is because in ancient Feng Shui, highly esteemed individuals often had their coffins placed along a North-South axis; North was the head, South the foot. Some faced sideways, while the devout Buddhists invariably faced West, signifying passage to the Western Paradise. Daoists faced East, symbolizing the rising of the Purple Qi from the East.

Furthermore, the "Gold Tomb Captains" open the West but not the North to avoid traps set in the coffin that could cause death, embodying the principle of "letting the living gate open while the dead gate remains sealed." This stone sarcophagus had an ancient, rugged, and imposing shape, reminiscent of the style of the Western Zhou dynasty. Fatty, having become a quasi-expert in prying open coffins, first maneuvered the head of the sarcophagus upwind. If any noxious fumes were inside, the sea breeze would disperse them once the lid was lifted.

The coffin inside was also made of stone, not wood. It was pitch black and semi-translucent—actually fossilized ancient pine that grew underwater, known as "Earth Mirror." It was dark and lustrous, with wave-like grain patterns formed by millennia of scouring by the sea. The more rings, the older the artifact, and the higher its value. Seeing the dense network of water patterns on this stone coffin, its value was clearly immense. Moreover, the lid was sealed incredibly tightly. Fatty, afraid of damaging the valuable stone coffin, managed to restrain himself and, with extreme caution, exerted tremendous effort to pull out the securing pins using his 'Yin-Exploring Claw.'

I assisted at the lower end, signaling the others to step back a few paces. Fatty and I held our breath and heaved open the lid. Suddenly, a plume of white vapor shot out from the coffin. Along with this wave of corpse gas, a dead body abruptly sat up with a thump, shoving the stone lid aside. The corpse appeared to be a woman, with long hair that fluttered wildly in the sea breeze, moving as if she were alive. Perhaps the coffin was sealed too tightly, causing decomposition and swelling after the body was placed inside, accumulating stagnant corpse gas. With this constant internal pressure, the deceased's body was preserved in this state before the gas could fully dissipate. When the lid lifted, interacting with the external air, a violent reaction occurred inside. The corpse's muscles contracted throughout its entire body, and like a reanimated corpse, it suddenly sat upright.

The white vapor in the coffin smelled intensely foul. Even though we were upwind and had smeared mint balm under our noses, the stench was unbearable. The sudden rising of the corpse startled us further. Everyone immediately backed away, covering their noses. Fatty and Uncle Ming kept exclaiming in amazement, "Heavens above, how can this lady stink so badly? Maybe this beautiful woman... suffered from chronic constipation in life and was literally scared to death by her own bowels?"

Amidst the crude remarks from Uncle Ming and Fatty, the foul odor quickly dispersed. The corpse sitting up in the coffin had greenish skin, and its face and body were covered in scales—a green face, bared fangs, resembling a fierce ghost. My heart tightened: "Is that even human?" But before I could look closer, a gust of sea wind blew over, and the corpse's skin rapidly collapsed and withered. Its color shifted from green to black, and in an instant, it dissolved into ashes, disintegrating layer by layer from the outside in, blown away by the wind. The few remaining scattered bones lay inside the coffin; the form was gone. We instantly knew it was over—the Zongzi had turned to dust, spirit and flesh alike vanishing into the dust of history.

Uncle Ming had dealt with the Zongzi for half his life and had seen nearly every type of ancient corpse, but a female corpse covered in scales was unprecedented. Could it be a mermaid from the South China Sea? If so, it was a fish, not a person, and dead, it wouldn't be worth much money anyway. He approached to examine the bone fragments left in the coffin, looking for a fish tail.

But when we looked closer, the remaining bones were black and fragmented. Apart from a few teeth, nothing else was identifiable. Fatty had no interest in the dead; the corpse turning to ash in the sea breeze was a blessing, saving trouble. He started poking around the remaining contents of the coffin with his Yin-Exploring Claw, searching for any pearls that might have been placed in the mouth, things that certainly wouldn't disintegrate upon contact with air.

However, there wasn't much in the Earth Mirror coffin. At the bottom lay only a shallow pool of clear water, within which a few nearly transparent small shrimp were kicking weakly, looking near death themselves. Shirley Yang found it very strange. The stone coffin had been tightly sealed and submerged for perhaps thousands of years; how could there still be living shrimp inside?

I said that while science couldn't yet explain it, discussions of Feng Shui and Qing Dynasty prognostication had long mentioned such phenomena. If the Qi within a coffin is too vigorous, the vital essence condenses, and the fluid of the corpse can generate aberrant forms—meaning certain tissues of the dead body transform into things like small shrimp or fish. Alternatively, it might have been generated spontaneously within this rare Earth Mirror coffin itself.