Hong Kun gasped, seeing the necklace; it was worth at least tens of millions, he guessed. Could this old woman truly intend to give it to Zhou Huan? The thought made him hesitate to delve deeper, as even his renowned master in the Funeral Arts community had never encountered such a transaction.

“Old lady, what are you doing? We helped you only for the effort we put in; if you’re struggling, we won’t charge you anything,” Zhou Huan exclaimed, being the honest man he was. His words, however, agitated the onlookers on either side.

Li Tianxiong ignored Zhou Huan’s sentiment, jumping in before Zhou Huan could say more: “Of course, if the old lady has the means, it wouldn't be right for you not to offer something in return!” Having said this, Li Tianxiong glanced at Zhou Huan, then at the elderly woman, a look of intense greed flickering across his face, though his gaze ultimately settled back on the necklace.

Zhou Huan shot Li Tianxiong a fierce look: “Stop talking nonsense here. Don't let greed cloud your judgment. Since we encountered this situation, it implies fate brought us together; turning our backs on such a connection would only lead us down a crooked path!”

The old woman carefully observed the three men, then hung the necklace on a coat rack: “A merchant from Nanyang gave me this when I was young. This grandson is all I have left. I must find out why he died, and then help send him off properly. I would even give my own life if necessary!” The gravity and sincerity in the old woman’s voice were moving. She then pointed to the necklace, “Once you handle this matter, you can take this chain.”

Zhou Huan clasped his hands and said with deep solemnity, “Old lady, rest assured, if we can’t handle matters like this, we shouldn’t remain in the Funeral Arts profession. But to accept such a valuable gift from you… Zhou Huan truly lacks the ability to do so.”

As the old woman removed the necklace from her neck, everyone suddenly noticed that the previously stooped elder had straightened her back.

Could the weight of that single necklace have forced a person to live hunched over all day? Thinking this, Zhou Huan became even more unwilling to accept the priceless treasure.

At that moment, Hong Kun spoke up before Zhou Huan could: “Old lady, please let us see your grandson’s body first.”

Zhou Huan followed Hong Kun’s lead: “Yes, madam, please take us to see him first. After we examine the scene, we can begin our work.”

“Ah, very well. Heaven truly has no eyes. Please, follow me!” The old woman led Zhou Huan and the others toward another room. With a slow, drawn-out creak, a classic, rickety wooden door was gradually pushed open. The light filtering from within was terribly dim, making the wrinkles on the old woman’s face and her messy white hair appear exceptionally terrifying in the gloom.

“Cough, cough!” The old woman coughed a few times, ushering Zhou Huan and the group inside. It turned out the room was not lit by electricity, but by a single large candle. Near the window rested a wooden bed, upon which ** lay a figure, covered with a white sheet—this must be the old woman’s grandson.

Entering the room, the old woman first picked up the candle near the window, illuminating the way for Zhou Huan and the others: “Come, come look at my beloved grandson!”

Whoosh! A sudden puff of cool air extinguished the candle in the old woman’s hand: “Oh, my apologies. The electric light in this room is broken, and as an old woman, I can’t fix it. I’ll have to use a candle. I’ll go fetch a light; please wait a moment.”

It must be said, without any light, this small room was profoundly dark. Zhou Huan and Li Tianxiong leaned against a wall, while Hong Kun stood far back in the doorway. The group remained silent; the room was dead quiet.

After a short while, the old woman slowly returned: “My apologies for the wait, everyone. I walk slowly, please forgive my tardiness!”

Snap! A crisp sound of a lighter ignited the candle once more.

When the men focused their vision back on the **, Hong Kun and Li Tianxiong both sucked in a sharp breath, and Zhou Huan paused mid-motion. It turned out that while relighting the candle, the old woman had also pulled back the white sheet covering the deceased.

The sight of the deceased was indeed enough to make one gasp. The dead man’s face showed no sign of pain; rather, the muscles of his entire face were stiffly contorted in a wide smile, tightly clenched together. Yet, his cloudy eyes were wide open, protruding from his cheeks like marbles. His short hair on the crown of his head was matted with dried matter, clinging to half his scalp as if he had violently torn it away just before death. The **’s upper body was covered in lacerations that didn't look like the work of another person, but rather self-inflicted. Further down, a particularly distended abdomen drew the attention of the three Funeral Masters. Something seemed to be moving inside, perhaps water, or maybe even a living creature still surviving.

The flesh on the deceased’s legs was rolled outward, exposing a large, blackened artery dangling outside. The cut looked incredibly neat, as if deliberately severed, but achieving such precision required a tool far beyond an ordinary knife. Besides, what reason would anyone have to kill a person this way?

“Master Zhou, as you can see, this is my grandson. Yesterday morning, he went to Yuanbao Mountain for his morning practice; he usually goes to the martial arts field on the back mountain. As I am old, it’s difficult for me to climb too high, so I just stay on the large platform below, waiting for him to pick me up. But I never expected that when my grandson did come home yesterday, he immediately started scratching his head, and the more he scratched, the more comfortable he seemed, even letting out sounds of satisfaction. I thought he was suffering from something, so I went to the kitchen to get him some water. But when I returned, he was already lying on the ** just like this. The severed artery on his leg only became apparent when I moved him. I feel there must be something supernatural at play, which is why I called Master Zhou here,” the old woman spoke politely, suggesting she must have been quite articulate in her youth.

Zhou Huan looked closely at the deceased again. He reached into the bag slung over Li Tianxiong’s back and pulled out a silver needle, then spoke tentatively, “Old lady, I wish to test if there is anything abnormal within your grandson’s body.”

“Alas, he is already dead, do as you see fit. Just tell me the true cause of his death, and then help me arrange the funeral rites properly,” the old woman sighed, moving to a chair near the candle.

Holding the silver needle, Zhou Huan murmured, “Forgive me, deceased. I am here at your grandmother's request to examine the cause of your death. If I cause any offense, please do not hold it against me!” Saying this, Zhou Huan slowly inserted the silver needle into the dead man’s navel, pushing deeper and deeper until the entire thirty-centimeter needle was buried within the strange abdomen.

Zhou Huan then slowly withdrew the needle. Faint, fibrous material could be seen clinging to it. Once the needle was completely extracted, viscous, yellowish fluid began to ooze from the dead man’s navel, emitting a foul stench.

“Master Zhou, be careful! That stomach is filled with something nasty!” Hong Kun warned.

Zhou Huan, however, gave a slight smile: “This stomach is likely holding a coffin board. You will see shortly.” Just as he spoke, the dead man’s belly began to peel open around the navel, slowly stretching into a large aperture. Just as Zhou Huan predicted, a small coffin emerged from the deceased’s stomach.

“This…?” Seeing the coffin, Hong Kun looked at Zhou Huan with utter astonishment: “How did you know?”

“This is a trick often used by spirits and demons, called 'Storing a Coffin in the Belly.' By doing this, they receive a sum of paper money burned for the deceased. This type of coffin also comes in two forms: one empty, and one containing something,” Zhou Huan explained. As he spoke, he pulled out a large handful of talismans from his bag, wrapping the small coffin completely in the papers, and then carefully lifted the tiny coffin into his hands.

The old woman sitting nearby began to wail piteously. Li Tianxiong crept closer to Zhou Huan: “Master, what is that smell? What are you doing?”

“Open the coffin!” Zhou Huan’s voice was firm. The coffin in his hands was still dripping the yellowish, viscous fluid.

This small coffin was about the size of a palm. It appeared to have very fine carvings on its surface, suggesting meticulous craftsmanship. Looking closely, the patterns seemed to be indecipherable motifs, and then again, they looked like unfamiliar characters.

Zhou Huan’s eyes widened as he stared intently at the coffin in his hand, shaking it gently: “Not good, it has contents!”

“That’s a Coffin Doll, Master Zhou, be careful!” Hong Kun exclaimed involuntarily from behind Zhou Huan.

Li Tianxiong was stunned by the shout. In all the knowledge he possessed, he had never heard of such a thing, only of a 'coffin child.' “Master, what is a Coffin Doll?”

“Tianxiong, you will know soon enough. For now, get the prepared ginger slices out and have everyone hold one in their mouth, otherwise, the stench might become unbearable.” Li Tianxiong distributed the ginger slices to Hong Kun, Zhou Huan, the old woman, and himself.

“Open!” Zhou Huan shouted, and the small coffin in his hand emitted a sound like thunder. Bang! The small coffin shattered into six or seven pieces. A wisp of yellow-black smoke slowly ascended. The talismans in Zhou Huan’s hand were blown to shreds, and sticky, yellow fluid coated his hands. Within the muck was an unborn infant, still encased in amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord clearly visible.

The old woman collapsed onto the floor, her face ashen, her pupils constricted. Her upper and lower lips trembled, and her teeth chattered incessantly. Her gnarled finger pointed toward the infant in Zhou Huan’s hands. Sweat—long absent—now beaded across her aged, wrinkled face. “Master Zhou, what… what is happening? How… how is there a child inside! Who is he?” The old woman’s voice was strained, filled with boundless terror.