The Secret Treasure of the Spirit

Chapter 50: The Antique Coffin Sitting in the car, Sun Luyun didn’t feel nauseous this time; instead, he felt drowsy. So he closed his eyes and fell fast asleep. Hu Xuanhai hummed softly to himself, sliding two gold ingots back and forth in his hands. The sunlight shone on the ingots, making them glow even more dazzlingly. Sun Luyun had a dream. In it, he stood alone on a rocky outcrop atop a mountain, carrying a large backpack. He surveyed the surrounding peaks, spread his arms wide, and let out a loud roar. Suddenly, the birds nesting nearby were startled and flew up from the trees in a panic, fleeing into the distance. The rock beneath his feet began to tremble, and a large hole split open in the mountain below it. He fell into the cavern along with the rock. He flailed his arms, trying to grab the sheer cliffs on either side, but failed after several attempts. Finally, he grabbed a furry hand. Looking up, he saw a red-haired zombie with disfigured features grinning eerily at him. Startled, he yanked his hand back and plummeted into the bottomless abyss, his screams echoing endlessly within the cavern. “Sun, Sun, wake up, wake up!” Hu Xuanhai shook Sun Luyun awake. He opened his eyes: “So I was in the car after all. That scared the life out of me.” Hu Xuanhai asked, “What happened? I saw you flailing your arms. Did you dream about Wei Mei? Too bad—she’s into Zhang Kuan. Otherwise, with you being a feng shui master and her a female ghost, you two would’ve actually made a pretty good match.” Sun Luyun stepped out of the car. “What nonsense are you spouting? If I’d known you’d say that, I really should’ve let Wei Mei stay with you a few more days so the townspeople could see what you look like. Let me tell you, I just dreamed that the Red-Haired Zombie was devouring you piece by piece, and you were wailing like a ghost.” Hu Xuanhai said, “Forget it. My flesh is all flabby—it wouldn’t taste good. Yours is firm and tasty. Even if the Red-Haired Zombie wanted to eat, it would have to eat you first.” Sun Luyun chuckled. Hu Xuanhai pointed to an old shop not far away, with a sign reading “Laoguan Antiques Shop,” and said, “That’s where the ‘Guan Wannian’ antique shop is.” Sun Luyun looked at the sign: “Laoguan Antiques? You said the character for ‘Guan’ in ‘Guan Wannian’ means ‘coffin,’ but why does it say ‘official’ here?” Hu Xuanhai replied, “You’re confused again. Think about it—if it were written with the character for ‘coffin,’ that would be so unlucky. The surname ‘Guan’ already gives people a bad first impression; how could an old shopkeeper possibly use that as a sign?” The two walked toward the antique shop together. Sun Luyun asked, “Why is Guan Wannian’s shop called an ‘antique shop,’ but yours is called a ‘collectibles shop’?” Hu Xuanhai said, “Ask my dad. I don’t know.” Sun Luyun scoffed, “You don’t do your homework properly—you don’t even know something this basic.” Hu Xuanhai said, “I hate studying more than anything. You want me to do my homework? Spare me. I haven’t done homework in years.” Sun Luyun watched his retreating back, knowing that all he could think about right now were the gold ingots and porcelain in his bag. He sighed softly, “It’s like playing the lute to a cow.” Guan Wannian was a man in his fifties with a long beard. When he saw the two of them walk in, his gaze fixed on Sun Luyun, scrutinizing him from head to toe as if he recognized him, while he didn’t even glance at Hu Xuanhai. Sun Luyun met his gaze and found it somewhat strange; he had a sense of déjà vu, yet couldn’t quite put his finger on it. There were no other customers in the shop, but it was filled with all manner of antiques: porcelain, clay figurines, bronze ware, silverware, silver coins, silver dollars, copperware, medals, ancient swords, armor, and more. It resembled a museum more than an antique shop. Sun Luyun looked at the antiques one by one; they exuded an aura that deeply captivated him. He stopped in front of a bronze artifact, staring at the two tiger patterns engraved on it—lifelike and chasing each other, as if they were alive. Sun Luyun asked, “This bronze artifact must be valuable, right?” Hu Xuanhai turned around and said, “Old Sun, we’re the ones who fought the Red-Haired Zombie. Don’t say such amateurish things—Old Coffin Head will laugh at us.” Upon hearing the mention of the Red-Haired Zombie, Guan Wannian stepped out from behind the counter and pointed at the bronze vessel, saying, “You have excellent taste. This Warring States-era bronze tripod was discovered in the tomb of the King of Qin; it is the crown jewel of our shop.” Sun Luyun asked, “The King of Qin—could it be Qin Shi Huang?” Guan Wannian smiled faintly: “Of course not. Qin Shi Huang’s underground palace is a forbidden zone—it’s riddled with traps, filled with poisonous fumes, and home to unknown monsters and invulnerable Golden Zombies. No one who enters could possibly come out alive.” Sun Luyun asked, “If not Qin Shi Huang, then which King of Qin is it?” Guan Wannian replied offhandedly, “It’s Qin Shi Huang’s father.” Hu Xuanhai dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand: “What’s so special about a Golden Zombie? Could it be more powerful than the Red-Haired Zombie? We defeated the Red-Haired Zombie without breaking a sweat.” Guan Wannian replied calmly, “As for the Golden Zombie… I’ve only read about it in books. I’ve never actually seen a real one.” Hu Xuanhai picked up his teacup. “Our Master Sun is, of course, formidable. In the Thousand Coffins Cave—I told you about Old Coffin Head last time—he took down the White Zombie with just a few swift moves. In the tomb of that high-ranking Qing official, he dealt with the Red-Haired Zombie and the Ghost-Faced Scorpion in no time at all, forcing them to their knees begging for mercy.” Hearing his old classmate bragging, Sun Luyun muttered, “Fat Sea, cut it out. If you keep tooting your own horn like this, the Coffin Boss will laugh at us.” "Guan Wannian chuckled, "Young and capable—not bad, not bad. The fact that you managed to escape from the Thousand Coffins Cave speaks volumes about your skills." Sun Luyun replied, "We only escaped the clutches of the White Zombie and the Red-Haired Zombie by sheer luck."