Resentment differs from deathly aura.
A deathly aura is like indelible ink, heavy and oppressive, giving a sense of suffocation, only appearing when many have died.
Resentment, however, signifies those who died unjustly.
Such souls cannot find peace after death, and over time, their grudges form resentment.
Of course, neither deathly aura nor resentment is visible to ordinary people; only those with special abilities can perceive them.
Ye Qiu’s expression grew solemn.
As far as his eyes could see.
He saw clusters of resentment, indicating that this canyon harboured many unjustly departed souls.
While it’s normal for a river to have some restless spirits, as people accidentally drown in the Yangtze every year, Ye Qiu had never seen such an abundance of resentment before.
Especially at the canyon’s bend, where the sky above was blanketed with resentment.
Cluster after cluster of black resentment rose and churned, like ghosts struggling desperately.
“Phew~”
A cold breeze swept through.
“Achoo!”
Longbrow True Person sneezed and said, “Little rascal, something feels off about this place.”
Ye Qiu quickly asked, “Old thing, what have you noticed?”
Longbrow True Person said, “With my current cultivation, a bit of cold wouldn’t make me sneeze, even if I stayed in a freezer for two hours. But this eerie place feels unusual.”
“When that breeze hit, the hairs on my body stood on end.”
“This place is strange.”
Longbrow True Person then asked Xiao Zhan, “Kid, how much longer until we reach the destination?”
Xiao Zhan pointed to the bend ahead in the canyon and said, “There’s a tributary of the Jialing River at that bend, called Dragon God Canyon. We’ll arrive after about five kilometres along it.”
Longbrow True Person warned Ye Qiu, “Little rascal, stay sharp. I have a feeling this trip might be dangerous.”
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes. He had said the same thing to Longbrow True Person back at Wushan Pier, and the old man hadn’t taken it seriously then, yet now he was warning him in return.
Still, Ye Qiu realised this trip was likely to be far from peaceful.
A few minutes later.
The speedboat reached the canyon’s bend.
Longbrow True Person stared at the peaks on both banks, observing closely, then suddenly exclaimed, “Eh?”
Ye Qiu asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Though this place is scenic, from a feng shui perspective, it’s a dead end. Burying someone here would doom their lineage. There can’t be a peerless tomb here.” Longbrow True Person asked Ye Qiu, “Are you deceiving me?”
Ye Qiu said, “How could I? I wouldn’t deceive you of all people.”
“Really?” Longbrow True Person was sceptical.
“Really.” Ye Qiu spoke while looking into Longbrow True Person’s eyes, his face calm and heart steady.
Could I have misjudged?
Longbrow True Person pondered for a moment and said, “The world’s feng shui treasures are varied and strange. I’ve read in feng shui texts about rare cases where peerless tombs were built in such dead-end locations.”
“That way, they could fool tomb robbers.”
Longbrow True Person then threw a harsh warning at Ye Qiu, “Little rascal, if you dare deceive me, I’ll skin you alive.”
With that, Longbrow True Person pulled a compass from his Taoist robe sleeve.
He muttered an incantation.
The compass needle spun rapidly, and after dozens of seconds, it showed no sign of stopping.
“Something’s wrong, this place is very strange.”
Longbrow True Person asked Ye Qiu again, “You really haven’t deceived me?”
“No.” Ye Qiu’s reply was resolute.
“That’s odd, this place doesn’t look like it could hold a peerless tomb.” Longbrow True Person frowned.
The speedboat pressed on, turning at the canyon’s bend and entering the mouth of Dragon God Canyon.
The canyon’s towering peaks rose steeply, their cliffs a thousand feet high, exuding grandeur.
The Jialing River’s tributary wound through, its emerald waves shimmering, breathtakingly beautiful, like a paradise beyond the world.
“Boss, look!”
Xiao Zhan suddenly shouted, pointing at a distant cliff, calling out to Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu quickly looked up and saw a pitch-black coffin on the sheer cliff.
“This is… a hanging coffin?”
Ye Qiu was astonished.
Longbrow True Person glanced at the coffin and said casually, “Nothing surprising. We have hanging coffins at Dragon Tiger Mountain too, over a hundred of them.”
Xiao Zhan said, “Such a high cliff, how did the ancients get the coffin up there?”
“I don’t know whether to call the ancients wise or idle.”
“Just digging a pit and burying the coffin would be easier than hauling it up a cliff.”
“You know nothing! How dare you question the ancients’ wisdom?” Longbrow True Person glared at Xiao Zhan, then explained, “Hanging coffins are a unique burial practice, common in the southwest.”
“The southwest has always been barren, especially in feudal times. The land is full of rocks, making it costly to dig graves, so they used hanging coffins.”
“Secondly, placing coffins on cliffs prevents wild animals from disturbing the remains.”
“Also, with the high mountains and dense forests, people worried that burying ancestors in the woods would make it hard for descendants to find them, so they adopted this unique burial method.”
“In short, hanging coffins have two benefits.”
“First, they protect the ancestors’ remains. Second, they make it easier for descendants to pay respects.”
“Now do you understand?”
“I understand, I understand.” Xiao Zhan said, “I often hear the boss say you’re a scholar of vast knowledge, a peerless marvel under heaven. Hearing you today has truly enlightened me, like reading ten years’ worth of books.”
Longbrow True Person glanced at Ye Qiu and asked Xiao Zhan, “Did the little rascal really say that?”
Xiao Zhan nodded, as obedient as a schoolboy, and said, “Really, I’ve heard it more than once.”
“Hahaha…” Longbrow True Person burst into laughter, his face glowing, and said, “The little rascal didn’t lie to you. I indeed know astronomy above and geography below, omniscient in all things.”
Shameless!
Xiao Zhan cursed inwardly. I was just flattering you, yet you shamelessly boast about yourself, utterly brazen.
The speedboat sailed on.
Every so often, a few hanging coffins could be seen on the cliffs of both banks.
Gradually, the number of hanging coffins increased.
“Boss, True Person, look!” Xiao Zhan suddenly shouted again.
Ye Qiu and Longbrow True Person looked up, instantly drawing a sharp breath.
The cliff ahead was covered with countless black hanging coffins, packed tightly together like a beehive, stretching endlessly.
There must be tens of thousands!
Though exposed to wind and sun for years, the coffins were remarkably well-preserved.
They stood silently on the cliff, eerie and terrifying.
