The coffin held the body of Uncle Qi, so how could a teeth-grinding sound be heard from within? The only possibility was that Uncle Qi was grinding his teeth! But Uncle Qi was already dead, wasn't he? How could a dead person grind their teeth?

I looked at Fatty, and Fatty looked at me. As we eyed each other, fear was clearly visible on our faces. Fatty pointed at the coffin, and I nodded, gathering my courage to press my ear against the coffin to listen.

Groan...groan...groan.

It didn't seem like teeth grinding, rather it felt like something scratching at the coffin, creating a sharp and grating sound. An eerie wind blew into the hall, abruptly extinguishing the fire in the brazier. The ashes from the flames began swirling in the air, plunging the hall into utter darkness.

This was the first time Fatty and I kept vigil over a body. Seeing the fire in the brazier go out made us both panic a little. Just as we were about to throw some more sacred paper into the basin, the coffin that was on the bench suddenly wobbled slightly.

I thought Fatty had bumped into the coffin in the darkness, so I reminded him to be careful not to knock over the coffin. Fatty lit a match, showing an innocent look towards me, still holding onto some sacred paper. That's when I realised, Fatty was at least three meters away from the coffin, which meant he hadn't touched the coffin at all.

Is it possible...is the coffin...moving on its own?

Boom...boom...boom.

The two long benches never stopped quaking, hitting the ground consistently, producing a rhythmic drumming sound, continuously ringing in our ears. Fatty and I were frightened to find the coffin moving on its own, and with its shaking growing stronger. It was as if something inside was violently struggling.

Fatty was so scared that he cried out, "The corpse has come back to life! Uncle Qi has come back to life!"

Actually, I was quite scared by the scene in front of me, but at that moment, I didn't think much. My only thought was to prevent the coffin from hitting the ground. So, with a swift step, I rushed over and exerted all my strength, using both hands to support the coffin, preventing it from falling off the bench.

"Fatso, what the heck are you standing there for? Hurry up and help!" I shouted at the fat guy.

Trembling, the fat guy ran over, wearing a mournful expression, and said, "Yang Cheng, this is a case of 'corpse deception.' Let's run away quickly. I heard that those who deceive the dead will turn into zombies!"

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My heart was in turmoil too. The coffin weighed hundreds of pounds, and the intense shaking was making it almost impossible for us to hold on.

Just then, a figure suddenly rushed towards us. Looking up, I saw that it was none other than Master Wang.

Master Wang had been sound asleep by the side of the memorial hall, but the shaking coffin had awakened him.

With a furrowed brow, Master Wang muttered to himself, "You scoundrel, you won't crawl out of the coffin on my watch!"

Saying that, Master Wang took out a bundle of red rope from his backpack and circled the coffin, tightly binding it with the red rope.

Strangely enough, once the coffin was bound with the red rope, it quickly became quiet and stopped shaking.

Master Wang clapped his hands, lit the candles on the ground, and a triumphant look appeared on his face.

Curiously, I asked Master Wang, "Master, this rope of yours is really powerful!"

Master Wang sniffed, "Kid, you wouldn't understand. This isn't an ordinary rope; it's been soaked in black dog blood..."

"Master, the rope... the rope is changing color..." Suddenly, the fat guy panicked and shouted.

Master Wang's face changed abruptly, and he immediately turned to look at the coffin. The red rope wrapped around the coffin, for some unknown reason, was rapidly turning black.

Beads of sweat appeared on Master Wang's forehead. "Such heavy malevolent energy!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The coffin, which had quieted down, began to shake again, violently this time, as if it was about to fall off the bench at any moment. The thudding impact sounded particularly harsh in the silent memorial hall.

With a cracking sound, the red rope on the coffin suddenly snapped, and the coffin finally rolled to the ground, emitting a dull thud. The coffin lid also flew off, and a black mist billowed out from inside the coffin.

The fat guy and I were already petrified, standing on the side, not daring to move.

Master Wang's face was pale too. He hastily pulled out the peach wood sword from his pocket and waved it around in front of him.

It was evident that Master Wang was also very nervous; his hands were trembling violently.

Suddenly, a black shadow darted out of the coffin like lightning and pounced on Master Wang.

"Ah—"

Master Wang was knocked down by the black shadow, emitting a scream.

That dark figure was none other than the already deceased Uncle Qi.

Uncle Qi's yellowish fur had now turned into a terrifying white, with two curved fangs piercing through his lips, and his dead gray pupils shimmered with ferocity.

Uncle Qi's hands, or rather, claws, were adorned with long, black, razor-sharp nails, resembling knives. They pierced through Master Wang's shoulder, pinning him to the ground, the shoulder already stained red with blood.

"Er..." Uncle Qi raised his head and sprayed a dark green corpse gas into the air.

The sight terrified both me and the fat guy, and we found ourselves trembling on our knees.

Uncle Qi opened his mouth and viciously lunged towards Master Wang's neck.

In a bid to save his life, Master Wang endured the intense pain in his shoulder and lifted the peachwood sword, shouting, "Urgent as the law!"

Uncle Qi bit down on the peachwood sword. Suddenly, the ordinary-looking peachwood sword burst into a golden light.

Uncle Qi seemed to be scorched by the sword, emitting black smoke from his mouth as he rolled away from Master Wang.

Master Wang dipped the sword into his shoulder wound, coating it with blood. The peachwood sword emitted a strange light, becoming even more powerful.

Without hesitation, Master Wang roared and swung the sword towards Uncle Qi.

Uncle Qi shielded his head with his arm, but the sword left a long, burning gash on his arm, emitting wisps of black smoke.

It was then we realized the power of the peachwood sword in Master Wang's hands. No wonder he always kept it close. Without it, he might have met his end long ago.

In pain, Uncle Qi rolled out of the memorial hall before Master Wang could catch up. With several leaps, he vanished into the darkness, heading towards the back mountain of the village.

The chilly wind continued to blow, leaving the memorial hall in a mess, with scattered bloodstains on the ground.

The fat guy and I stared dumbfounded at the empty coffin, our hearts sinking to the bottom of our chests.

Master Wang, exhausted, sat on the ground, his face pale as paper, panting heavily. The two blood holes on his shoulder continued to bleed profusely.

Uncle Qi had undergone a corpse transformation!