The night before my ninth birthday, Grandfather built a coffin and buried me in a mass grave.
This was a strange rule in our family.
From the age of three, Grandfather would build a coffin for me every year. The first year was a willow coffin, the second a cypress coffin, the third a sandalwood coffin…
Inside the coffin, a layer of chicken bones was first laid at the bottom, then a layer of square-holed copper coins was sprinkled. After I lay inside, a yellow silk sutra cloth was placed over my body, densely covered with prayers for the deceased and words encouraging people to abandon evil and embrace good.
These characters were tiny, like fly heads, and purple-black in color, all written by Grandfather with his blood.
Finally, the coffin was sealed and buried three feet underground.
The first year, I was buried underground for two hours. When Grandfather dug me out, my face was already purple from lack of air.
Once I recovered, Grandfather said something very strange to me. He said, “If you are ever buried alive, you must find a way to survive!”
After that, he began to teach me a breathing technique that would allow me to live longer in a sealed coffin.
This year was the seventh year, and a very ordinary stone coffin was used, roughly made without any embellishments.
This time, I was buried underground for a total of three days before Grandfather dug me out.
Usually, by this time, Grandfather would cook a large table of dishes, and the two of us, grandfather and grandson, would sit down happily to celebrate my belated birthday.
But this time, Grandfather took me on a full day's car ride to find a prominent family named Cao.
It turned out that when Grandfather found me, he discovered a large, strange blue birthmark on my back, like a tattoo, resembling a Yanwang Dian (Hall of the King of Hell)!
Grandfather said that I had the fate of a King of Hell, one in ten thousand, extremely noble yet extremely ominous!
How could such a destiny be borne by an ordinary person?
Grandfather named me Lin Shou, and despite his best efforts, he could only manage to raise me with great difficulty until I was nine, but he was powerless to do anything further.
To ensure my survival, he had no choice but to make a deal with the Cao family.
He could resolve the Lock Dragon Hole for the Cao family, saving their lives despite the major Wind and Water taboos, but the condition was that I had to be tied with a red string to one of the Cao family's granddaughters, sharing the same room during the day and sleeping in the same coffin at night.
Only after the wedding night could the red string be cut.
Upon hearing this, the Cao family immediately and eagerly agreed.
Hearing this, many people would probably scoff, “Another engagement? Old news, what's so strange about that?”
However, what I am referring to now is merely the surface; the horror of the matter far exceeds imagination!
It even involved the most terrifying first forbidden taboo in folk legends!
That night, the engagement was finalized by both sides, and Grandfather left a green lotus white jade lamp as a betrothal gift.
The Cao family granddaughter I was betrothed to was named Cao Xuerong. She was exquisitely beautiful, like a sculpted jade doll. From that day on, we two children ate and slept under the same roof.
Cao Xuerong was exceptionally kind to me. She took off my shoes, personally brought me hot water to wash my feet, and when it was cold in the coffin at night, she would hold me tightly to keep me warm.
Until one deep night two months later, a sudden loud bang echoed from Qinglong Mountain, where the Cao family's ancestral graves were located, shaking the ground!
The Cao family was so excited that they called everyone to the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors that night, and the next day, they even held a grand banquet to celebrate.
But that very night, Cao Xuerong cut the red string in front of me and pointed at me, scolding, “Throw away everything he's touched!”
My heart sank, and I asked her what she meant.
“What do I mean?” Cao Xuerong's beautiful little face was covered in frost, and she sneered, “Your Grandfather, that old man, calculated that my fate was incredibly noble, like a phoenix from the nine heavens, so he forced me to get engaged to you, letting your lowly life bask in my glory!”
“If my parents hadn't told me to do this, would I let a lowly life like yours defile me? Just thinking about it makes me sick!”
I truly hadn't expected such a nine-year-old girl to be so terrifying!
“Then I'll leave!” Seeing their large numbers, I deliberately cursed angrily and turned to walk away.
“If he dares to run, break his legs!”
Unexpectedly, at Cao Xuerong's command, a group of people surrounded me with sticks, blocking me at the doorway.
Unable to leave, I had no choice but to step back and sneer, “These hands of yours even washed my stinky feet, shouldn't you chop them off?”
“You're asking for death!” Cao Xuerong flew into a rage, snatched a stick, and swung it at my head.
I grabbed it, pulled her towards me, smashed a glass bottle from the table, and held it to her neck, shouting, “All of you, get out of my way!”
I held her hostage and walked outside.
Just as we were nearing the door, Cao Xuerong suddenly pulled a dagger from her sleeve and stabbed at me.
Caught off guard, I had to shove her away violently, narrowly avoiding the attack. Cao Xuerong cried out in pain, as her own dagger had grazed her left cheek.
Although it was only a small cut, it scared her so much that her face turned pale.
I took the opportunity to rush out, evading the blockade of a group of people. Just as I was about to climb over the wall to escape, a figure suddenly flashed before my eyes.
Unable to dodge, I crashed directly into The person, immediately feeling as if I had been run over by a truck. I was sent flying back with a thud, rolling on the ground.
A middle-aged man with a Jiao Huang Lian walked over, stomped and broke my left leg, and then proceeded to break all my hands and feet.
“You actually dared to hurt my face, how dare you, how dare you?”
Cao Xuerong came over, one hand covering her left cheek, the other holding a dagger, frantically stabbing my palm repeatedly, shouting, “Where are the tendons? How do you pick the tendons?”
“Miss, this is enough. Your small injury can be treated,” Jiao Huang Lian advised.
“You shut up! I'm going to pick his hand and foot tendons!” Cao Xuerong shrieked.
“Yes, then I'll do it,” Jiao Huang Lian said.
“You teach me how to pick them, I'll do it!” Cao Xuerong said viciously.
Jiao Huang Lian was silent for a moment, then grabbed my left hand and pointed at my wrist, “Pick here.”
Cao Xuerong fiercely stabbed down with the knife. Due to her inexperience, my wrists and ankles were cut to a bloody mess by her, and blood splattered onto her pristine white dress.
I knew what fate awaited me if my hand and foot tendons were severed; even if I didn't die, I would become a cripple. But I had promised Grandfather that I would live well.
I gritted my teeth, not uttering a sound, and with a twisting motion of my body, I laboriously crawled outwards.
Suddenly, a group of people rushed in from outside.
“What's going on? Rong'er, what are you doing?” Cao's Father exclaimed in shock.
“He cut my face, I'm going to kill him!” Cao Xuerong screamed venomously.
“Although his Grandfather is dead, this boy is still useful,” Cao's Father frowned.
My chest felt as if it had been suddenly struck by a huge hammer, and my ears buzzed. Although I had a bad premonition earlier, hearing the Cao family say it themselves at this moment still almost made me faint.
“I don't care, I just want him dead, I just want him dead!” Cao Xuerong shrieked.
Cao's Father, helpless, waved his hand and ordered, “Drag him away and kill him. Be clean about it.”
“No, that's too easy for him!” Cao Xuerong refused, “Doesn't he like to sleep in coffins? Then let him sleep his fill!”
“Quickly apply medicine to him, don't let him die. I want to seal him in a coffin and bury him alive in the mountains, and then dig him out and nail the corpse after he dies!”