Chapter 7, The Shadow Beneath the Coffin

It's doomed

Something happened inside the coffin

This person is quite extraordinary; they are certainly not as simple as just being a timber merchant.

I gasped for a while, feeling that my cramping leg had recovered. I leaned against a nearby tree to stand up and, still shaken, asked him: "What exactly is that thing underwater?"

In order to survive, I even resorted to biting the rope with my teeth, fearing that if my hand cramped, I would fall back into the water. The force coming from the other end of the rope was immense, and by the time the coffin reached the shore, I was already suspended in mid-air

Seeing his grave expression, I asked, "Is it a corpse transformation?"

How can a coffin without power go against the current

I was frightened and dared not ask any further. The matters concerning the Hong Qingsheng family are truly sinister. Twice, it nearly cost me my life. I am genuinely afraid and have secretly vowed to avoid any encounters with members of the Hong family in the future

What is the relationship with the Hong Qingsheng family

The more I thought about it, the more fear I felt, my body trembled uncontrollably. Instinctively, I wanted to jump out of the coffin and swim to the shore, but reason told me that I could not do so. This section of the waterway has quite a number of whirlpools and undercurrents; once I leave it, the probability of drowning is almost one hundred percent. Moreover, my swimming skills are poor; at best, I can only manage a dog paddle, which is hardly better than a duck on land. This section of the waterway has quite a number of whirlpools and undercurrents; once I leave it, the probability of drowning is almost one hundred percent. Moreover, my swimming skills are poor; at best, I can only manage a dog paddle, which is hardly better than a duck on land.

Just when I was at my most desperate moment, a voice suddenly came from above: "Quick, grab the rope and come up!"

A shiver ran through me, and I hurriedly looked down at the water beneath the coffin. I didn't expect much, but upon seeing it, I nearly lost my soul from fright

The sound became increasingly clear, and I could even hear the sound of wood shavings flying, the scraping occurring precisely at the spot in front of me.

I do not know what that ghost really wants, and also, who was it that just told me not to help? Ma Jialiang said it was not him who said it, so who said it? Is it that ghost who is pressing down the coffin?

The leather-clad guest said: "Do not misunderstand, although it only consumes carrion, if it bites something alive to death, doesn't that turn it into carrion?"

In the brief moment of my hesitation, the dark figure had already carried the coffin into the stream. On both sides of the stream were steep cliffs, and I now dared not jump at all, nor even make a sound, for fear that the dark figure would discover me and then throw me into the water to devour me

The leather-clad man looked at me seriously and said, "It won't hurt to tell you, that thing is called a devil fish, and it is the pet of the underwater ghost king"

Hong Village is neither large nor small, and I am truly too nervous, having lost my sense of time, not knowing how long has passed. Suddenly, the river ahead widens, revealing a calm flow area.

Due to being close to the coffin, the sound was particularly clear, resembling the noise of some claws scraping against wood

The opportunity had arrived, and I hurriedly looked around in all directions, searching for the best spot to come ashore. I quickly found it; not far downstream, there lay a fallen tree, and the nearest point was just over twenty meters away from me. Now, jumping would allow me to float along with the current.

She died and was resurrected

I was frantically digging, regardless of whether my posture was correct or whether it was useful or not, putting in all my strength to dig. Before long, the aftereffects set in, and I felt a sharp pain in my right foot; I had a cramp.

I could no longer bear it; the terrifying sound completely shattered the last thread of composure within me. I shouted and, disregarding everything, jumped into the water, frantically clawing my way towards the shore

I tightly grasped the ink rope binding the coffin, terrified and huddled together, staring intently at that side, deeply afraid that if I blinked, something would turn into a monster and pounce on me.

I am very afraid, perhaps at this moment that ghost is right on the coffin, coldly staring at me from the other end, ready to come and kill me at any time. Even though the other end of the coffin is empty, there is nothing there

Not to mention Hong Village, the entire Huaxia has been practicing earth burial; who would dare to throw a corpse into the river

The leather-clad man seemed to sense the doubts in my heart, shaking his head and saying, "Don't ask me either; I find it very strange that such a large ghost ray has appeared here, especially since it only feeds on decaying corpses"

I had thought that today would be my last day, but unexpectedly, I was saved in the end. Looking at the leather-clad man beside me, who also seemed quite exhausted, I nervously kept saying thank you

What is that thing

If I cannot provoke you, then I cannot avoid you either

What is even more deadly is that a more terrifying event has occurred

As I looked up, I saw a rope tied to a wooden stick falling in front of me, and the person holding the other end of the rope was a leather-clad figure standing at the edge of the cliff

If it is that, why notify me? If it is not, could there be other spirits?

Beneath the coffin, there was unexpectedly a massive dark shadow in the water

With such a large physique, how much does one need to eat in a single meal

Something happened underwater

I am not thinking clearly enough

This coffin is actually going upstream

Why won't it let me help? Does it know that the coffin is about to fall into the water

It seems that the opportunity has vanished, as the coffin lost one of its ends and once again drifted upstream, quickly disappearing around the next bend ahead

The pet of the Underwater Demon King? I swallowed a mouthful of saliva; its size is definitely comparable to that of a whale in the sea

Zila la... ...

Just as I was in a daze, a large splash of water suddenly erupted behind me, and a huge black tail emerged from the surface, slapping down before diving back into the water

Although I have neither heard of nor seen this phenomenon of corpse transformation, there are always some television dramas about zombies online, which allow me to imagine a bit about it

And I am now at least more than 10 meters away from the shore, and the most critical issue is that even if I reach the shore, I cannot get up, because there is a cliff beside me

What made matters worse was that the coffin took a sharp turn ahead and was coming towards me

Ah ... ...

Because below is a coffin, and this coffin was haunted just a few minutes ago

The large black shadow has discovered me, and is now coming to devour me

It is indeed carrying the coffin upstream along the small creek

I was almost scared out of my wits

zombie

The river in the mountains is unlike the rivers in the plains; the drop in the riverbed is very steep, and the water flows rapidly. I was violently tumbling in the river with that coffin, and out of a survival instinct, I held onto it tightly. I understood very well that in the surging current, if I did not grasp onto floating objects and relied solely on my own strength, the only outcome would be drowning

Bang

You need not thank me; today it was my oversight. The leather-clad man wiped his sweat and offered me a smile, which was quite stiff and even somewhat unsettling; it would have been better if he hadn't smiled at all

My teeth have started to clash, this thing is too large, measuring as much as two large bed sheets put together, forming a triangle, with both sides resembling a pair of wings, and a huge barbed tail often protruding above the water's surface, covered in green spines.

Then, I recalled that thing in the coffin and shared what I had heard with him

The leather-clad man changed his expression upon hearing this, but he did not speak directly. Instead, after pondering for a moment, he said: "This matter should not be disclosed, as it will cause panic"

It is akin to someone having a gun pointed at their head, yet still choosing to flee recklessly. Although they know that fleeing equates to death, it no longer pertains to reason, for death itself is not terrifying; rather, the feeling of waiting for death is the most frightening.

I struggled to push the coffin lid open, expelling all the river water I had swallowed, and gradually began to regain consciousness, yet my nerves remained taut without the slightest relaxation

I let out a big sigh of relief; the feeling of surviving a dire situation is truly wonderful

At the same time, I am somewhat curious; the mountain path from where the coffin was lifted is at least seven or eight li long, yet the leather-clad guest managed to arrive so quickly and accurately found my location, even recognizing the creature known as the ghost ray.

I will roughly estimate my physical strength again; I should be able to reach there using the dog paddle technique

From the coffin beneath me, there unexpectedly came a sound of "sizzle" as if something was being scratched.

I almost fell into the water; when I held onto the coffin lid and took a closer look, I was instantly dumbfounded

I secretly speculate

Is there really such a large creature in the freshwater river? Where is it carrying the coffin to? If I jump in now, will it treat me as a snack and nibble on me?

Do not be afraid, do not fear, the more you fear, the quicker you will perish

Who exactly is he

I forcibly suppressed the fear within me and told myself that I must wait, for when this river bends past Hong Village and reaches the south, there would be an opportunity to escape, as the river would converge with another stream there, causing the water flow to slow down

Tears streamed down my face in an instant as I desperately grasped the rope

Tears flowed uncontrollably

"Only eat carrion, not the living?" I wondered, what was it coming at me for just now? To greet me?

I feel cold all over. If I can understand a little about this dark shadow underwater, then who is it that is making this sound from inside the coffin

It is not against the river's current that one ascends, but rather against the flow of that small stream.

Zombie transformation

So big

The leather-clad man shook his head and said, "It is better for you not to know about this matter; knowing will not bring you any benefits. The more you know, the deeper you will get involved."

I have lost my sanity, and at this moment, I only want to escape this coffin and that dark shadow. As for whether I can escape, I no longer think about it; I just want to run. If I do not do something soon, I will go insane.

Of course, that is merely a legend; its true name is the ghost ray

Countless fragments flashed through my mind

... ...

Just as I was about to jump, the coffin suddenly shook and swiftly moved away from the position of that tree

Is she Hong Qingsheng's wife

I am almost paralyzed with fear, my legs are trembling uncontrollably. At this moment, should I jump or not jump

I nodded slightly, recalling that I had seen online before that India has a tradition of water burial, where it is considered an honor and a final resting place for the deceased to return to the Ganges. Therefore, it is understandable that the Ganges is filled with decaying corpses, and that there are ghost rays there. However, it is utterly perplexing for them to appear in this small creek in Hongcun; where could there be so many corpses for them to feed on

The leather-clad man yanked me upward with force, and I was slammed against the rock wall with a thud, causing me to gasp in pain. However, at that moment, I could not afford to care about the pain, for if I hesitated even slightly, I might end up being devoured by the monster lurking beneath the water.

The coffin came crashing down directly onto me; despite the cushioning effect of the water, the immense impact still left me in excruciating pain, my head spinning. Immediately afterward, the icy river water surged in, submerging my mouth and nose.

I grew up here, so I naturally know this place. The river here intersects with a stream, which, although it usually has a small flow, often experiences flash floods during heavy rain, resulting in the formation of a large water pool at the confluence, which is particularly deep and contains large whirlpools, yet it is not turbulent, rather gentle.

As soon as I heard it, I shivered with a chill

The leather-clad man took out a cigarette and lit it. After taking a puff, he said: "This thing is often seen in the Ganges River basin of the Indian subcontinent, feeding on carrion, but it is quite rare to grow to such a size, let alone in this small mountain stream"

I was violently tossed in the water along with the coffin. At first, I could still occasionally hear the screams coming from behind, but the sounds quickly diminished. The river turned a bend and appeared on the other side of the back mountain. When the current became less turbulent and the coffin completely surfaced, the people behind had long since disappeared.