Chapter 339: Death Knell

Chapter 339: Death Knell

All four coffin hauliers sighed in relief when the coffin stopped shaking completely. One of them turned toward the group and saluted them deeply. Thank you so much for saving our lives, warriors.

Youre welcome. Ye Qing returned the salute.

Wheres your head? Chu Nianjiu asked.

The four coffin hauliers immediately stared at him with unfriendly, suspicious eyes.

It takes five coffin hauliers at minimum to Carry the King of Corpsesfour people to carry the coffin, and one head to scout the route ahead. Chu Nianjiu said slowly, I thought your head was scouting ahead of you, but obviously that isnt the case.

If they really had a fifth member, the coffin hauliers would not have entered such a dangerous location.

The coffin hauliers didnt respond to his question. Their gazes were also growing increasingly hostile.

Haha, calm down, brothers. Were not bad people. Chu Nianjiu chuckled before crossing his fingers together with his thumbs pointing toward the ground. It looked like he was about to kowtow to the coffin hauliers.

Oh, a friend. The coffin haulier let out an obvious sigh of relief before crossing his fingers in the opposite way, and his thumbs were pointed toward the sky[1]. It looked like he was praying to the heavens.

These three are my friends. Theyre good people. Chu Nianjiu smiled. My name is Chu Nianjiu.

The hand gesture he performed earlier was a common greeting between coffin hauliers. A body belonged to the earth, so one must pray to the earth before putting the body in a coffin. That was what his hand gesture symbolized. But a coffin haulier relied on the heavens to grant them safe passage while they carried a body to its destination, so they must pray to the heavens before departing on their journey.

These hand signals were generally known to coffin hauliers only. That was why very few people knew about it.

The coffin haulier introduced themselves, My name is Peng Hu, and these three are my brothers. Theyre Peng Lin, Peng Shan and Peng Chuan.

Youre all Pengs? Would you happen to hail from the Peng Clan of Jian Nan? Chu Nianjiu asked curiously.

You heard of my clan, brother? Peng Hu exclaimed in surprise.

Although the Peng Clan was considered a major martial clan in Jian Nan, few people knew about their ancestral profession.

Chu Nianjiu smiled. Three years ago, I made the acquaintance of a disciple of the Peng Clan.

May I know who that person is? Peng Hu asked.

His name is Peng Feipao, Chu Nianjiu answered. He claimed to be the firstborn of the Peng family, and that it was the biggest misfortune of his life. It was because he had to take care of two useless younger brothers all day and night.

Hahaha! Youre speaking of Young Master Feipao! Peng Hus smile widened. It would seem that he had tweaked some details of the truth though. For starters, hes not the oldest of our three young masters. He is the youngest.

Moreover, both of his older brothers are far more capable than Young Master Feipao. They have been slowly taking over the family business and calling the shots in recent years. Young Master Feipao is the one whos an idler with no notable achievements under his belt. He was kicked out of the clan a few years ago, so it was probably around that time where you ran into our young master.

He was expelled from the clan? Chu Nianjiu exclaimed with surprise before chuckling. Everything makes sense now. I wondered why the young master of the Peng Clan looked worse than a beggar.

The first time I encountered him, he had been starving for three days. He was so desperate he tried to swindle a little girl into giving him her cotton candy, heh

Later, when I treated him to a drink, he boasted to me how much of a genius he was and how he was the highest authority in the Peng Clan save for his father. He even promised to treat me at Jian Nans best brothels such as the Qiqi Brothel, Orchids Shape and more. I guess it was all a lie!

Hahaha Young Master Feipao is a little Peng Hu scratched his head awkwardly. Even he felt second-hand embarrassment on behalf of Peng Feipao.

He no longer suspected Chu Nianjiu of foul play though. Only an acquaintance of Peng Feipao would be able to point out his true character and behavior.

Anyway, lets get serious, shall we? Chu Nianjius gaze turned serious. Can you tell me what happened to your head?

Peng Hu answered, Ah, there is a small village named Auspicious Phoenix Market about ten or so kilometers from here. Head south from there, and youll reach Qing He[2].

Thanks for the directions. Chu Nianjiu saluted Peng Hu before adding, It looks like youre planning to rest and resupply at Auspicious Phoenix Market as well. If you dont mind, can you lead us there?

That was what he said, but everyone knew he really wanted to protect the coffin hauliers. He didnt make the decision on his own, however. He looked at his companions and asked, Are you all okay with that?

I have no opinion, Lin Yuhuai replied.

Same here, Qi Xuanyun hurriedly answered.

Sorry to inconvenience you, Brother Peng! Ye Qing saluted Peng Hu.

Thats

Peng Hu knew what they were planning and wanted to turn them down, but Chu Nianjiu cut him off with a smile and said, Feipao is my friend, you know. Surely I can do him a favor?

Very well! Peng Hu chuckled bitterly and accepted the offer. Please give me a moment.

Peng Hu walked up to the coffin and pulled it out of its hole. Then, he commanded his companions, Get the ropes!

Two coffin hauliers immediately pulled out a pair of ropes that were drenched in a black dogs blood. They tied the two ends of the coffin firmly.

Like carrying a mountain

After the coffin was firmly secured, they went under the Mahogany Poles and grabbed it firmly.

Protect us, gods and Buddhas. Taboos are nothing to us!

Raise!

With that, the four men strained their muscles and lifted the coffin into the air. After they gave Ye Qing and the others a nod, they started running forward at a blistering pace.

Keep up, everyone! Chu Nianjiu yelled and raced after the coffin hauliers.

Caw! Caw!

Crows cawing at the dead of the night? This is a little inauspicious, isnt it? Ye Qing remarked unhappily when he heard the caws.

Theyre just crows, dude. Superstitious much? Chu Nianjiu scoffed.

Qi Xuanyun corrected him immediately from on top of his paper horse, You are wrong, Brother Chu. If you saw a black dog digging a grave, a crow cawing during the second half of the night, a stray cat laughing, a cock flinching, an incense stick that is conspicuously long compared to the other two incense sticks[3], or using a pair of chopsticks upside down during a meal, then you must have encountered some sort of evil. Thats what my master told me.

What Qi Xuanyun said was, in fact, fairly common taboos and gathas. If a black dog pawed at a grave, it meant that a corpse was coming to life. If a crow cawed during midnight, even gods and ghosts would stay out of an area, much less a human. If a stray cat was smiling, it was the screech of a deity or a ghost. If a cock was flinching, then the ghost that scared it must be incredibly scary. If an incense stick was conspicuously longer than the other two incense sticks, then the human who saw it didnt have much longer to live.

And finally, only a ghost would eat with the butt end of a pair of chopsticks.

Were these taboos and gatha true? Not necessarily. But in this world, it was better to be safe than sorry.

1. There are only two ways to cross your fingers. Chu Nianjiu did it the normal way where the fingers are folded over the back of his hands, while these guys have their fingers hanging downward like roots.

2. A commandery.

3. Theyre usually served in three.