Grave Moving Brigade - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – Successful Relocation

Because it rained the previous night, the weather was clear today. The dazzling beams of light shined through the dense leaves and fell right on Chen Ling’s face.

Looking at the young man with his eyes closed, a solemn expression, and chanting mysterious spells, Mrs. Jiang felt grateful.

She knew that the young man had added many complicated rituals just to ensure that the relocation of the grave was foolproof. Regardless of whether those in the afterlife knew about it or not, as long as they followed the etiquette, they would not be blamed.

It was a matter of sincere kindness, and the Jiang family would not fail to appreciate it.

No one could hear what the young man was saying. Some of them lowered their eyes respectfully, while others stared at the tombstone in front of the lonely grave with solemn expressions.

For some reason, when they heard the incomprehensible spell, everyone felt an indescribable and intangible force flowing around them, and goose bumps appeared on their bodies.

After all the necessary rituals, it was time to dig the ground.

Led by Jiang Shengxing’s eldest son Jiang Yifeng, the rest of the children from the other branches of the Jiang family followed him in order of seniority and picked up shovels to dig the soil.

There is strength in numbers, and soon the wet soil was completely shovelled away, revealing the dark coffin hidden underneath. Just as he was about to bend over to open the lid, a strange sound suddenly rang out. It felt as if something was moving in the soil on both sides of the coffin.

Chen Ling was the first to react: “Disperse!”

The people gathered around the tomb retreated in unison as if a switch had been pressed. They stared at the soft soil with fear and curiosity.

They kept watching until finally a group of huge scorpions with black bodies crawled out from the soil!

Scorpions are the most powerful of the five poisons, and their yin energy is the heaviest among the five poisons. Yet, such a large group of them suddenly emerged from the grave before everyone’s eyes!

‘There are old locust trees and damp poisonous scorpions… It is such an evil place.’ Chen Ling wondered what the people who had buried their ancestors were thinking about when they chose such a location.

The scorpions crawled away quickly without making another move. Everyone returned to their senses from the sudden fright and looked at the young man anxiously.

It was the first time that Chen Ling was stared at by so many pairs of eyes at the same time. He unconsciously became nervous and his cheeks turned red uncontrollably.

He pursed his lips and raised his chin slightly, his cheeks slightly tense: “It’s okay, don’t worry about it now. Please, prepare to lift the coffin lid. Take out the clothes and hats inside with both hands, put them on the tray, and cover them with a white cloth.”

After what happened just now, no one dared to be careless anymore, and they opened the heavy coffin lid with trembling hands.

In the coffin lay an ancient black robe. The black satin was as smooth as water, and patterns drawn with pure gold thread were quietly embedded in the lapels, cuffs and belt. When the sunlight fell on it, it sparkled with golden light, and it was so gorgeous that it did not seem like an ordinary object.

Chen Ling blinked, refusing to be tempted by the luxury goods. He turned around to direct Jiang Yifeng to go down and take out the robe.

Jiang Yifeng’s palms were full of sweat. He was a top student who had studied abroad. He did not believe in the Western God when he was abroad, and naturally did not believe in local gods and Buddhas after returning home. However, the things that happened at home recently were too unbelievable and could not be explained by science at all.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “Don’t blame me, ancestor.”

The coffin had sunken into the mud, and one had to jump down to get the clothes out. Jiang Yifeng supported himself on the ground with one hand, but before he officially jumped down, his palm was scratched by a stone hidden in the mud at the edge.

The pain spread up his forearm, and he subconsciously raised his hand, his pupils shrinking.

The cut was large but not deep, running through the entire palm. Blood quickly seeped out of the flesh and dripped down the wrist.

Chen Ling was quick to press on the wound with a tissue: “Don’t let the blood drip in.”

Jiang Yifeng was stunned by the situation in front of him, his mind was a mess, and he forgot how to react. Finally, he stood up with the help of Chen Ling, and walked back to his father, Jiang Shengxing, almost numbly.

Mrs. Jiang was so anxious that her eyes turned red, and she asked her son with concern if it hurt.

Jiang Yifeng shook his head and told her that he was fine. He turned his head and stared blankly at the clothes in the coffin. Just as he was about to step into the coffin, he seemed to see something opposite him.

In just a moment of distraction, his hand was injured.

Jiang Yifeng’s wife used the handkerchief she brought with her to bandage him briefly, then looked at Chen Ling and said, “Mr. Chen, my husband may not be able to go in and get the clothes in this situation. Can you ask someone else to do it for him?”

According to the rules, the relocation of graves, collection of bones, or removal of clothes and hats should be done personally by the eldest son of the family. However, the eldest son of the family, Jiang Shengxing, is now ill and has trouble walking, and the eldest grandson happened to have injured his hand.

Chen Ling didn’t expect to encounter an emergency the first time he took incharge. He felt a little headache and turned to walk towards the oldest person in the crowd.

The old man is over 90 years old this year and is in good spirits. He is Jiang Shengxing’s great uncle and once served as the patriarch of the Jiang family for a period of time.

After much thought, he is the only suitable one.

Chen Ling stood in front of the old man. Before he could speak, the old man pressed his forehead and sighed, saying, “Headache, oh my head hurts so much.”

The people nearby looked away tacitly, knowing clearly that the former family head did not want to touch that piece of clothing.

The old man was “sick”, so Chen Ling couldn’t force him to do anything, so he could only turn his gaze to others. As a result, no one wanted to look at him, and they all turned their faces away in unison, pretending that they didn’t exist.

To put it bluntly, no one wanted to be contaminated by bad luck.

The quiet woods became more disturbing because of everyone’s silent resistance.

Chen Ling seemed not to notice everyone’s attitude, and said in a straightforward voice: “The soil has been broken and the coffin lid has been opened. There is no choice of choosing another day to bury the dead. It is less than an hour and a half before noon. If the clothes are not sent to the new grave and reburied before then, I can’t guarantee what will happen in the future.”

The intention of threat and warning was obvious, so the silent people began to push each other and finally started quarrelling.

A breeze blew through the forest, and the leaves made a slight friction sound. Sensing the not-so-obvious coolness, Chen Ling pressed the back of his neck with his backhand, turned back. His eyes happened to stop on the old locust tree.

A cluster of bright little white flowers caught his attention.

The cluster of white flowers trembled in the breeze, and one of them broke away from the branch and floated towards him.

Chen Ling watched the flower approach from far away, magnified in his field of vision, and finally gently touched his forehead. Then, the slight breeze with the fragrance of plants suddenly became fierce, the branches shook, and the sound of leaves suddenly increased.

The horrifying scene reappeared. Jiang Shengxing almost jumped out of his wheelchair. He turned his head to ask Chen Ling for help, but he saw a shocking scene.

The clothes lying quietly in the coffin were blown up by the strong wind at some point, flew towards the young man, and finally covered his head directly!

Chen Ling was stunned by everything that happened suddenly. He dared not to move. His vision was blocked by the robe and he could not see a single thing.

There was an uproar all around, and perhaps people realised that the noise was somewhat offensive for such an occasion, so they quickly fell silent.

Not even the heavy robe could block those surprised glances. Chen Ling was extremely embarrassed. He pursed his lips tightly, closed his eyes, took the robe off his head as if nothing had happened, folded it calmly, and held it in his hands.

No matter whether it is remains or belongings, once they are touched by a living person, the person must be responsible for taking them and not push or block them, otherwise it would be too disrespectful to the deceased.

Moreover, the ancestor might be watching right now.

Chen Ling looked solemnly, glanced around, and said calmly: “Since the clothes have fallen into my hands, let me do it.”

The Jiang family members returned to their senses and nodded hurriedly. In order to diffuse the unnatural atmosphere, the former family head spoke up and said with a smile: “It seems that the ancestor and Mr. Chen are destined to meet. Definitely, destined to meet!”

Chen Ling turned around and walked away without saying a word. He felt that his fingertips and palms pressing against the fabric were getting hot.

The strong wind continued to blow, as if urging them to leave. The timid ones hugged their arms and ran away, vowing never to come to this horrible place again.

The convoy left. Unlike before, Chen Ling no longer rode in the same car with Jiang Shengxing, but sat alone in the first car of the convoy.

It was an extended sedan. The clothes were placed on a nanmu tray on the opposite seat, covered with a white cloth. The window glass is ink-coloured, blocking the sunlight from outside. In the dim car, the white cloth is dazzling.

Chen Ling was wiping his hands with his head down. The entire pack of tissues was almost used up. But no matter how many times he wiped, the silky touch of the fabric still remained on his skin, making him feel very uncomfortable.

At 11:40 in the morning, the convoy finally arrived at the foot of Yuhe Mountain.

As the person holding the ancestral clothing, he had to be the first to go. So from a distance, Zhao Xunchang saw his little apprentice holding a tray covered with white cloth in both hands, walking up the mountain step by step, heavily and respectfully.

People in the distance and behind him didn’t know that Chen Ling’s hands at this moment were like holding a weight, and the weight of the tray was pressing on his heart, making it hard to breathe.

After walking for more than ten minutes on the 200-metre mountain road, they finally managed to put the clothes into the coffin before noon. The Jiang family worked together to place the coffin in the spacious grave. To Chen Ling’s surprise, it was neither too big nor too small, just right.

Looking at the coffin and tomb that fit together so perfectly, he broke out in a cold sweat.

When the tomb was dug, it was based on the size of a normal coffin. Who would have thought that the custom-made coffin of the Jiang family would be so large? If the pit had not been widened at that time, everyone would have only stood on both sides and stared blankly.

Chen Ling severely criticised himself in his heart for not being careful enough. Next time he received a similar order, he would make sure to ask the customer about the size of the coffin in advance.

‘But…tsk, this coffin is too big. Two people can lie in it and turn over and over without feeling crowded at all!’

The coffin lid was closed, the tomb cover was sealed, and when the closing ceremony was over, everyone felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Ling took his phone from Jiang Yifeng’s wife and saved the video. Mrs. Jiang appreciated his thoughtfulness and gave him a big, thick red envelope.

“Mr. Chen, today went so smoothly, thanks to you.”

“It is by the blessing of your ancestors.” Chen Ling said, and he couldn’t help but twist the fingers hanging by his legs again. The burning sensation was still there as he rubbed his fingertips.

‘No, I have to disinfect my hands with alcohol after getting home!’