Chapter 1225: Chapter 816: Releasing the Coffin Boat (Part 2)
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Compared to Yang Xiao’s group, the atmosphere in the other meditation room was much heavier. Datou, Sopa, Hafeez, and Maria sat separately at the corners of the table, creating a suffocating atmosphere. None of them spoke.
Finally, Datou broke the silence, "Tonight, our task is to stay in the courtyard where the corpses are kept and pray for the other team."
"Will there be corpses in the courtyard?" Hafeez asked nervously.
"I don’t know, there might be, there might not be. In any case, the other team will remove the corpses of Juan and Davi. In comparison, our task tonight is somewhat safer."
Although he said this, judging from Datou’s expression, even he didn’t believe in what he said.
Their team had suffered three consecutive deaths, something that could not be explained by coincidence. Clearly, that ghost had its sights set on them, and someone would likely be killed by the ghost tonight.
Even after racking his brain, Datou couldn’t figure out why. They hadn’t gone near the lake nor taken any risks.
Datou’s gaze lingered unintentionally on Sopa’s face. He made up his mind to stay by his sister’s side tonight, and if necessary, use someone else as a shield.
As for the choice of person, Datou already had someone in mind, and it was not the newcomer Hafeez but the seemingly clever Maria.
Earlier, this woman claimed she was going to find a monk and inquire about tonight’s task, but in reality, she went to another room. Datou could guess all this.
The reason for not using Hafeez was that this guy was too bizarre. Everyone who had tried to use him as a shield had died: Ahmed died, Juan died, but this guy stubbornly survived.
While Datou couldn’t discern his depth, he knew from experience not to provoke someone like Hafeez and to stay as far away from him as possible tonight.
This person jinxes his teammates.
Time passed by the minute and second, the night deepened, and after what felt like an eternity, a rhythmic sound of a gong was heard, three long beats followed by two short ones, that was the night’s signal.
Adila rolled out of bed, muttering curses, saying the bald monks were up to no good, even choosing such an unlucky signal for the operation.
After tidying up their belongings, the group left the room and hurried along the path they walked during the day towards the agreed meeting place. The critical Golden Buddha was also held tightly in Yang Xiao’s arms.
Tonight, the temple had fewer lanterns lit, and looking up, the moonlight was hazy, like a woollen moon seen through a layer of fog, making it hard to see clearly.
Going to the lake to deliver corpses in this weather, if nothing goes wrong, that would be truly eerie...Yang Xiao suppressed his inner complaints and quickened his pace.
By the time they reached the courtyard where the corpses were kept, the other group had already arrived but chose to wait outside instead of going in.
Seeing this, Yang Xiao took the initiative to knock on the door, and the door was opened by the masked stranger known as Tong Tak.
Tong Tak scanned the group, then turned around and silently led the way.
It was still the same broken room from last night but upon entering, there were no prepared coffins, only two corpses wrapped in white Corpse Wrapping Cloth sitting face to face in an open coffin without a lid, exposing their upper bodies.
The corpses were gaunt, their eyelids slightly open, cotton balls stuffed in their nostrils, and a huge knot tied above their heads.
This scene greatly startled Yang Xiao and the rest, and Tong Tak explained that there were only five people, unable to carry two coffins, hence this arrangement.
"How are we supposed to transport the corpses?" Aisha was concerned about this, as the two corpses didn’t look safe.
Even if it was a psychological effect, it felt safer with the coffin as a barrier.
"Like last night, but this time you only need to load the two corpses along with the coffin underneath. This coffin is the boat."
After speaking, Tong Tak walked out the door and soon returned with the trailer Yang Xiao’s group used last time, watching as they loaded the coffin and the two corpses onto the trailer.
At this moment, Yang Xiao realized the two corpses seemed fixed to the coffin board, positioned deliberately by someone.
Tong Tak took out a black wooden box from one of the coffins, and it carried the smell of decay, from which he retrieved a thirty-minute incense stick and a blood-red candle.
The candle was thick, almost as thick as a baby’s small arm. Datou immediately recalled seeing similar blood-red candles in the Inner Buddha Hall before.
But not as thick as this one.
"After leaving here, light the incense and place the Golden Buddha statue in front of the coffin. Before the incense stick burns out completely, release the coffin boat back into the lake, and then you can return."
After instructing them, Tong Tak pressed his palms together, "Go in the name of Buddha’s great power, it will bless you."
"What about us tonight?" Maria asked anxiously.
Tong Tak turned around to look at the other group, "Tonight your task is simple, stay here, burn incense, and pray for them. Also, patrol the courtyard. When they return, you can leave together."
After ensuring no details were left out, Yang Xiao didn’t linger any longer. He and Adila led the trailer out of the courtyard while Tong Tak followed them, dismantling the threshold to let the trailer out.
Once the corpse-laden trailer was out, Tong Tak laboriously squatted down to reinstall the dirty threshold, performing each action with meticulous precision.
The thoroughness in every task surely had its reasons, Yang Xiao’s group could roughly guess that there had been corpses reanimated here, causing severe consequences.
After walking about a dozen meters away from the courtyard, a sound of the door closing echoed from behind. Turning around, the pitch-black door was already shut tightly.
An ominous feeling arose in Shari’s heart; the black door closely resembled the Ghost Gate.
First, using the Fire Starter, they lit the candle in the lantern, then used the candle flame to light the thick incense. Yang Xiao looked back at the corpses sitting upright in the coffin, silently apologizing for early relief, then the group continued on their way.
Tong Tak returned to the courtyard and instructed Datou and the others to light the blood-red candle in the dilapidated room. Tonight their tasks consisted of two:
The first was to watch the candle closely; it must not go out.
The second was to designate someone to patrol the courtyard without breaks.
"Patrolling for what?" Hafeez asked boldly, but unexpectedly Tong Tak sharply turned his head, his masked face looking increasingly terrifying in the candlelight.
"I don’t know, I’m just relaying Pato Abbot’s orders. I’m here to take over from the previous ordained monk who died one night."
"How did he die?" Datou pursued the question.
Tong Tak turned his head to the night outside, his raspy voice responded, "Just like those two corpses."
After saying this, Tong Tak got up and left. Maria watched him until she realized he was heading toward the main door.
"Master Tong Tak, aren’t you staying here?" Maria suddenly felt a sense of panic.
"This place where the corpses are kept is too ominous for the living." Leaving this explanation, Tong Tak departed.
Now, only four people were left in the dilapidated coffin room, with a bright red candle placed at the center.
As the surroundings quieted down, increasingly subtle noises caught their attention, like the rustling of leaves in the wind, and some noises undefinable, yet rhythmic.
Looking around the room, its size wasn’t small—it’s crowded because of the numerous coffins.
Estimating with a rough count, there were dozens, some evidently used, with black-brownish dirt left uncleaned on them.
"Let’s divide into groups," Datou suddenly suggested.
"What?" Hafeez was momentarily caught off guard.
"Divide into groups, the monk instructed us to leave someone watching the candle and another to patrol the courtyard," Datou explained while slowly standing up, the candlelight casting his shadow on the wall behind him, "I’ll go outside and patrol the courtyard, who will join me?"
