A Prophet - Chapter 10 (Part 8)

Chapter 8 - The Coffin Full of Hair

At the time, Master He had not been able to find a suitable candidate who had newly passed away, so driven by desperation, he had no choice but to bury his daughter first. After the burial, he waited for two years until he finally heard that a young man in a neighboring town had recently died. Since their family background and age were comparable, he hurriedly dispatched people to propose marriage. Through the matchmaking efforts of an underworld matchmaker, the birth dates of the two were matched, and this marriage was considered settled.

According to the rules of conducting a ghost marriage, Master He first needed to dig up his daughter's remains, select an auspicious day and hour, transport them to the groom's family, place them into the same coffin alongside the newly deceased young man, and perform the ritual to consummate the union before burying them together.

Therefore, Master He hired a blind fortune-teller to make calculations, and based on the auspicious days listed in the old lunar calendar, he picked a date for unearthing the grave. He hired several laborers to pry open the tombstone and dig out the coffin. When she was buried two years ago, the coffin had been coated with anti-decay and insect-repellent chemicals, but after the passage of two years, the coffin boards still appeared somewhat aged.

Before opening the coffin, gazing at the weathered, large wooden coffin, Master He hesitated. He did not know what state of decomposition his daughter's body had reached over the past two years; he longed to see his daughter, yet lacked the heart to look upon her. Remaining silent like this, he held his tobacco pipe and smoked continuously.

"Boss, should we open it or not?" a laborer asked.

After a long silence, Master He gritted his teeth and said, "Open it!"

As noon approached, the sun beat down directly overhead. Sweat poured profusely from the laborers' foreheads, whether out of terror or the searing heat.

The men wielded axes and iron wedges, prying at the coffin rivets with loud clanging noises.

After working for a while, all the nails on the coffin were removed. Several laborers exerted themselves in a joint lift, and with a creaking shriek, the coffin lid was pried open. A wave of yin energy rushed outward, and the pungent stench of a corpse drifted out with it. At the exact moment the coffin lid shifted, the laborers let out a simultaneous, piercing shriek: "Ah?!" With a violent start, their hands shook, and the coffin lid slid clattering to the ground.

Master He was startled. "What is wrong?"

The laborers turned ashen-faced, and one of them pointed inside the coffin, trembling as he spoke: "Boss... take a look..."

Master He hesitated for a moment, slowly approached the coffin, and peered down. He could not help but draw a sharp gasp of cold air: pitch-black hair, dense and heavy, packed the coffin to the brim!

It is often said that after a person dies, their hair continues to grow, but at most it only grows a little bit longer than it was at burial. A phenomenon where thick masses of hair completely filled a coffin had never been witnessed before!

A wave of dizziness swept over Master He's vision. Yet, after all, this was his daughter; he bent over and slowly parted the layers of dense black hair until he caught sight of his daughter's skull. The flesh on her face was gone, her stomach had caved in, and a section of skin around her navel had rotted away. Perhaps because the coffin's sealing performance had been relatively effective, the corpse had not completely decayed, but the hairs on top of her skull stood straight up one by one, as though all the remaining energy within her body had been channeled exclusively into her hair.

Folklore had it that if a person harbored immense grievances upon death, the resentment would rush up to the crown of the head, continuing to sustain hair growth. Master He had no inkling of what grievances his daughter could possibly harbor to generate an entire coffin full of black hair!

When the people sent by the groom's family to assist with the grave unearthing witnessed this scene, they immediately fled back to inform the groom's parents. Upon hearing the news, the groom's family instantly reneged on the agreement, declaring that the woman was a fierce vengeful ghost and incompatible with their son!

Master He fell into a profound dilemma. The other party refused to consummate the ghost marriage, but he had already dug his daughter up; he surely could not just bury her back down like this. Furthermore, over the past two years, his daughter had grown a coffin full of hair, clearly indicating that she was overflowing with resentment. To bury her again in such a muddled, careless fashion was something his conscience could not bear.

After turning the matter over and over in his mind, Master He decided to seek out a master of profound Daoist arts for an inspection.

Fourth Master Jia was an old acquaintance of Master He. The two had become acquainted in Qingdao. In the twenty-ninth year of the Guangxu reign, they met at the establishment ceremony of the Anglo-German Brewery Company in Qingdao (the predecessor of today's Tsingtao Brewery). Later, when the government conducted a salt industry reorganization, Master He fell on hard times, and Fourth Master Jia mobilized his connections within official circles to help him out. In that era, interests were invariably intertwined; Fourth Master Jia helped Master He contend for salt distribution business, but in reality, he intended to utilize the salt warehouses on Master He's docks to smuggle opium and firearms. Thus, through reciprocal dealings, the two became so-called friends.

Unlike his relationship with Master He, Fourth Master Jia and Grandfather were life-and-death sworn companions, having cooperated on numerous high-stakes schemes where heads could roll. Following the death of Master He's daughter, Fourth Master Jia had kept the matter in mind, intending to introduce this wealthy mark to Grandfather. Regrettably, constant warfare plagued the region, and Fourth Master Jia's opium business suffered setbacks. With troubles of his own to handle, he had no leisure to meddle in Master He's affairs.

Unexpectedly, two years later, Master He wanted to perform a ghost marriage, and right before the ceremony, such a bizarre event had occurred. Fourth Master Jia immediately relayed this news to Grandfather.

Before long, this incident also made it into the newspapers. With extra-large headline extras, the entire Shanghai Bund learned that a coffin overflowing with jet-black hair had appeared in the Jiang-Huai region!

Upon hearing this, Grandfather felt that the situation was deeply ominous. If this coffin full of hair was genuine, trouble was on the horizon. The "Secrets of Swindling" had recorded such an occurrence once before.

In the sixth year of the Jiaqing reign, the concubine of an elderly wealthy landowner passed away. Years later, when her descendants opened the tomb, they discovered that the deceased concubine had grown an immense amount of hair after death. Frightened out of their wits, the family immediately reported it to the local magistrates, but when government officials arrived, they could not figure out what had happened either.

Subsequently, bizarre occurrences plagued that family one after another. First, in the middle of the night, a woman dressed in white holding a lantern was seen walking about the courtyard; then, during a rainy day, a young boy holding a carp was seen laughing heartily up in a tree; and later still, members of the family successively contracted strange illnesses and died.

People whispered that the concubine had been poisoned to death by the landowner's primary wife after becoming pregnant, and her resentment persisted after death, turning both mother and child into fierce vengeful ghosts that came to claim the lives of the entire household.

Therefore, the founding ancestors of the "Jiangxiang Faction" left behind a warning in the "Secrets of Swindling": "A coffin blocked by black hair must not be swindled; grievances and malevolence tangle like hemp. Dou E's blood splashed three feet of white silk, and Abao must not struggle against ghosts." This meant to instruct the Abao practitioners that when encountering such a situation where black hair filled a coffin, they should refrain from setting up a scheme. The deceased's lingering resentment was unfading, and whoever touched the coffin would meet with bad luck.

Consequently, Abao practitioners had always treated this type of setup with extreme avoidance, generally refusing to touch it.

After Fourth Master Jia departed, Grandfather specifically convened a branch meeting to listen to the opinions of the various dam heads. As a result, with the exception of the Second Dam Head, all the other dam heads advised against taking on this scam.

Grandfather glanced around at everyone in silence, then flicked his hand and said, "Meeting adjourned." The dam heads exchanged uneasy glances, having no inkling of what Grandfather intended to do.

That night, Grandfather was sipping tea in his study. At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. Grandfather smiled.

Shortly afterward, the housekeeper ushered Zhang Zizhan and Huang Farong in. Grandfather had anticipated their arrival. Since they were not dam heads, they were barred from attending top-secret branch meetings, but the Second Dam Head would undoubtedly leak the details upon returning, and Huang Farong would surely come seeking answers upon hearing the news!

"Grandfather, this scam must be executed," Huang Farong stated.

Grandfather closed his eyes slightly. "Explain."

Zhang Zizhan spoke up. "Grandfather, a coffin of black hair must not be swindled—that is merely the outdated view of our ancestors. There are no ghosts in this world, and Grandfather must never blindly follow obsolete conventions!"

Grandfather knew that these words had been coached by Huang Farong. Zhang Zizhan had always been exceptionally cautious and prudent; whenever the branch had not reached a verdict, he never voiced his opinions. Ever since Huang Farong married into the "Muzi Lotus," however, the situation had changed drastically. Assisting her husband and guiding his career—Huang Farong handled the husband-assisting aspect remarkably well.

Grandfather smiled faintly. "Is that all?"

Zhang Zizhan was taken aback, turning to look at Huang Farong.

Huang Farong said, "Grandfather, matching marriages and relocating tombs have always been the signature stunts of the 'Jiangxiang Faction.' Both commoners and friends in the underworld know this. If we back away simply because a coffin of black hair appeared, wouldn't we become the laughingstock of everyone?"

Grandfather opened his eyes, took a sip of tea, and said, "I never said we weren't doing it."

Huang Farong glanced at Zhang Zizhan, and the two of them smiled.

Grandfather continued, "Zizhan is widely read in various books. First, analyze what is going on with the hair inside that coffin!"

Zhang Zizhan immediately replied, "When I first arrived in Shanghai, I read some Western biological literature at the missionary academy. After a person dies, the hair does indeed continue to grow for a short period, sustained by the nutrients remaining within the scalp. But to claim that it grew enough to fill an entire coffin—that is impossible! The only possibility is..."

Grandfather sank into deep contemplation. This was precisely what worried him most! In the trade of setting up scams, the most terrifying thing is a scam within a scam. If the grave had already been tampered with by others, it meant someone else had beaten them to the punch. Who were these people? What were they plotting? Should he still wade into muddy waters like this?

After turning the matter over and over in his mind, Grandfather still could not untangle a clear thread. Fourth Master Jia had suddenly offered such a lucrative job—could he be a "double-detailed spy"?

"Double-detailed spy" was underworld jargon meaning a double agent, as spies were called "detailed operatives" in ancient times. Within the Abao circle, if an informant was turned by the opposing side and became their informant, they played the role of a double agent, commonly known as a "double-detailed." During the process of executing a scam, encountering a "double-detailed" was the most dreaded hazard. Back when Zhang Dancheng set up a scheme for a prince in the Qing imperial court, a "double-detailed" emerged, resulting in a disastrous defeat and the loss of one of his testicles.

However, Grandfather quickly dismissed this notion. Fourth Master Jia had no reason to act as a "double-detailed." Their relationship spanned so many years, and in every scam they collaborated on, profits were always divided properly. Furthermore, the opposing party was merely an elderly salt-trading merchant, not some high-ranking government official. Even if the scheme were exposed, there would be no grave consequences, so Fourth Master Jia had no need to play the double agent for this.

Grandfather began considering whether to accept this job. As the master of a branch, safety always took precedence above all else.

At that moment, Grandfather recalled a remark the Second Dam Head had made during the daytime meeting: "Do it, why shouldn't we? Isn't it just a few extra feet of hair? I'll go right over and shear it off and burn it!"

Grandfather felt there was reason in those words. If they could personally inspect the situation inside the coffin, perhaps everything would become clear. When it all came down to it, Grandfather harbored two major anxieties: if the hair inside that coffin had been artificially manipulated by someone else, then they were no longer fighting ghosts, but battling living human beings; yet if the hair showed no flaws whatsoever and truly grew naturally, that would be even more terrifying. After all, the technology of that era was not as advanced as today's, and even those who practiced swindling arts held a deep awe for ghosts and gods. In the event that they provoked the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men, releasing a legion of wandering ghosts into the night, he himself would find it difficult to clean up the mess.

To walk the Jianghu is to have one's movements dictated by circumstances beyond one's control. Since this bizarre event had materialized in the Jiang-Huai region, the Jiangxiang branch of this locality was duty-bound to handle it. If they cowered and tucked their tails in now, the branch's local reputation and prestige would plummet. Moreover, recently Meixuanzi's faction had been making a tremendous show of momentum, causing the "Muzi Lotus" business to go from bad to worse. If they did not scrape together some money soon, the branch's livelihood truly would become problematic. In the end, Grandfather decided to dispatch the Second Dam Head and Zhang Zizhan to scout out the path first.

Under Fourth Master Jia's introduction, the Second Dam Head affixed a fake beard and brought Zhang Zizhan along with a few other footmen to Master He's estate.

Fourth Master Jia introduced them by saying, "These gentlemen are disciples of the Iron-Plate Daoist mentioned in the newspapers. Because the Iron-Plate Daoist was summoned to meet with high government officials and could not slip away, he has sent his disciples here first to assess the situation."

Master He hurriedly expressed his gratitude, and then recounted the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.

The Second Dam Head remained utterly calm, projecting the imposing demeanor of a seasoned master. He stroked his beard and chanted loudly: "Immeasurable Daoist merit! We have encountered matters of this sort before as well. This is caused by the lingering resentment of your beloved daughter prior to her passing. Do you have any idea what grievances she might have harbored?"

Master He wore a look of utter bewilderment. After racking his brain in deep recollection, he said, "None at all. My little girl received the utmost affection from both of us elderly parents during her life. She had a cheerful disposition, was ambitious, and loved to learn—she held no grievances whatsoever."

The Second Dam Head stated, "Perhaps she never mentioned it to you. Be that as it may, allow me to go take a look."

The coffin had been placed in the east side-room, and the door was secured with a lock. In order to perform the ghost marriage, Master He had dug up his daughter who had been buried for two years.

The corpse had partially mummified, lying there with a ghastly, terrifying appearance resembling cured meat, accompanied by that thick layer of hair that frightened anyone who laid eyes upon it. Master He was even more terrified that this corpse would attract stray cats and dogs to wreak havoc, and if they managed to crawl into the coffin and disturb the remains, it would be an even greater failure on his part toward his daughter, which was why he had locked the room.

Throughout his life, the Second Dam Head had pulled off countless swindling tricks and was not afraid of dead bodies, but this time he still felt a chill in his heart. That coffin full of jet-black hair, with the skeletal remains slumbering quietly right beneath the thick carpet of hair, gave off a bizarre odor that chilled one to the bone.

While feigning the recitation of incantations, the Second Dam Head lowered his head to inspect the contents. Zhang Zizhan followed closely behind the Second Dam Head, scrutinizing every single detail inside the coffin.

After observing for a moment, the Second Dam Head clasped his hands together in deep thought, muttering under his breath: "The resentment is far too heavy." Then he added, "You must hold a grand ritual ceremony, otherwise catastrophe will befall your entire household!"

Master He was profoundly shocked. "Catastrophe?"

The Second Dam Head declared, "Naturally! When a person dies and carries heavy resentment, they cannot ascend to heaven nor descend into the netherworld, and they are barred from reincarnating as a human being in between. They can only turn into lonely, wandering ghosts roaming every direction. The coffin is their sole resting place, and wandering ghosts dread the light of day above all else. By opening the coffin, you have severely depleted her yin energy, and your entire family must pay the price for this."

Master He was momentarily stunned, and protested, "She is my own daughter—could she possibly harm her own father and mother?"

The Second Dam Head offered a bitter chuckle. "Living in the world of the living, she held resentment; dying to become a ghost, her desolation is even more bitter! In this lifetime you are her father, but in the next lifetime she might be your mother! Once a person enters the realm of ghosts, their malevolence multiplies a hundredfold, and they recognize no kin. Has Master He never heard of tragic cases where people casually relocated ancestral tombs, ruptured the feng shui, and caused their entire households to perish?"

Master He was drenched in sweat from the Second Dam Head's rhetorical onslaught.

"Indeed, I have caught wind of such things." At this point, Master He looked toward the coffin, growing somewhat frightened. "Master, let us return to the receiving parlor to speak."

The Second Dam Head cast a meaningful glance at Zhang Zizhan, then stepped outside in company with Master He.

Zhang Zizhan assisted the domestic servants in lifting the coffin lid and lowering it back into place slowly. At the exact instant the lid settled, utilizing the cover of the heavy wooden board, Zhang Zizhan swiftly reached out his hand, quietly plucked out a few strands of hair, rolled them into a compact bundle, and concealed them within his sleeve.