“Stand up, child.”

The old monk bent down to help Xie Zhifei up, a deeply hidden tenderness in his eyes.

“Since you are that young woman’s beloved, then you shall carry her into the coffin.”

“Master Chanyue.”

Xie Zhifei’s voice cracked.

“…Why must she be carried into a coffin?”

“All things have their proper place. A person’s place is home. A dead person’s place is a coffin.”

The old monk sighed deeply. “If she doesn’t lie in a coffin, where else can she lie?”

A dead person’s place is a coffin.

That meant Yan Sanhe…

Had truly already died!

Xie Zhifei’s form swayed unsteadily. He fell to his knees again with a thud, his tear-filled eyes brimming with sorrow.

“Why?” he murmured.

“It’s a long story!”

The old monk sighed deeply again.

“First carry her inside, then clear out everyone unrelated. Be quick—delay any longer and even this old monk will be powerless.”

Young Master Pei grew anxious: “Xie Wushi, hurry!”

Li Buyan grew anxious: “Third Master, hurry!”

Even Xuyun at the side couldn’t help but say: “Benefactor, truly you must hurry!”

All of Xie Zhifei’s sorrowful emotions were blown away completely by this one word “hurry.”

He shot to his feet and gave decisive orders: “Zhu Qing, clear the area.”

Zhu Qing: “Yes!”

Xie Zhifei: “Li Buyan, go change her into prettier new clothes.”

“Yes!”

Li Buyan choked up: “Just bought them yesterday. They’re beautiful.”

Xie Zhifei: “Mingting, you personally brew tea for Master Chanyue and Xuyun. Also prepare some food to tide them over.”

Pei Xiao: “You don’t need to tell me—you don’t need to worry about any of this.”

“Also prepare some water. The old monk needs to bathe and change clothes.”

Master Chanyue slapped his forehead and jumped up.

“Aiya, I forgot one thing! That young woman has a jade pendant with the characters ‘Tao Tao’ carved on it. Put that piece of jade in her palm. Remember—the left hand!”

He even knew this?

That jade pendant hung around Yan Sanhe’s neck. She wouldn’t take it off even when sleeping.

Li Buyan had already walked several zhang away but couldn’t help herself. She turned and shouted at the old monk: “You’re awesome!”

Awesome?

What fierce language.

But… it sounded quite nice.

The old monk exhaled, turned around, and his raised lips immediately fell.

Several zhang away, Zhu Yuanmo stared blankly at Xuyun. His chest rose and fell as he called out lowly: “Songsheng?”

“Amitabha. This humble one is Xuyun.”

Xuyun clasped his hands together, his face expressionless: “Benefactor must have mistaken me for someone else.”

Zhu Yuanmo froze like a wooden post. After a long moment, he bent down and lowered his head: “Master Xuyun, it’s been a while.”

“Auspicious blessings.”

Xuyun lightly withdrew his gaze and supported the old monk toward the depths of the residence.

As they passed each other, Zhu Yuanmo’s lips moved, but ultimately he said nothing.

…

The monks and Daoists left.

Zhu Yuanmo and Imperial Physician Pei also left.

The estate fell completely quiet.

Yan Sanhe was changed into that crimson-colored garment. Even though her face was deathly pale, she still showed a strange beauty.

Xie Zhifei lifted her horizontally, walked out of the side chamber, then bent down and gently, carefully placed her into the coffin.

He suddenly recalled a past incident.

That day he was on patrol. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Tang Yuan standing at the coffin shop entrance, so he walked over.

Looking up into the shop, he saw one of Yan Sanhe’s feet already standing inside a coffin.

When asked why she did this, she said she was testing whether the coffin was comfortable.

He thought to himself: has this person gone mad? Doesn’t she know coffins are for dead people to lie in? How can she not be superstitious?

As it turned out, Heaven had given hints early on. It was just that these vulgar mortals were completely unaware.

Xie Zhifei’s hand gently caressed Yan Sanhe’s forehead and cheeks.

Girl, this coffin is comfortable. Tang Yuan spread a thick layer of bedding underneath. Rest here for a while. When you’ve rested enough, remember to climb back out.

“Master, should this coffin be closed?”

After bathing and changing clothes, the old monk finally had something of the bearing of a worldly sage. He hung the prayer beads around his neck. His withered face seemed to carry some Buddhist radiance.

“Try and see if you can close it.”

What did that mean?

Xie Zhifei looked blankly toward Pei Xiao at the side. Pei Xiao’s two eyes stared dully—even more confused.

“I tell you to try, so try. With this old monk here, what are you afraid of?”

“Oh!”

Xie Zhifei and Li Buyan exchanged a glance. One at the front, one at the back—they covered the coffin lid.

“Crack!”

“Crack!”

“Crack!”

After three sounds that made one’s scalp tingle, the coffin lid split open bit by bit, revealing Yan Sanhe’s deathly pale, small face.

Xie Zhifei looked up at the old monk in extreme shock.

The old monk didn’t explain. Instead, he asked: “Do you know why her coffin won’t close?”

How could he not know?

He had followed her to resolve four inner demons, through wind and rain.

“You say she’s a dead person and put her in a coffin. When a dead person’s coffin lid won’t close, it’s because they had obsessions in life. Over time, obsessions become demons.”

Xie Zhifei’s entire body shuddered: “Yan Sanhe… has an inner demon.”

Li Buyan blurted out: “How can she have an inner demon?”

Pei Xiao blurted out: “What is her inner demon?”

As the last word fell, the entire main hall fell silent.

If someone barged in at this moment, they would see this strange scene—

A huge nanmu coffin sat in the room.

The coffin lid continued splitting open bit by bit.

The old monk’s prayer beads spun faster and faster in his hands.

Xuyun clasped his hands together, his lips moving as he silently chanted Buddhist sutras.

Half the people’s gazes looked at the person in the coffin. The other half stared fixedly at the old monk.

In the deathly silence, sunlight slanted in, casting mottled light and shadows all over the floor.

Just then, the old monk’s hand spinning the prayer beads suddenly paused.

“More than what inner demon she has, you should know why she’s a dead person.”

His voice was unspeakably ghostly and cold.

“Why can a dead person still live in the mortal world? And… since she’s dead, why does she still have a trace of pulse?”

Xie Zhifei wanted to kneel again at this moment.

He thought this, and he did this.

Moving almost simultaneously with him were Li Buyan and Pei Xiao, as well as Zhu Qing, Ding Yi, and Huang Qi in the corner.

All seven knelt before the old monk. Every face showed sincere, utterly sincere pleading.

Xie Zhifei shuffled forward on his knees two steps. “I beg Master to resolve our doubts.”

The old monk didn’t acknowledge him but glanced back at Xuyun.

Xuyun immediately pulled a pipe from the bundle, stuffed some tobacco inside, lit it, and handed it to the old monk.

The old monk puffed twice and exhaled a long ring of smoke. Meeting Xie Zhifei’s eyes, he sighed:

“This matter… we must start from ten years ago!”