Chapter 341: Buried Alive
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Lu Chao Chao rubbed her nose and coaxed, “Just have a bowl. You followed the rules in the Southern Kingdom, but this is Northern Zhao… It won’t make a difference.”
She thought to herself, [This is your Su Family’s ancestor. If you drink a little, I’ll feel less guilty when I see you.]
[If you eat your ancestor, you’ll share the blame!]
She was eager to drag Nan Mu Bai into this mess.
“Just eat it. It’s only a bowl of spiritual turtle soup, not your ancestor!” Xie Yu Zhou slurped down the broth, sighing in satisfaction. “Ahh, it tastes amazing.”
After finishing his bowl in just a few gulps, he eyed his father’s portion.
Unfortunately, Xie Jing Xi swallowed it all in one go.
“There’s no father and son in front of good food,” Prince Jing Xi snorted at him.
Nan Mu Bai gritted his teeth, then sat down. “Give me a bowl.”
Shi Yun personally served him a bowl, filled generously with meat, which made Nan Mu Bai brighten up instantly.
He eagerly ate, savoring every bite. The broth and meat were brimming with spiritual energy. Lu Chao Chao was truly lucky to have caught a spiritual turtle.
“How is it?” Lu Chao Chao cautiously asked.
Nan Mu Bai nodded. “Delicious! It’s a great tonic!” He could feel the spiritual energy surging within him. Indeed, it was nourishing.
“As long as you like it… It’d be a waste of its thousand years of cultivation otherwise.” Lu Chao Chao murmured softly, too low for Nan Mu Bai to hear.
“Go prepare some porridge. We’ll be setting off again soon,” Shi Yun instructed the maids.
Once breakfast was finished, they quickly set off again.
After eating the spiritual turtle soup, Rong Che’s morning sickness eased, making him feel significantly better.
Half a day later—
“Look! That’s the Southern Kingdom’s border stele!” Xie Yu Zhou shouted excitedly from the carriage window, pointing at a black stone marker.
“Yes, once we cross it, we’ll be in my homeland.”
“The people of the Southern Kingdom have strong faith. Do your best not to offend their gods.”
“In the Southern Kingdom, if you insult their parents, they might laugh it off.”
“But if you insult their gods, they will fight you to the death! The deities grant them everything, and they take their faith seriously.”
The others acknowledged this but said nothing more.
As they entered the Southern Kingdom, Nan Mu Bai could no longer contain his excitement. His gaze frequently strayed to the distant horizon.
“I’ve been away for so long. I wonder how my Imperial Grandfather is doing.”
Just then, a green-glowing paper crane flew directly toward him.
He caught it, softly murmuring an incantation.
The paper crane transformed into a letter. As he read, his expression darkened, and his brows furrowed with concern.
By then, night was falling, and they were about to stop and rest.
Nan Mu Bai clenched the letter and announced, “We won’t rest tonight. We ride through the night!”
Xie Jing Xi, clad in armor, frowned. “We’ve been traveling for eight days without rest. Everyone is exhausted. Moreover, Lady Xu is with child—how can she endure it?”
“She must! My Imperial Grandfather is critically ill—we must reach the Southern Capital immediately!”
“We cannot delay any longer! He won’t wait for us!”
“Aunt, he has missed you for over thirty years. Please, endure it. He must see you at least once!” Nan Mu Bai pleaded earnestly.
Madam Xu’s health was good. Seeing Rong Che nod in agreement, she sighed, “Let’s continue.”
“Chao Chao, are you tired?”
Lu Chao Chao and Xie Yu Zhou were happily playing with a turtle shell. She waved her little hand. “No, not tired!” The two remained sprawled on the carriage, their heads buried in play.
Through the night, the group pressed forward with torches lighting their way.
Lu Chao Chao had cast a formation on her parents’ carriage. Shi Yun, who had been feeling drowsy, was now entirely undisturbed by the journey’s bumps and jolts.
At midnight, Nan Mu Bai finally called out, “We rest here for half an hour.”
Some drew water and prepared food, while others stood guard.
By the river, Xiangliu obediently curled its willows, diligently brushing its teeth. Ever since witnessing the little Heavenly Dao and Lu Chao Chao slaying the Black Tortoise the day before, it had become astonishingly well-behaved.
At the foot of the mountain, campfires flickered, and smoke drifted lazily.
Lu Chao Chao was still playing with the turtle shell when she suddenly sat up.
Her little ears perked. She could hear something carried by the wind.
Just as she lifted the curtain, Li Zi Xi came stumbling down the mountain, his face pale with fright. He was shaking as he stammered, “G-G-Ghost! There’s a ghost!”
Li Zi Xi looked as though he was about to cry.
He had merely gone to relieve himself in a secluded spot. Who could have expected to hear weeping beneath his feet?
Damn it! He had been standing on a grave.
And from within the grave, the sound of crying seeped through the earth, scaring him half to death.
“There’s crying from inside a grave… This is terrifying…” Li Zi Xi shivered. “I really don’t want to leave Northern Zhao.”
[Wuwuwu…] He had worked hard for years just to enter the capital.
And now, with a single decree from the Emperor, he had been sent to the Southern Kingdom.
Nan Mu Bai’s expression grew grim. He exchanged glances with Ming Lang before gripping his sword and heading up the mountain.
“I’ll go check.”
Lu Chao Chao looked at her elder brother. “Big Brother, stay and guard Mother.” Madam Xu was fast asleep.
Lu Yan Shu, seeing their father holding Chao Chao’s hand, simply nodded in agreement.
As they climbed higher, the cries became clearer.
The wails were chilling, sending shivers down their spines.
“Chao Chao, don’t be scared. I’ll protect you!” Xie Yu Zhou clung to her tightly, though his little hands trembled.
Lu Chao Chao: “…”
[Who’s protecting whom? You’re shaking all over.]
Before long, they stopped before a newly erected grave.
“This looks like a fresh burial…” Xie Jing Xi crouched and pinched the soil. It was damp and loose—clear signs that the grave was filled that very day.
“Buried today.”
“What kind of wandering spirit dares act up in my presence? Show yourself at once!” Nan Mu Bai barked. In the Southern Kingdom, he had seen many vengeful spirits before.
“The resentment here is immense… We should be careful.” Ming Lang’s face darkened as he noticed the overwhelming aura of blood and malice.
Lu Chao Chao, too, saw the thick blood mist shrouding the grave, but there was a faint trace of life within it.
Her little face turned stern. “Dig it up!”
“Dig!” Her expression was serious and unwavering.
Rong Che, rarely seeing her this tense, immediately signaled for the guards to comply.
“Wait! You can’t! The Southern Kingdom is full of wicked spirits! You don’t even know how this person died! The resentment here is terrifying! If you dig it up, you might die!” Nan Mu Bai tried to stop them.
But the Northern Zhao soldiers ignored him.
“Fine, go ahead! You’ll be begging for help soon enough!” Nan Mu Bai snapped in frustration.
[These country bumpkins have no idea how terrifying the Southern Kingdom can be!]
Within moments, the grave was dug up.
A pitch-black coffin was revealed, covered in countless long iron nails.
Ming Lang’s eyelid twitched. “Who would be so cruel as to use the Soul Nailing Technique to trap this soul for eternity?”
“What is the Soul Nailing Technique?” Rong Che asked.
“Nine iron nails seal the coffin shut, trapping the soul inside for all eternity, never to reincarnate, never to find peace. It is an extremely vicious method.”
Everyone inhaled sharply.
“You—you—open it!” Lu Chao Chao’s face had darkened.
She quickly pointed out a few guards with strong yang energy. They forced the coffin open.
The moment the lid came off, everyone’s expressions changed. They recoiled in horror.
“So many bloody handprints! The entire coffin is covered in them!”
“This isn’t a corpse—it was buried alive!” Xie Yu Zhou cried out.