Chapter Six: The Human Skin Mask and the Beauty’s Coffin

Damn, this is unbearable—a fishy stench mixed with the strange odor of yellow talisman paper nearly made me retch. But the thought of that invitation made of human skin, and Su Ying carrying her red lantern, forced me to endure. Deep down, I still refused to believe Su Ying would harm me. Once, we were so in love—even if we've broken up, it shouldn't be to the point where she'd want me dead.

Finally, I took out two willow leaves and pressed them directly onto my eyes inside the coffin. Instantly, a cool sensation washed over me.

When I opened my eyes again, nothing seemed different; it was still pitch black all around. No matter how I tried, the phone wouldn't light up either. I had no choice but to give up, fear rising in my heart—I’ve been afraid of the dark since I was a child.

Still chewing on the yellow talisman, bitter and tearless, I fumbled for the crystal sphere, the size of a fist, that I’d brought with me. To my surprise, it felt noticeably smaller—almost half its original size.

I found this odd, but there was no time to dwell on it. Gritting my teeth, I bit down hard on the middle finger of my left hand.

Shit, that hurt—I could barely stand it.

Chewing on the talisman, I could feel its juices sliding into my stomach, making it churn and tremble. Any more and I’d probably throw up. I always thought, watching TV and movies, that those people who bit their own fingers didn't even flinch—especially that Master Lin, who’d bite through his own skin as if it were nothing. But here I was, pain numbing my whole finger, forcing me to let go quickly. After all, every finger is connected to the heart.

Thud, thud, thud...

Suddenly, I heard three knocks above my head, followed by a distant, echoing voice—like something calling from the depths of an abyss.

"Raise the coffin!"

A chill ran down my spine. Despite the pain, I had to endure it. I clenched my teeth and bit down on my left middle finger again, finally succeeding on the third try.

When a drop of blood fell onto the crystal sphere—I had no idea what would happen; I couldn’t see a thing in the coffin’s darkness.

All I could smell was that familiar feminine fragrance, then everything began to sway.

After about a minute, a voice suddenly appeared in my mind.

"Who are you?"

My heart skipped a beat, but then excitement rose within me—there really was someone inside the sphere, or maybe not a person, but a fox.

It was a woman's voice, gentle and rather pleasant.

"Hello, Fairy. My name is Yang Dong. Grandpa Chen Chuyi sent me to find you for help."

"Chen Chuyi?"

I answered with a nervous nod, eyes wide, but I still couldn’t see what the little fox looked like.

"How did you end up in the Beauty's Coffin?"

I was at a loss for words—so this coffin was called the Beauty’s Coffin. At least it wasn’t something as grim as the Dead Man’s Coffin.

"Well, you’ve really gotten yourself into trouble. Human skin mask, Beauty's Coffin, red bridal veil, ghost marriage—are you here to be the groom?"

Cold sweat streamed down my forehead at her words.

"Fairy, please save me. I don’t want to die."

After what happened with Su Ying just now, I fully believed I’d encountered something supernatural.

"Don’t want to die? As far as I can tell, you won’t live through the night."

Her voice was so gentle and oddly familiar, but I had no time for wild guesses. Her words—“you won’t live through the night”—left me soaked in cold sweat, my whole body trembling.

"But since Chen Chuyi entrusted me to you, you must be important. Very well, I’ll do my best to help you survive until five o’clock!"

"Thank you, Fairy, thank you so much!" I stammered my gratitude, my mind a tangled mess.

Five o’clock?

I glanced at my phone—it wasn’t even one yet.

The little fox would protect me until five, but what then? The thought made me ask again.

"Fairy, can you guide me? What should I do now?"

Trying to steady my breathing, I lay flat in the unseen Beauty’s Coffin.

At this point, I was ready to believe anything. I remembered reading somewhere that ghosts and spirits were especially prevalent in late Qing and Republican times, but after the founding of New China, all that superstitious nonsense was stamped out. The old spirit mediums, versed in the ways of yin and yang, were all swept away—most were elderly, and couldn’t withstand the purge. With the advance of technology—planes, cannons, yachts, missiles—who would still believe in ghosts or gods?

We grew up under the red flag, answering the call of the Party.

If not for tonight’s events, I’d never believe that in our era of rapid technological progress, such a supernatural world could still exist.

"Don’t be afraid. Fear weakens your energy, making it easier for ghostly forces to enter your body. No matter what happens, do exactly as the master of the Beauty’s Coffin says—and remember, I’m here with you."

Her words sent a chill down my spine, and I kept chewing that talisman, which was tougher than straw.

"Where are you?"

I opened my eyes even wider, but in this cramped space, all I could smell was Su Ying’s familiar scent mixed with the pungent talisman and cinnabar.

"I’m inside the bead—I can’t come out. Right now, I’m communicating with you through spirit."

I quietly swallowed the talisman, fighting the urge to gag.

"What are you eating?"

"A talisman!"

She burst out laughing. "Who told you to eat that? How can you eat such a thing?"

The coffin swayed gently, like riding in a sedan chair. For now, nothing else happened, and with the little fox’s assurance, I felt a bit more at ease.

She seemed genuinely amused by my answer, laughing a few times.

I explained the method Grandpa Chen Chuyi had taught me.

"You’re quite something. Chen Chuyi had you swallow the talisman to mask your vitality. It’s a crude but effective method."

So what was the better way? I asked.

The little fox told me that all I needed to do was press the talisman to my brow with my middle finger, focus my mind, and recite, "Yin soldiers, lend your path—conceal!" That would have sufficed—no need to actually swallow the talisman.

I cursed Chen Chuyi inwardly—was he messing with me?

Then the little fox told me we were nearly there and urged me to stay calm and not be afraid. With her present, and three spirit talismans locking my soul, I should survive the night unless something went terribly wrong.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

Just as I finally calmed myself, suddenly, three knocks sounded again above my head.

Thud, thud, thud...

"Open the coffin..."