No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 921 No one in the coffin
Ouyang Rong felt that if the mound of earth and Lu Changgeng's remains below could talk, they would jump up and question the little ink spirit, "Are you polite?"
What do you want about him?

The author's words were eloquent and confident:
"That old rascal has lived a long time, hasn't he? I forgot to ask him before I left last time if I am the most witty and brave little fairy he has ever met!"

Ouyang Rong: ?

Seeing that he wasn't moving, Miao Si stopped swinging her legs, put her hands on her hips, and urged him:

"Dig faster, dig faster, forget it, it's too slow. This fairy maiden will have to do it. This fairy maiden will help you."

Ouyang Rong ignored him, silently took out the Peach Blossom Spring painting, took out a prepared shovel from the painting, and began to work on the mound of earth.

Miao Si stole a small shovel from somewhere, which looked like it was used for cooking, but she ended up using it to dig in the dirt.

This was also taken from the Peach Blossom Spring painting.

The space inside the Peach Blossom Spring painting wasn't just for Ouyang Rong's exclusive use; Miao Si also had some personal belongings stored there early on. In her words, this was called "refined power."

Even spirits have the right to live and need private space, which is sacred and inviolable. Although it was inside his fake cauldron sword, and although it might have violated his private space...

With tools in hand, one person, one skilled craftsman, and one fish quickly got to work busily in front of the tomb of the Lu family ancestor.

Ouyang Rong and Miao Si each took a shovel and buried themselves in digging.

The innocent white sturgeon tirelessly circled the earthen mound of the grave, acting as a source of light.

Carefree, it had no idea what the two were doing; it simply followed its long-absent male owner with a cheerful air.

"Little Rongzi, give it your all! This fairy maiden is going upstairs for a drink of water..."

Halfway through digging out a brilliant idea, he found an excuse and climbed out of the pit.

Ouyang Rong was serious and meticulous, buried in his work, and ignored her.

The two of them dug the grave together, but her little shovel was practically useless; she was just there to create atmosphere.

Ouyang Rong, on the contrary, was made to feel constrained, having to worry about knocking her away. Perhaps realizing this, Miao Si quietly found an excuse to leave.

"Little Rongzi, would you like some water?"

“Xiao Rongzi, aren’t we being too arrogant? We’re in the middle of nowhere, bringing a big white fish that can fly to dig up graves. It’s easy to scare passersby. Isn’t that a bad idea?”

"Alright, Xiao Rongzi, I'll keep watch for you up here. If anyone comes, I'll tell you. Don't worry, no one can escape my eagle eyes."

The pit beneath Ouyang Rong's feet grew deeper and deeper, and at the same time, Xiao Mo Jing's voice came from above.

After laying the groundwork with a few words, she started making excuses to avoid coming.

During a break, Ouyang Rong looked up and saw that the little guy was indeed sitting on the tombstone, holding a water bag, leisurely swinging his legs, and cheering him on.

The only purpose of bringing her here is probably to relieve boredom and prevent someone from encountering ghosts in a mass grave, since you can bring her along too.

He was suddenly speechless.

But then I thought, if she weren't lazy and gluttonous, she wouldn't be a fairy goddess.

"Little Rongzi, hurry up and dig! This fairy is feeling increasingly chilly. Is there a breeze coming up from down there? Did you dig up something unclean?"

Ouyang Rong ignored him.

He loosened the soil with force, and after swinging the shovel for a long time, he finally felt a hard resistance.

It's coffin wood.

Ouyang Rong took a deep breath, and then, in one go, removed all the soil from the coffin, revealing the dark brown coffin lid.

At the edge of the pit above, Miaosi poked her little head in, clutching her small shovel, and whispered words of encouragement:

"Little Rongzi, you open the coffin first, and this fairy will cover for you..."

Ignoring the little ink spirit who was providing cover from such a distance, Ouyang Rong didn't say a word. He found the opening, lifted the coffin lid, and revealed the scene inside.

The moment the coffin was opened, the little ink spirit above scurried its head back in.

Peeking out again, she found that Ouyang Rong was already casually rummaging through the items inside the coffin. From her angle, she could only see Ouyang Rong's back, which blocked most of her view.

"Little Rongzi, are you alright? This fairy maiden has come down to help you..."

Ouyang Rong suddenly said in a serious tone:
"Be careful, he's not with me."

My brilliant idea was halfway through when I subconsciously asked:

"What? He's not with you?"

"I mean Lu Changgeng isn't in the coffin; I don't know where he's gone."

"!?"

Little Ink Spirit was stunned for a moment, then his pupils dilated in shock, his legs went weak, and he slipped and fell off the edge of the pit.

"Ouch!"

boom--!
Ouyang Rong dodged to the side, and Miao Si's little head hit the bottom of the coffin solidly, making a crisp sound.

Miao Si's tears streamed down her face, and she saw stars.

"Where is he? Where is he? Waaaaah, he's not going to bite us, is he? Don't scare this fairy, be serious, waaaah, my head hurts..."

Ouyang Rong turned around, already holding a stack of silk scrolls and other relics in his hand, which he had found among the burial objects.

He first glanced at the spot where Miao Si's head had hit the floor, then his gaze moved upwards to look at the timid Miao Si, and asked in surprise:

"You're a spirit, why are you afraid of ghosts?"

Seeing this, Miao Si wiped away her tears and angrily shouted:

"You liar, you big liar! This is completely pointless, and you made this fairy fall down. You'll have to pay for it!"

Little Mo Jing is not brave enough to be a fierce ghost, but she is not only brave enough to be fierce to her own people, she is very brave.

"Who lied to you? You misunderstood."

Ouyang Rong curled his lip, pointed to the tattered cloth at his feet and the burial goods he had already rummaged through, and nodded:

“I’m not lying to you. There is indeed no one in the coffin. This is just a cenotaph. It contains only his Confucian robes and burial items, but no remains.”

Miao Si looked down and indeed found no remains, only a neatly folded set of torn clothes and some bottles and jars.

She rubbed her head, muttering with some dissatisfaction:
"A cenotaph? Where did that person go? Surely they didn't dissolve their body and become an immortal?"

"Hard to say."

Ouyang Rong made a joke.

Little Ink Spirit immediately tensed up, looking around nervously, sweat beading on his forehead.

Ouyang Rong suppressed a laugh, and using the halo of light emanating from the drifting white sturgeon, lowered his eyes to examine the stack of silk scrolls. He pulled out a scroll with familiar handwriting and nodded with some satisfaction.

Seeing this, Miao Si forgot her headache and asked curiously:

"Is this Cui Zi's handwriting?"

"It should be; there's a Kui Xing talisman on it."

"What about the others?"

"It should belong to Lu Changgeng. There are some letters between him and his friends inside. Cui Hao's letter is one of them. However, strangely, Cui Hao's silk scroll was torn in half. Only the part with the Kui Xing talisman remained. The other half should have been a letter that Cui Hao wrote to him. It was not found in the coffin, so it may have been destroyed."

Miao Si frowned: "Something's definitely up. What are they whispering about?"

"Ask him in person next time."

Ouyang Rong put away the Kui Xing talisman drawn by Cui Hao, and also put away Lu Changgeng's other handwritten letters. He turned around and suddenly walked towards Miao Si.

He grabbed Miaosi with one hand and lifted her high.

Just as Miao Si was about to jump onto his shoulder in perfect unison, she suddenly found that her footing had slipped and she fell to the ground.

"what!"

boom--!
Ouyang Rong let go, causing the little ink spirit to fall freely again, its head hitting the coffin floor.

The sound of the two colliding was quite crisp.

Little Ink Spirit slumped to the ground, swaying and dizzy for a while before raising both hands to cover his head and saying:

"Little Rongzi, you! You're not human! Waaaaah, this fairy will fight you to the death..." Ouyang Rong stopped Miao Si, who was rushing up to him crying and ready to fight, and gestured with his lip, indicating the sole of his foot:

"Stop joking, there's no vacuum down there. This sound means there's still space under the coffin."

Miao Si quieted down for a moment, looked down at herself, her little face full of doubt, and muttered, "It seems that it really is..."

She quickly realized what was happening and looked up angrily:

"There's something strange down there, why are you testing this fairy's head with yours? Don't you have a head yourself? Little Rongzi, you, you're the worst, without a doubt!"

Ouyang Rong ignored him, squatted down, and tapped the coffin floor with his fist.

Bang - Bang -

The sound had a hollow quality to it.

His eyes seemed thoughtful.

Boom-!
Hearing a sound, Ouyang Rong turned his head and asked:
"What are you doing?"

Miao Si, who was standing to the side, picked up a small shovel and started smashing it against the coffin floor where her head had just made intimate contact, as if venting her anger.

Little Ink Spirit spoke with absolute certainty:
"Drill a hole! There's obviously something fishy down there. What are we doing standing here like idiots instead of going down?"

Ouyang Rong remained silent, but no matter how he looked at it, he felt that the little ink spirit was settling a personal score and deliberately causing trouble, trying to stir up some unclean things in the tomb to bite him to death.

Ouyang Rong said in a very serious tone:
"Then be gentle, what if there's a ghost down there?"

"Is there a ghost?"

Miao Si's forehead was red from the bump, and with a dazed look on her face, she tilted her head and asked him:

"Is this ghost as bad as you?"

Ouyang Rong: ...

Miao Si waved her hand dismissively: "That settles it then. You're not as bad as it is, so what are you afraid of? It should be said that Young Master Ouyang bullied it. It might even be a female ghost, which you're better at."

"Speak," Little Ink Spirit said, wielding his little shovel and digging furiously.

Shortly after, accompanied by a cracking sound, the coffin floor broke open, revealing a dark hole.

Ouyang Rong lowered his head and stared intently.

The white sturgeon, which had been swimming nearby, quite sensibly approached the entrance of the cave.

A pale white halo fell into the cave, illuminating some things that had been covered in dust for a long time.

Ouyang Rong saw a tomb path paved with stone bricks, stretching as far as the eye could see, its destination unknown.

After a brief silence, he tied up the Peach Blossom Spring picture and held it in one hand.

Upon seeing this, the little ink spirit leaped directly onto the back of the white sturgeon.

"Drive~"

Miao Si excitedly rode the fish, ready to dive inside.

But in the next instant, he bumped into Ouyang Rong's outstretched boots that were meant to block him.

"you……"

Ouyang Rong looked up at the sky and calmly interrupted it:

"We wasted too much time digging the hole and opening the coffin. It's almost dawn, there's not enough time, and we shouldn't take any risks. Let's go back first and come back to explore tomorrow night."

After saying that, Ouyang Rong grabbed Miaosi and stuffed her into his sleeve.

Before leaving the coffin, he glanced at the white sturgeon swimming in circles:

"You stay at the cave entrance."

After leaving a message, Ouyang Rong closed the coffin again, filled it with some soil, and then covered it with some weeds.

After completing these tasks and filling in any gaps, he clapped his hands, glanced at the lonely tombstone, and strode away.

……

In the dead of night, the coffin was empty and deserted.

The dead have no body parts, and the whereabouts of their physical bodies are unknown; only their clothes and burial items remain.

In addition, there is a dark path beneath the tomb.

The search for Lu Changgeng's tomb was indeed somewhat unexpected for Ouyang Rong.

However, having already obtained what he needed, including the Kui Xing Talisman personally written by Cui Hao, Ouyang Rong no longer considered his curiosity about Lu Changgeng's whereabouts and the dark tomb passage as separate matters. He did not choose to immediately embark on a risky exploration.

Ouyang Rong returned the way he came and arrived back at the small island where the purchasing team was staying before dawn.

After disassembling the raft and carefully hiding the parts, Ouyang Rong returned to his residence.

After entering, he glanced at the warning marks made by the door; no one touched them.

Realizing that no one had entered yesterday, Ouyang Rong breathed a slight sigh of relief. After carefully putting away the Peach Blossom Spring Map and other items, he returned to his wooden bed and lay down.

Before long, the purchasing manager came and woke them up to move the goods.

Ouyang Rong pretended nothing had happened and another day passed.

During lunch, he overheard Madam Chen chatting with someone, saying that the ingredients and other supplies had been almost purchased, but some of the Lantang Fairies had not yet returned, so they would have to wait a little longer. They should be able to return to Jianze in another two days.

Ouyang Rong remained silent.

However, he remembered something: when he went down the mountain to see Yu Mili off, he promised to help her pass on a message to her mother.

I thought this trip down the mountain would take me to the town... but now it seems I won't be able to get to the Red Dust Inn.

The daytime passes quickly as we work.

That night, Ouyang Rong returned to his room.

The sound of my colleagues snoring could be heard around me.

Ouyang Rong got off the bed and started packing his things.

Besides bringing the Peach Blossom Spring map, he also inspected the Merit Pagoda.

Merit: 898

Ouyang Rong opened his eyes, took out half of the silk scroll and glanced at it.

There is still a long way to go to reach the goal of accumulating three thousand merits.

It was only after leaving Xunyang City and arriving at Yunmeng Sword Marsh that he realized the value of merit points.

Even using a spirit-summoning talisman, it's difficult to accumulate enough merit points for just one use.

He gained far more merit than he did when he served as the governor of Jiangzhou in Xunyang.

With Junior Sister and Lady Historian, who are also experience boosters, not around, the efficiency of gaining merit points is much lower. The main way to maintain a moderate growth rate is to rely on the Xunyang Grottoes, which is managed by Pei Shisan Niang, to intermittently gain hundreds of merit points at a time.

Ouyang Rong shook his head and put the half of the silk scroll that he didn't need for the time being into the Peach Blossom Spring painting.

He glanced at the deep night outside and set off again.

Having learned from last night's experience, Ouyang Rong knew the way well this time when he went to Lu Changgeng's cenotaph.

It saved a lot of time.

Around midnight, he arrived at Lu Changgeng's tomb. This time, he had plenty of time to explore in the latter half of the night.

The weeds and grave soil were removed, and the coffin lid was opened.

The white sturgeon, which had been "lost" inside the coffin for a day, swam towards him merrily and circled him affectionately.

Miao Si peeked out from his sleeve, and as the white sturgeon swam by, he jumped onto its back and grabbed its floating whiskers with both hands.

Little Ink Spirit held his head high and chest out, exuding an air of grandeur, like someone riding a horse into battle.
"Fish, fish, fish, hurry up, let's go tomb raiding! Little Rongzi, hurry up and follow!"

Without needing to be told, Ouyang Rong had already taken the lead and entered the tomb.

(End of this chapter)