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Chapter 1043 Behind the Scenes
When a noble person is buried, there are two layers of coffins, an outer one, which is about the size of a room, and an inner one, which is used to place the inner coffin and various burial items, such as jewelry and goldware.

The inner coffin is where the body is placed, and it is the most widely known type of coffin.

Only aristocratic families paid attention to this. Ordinary people could not even afford a coffin, let alone a complete set of coffins.

The enormous coffin deep within the ice cave was arranged in a particularly deliberate and strategically placed manner, forming a formation with the surrounding area.

The coffin was filled with a thick medicinal liquid, as dark and deep as black water, soaking most of the coffin.

Looking at the coffin again, there were seven or eight fist-sized pills embedded in it, emitting a fragrant aroma that made one's blood and energy surge.

The gentleman was discerning; he could tell at a glance that the stone and wood used to make the coffin were no ordinary materials.

The stone is called "Sansheng Rock". Legend has it that the texture of this stone is similar to flesh and blood. Historical records also clearly state that a baby with flesh and blood was born from this stone.

The Three Lives Rock is extremely difficult to find, and its quantity is rare. Most of the rocks are small and fragmented, and it is even rarer to find a large rock that can be carved into a coffin. It might not be possible to do so even with the combined efforts of the entire world.

The Great Gentleman remembered the two pharmacists' instructions and resisted the urge to touch it. However, standing next to the Three Lives Rock, his life force was stimulated and instantly became vigorous, multiplying several times over.

If the outer layer being carved from the Three Lives Rock was already astonishing, then the material of the inner coffin was... well...

"Dragon-patterned agarwood!"

The only wondrous tree that existed when heaven and earth were first created, was later cut down and fell into the hands of later monarchs.

Legend has it that items placed in vessels made of this wood will escape the erosion of time, remaining uncorrupted, imperishable, and indestructible.

Such precious wood has always been in the hands of successive royal families.

The great gentleman still remembered that when he was young, he had seen that huge dragon-patterned agarwood tree in the temple where he worshipped past monarchs when he ascended the throne.

There is only one of its kind in the world; there is no other like it.

However, the coffin in front of me was indeed made of dragon-patterned agarwood, and even the patterns on it matched my memory.

"What's in this?"

A doubt arose in the mind of the great gentleman: even after being enfeoffed as a lord, he was not worthy of a coffin made of stone and wood.

Not to mention the black water...

"That's right, it's a spiritual herb, containing a full eighty-one kinds of top-grade natural treasures."

The Five Flavors Pharmacist used the tip of a needle to pick up a drop of black water, analyzed it for a moment, and drew a conclusion.

And those pills embedded in the coffin...

If you were to travel around here, you would be able to recognize at least several kinds, including the longevity pill offered by the Martial Arts Stele and the essence of the Gu Emperor presented by the Eight Gentlemen, both of which are miraculous elixirs for prolonging life.

The Great Gentleman looked around and added, "You two probably can't tell that the arrangement around here is the 'Treasure Basin' layout from the Five Elders of the Golden Immortal Path, which is constantly generating various negative substances that eliminate decline, illness, old age, and pregnancy."

The three and five pharmacists were shocked. "Impossible! How could that beast have gathered all these things!"

Before coming here, the two alchemists had already confirmed that this place was a top-secret base of the Seven Flavors.

However, everything in this icy, deep-seated underground palace is beyond the capabilities of the Seven Flavors of the Evil Alchemist. In the entire world, who could achieve this…?

"..."

Before the two pharmacists could utter the name, the coffin lid opened automatically with a click.

The gentleman stepped forward and peered through the crack, but his body was struck as if by lightning, and he stood frozen in place.

His lips moved silently, uttering two words, "Mother."

Inside the coffin lay a woman, her face as beautiful as when she was alive, a picture of a sleeping noble lady. The dragon-patterned agarwood coffin allowed her body to remain frozen in time, while the Three Lives Rock circulated her internal energy, keeping her in a state of perishable decay, just as it had been in life.

The black medicinal liquid she was soaked in provided the means to maintain her bodily functions.

The layout of the "treasure basin" inside the Bingbing Cave also exempted her from illness and injury.

The noblewoman was moved to tears; she never expected to see her mother, the late Lady Xian, who had died many years ago, so deep underground.

Back then, the feudal lord was already married and had children when he was nominated as the crown prince, before he had even ascended to the throne.

His first wife was a virtuous woman, and the two were very loving. They had already given birth to a daughter, and she was now a great gentleman.

That's right, the eldest daughter of the main wife, not the eldest son. She was forced by the lord to dress as a man and become a gentleman after the death of the first lady.

She was still young that year, and the capital was stained with blood as all sides fought tooth and nail for the position of feudal lord.

Her father, facing a powerful enemy invasion, had lost all his personal guards. Just as a sharp blade was about to pierce his neck, her beautiful and gentle mother shielded him from the fatal blow.

That day also became a watershed moment in the later lives of the father and daughter.

After ascending the throne, the feudal lord's temperament changed drastically. Ignoring the objections of his ministers, he hung his wife's coffin and refused to bury her, and even raised her as a great gentleman.

Her true identity was already little known, but under the lord's orders, the capital finally assumed she was the eldest son. From then on, her former nickname and formal name disappeared, leaving only the title of "Great Gentleman".

"Mother!"

The gentleman couldn't resist reaching out to touch the woman's face, but someone stopped him, saying, "Don't touch her!"

The one who spoke was neither the Three-Flavor Pharmacist nor the Five-Flavor Pharmacist, but a fourth person.

"Zhou, aren't you in the capital? What are you doing here?"

The three pharmacists questioned him.

The unexpected guest was none other than Zhou, a general of the sacrificial palace.

Zhou did not answer his question, but instead bowed to the gentleman and said, "Gentleman, you must not harm the noble person's health."

The noblewoman's fingers trembled slightly, and she withdrew her hand with great self-control. "What are you doing?"

"The great gentleman should already know!"

Zhou said respectfully, "The lord asked me to pass on a message to you!"

"Say!"

Beneath the calm expression of the great lady lay a raging, hostile anger like an underwater storm, directed at her father, the feudal lord.

"The lord said that children are born of the essence and blood of their parents and are conceived for ten months. This is a great kindness from heaven and earth."

"There are many folk tales about filial piety, such as giving back to one's mother or cutting flesh to support one's parents."

"He said you've missed your mother since you were little, and now you have the chance to repay her kindness..."

Before Zhou could finish speaking, the Five Flavors Pharmacist roared, "No, we can't let him finish! The lord is unrighteous, and you, as his subject, cannot aid and abet evil. Let's stop here!"
He then advised the virtuous gentleman, "Venerable gentleman, hurry up and leave, don't listen. As long as you can't hear it, you won't be caught in a dilemma..."

The three pharmacists standing to the side were filled with horror and shock. "How could this be? Where is your conscience?"

Just now, the two brothers had figured out the whole story. This place was indeed set up by the evil alchemist Qiwei, but it wasn't just his doing.

No one expected that the evil medicine master Qiwei was Feng Jun's man, or rather, that they shared the same goal in this matter.

(End of this chapter)