All Heavens: Dual Cultivation of Magic and Martial Arts Starting from the Republic of China

Fu Ze looked at the "Eight Immortals" with sincere eyes and spoke.

"Please rest assured, everyone. Focus on carrying the coffin, and I will do my best to help. If anything unexpected happens, we will figure out a solution together."

Feng Wencai smiled.

"With Brother Fu's words, we can rest assured."

……

When the time was almost up, Feng Wencai led the remaining "Eight Immortals" coffin bearers to begin preparations.

Fu Ze kept an eye on the coffin to prevent any changes to the female corpse or the approach of wild cats or other animals.

There are many procedures before the funeral procession. The "Eight Immortals" need to make a dragon-shaped beam with bamboo strips—also called a descendant beam or long ruler in some places—and apply dew to the tools used to carry the coffin. This is called the sacrificial beam or the celebratory beam.

Then, the dragon beam is placed on a long bench for support, and the coffin can be carried out of the mourning hall and placed on the dragon beam. Finally, the coffin is tied to the dragon beam with a slipknot, like weaving a Chinese knot.

We worked until about 3:05 a.m., and everything was ready.

Feng Wencai led a group of "Eight Immortals" to stand beside the coffin and began to sing funeral dirges.

He sang.

"Heaven and earth open up, the day is auspicious and the time is right. All the Eight Immortals together tie the hearse, and with all their might, they attach flowers to the golden coffin. A white crane spreads its wings and stands at the head of the coffin, and banners flutter in the wind. Relatives and friends come to send off the deceased, to escort the immortal body to the land of immortals."

"Eight Immortals, Eight Immortals, listen to my words. After drinking the host's wine to support the deceased, carry the hearse steadily. When turning corners, discuss with everyone; when going uphill and downhill, do not panic; when crossing ditches and gaps, be careful."

"Heavenly Gate open, Earthly Gate open, Immortal Master White Crane brings this land. This is no ordinary place; its veins originate from Mount Kunlun, and the golden coffin rests right in the center! Friends and family, lead the way, and all Eight Immortals, lift it with one heart! Hoo—!"

After Feng Wencai finished speaking, the remaining Eight Immortals echoed with "Ha!"

The final "ho" sound was drawn out loudly and for a long time, carrying far and wide through the quiet mountain village at night.

After Feng Wencai finished singing his praises, the Feng family began to beat gongs, set off firecrackers, blow trumpets, and play funeral music...

After it was over, Feng Wencai stood at the head of the coffin, squatted down, lifted the dragon bar with both shoulders, and shouted loudly.

"May you rise from the coffin and bring wealth! Rise!"

"Get up!"

The other eight immortals also joined in shouting.

As they lifted the coffin, several relatives of the Feng family who had been prepared in advance rushed over and overturned the table over which the coffin had been placed, and also kicked over the benches.

Feng Wencai and the others carried the coffin and began to gently sway it from side to side.

Fu Ze knew that this was a custom for carrying a coffin during a funeral procession, known as "dragon wagging its tail" or "dragon returning to its lapel." It was meant to remind the deceased that it was time to depart.

It seems that the rules for carrying a coffin for burial in this parallel world are not much different from those in his original world.

Once this process was completed, two young and strong men from the village, who had been arranged beforehand, carried torches and led the way.

Whether it was an illusion or not, under the dim light of the torch, Fu Ze seemed to feel the coffin tremble slightly again.

"I hope nothing bad happens!"

He was also curious about the reward from the [Order of the Heavens] if he killed the zombie-like creature. However, he didn't want a real zombie transformation to cause trouble for these simple, honest villagers...

Fu Ze followed the "Eight Immortals" out of the courtyard gate.

Then came Feng hope's relatives and villagers, and the funeral procession began.

Feng Wencai and others carried the coffin slowly through the quiet, cold mountain village at around 3 a.m.

Unexpectedly, we encountered a problem less than halfway along the dirt road that was only a hundred meters long after we left the house and before we started climbing the mountain!

Fu Ze heard a low exclamation from one of the "Eight Immortals" carrying the end of the coffin, named Old Wang.

"Huh? That's a bit strange, why is this coffin getting heavier and heavier?"

One of the "Eight Immortals" on the side also had a furrowed brow.

"Yes, this coffin is made of cypress wood, so it shouldn't be this heavy."

"No! It's...it's the coffin itself that's getting heavier!"

crunch, crunch...

Suddenly, the dragon-shaped beam, which had borne the greatest force during the entire coffin-carrying process, and the sacrificial beams on both sides, began to emit strange sounds. Creak, creak, groan.

It was like wood, unable to bear the weight, twisting and trembling under the pressure. But it seemed different; the sound was sharper and more piercing!

"The sacrificial pole cries out, the corpse turns into a ghost, death upon death!"

A sentence suddenly flashed through Fu Ze's mind.

This is a local folk saying about funerals, which states that if the wooden poles carrying the coffin make strange noises during the funeral procession, it is definitely a very bad omen.

He even remembered that his grandfather had told him that his great-grandfather had encountered a similar situation before he was carrying the coffin and encountered the "mother and child evil spirit".

Fu Ze could see it clearly: the hemp ropes used to secure the sacrificial pole on the shoulders of several of the "Eight Immortals" were digging into their flesh!

It's obvious the coffin is too heavy and is pressing down on it.

He took a sudden step forward, closer to the coffin, and said in a deep voice.

"Everyone be careful! Don't let up, and make sure the coffin doesn't fall and touch the ground."

From the moment the coffin is lifted out of the coffin until it is buried in the grave, the coffin must never touch the ground.

There's an old saying that "a coffin falling to the ground becomes a grave." Once the coffin falls to the ground, it means the deceased doesn't want to leave this world.

The corpse's energy will connect with the earth's vein energy. If it is disturbed without cause, the deceased's relatives and even related relatives will encounter trouble to varying degrees!

Moreover, the female corpse in this coffin was a rather ferocious "mother and child corpse," and if the coffin were to fall to the ground, who knows what terrible things might happen.

These "Eight Immortals" are all veterans, and of course they know the seriousness of the matter.

We're now in a bind; we have no choice but to tough it out and carry the coffin up the mountain!

Among the funeral guests, those closer to the front were already slightly agitated, presumably because they had noticed something unusual about the coffin.

Feng Wencai shouted.

"Brothers, under no circumstances should the coffin touch the ground. The funeral procession has already begun, and it absolutely cannot touch the ground again halfway through the journey."

His tone was extremely anxious, and his shoulders, which were holding the phoenix stick, had sunk inwards, with the rope almost digging into his flesh.

All the "Eight Immortals" exerted all their strength.

Fu Ze gripped the bottom of the coffin with both hands, his five toes digging into the ground, his calf muscles tensing, which in turn propelled his thighs and hips upwards!

His martial arts training has reached the peak of Ming Jin, giving him strength of nearly a thousand jin.

Under normal circumstances, it can withstand not only one coffin, but even another.

But at this moment, even with eight strong men and him, they were only able to barely stop the coffin from falling!

The veins on Feng Wencai's neck were bulging.

"Hold on, you have to hold on! Rise, hey yo, rise!"

Creak, creak...

Amidst the trembling sound of the dragon-shaped sacrificial bar, the coffin was finally slowly lifted up again.

Just as Fu Zedu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Suddenly, several of the Eight Immortals stumbled, their knees buckled, and they almost collapsed on the spot!

Fu Ze could see it clearly; the coffin had suddenly become heavier. It had become even heavier!

At the same time, wisps of black smoke, like smoke, began to emerge from the cracks in the coffin.

resentment!

This thing is resentment that grows from inside the coffin.

It's too strong!

Fu Ze frowned, looking surprised and uncertain.

"This resentment is too strong. Didn't she jump into the river and commit suicide? In the end, she took her own life, so how could the resentment be so great?"

He had a vague feeling that something was not right.

But since things have come to this point, we can only try to solve the immediate problem as soon as possible.

"Stools! Quickly bring a few stools over."

Fu Ze shouted, and then snatched a wooden bench from a young man in the funeral procession and stuffed it under the coffin.

He could already tell that Feng Wencai and the others were probably not going to be able to hold on much longer.

The idea that the coffin must not touch the ground during a funeral procession essentially means that the coffin should not come into contact with the ground, as this would allow the corpse's energy to connect with the earth's energy, potentially causing the corpse to transform into something else.

If a wooden stool is used to support the coffin, there will be no problem.

Fu Ze shouted again.

"Don't just stand there, come and help! Put the stools you're holding under the coffin!"

The guests in the funeral procession suddenly realized what was happening, and some who had brought stools rushed over.

Feng Wencai's old face turned bright red, and the veins on his neck bulged out, making him look frightening. He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Hurry, we can't hold on much longer!"

Seeing that seven or eight benches were placed side by side, spread out, they should be able to support the weight of the coffin, so Fu Ze quickly said.

"You can put it down now. There are stools underneath to catch it, so it won't touch the ground."

The Eight Immortals, whose muscles were practically convulsing, carefully lowered the coffin...

Meow, meow!!!

At the critical moment, the mournful cry of a wild cat suddenly echoed from the surrounding bushes.

"not good!"

Fu Ze was startled.

"Uncle Feng, you guys watch the coffin. I'll take care of the stray cat!"

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Brother Fu."

Feng Wencai and the other "Eight Immortals" circled the coffin, remaining vigilant to prevent any more stray cats from jumping onto it. A cat startling the corpse would be a real headache.

Fu Ze followed the sound of the stray cat into the bushes on both sides of the road, hoping to completely eliminate this safety hazard at its source.

Swish swish.

Meow, meow!

"To the southeast!"

The weeds were swaying, clearly indicating that something was scurrying away inside.

Fu Ze took a deep breath, his eyes flashing like lightning, and suddenly rushed towards the bushes.

At the same time, he already had a stone in his hand and threw it directly.

This was a technique for using hidden weapons that he devised when he was bored.

In fact, most schools of Chinese martial arts have their own corresponding weapons and hidden weapon training methods, and they are not just limited to fist and foot skills.

Whoosh!

Accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound.

Then... *chuckle*.

A sound of flesh being pierced rang out in the distance, but there was no expected shrill scream of a wildcat.

Ok?

Fu Ze frowned slightly.

I ran a few steps and went over to take a look.

By the bright moonlight tonight, the carcass of a wild cat appeared before him.

It was a rotting cat carcass.

It looked like it had been dead for several days; white maggots were wriggling in its black hair.

"A dead cat screeching? This is getting weirder and weirder."

He stepped on the cat's corpse, and the force of the impact caused it to shatter into pieces.

After returning home, Feng Wencai asked.

"Brother Fu, what's going on?"

He had nothing to hide, so he told them what happened.

Even though the "Eight Immortals" had been carrying coffins for many years, they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines when they heard about this.

Zhao Wu, one of the coffin bearers, lowered his voice.

"When a dead cat meows, a ghostly corpse jumps! It's this thing in the coffin that attracted all those strange, sinister things."

Feng Wencai's expression was solemn.

"So we must be very careful and avoid any mistakes or oversights. Have you rested enough? If so, let's continue. We must arrive at the dug grave site on time."

So the "Eight Immortals" returned to their positions, retied the ropes, and placed the sacrificial poles on their shoulders. Shouting in unison, they began to lift the coffin back off the long wooden bench.

The villagers of Fengjia Village who were attending the funeral breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing this.

Especially the village chief, Feng hope, who was already quite old, looked extremely exhausted after all this. He had dark circles under his eyes and his eyes were red.

He shouted in a hoarse voice.

"Everyone's keeping up..."

The Eight Immortals lifted the coffin and continued on their way.

The mournful music played on instruments and sung again as they traveled along the dirt road in the mountains late at night.

Fu Ze thought things would go smoothly after he eliminated that "dead cat." But he didn't expect that he would run into trouble again after walking less than twenty meters.

The coffin became heavy again, causing the dragon-shaped beam and sacrificial pole to creak.

The most troublesome thing is that this time even the hemp rope tied to it started making strange noises and began to break bit by bit.

"Ouch!"

Liu, the coffin bearer on the right rear of the coffin, suddenly screamed and shrunk down.

"I just can't take it anymore!"

Not only him, but almost like a chain reaction, the big black guy behind him on the same side was also sweating profusely, and it looked like the sacrificial pole on his shoulder was about to fall off.

At this point, adding more benches is no longer an option!

Because the two pallbearers had exhausted their strength, the bottom of the coffin was now lower than the height of the stool.

It simply won't fit!

Fu Ze mustered all his strength again, barely managing to hold up the coffin, and shouted loudly.

"Clothes! Take off your clothes and put them underneath. Or you can stuff them with wooden boards. As long as the coffin doesn't directly touch the ground, the corpse's energy won't mix with the earth's energy."

Yes, yes, yes!

Feng Wencai, who was at the head of the coffin at the very front, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Quickly, a few people take off their mourning clothes and stuff them under the coffin!"

Feng hope's children and relatives immediately took off their mourning clothes, and Fu Ze also took off his coat and spread it on the ground under the coffin, then shouted.

"It's ready!"

boom!

The coffin hit the ground with a loud thud.

All eight people, including Feng Wencai, fell to the ground, tumbling over in disarray.

Fu Ze quickly walked over and helped him up: "Feng the Coffin Maker, are you alright?"

"Cough cough, I'm fine."

Feng Wencai stood up shakily, glanced back at the coffin that had already hit the ground, and turned pale.

"We can't lift it anymore, this coffin probably can't be carried tonight... As the saying goes, 'One effort, then a decline, then exhaustion.' The brothers have been working so hard today, their energy is completely depleted. There's still a long way to go, and we have to go uphill later. If we force the coffin to be carried any further, I'm afraid..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

Feng hope's face was extremely pale.

He spoke in an almost pleading voice.

"Coffin maker Feng, the funeral and burial times have all been calculated, and the grave has been dug. If we don't arrive on time, won't there be big trouble?"

Before Feng Wencai could answer, Fu Ze spoke up.

"I think it would be worse if we actually went up the mountain and buried her properly! The fact that the coffin can't be moved now might not be a bad thing in the long run."

What does that mean?

Feng hope and his relatives were completely baffled.

Fu Ze's gaze and voice suddenly turned piercing.

"If the cat startling the corpse in the mourning hall at the beginning was a coincidence, and even the first time the coffin became heavy was a coincidence... but now that this is the third unexpected situation, it can't be a coincidence. The only possibility is that the body in the coffin doesn't want to be buried, doesn't want to leave!"