Uncle San pointed the flashlight at the coffin, and the moment he saw that “person,” he felt a shiver run down his spine, his scalp tingling. He instinctively stepped back and flipped the knife in his hand. It wasn’t that Uncle San was timid; it was just that the situation was truly bizarre. In such a hidden ancient tomb, to suddenly see a “person” lying on top of the coffin would startle anyone.

During this moment of fright, Jie Lianhuan had also retreated to Uncle San’s side. He had probably never encountered anything like this in his life; his face turned pale with fear, and in his haste, he accidentally stepped on Uncle San’s foot.

Uncle San almost stumbled from the step, but at that moment, with the flashlight’s beam, he clearly saw the situation on the coffin. It turned out to be a false alarm; the “person” on the coffin was a bronze figurine, tightly pressed against the black coffin.

The bronze figure had a strange design, with flowing hair and an exaggerated face, resembling the theatrical figures from the Qin dynasty. Its limbs were short and thick like insect legs, and the most bizarre feature was its mouth, which was wide open in a ghastly scream, neither smiling nor angry.

As Uncle San looked at it, he immediately felt a sense of unease. While most people value peace and tranquility, the combination of the iron coffin and the bronze figure felt inexplicably ominous and strange. Was this really the coffin of the tomb’s owner?

He shone the flashlight around, and the tomb chamber was clearly visible—there were no other coffins. If this was indeed the main tomb chamber, then it was undoubtedly the coffin of the tomb’s owner.

Uncle San trusted his instincts and felt a bit uneasy. To see more clearly, he pushed Jie Lianhuan aside and walked closer. Upon closer inspection, he was even more surprised to find that the massive black coffin was actually an intricately carved iron coffin, and it seemed that the bronze figure was a later decorative addition. What was even stranger was that the position of the bronze figure’s mouth was actually recessed into the coffin lid, creating a deep hole on the lid, though it was unclear whether it penetrated through to the inside of the coffin.

Something was wrong! Uncle San gasped as he suddenly remembered a clue, exclaiming inwardly that this was bad. A coffin made of cast iron with a hole in it—could this be the “whistle coffin” that old folks used to talk about?

The term “whistle coffin” was a saying passed down from before the Liberation, not dating back to ancient times, and Uncle San had heard it from the old man. It was said that in the Xiangxi region back then, there was a warlord with a group of skilled tomb raiders, led by a man named Zhang Yancheng. This person was rumored to be a descendant of Cao Cao’s general who had the ability to raise mounds from the ground, search for graves, and was exceptionally skilled at tomb raiding. This warlord, involved in Sun Yat-sen’s Northern Expedition, tasked Zhang Yancheng with raising military funds, and he resorted to ancient methods of tomb raiding as he traveled north, uncovering countless hidden ancient tombs along the way, becoming quite famous. At that time, there was a saying in Xiangxi: “When Yancheng comes, little ghosts jump; even the King of Hell will change direction.” On one hand, it mythologized the man, and on the other, it indicated the rampant nature of Zhang Yancheng’s tomb raiding activities.

This person is a tomb raider with a unique method. When encountering a coffin in a place filled with bloodthirsty and malevolent energy, he would pour cow’s blood over the coffin and observe its reaction. If there are unusual sounds coming from inside, it suggests that the corpse might have undergone a transformation. The soldiers would then drag the coffin out of the ancient tomb, expose it to sunlight, and open it. If there are no unusual movements, they would examine the surface of the coffin. In most cases, the cow’s blood would not coagulate but would flow down the coffin to the bottom, indicating that everything is fine and the coffin can be opened safely.

However, there is a particularly ominous situation: after pouring cow’s blood, if it seeps into the coffin like it would into sand or gravel, this is a sign of great misfortune, suggesting that what lies within the coffin may not be a human corpse.

If the coffin does not contain a human body, then what is it? The answer is an indescribable corpse. In China, such entities are collectively referred to as “yao” (monsters or spirits).

At this point, Zhang Yancheng would order his men to dig a pit on site, submerge the monster coffin in it, cover it with mud, and then melt weapons to seal the coffin with molten iron. He would leave only a hole at the top, just large enough for a hand to pass through. Once the iron solidified, he would use one hand to reach into the coffin and retrieve its contents. It is said that this is the ancestral skill of the “two-finger probing” technique passed down through generations.

During this probing, he would have someone use a three-foot-long pipa scissors to clamp his arm while tying a “knock handle” to a horse’s tail. This way, if something felt wrong, the horse could be startled and run away, pulling the mechanism. The razor-sharp pipa scissors would immediately cut, preserving his life by severing his hand.

Coffins handled in this manner, with a hole on top, would ultimately resemble a giant iron whistle, which is why people referred to them as “whistle coffins.”

Throughout his life, Zhang Yancheng is said to have used this two-finger probing technique only three times, each time retreating unscathed. The best instance involved him retrieving a gold grape the size of a molar, said to have been hidden in the corpse’s mouth. Zhang Yancheng later became untraceable amid the warlord conflicts; some say he aligned himself with the revolution and died in a detention center during the Cultural Revolution, while others claim he died at Huanggutun. In any case, he remains a mysterious figure.

Regarding his legend, older folks generally have two opinions: one believes he truly possessed the skill of “发丘” (the art of tomb raiding) and that his two-finger probing was genuine; the other believes Zhang Yancheng was a fraud who exploited ordinary soldiers’ superstitions and fears about coffins, turning ordinary coffins into “monster coffins” for show, thereby elevating his status.

The truth remains unknown.

My grandfather believed Zhang Yancheng was indeed a master, partly because there is some circumstantial evidence supporting his method of sealing monster coffins with molten iron. It is said that before the liberation, a bronze coffin similar to what Zhang Yancheng described was discovered in the silt of the Yellow River’s diversion. The coffin indeed had a hole the thickness of an arm on top, but no one dared to reach inside. The bravest among them used tongs to pull out a lot of yellow silt from within. Later, during the “Great Leap Forward,” this coffin was directly thrown into a steel furnace for smelting, and it is unknown if anything went wrong.

This iron coffin, although exquisitely made and entirely different from those haphazardly cast from iron slurry, had a deep hole on top that closely resembled the legendary “whistle coffin.”

This raises a curious question: this tomb chamber, which serves as the burial place, why would the main coffin on the coffin bed be like this? Could it be that the tomb owner is not human but a monster?

Uncle Three felt a chill run down his spine as he thought about the ancient tomb, which was deep in the abyss of the sea, so strange and mysterious that it might not even be a human grave. Perhaps it belonged to the Dragon King of the Sea. He also recalled the things Jude Kao had asked Jie Lianhuan to do and couldn’t help but feel guilty. Did Jude Kao know that the tomb’s owner was not human, which was why he had Jie Lianhuan take photos for research?

However, Uncle Three was still young at the time and didn’t take the old man’s words too seriously. Although he felt a bit anxious, he wasn’t afraid. Instead, his curiosity was piqued, and he wondered what could possibly be inside.

At that moment, Jie Lianhuan also realized it was just a false alarm and walked over, looking at the iron coffin with lingering fear. After taking a look around, he tried to push the coffin lid.

Uncle Three noticed that Jie Lianhuan’s legs were trembling, indicating he was still scared. This action might have been an attempt to save face after being frightened earlier.

Uncle Three found it amusing and shone his flashlight on Jie Lianhuan’s face, telling him not to waste his efforts. If this was a “whistle coffin,” it was clear that the maker of this coffin belonged to the same faction as Zhang Yancheng. Whatever was inside this iron coffin was definitely not good, and it was constructed in such a way that it was never meant to be opened by others. To retrieve anything from inside, one would have to do as Zhang Yancheng did and reach through the coffin hole.

With that thought, he climbed up and used his flashlight to illuminate the hole in the coffin to see what he could find.

Looking down through the hole, the inside of the coffin was dark and indistinct. Using the flashlight to probe the hole wasn’t a very effective method; the light dispersed halfway and couldn’t penetrate further. He could only feel a chill emanating from beneath the “cast human,” making his neck stiff. Reaching down to touch it was something that ordinary people could not do.

Uncle Three recalled the information Jie Lianhuan had obtained from the foreigner and felt his speculation was correct: the foreigner was so familiar with the structure here because someone must have come in to investigate before them. But why hadn’t that person completed the task? It was likely that person was also an experienced hand in this line of work, and upon discovering such an iron coffin inside, they realized the seriousness of sealing the corpse and decided to abandon the mission. That was why the foreigner had recruited a half-baked Jie Lianhuan.

If that were the case, they certainly shouldn’t touch the coffin; otherwise, wouldn’t they just become cannon fodder for Jude Kao?

However, if they didn’t touch the coffin, it felt a bit too cowardly. He and Jie Lianhuan had come down together, and while it was acceptable for Jie Lianhuan to leave empty-handed, what about him? If Jie Lianhuan said something, how could he still have the face to be there? Moreover, the coffin did look quite tempting.

Uncle Three couldn’t make up his mind, but then he thought again and reason prevailed. He remembered his ancestors’ wisdom: the coffin should be the last thing they touched. He should first see what other good things were in this place. He decided not to touch the coffin today; the ancient tomb wouldn’t run away. Tomorrow night, they could come back with fire tongs and black donkey hooves, which would be much safer than now. That wouldn’t be considered cowardly.

After this thought, he felt relieved and told Jie Lianhuan to stay there. If he wanted to take pictures, he could photograph the coffin. The foreigner would understand him. Uncle Three then began to search the corners of the tomb chamber for other burial items.

The tomb chamber has no side rooms; it is a single continuous space with a very peculiar layout. The ancients believed in treating the dead as if they were still alive, and the design of tombs typically imitates the layout of the deceased’s living quarters. This means that the place where the tomb owner lived was likely arranged in a similar way, which raises questions about the circumstances. Inside, there are no ordinary burial goods, only those enormous porcelain artifacts that are worth their weight in gold.
(These items would be valued at over three billion in today’s market.)

My uncle walked around the tomb chamber, not finding anything that could be moved out. He circled back; behind the coffin bed was a screen wall, and he went around to check it out. There was some space there, but the ground remained completely bare.

He couldn’t help but mutter to himself, thinking how stingy it was to have nothing at all. Could it be that the coffin was so large and made of iron that the owner stuffed all the burial goods inside? Was this coffin being used as a safe?

Thinking about it made him somewhat frustrated. Just then, he suddenly noticed the back of the screen wall, which was intricately carved with complex reliefs.

While wall paintings are not particularly valuable, the stone carvings from ancient tombs can be worth a fortune. Although this screen wall was too large to be moved, my uncle couldn’t resist taking a look.

When he shone his flashlight on it, he was quite surprised. The relief behind the screen wall did not depict ordinary auspicious creatures or scenes of music and ascension, but rather several palaces with flying eaves and phoenix-topped roofs, intricately carved with great detail, even the tiles were sculpted piece by piece. Each palace had a different appearance; some were two stories tall, others just one, creating a visually appealing arrangement of depth and variety. My uncle counted a total of seven palaces, arranged in the formation of the Big Dipper. Between each palace, countless pavilions and towers could be seen, partially hidden, while other details were obscured by the swirling clouds carved into the stone. The background of this relief featured a massive mountain, clearly indicating that the palaces were situated in a vast valley, shrouded in mist, making everything outside the palaces appear hazy and mysterious.

What does this relief mean? My uncle was momentarily stunned. All wall paintings in ancient tombs have significance; they either serve a symbolic purpose or celebrate the great achievements of the tomb owner during their lifetime. Does this relief represent a mythical fairyland, or is it a tribute to the tomb owner’s deeds?

At that moment, my uncle didn’t know that the tomb owner was Wang Canghai, so he had no way to connect the dots. However, the exquisite relief left a deep impression on him. He told me that even at that time, this screen wall was a priceless treasure. If he could take it out, he would place it in his bedroom to admire every day.

However, the screen wall was far too large to be moved at that time. Although my uncle was itching to do something, he found it impossible. After examining it carefully a few times, he wanted to call Jie Lianhuan over to take pictures of it, so he could boast about it among his peers later.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly caught a whiff of a strange smell, as if something was burning.

He was taken aback, wondering what was going on. This was a tomb chamber; how could there be such a smell? He hurriedly ran out from behind the screen wall to see what was happening. Then, he was met with a jaw-dropping sight.

I saw Jie Lianhuan standing helplessly on top of the iron coffin, while from the mouth of the bronze figure on the coffin, thick black smoke was billowing out.