Chapter 114: The Corpse in the Doorway

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Suddenly, Ghostface Zhang placed his hand on my shoulder, and with his fingers pressing hard, I cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Meng Ya, seeing me fall, flashed a cold glare. “Ghostface Zhang, what are you trying to do?”

Hearing her call him by name, Ghostface Zhang frowned. I quickly stood up to smooth things over. “Hey now, Master Zhang, Third Senior Uncle, we gentlemen conduct ourselves openly—why the secret tricks behind our backs?” I rubbed my shoulder, which truly throbbed from his grip. Rolling up my sleeve, I saw five dark bruises marked my shoulder.

Meng Ya glanced at the bruises, then shot Ghostface Zhang a sharp look. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Ghostface Zhang seemed to realize he’d been a bit harsh, but he never admitted fault. Even if he was wrong, he acted like a stubborn mule. He shook his head, lit a cigarette, and said, “Qiu Tong has the skill to open doors while sitting, right? I just wanted him to sit and think for a moment. Pain can stimulate his nerves and speed up his brain function. Didn’t you know that?”

I silently cursed his entire lineage, thinking, I’m not a locksmith, and I certainly don’t open doors while sitting! You never mentioned I could make money lying down. I didn’t even know how the last door opened; why do you keep bringing this up? I spat and said, “Master Zhang, I really don’t know how I opened that door last time. Saying it like that is just forcing me into the impossible. If it doesn’t open, you’ll come back with more ‘non-lethal’ methods to stimulate my nerves—I can’t handle that.” Pretending to think it over, I added, “Or, I have another idea.”

“Hm? What idea?”

“You’re strong. Why not just push the door to see if it can be forced open?”

Ghostface Zhang glared at me for teasing him, took a deep drag of his cigarette, then stomped the half-smoked butt into the ground. He cracked his neck, making a series of sharp popping sounds, then flexed his arm muscles hard until they bulged. He strode up to the strange red copper door and placed his hand on two fierce faces carved near the bottom. With a sudden burst of strength, the door emitted a loud “dong!”—like the tolling of a temple bell—echoing ominously as if about to collapse.

I thought to myself, just how strong is this guy? Luckily, Meng Ya didn’t fall out with him earlier, or else they might have torn us apart like roasted chickens.

Ghostface Zhang wrestled with the massive door for nearly half a minute, but like an ant against a tree, he gradually gave up. He released his grip from the grotesque faces, gasping for breath. He shook his arms, producing more crisp pops, then stepped back toward us. “Take a look. I think it’s moved.”

I was startled by this and shone my flashlight toward the gap. Indeed, the once tightly sealed red copper door now showed a crack about two centimeters wide.

I aimed the light through the crack and what I saw nearly made my soul flee. I let out a startled cry and nearly fainted. Meng Ya, seeing me collapse to the floor and nearly foam at the mouth, hurried behind me, running her hands over my back and pressing an acupoint known as the “Ring Jump.” After about a minute, I managed to calm myself.

Ghostface Zhang, seeing me so frightened, exchanged a glance with Meng Ya, then looked back at me. “What’s wrong? You look like a scared little rabbit.”

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Meng Ya shot him a disdainful look for his arrogance. “Qiu Tong isn’t like you, Master Zhang, who kills without blinking.” Then she turned to me. “What did you see?”

I shook my head, trying to steady myself, then focused again. “Inside that crack... there’s an eye. A human eye.”

Ghostface Zhang was stunned by my words. He took the flashlight from my hand and quickly approached the gap. Shining the light in, he too gasped sharply.

For someone like Ghostface Zhang, who was usually unshakable, this reaction said a lot.

He stood there for about half a minute, clicking his tongue. Taking another cigarette to steady himself, he smoked a few puffs, then shone the light through the crack again.

After about a minute, he called out, “Shop assistant, come here.”

Meng Ya, hearing the summons, glanced at me. “Is it okay?”

I nodded and gestured for her to approach. She responded with a soft “hm” and stood before Ghostface Zhang. “Master Zhang, what do you need?”

He took a deep drag and handed her the flashlight. “Here, take a look.”

Meng Ya hesitated briefly, then took the flashlight, shining it into the crack. She looked closely but showed no signs of panic or surprise.

Ghostface Zhang was alarmed by her calmness, furrowing his brow as he stared at her for a long moment. “Where exactly are you from?”

Meng Ya smiled faintly. “Just a dead woman. What’s so scary about that?”

They locked eyes for a tense ten seconds before Ghostface Zhang broke the silence, snatching back the flashlight to inspect the corpse in the crack once more.

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Within the gap, the corpse’s face bore a grotesque smile. Not so much menacing as a look of helplessness mixed with silent tears and a dying struggle, drenched in sorrow and resentment. The body was about 1.6 meters tall, quite stout, with slightly curled hair—clearly someone who had lived a life of luxury and debauchery.

Ghostface Zhang paused and nodded. “Yes, definitely dead. The eyes are fixed.”

He looked at Meng Ya. “What’s your take?”

“It’s obvious. This corpse was killed by whatever’s inside, but the door won’t open no matter what. They’re trapped here to die.”

“How do you figure that?”

Meng Ya snorted coldly. “You’re supposed to be the Chief of the Third Gate of the Nine Gates, Master Ghostface Zhang, and you can’t even see this? Are you seriously trying to fool me?” She pointed about a foot below the eye in the door crack. “See? There’s blood seeping out from the gap, and the red copper inside shows scratch marks. That means the corpse struggled to open the door just before dying, cutting its hand and leaving blood. And the person died less than half an hour ago.” She dipped her finger into the crack and touched the blood smeared on the door. “It’s still wet.”

Ghostface Zhang twitched at her actions, then slowly spat out, “Who exactly are you? Tell me the truth, or don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Meng Ya remained unshaken, sneering, “What can you do if you’re ruthless?”

Ghostface Zhang was left speechless. Usually arrogant and commanding, he was clearly cowed by this woman. After a long pause, he muttered, “Let’s figure out how to open this door. Arguing here is pointless.”

“From what I see, opening this door has to do with the water outside.”

“Hm?” Ghostface Zhang hesitated, glanced up at the carvings on the door, then listened to the distant sound of water flowing through the tomb passage. Suddenly enlightened, he studied the door carefully before nodding in agreement.