The five of them trailed at the end of the procession as the pallbearers carried the coffin westward, through fields and up a wooded hill to the so-called burial grounds.
The mountainside was dotted with graves—some cemented and fenced, with pairs of fir trees planted before them and incense burning; most were just overgrown mounds, long neglected.
The pallbearers set the coffin beside a freshly dug pit. The Taoist priest performed another ritual while the "family members" wailed theatrically. Amid the clamor of gongs, drums, and firecrackers, four men lowered the coffin into the pit and began shoveling dirt with practiced efficiency.
The villagers lingered briefly before dispersing, leaving only the four gravediggers and the old man overseeing the burial—Uncle Wu, the same one who'd collected funeral donations earlier.
"Hurry up," he urged. "Finish before eight. Pack the soil tight."
Officer Huang signaled, and the group approached.
He picked up a spare shovel and joined in. Uncle Wu recognized him and offered a cigarette, which Officer Huang tucked behind his ear.
"Officer Huang, don't hold it against me." Uncle Wu sighed. "I want the case solved too, but Hua's family can't wait. Villagers have short attention spans. If we delay, even I won't be able to rally them. Then Hua's family truly would become wandering ghosts."
"Understood." Officer Huang kept shoveling. "The autopsy's done. Burying them won't hinder the investigation."
"Good, good." Uncle Wu nodded repeatedly.
While working, Officer Huang discreetly passed his shovel to Qing Ling when Uncle Wu wasn't looking. With a slight motion, she sent it flying into a nearby tree, where it vanished.
In under twenty minutes, a new grave stood completed.
Throughout, Gao Yang and Officer Huang gleaned little useful intel. They eventually parted ways with Uncle Wu and the gravediggers at the village entrance.
The five pretended to leave but circled back to the grove to regroup.
"Why hide the shovel earlier?" Qing Ling asked Officer Huang.
"To dig up the grave," Gao Yang answered before the officer could. He and Officer Huang had already discussed this privately.
"Dig up the—?!" Fat Jun paled.
Officer Huang smiled, sniffing but not daring to smoke the cigarette Uncle Wu had given him. "At nightfall, we'll excavate it unnoticed."
"Is... is that necessary?" Fat Jun grimaced.
"However this ends, it happens today."
Officer Huang scanned the group. "Here's the plan Gao Yang and I worked out. Until dark, we rest—conserve every ounce of energy. Then we exhume the grave for clues."
He leaned against a tree. "If we find something, great. If not, we proceed as discussed: strike first. A direct assault on the whole village is suicide, so we'll hit them one by one in the dark. Force the real killer's hand."
"Sneak attacks?!" Prince Kai looked betrayed. He'd been itching for a glorious battle. "That's dishonorable!"
"Prince Kai, not everyone's built like you," Gao Yang said smoothly, spinning the tale. "You're the chosen one, blessed with divine strength. You'd be fine, but we're weakened, vulnerable... You can't protect us all in a fight. Do you want to win alone while we die?"
The flattery worked. Prince Kai waved magnanimously. "Ugh, fine! Sneak attacks it is! But the final boss is mine."
"Naturally."
Officer Huang and Fat Jun shot Gao Yang impressed looks: You're a damn beast whisperer.
Around 7 p.m., darkness fell. Officer Huang roused the group, and they stole toward the western burial grounds.
What had seemed mundane by day turned sinister at night. Fat Jun, already cowardly, trembled violently, his face ashen. Every rustle made him jump, even sandwiched safely in the middle.
Qing Ling summoned the shovel back from the tree. "Who's digging?"
"Me!" Prince Kai took it and set to work at Hua's grave, heaving soil with gusto.
The others stood guard. If any villagers appeared now, killing them would be the only option.
Fortunately, no one came.
Prince Kai's natural strength made quick work of it. Sweat-drenched, he tossed the shovel aside. "Done!"
They gathered at the pit. Under the cold moonlight, the dirt-covered coffin looked spectral. No one dared lift the lid.
"Pathetic." Prince Kai cracked his knuckles. "Move! I'll do it—"
"Wait." Gao Yang stopped him. Whatever lay inside, caution was key. He wedged the shovel into the coffin's seam, then backed away, glancing at Qing Ling. "Can you?"
"Too heavy. I'll try."
She raised her hands. "Metal."
The shovel trembled as an invisible force pried the lid upward. Officer Huang drew his gun; Gao Yang gripped his dagger.
Clang! The lid finally gave way.
They recoiled, hearts pounding.
Seconds ticked by in silence. No danger emerged. The coffin lay still, not even a whiff of decay escaping.
Exchanging wary looks, they edged forward and peered inside—then froze.
The coffin wasn't empty, but neither did it hold anything supernatural. Hua's family's remains were there... yet fully skeletal.
Gao Yang shone his flashlight inside, counting. Only four skulls—the bride's head was still missing.
"That's it?" Prince Kai groaned. "I expected something juicier!"
"Hua's family died less than ten days ago," Qing Ling said. "How are they already bones?"
"The bodies were only returned three days prior," Officer Huang muttered. "It's April. Even rapid decay wouldn't leave just skeletons."
"Unless... something ate them?" Fat Jun ventured.
Gao Yang shook his head. "These don't look like scavenged remains."
"More like..." Officer Huang hesitated. "They've been dead for years."
A cold wind rustled the leaves. Gao Yang's spine tingled.
"Let's go," he said abruptly.
"Why?" Qing Ling eyed him.
"Now." Gao Yang's face was grim. "I think... I know what's happening."
"What about the grave?" Officer Huang asked. "Should we—?"
"Leave it." Gao Yang just wanted out.
They fled the burial grounds without looking back.
By 8 p.m., lights still glowed in some village homes. The group avoided detection, slipping back into Hua's house. Gao Yang barricaded the doors and windows, not even daring to use a flashlight this time.
"Bro, spit it out already!" Prince Kai urged.
"Conclusion first." Gao Yang's voice was low. "We didn't time-travel to the past. This isn't some alternate dimension or dream world."
In the darkness, everyone held their breath.
Gao Yang inhaled sharply. "This is the real Gu Family Village—from thirty years ago."