Chapter 5

As the elderly voice sounded, the main door of the Wang family opened, and an old man in black, hunched and with white temples, came out, supported by a girl in red named Yuer.

"Wang Jue, the old man?"

"Mr. Wang!"

The people of Liu Town immediately started buzzing with discussion.

In fact, everyone in Liu Town knew Wang Jue, who still looked as old as ever, still dressed in black. However, the people of Liu Town felt that today's Wang Jue was different from before. They couldn't say exactly how, but they all had the same thought: "This old man often beats Ahmu every few days! And Ahmu just killed the Northern Kingdom's imperial guards and severed the arm of the commander. This old man, the Southern King of the Northern Kingdom, Ning, would rather face divine retribution than anger him."

When the Southern King Murong Tong saw Wang Jue, he showed a look of joy, bowed deeply, and respectfully said, "Murong Tong pays his respects to the senior!"

"Heh heh!" Wang Jue gave a bitter smile, "I dare not, I dare not! Your Highness is truly formidable, just a few words and you've forced this old man out. This bow of yours could kill me!"

Wang Jue was courteous in his words, but he didn't return the bow, accepting Murong Tong's respect calmly.

"You are a great hermit, Your Highness should treat me like this!" Murong Tong hurriedly said.

"I am just an ordinary man, merely skilled at making coffins, how can I be a great hermit?" Wang Jue said lightly, "Your Highness is in the year of the dragon and tiger, do you also want a coffin?"

Upon hearing these disrespectful words, the soldiers behind the Southern King all changed color, especially the two generals in silver armor, who immediately gripped their weapons and stared at Wang Jue.

Such disrespectful words were a capital offense, but Wang Jue remained calm, as if he were just making small talk.

"Ha ha! Senior is joking," Murong Tong said without any displeasure, "I am here on behalf of my brother to request a coffin for Princess Haiqing!"

"Princess Haiqing needs a coffin?"

"Exactly, half a month ago, our kingdom's Princess Haiqing passed away, and we urgently need a fine coffin!"

"Hmm? The royal family of the Northern Kingdom, surely you can afford a good coffin?" Wang Jue looked at Murong Tong coldly.

Hearing Wang Jue's words, Murong Tong sighed, "Senior doesn't know, it's not that our royal family lacks coffins, but the matter is very strange!" As he spoke, Murong Tong looked around, clearly indicating that this was not the place to talk.

With so many people around, it was indeed not a good place to discuss matters.

"Let's go inside and talk!" Wang Jue said lightly, then turned around. Yuer and Ahmu followed closely.

The Southern King finally stepped into the Wang family's house. For the Southern King of the Northern Kingdom to enter the Wang family's door, it took quite a bit of effort, which was truly speechless. The two silver-armored generals, as bodyguards, naturally followed.

But the Southern King waved his hand, "Wait here!" Then he added, "Disperse these people, anyone within thirty zhang of the Wang family, kill without mercy!"

Just now, Murong Tong's attitude towards Wang Jue and Ahmu almost made people forget that he was the formidable Southern King of the Northern Kingdom.

But with these words, the Southern King's authority was immediately evident. Without the soldiers driving them away, everyone except the Northern Kingdom's soldiers immediately scattered, leaving no one behind.

Murong Tong then followed Wang Jue and the others into the Wang family's house.

The furnishings of the Wang family were simple and ancient, not luxurious, but Murong Tong was not interested in these details.

The guests and host sat down, and Wang Jue got straight to the point.

"Your Highness, please speak your mind!"

"Ah!" Murong Tong sighed, "I won't hide it from you, Senior! Princess Haiqing is my brother's only beloved daughter, intelligent and beautiful. My brother values her as much as his life. She was only fourteen this year, but unfortunately, she passed away, and my brother was devastated. On the day of the funeral, he personally chose a ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin..."

"A ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin?" Yuer couldn't help but be startled, and Ahmu's face also changed, but Wang Jue showed no reaction.

You must know that ancient sunken wood, also known as yin wood, is the essence of trees, the soul of wood, a treasure for warding off evil, bringing good fortune, and protecting the home. As the saying goes, even if you have a chest full of gold, it's not as valuable as a piece of sunken wood.

A ten-thousand-year-old ancient sunken wood is a rare treasure. The royal family of the Northern Kingdom was truly generous, using a ten-thousand-year-old ancient sunken wood coffin for a princess, showing how much the Northern Kingdom's emperor loved Princess Haiqing.

Hearing the surprise in Yuer's voice, Murong Tong shook his head and smiled bitterly, "A ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin is a rare treasure. This one was a gift from the Great Murong Dynasty to my brother. I myself won't have one in the future, but unfortunately, it couldn't contain Princess Haiqing."

Wang Jue remained expressionless, while Ahmu said, "Oh."

"Princess Haiqing, after being placed in the coffin for three days, the ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin suddenly split in half..."

"The ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin split?" This made Ahmu and Yuer exclaim in unison.

According to legend, yin wood is a tree from before the creation of the world, submerged in sand and waves, enduring the upheaval of heaven and earth, and re-emerging. Therefore, once it is buried again, it will last for ten thousand years. For a coffin made from it to split in half is truly a strange occurrence.

At this point, Wang Jue asked for the first time, "Have you tried other coffins?"

"Golden-threaded nanmu, thousand-year-old jade cypress, and even a coffin made of copper essence, among others, at least eight coffins..."

"Did they all split within three days?" Wang Jue's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Most within three days, some within one day, all split in half from the middle, without exception. It has been over a month, and we still can't bury her, but Princess Haiqing's body and appearance have not changed at all! I've heard that the coffins you make can keep a body from decaying for ten years. I hope you can make a coffin to let Princess Haiqing rest in peace. I will thank you on behalf of my brother!"

At this, Murong Tong stood up and bowed deeply to Wang Jue.

Wang Jue closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

After a long while, Wang Jue opened his eyes, looked at Murong Tong, and said, "I, Wang Jue, have set rules that I will not break. The nine coffins for this year are already full, so making another one is impossible! However, I am moved by Your Highness's humility, which is rare, so I will repair the ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin as you mentioned outside!"

After all the effort, Murong Tong was slightly disappointed that he couldn't get Wang Jue to make a coffin, but hearing that Wang Jue would repair the coffin, he felt a glimmer of hope and asked, "Senior, if you repair the ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin, can it contain Princess Haiqing?"

Wang Jue smiled bitterly and said, "To be honest with Your Highness, if everything is as you say, then Princess Haiqing is not an ordinary person. Even the ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin, or even if I made ten coffins for you, I can't guarantee that they would contain Princess Haiqing. The repaired ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin can only last for three years. After three years, it won't be able to contain Princess Haiqing, and the sunken wood will turn to ashes."

"This? Not an ordinary person? The ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin can only last for three years?" Murong Tong was stunned, and Ahmu and Yuer were also shocked.

"This matter is not within my scope of making coffins. If Your Highness wants to repair the ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin, send it here! Don't mention anything else!" Wang Jue seemed a bit impatient.

Murong Tong frowned and bowed again, "Senior, are you agreeing to repair the coffin?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Wang Jue was taken aback.

"If you agree, I would like to ask you to repair another coffin," Murong Tong said.

"Oh? The coffin you mentioned earlier, with the ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood being the best, the others are inferior. The ten-thousand-year-old sunken wood coffin is the best among ordinary coffins. What other coffin does your Northern Kingdom have that can surpass it?" Wang Jue seemed to become more interested upon hearing Murong Tong's words.

Murong Tong's expression changed, as if making a great decision, and said, "In our Northern Kingdom, there is... a ghost coffin!"

"What?" Wang Jue's face changed upon hearing the words "ghost coffin."

"Twenty years ago, a Northern Wilderness cultivator traveled to our capital, Bai City. My brother treated him with respect, and they had a pleasant conversation. When the cultivator left, he gave my brother three spiritual pills and a coffin. Normally, a coffin is an inauspicious object, and my brother refused it. But the cultivator said that the coffin was called a ghost coffin, which could suppress all ghosts and evil spirits, and was a treasure. Keeping this coffin would ensure the prosperity and stability of the Northern Kingdom and the eternal security of the throne. Perhaps one day it would be useful, so my brother reluctantly kept it. Whether it was the power of the ghost coffin or not, for the past twenty years, our Northern Kingdom has indeed enjoyed favorable weather and peace!" Murong Tong paused slightly.

Wang Jue's eyes narrowed and asked, "Is the ghost coffin a mass of black mist?"

Murong Tong was taken aback, not understanding why Wang Jue asked this, and shook his head, "No, it is a black coffin made of an unknown material, but it is missing half of the coffin lid."

Wang Jue's frown deepened, "Is this object in the Northern Kingdom's palace?"

Murong Tong nodded, "The ghost coffin is quite peculiar and has been kept secret in the palace."

Wang Jue closed his eyes again and meditated, remaining silent for a long time.

The room was completely silent. Murong Tong, Ahmu, and Yuer all stared at Wang Jue. At this moment, no one knew what Wang Jue was thinking, but it was clear that he was making a difficult decision.

After a full incense stick's time.

"At the hour of Mao the day after tomorrow, Your Highness, come to my house, and I will go with you to the Northern Kingdom's capital! If everything is as I suspect, I will make the tenth coffin of the year for Princess Haiqing!" Wang Jue suddenly opened his eyes and said slowly.

Upon hearing this, Ahmu and Yuer were shocked. Ahmu was especially shocked, knowing Wang Jue's character well. Wang Jue never changed his mind once he made a decision.

The rules of the Wang family had not been broken for decades, and Wang Jue had never budged on the issue of nine coffins. But today, he unexpectedly said he would make a tenth coffin.

Murong Tong was overjoyed, not expecting a breakthrough in a difficult situation. Wang Jue not only agreed to make a coffin but also to go to the capital to make it. Without considering why Wang Jue suddenly agreed, he hurriedly thanked him, "Thank you, Senior. Murong Tong thanks you on behalf of my brother. I will wait at the door early the day after tomorrow!"

After saying this, Murong Tong didn't waste any more words. He understood the psychology of people like Wang Jue. If they didn't agree, it was one thing, but once they agreed, they would definitely keep their word. He got up and took his leave.

Ahmu saw Murong Tong out of the Wang family. Murong Tong was not an ordinary person, letting all his soldiers leave and not leaving anyone to monitor, showing his respect for Wang Jue.

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