Lying in a Coffin for the First Time in My Life

After a hearty meal, the two devoured over ten scaled fish served by the shopkeeper, emptying the restaurant's stock before finally stopping.

Afterward, the pair lingered over tea for a while. As time drifted into the evening, beneath the bright moon and twinkling stars, they prepared to set out.

Noticing it was time, Gu Qingfeng slyly dodged the bill using the excuse of needing the restroom. Then, the two hit the road.

However, instead of leaving Lin'an City, the pair continued to roam within its walls. By now, the streets were nearly desolate, save for the occasional distant call of the night watchman.

"The air is dry; beware of fire!" echoed faintly.

Soon, the two arrived in front of a shop with a sign that read: Zhang's Coffin Shop.

At its entrance stood two pale paper figurines. An eerie gust rustled through, causing the paper figures to emit a faint rustling noise, making the surroundings rather chilling.

But Gu Qingfeng and Jue Mingzi were anything but ordinary individuals; fear was not part of their vocabulary.

Instead, Gu Qingfeng curiously examined the coffin shop and asked, "Is this the entrance to the Underworld?"

Jue Mingzi responded with a cryptic smile and walked up to the door, knocking.

Not long after, the coffin shop, deathly silent until now, stirred with movement.

Slow, deliberate footsteps approached the door. With a creak, the door to Zhang's Coffin Shop opened.

A ghastly pale, corpse-like face appeared from behind the door.

It belonged to an elderly man on the verge of death. His eyes were murky, fixed and lifeless, staring straight at Gu Qingfeng and Jue Mingzi.

Coupled with the somber surroundings, the sight was spine-chilling.

Gu Qingfeng discreetly assessed the old man, coming to the conclusion that this was no concealed master but just an ordinary elder. Likely due to years steeped in his coffin trade and constant exposure to heavy yin energy, he'd developed such a zombie-like appearance.

"Are you here to buy a coffin?" rasped the elder in a voice akin to sandpaper being scraped.

Jue Mingzi nodded. "We are."

"For whom? What kind of wood, and how large?"

Jue Mingzi pointed at himself and Gu Qingfeng. "For us. Made from golden nanmu wood. As for the size, tailor it to fit us."

The zombie-like elder fell silent, staring at the pair for a long moment before speaking. "Come in."

The two entered the coffin shop, where the modest-sized parlor was lined with coffins of various styles.

Golden nanmu wood coffins, willow wood coffins, cedar and pine wood coffins, and even some worn, shabby coffins.

Each bore its price tag: the finest ones costing over a hundred silver taels, while cheaper ones went for a few taels—or even a couple dozen coins. A sign stood in the corner, offering a reminder: prices negotiable.

A clear message: in life, value may differ, but everything has its price.

The zombie-like elder took a moment to measure the pair with his eyes, then selected two golden nanmu wood coffins. "How about these two?" he asked.

Jue Mingzi nodded approvingly. "They're fine."

"Two hundred taels," stated the elder.

Jue Mingzi turned to Gu Qingfeng. "Your turn. I spent my money earlier at Yuelai Inn."

Suspicion flickered in Gu Qingfeng’s gaze; he found it hard to believe a master at the Spirit Realm would ever be broke.

Still, he shrugged it off. After all, the man had treated him to dinner. If nothing else, a coffin seemed an appropriate return gesture.

"Can we get buy one, get one free?" Gu Qingfeng asked.

The old zombie froze for a moment, seemingly surprised to see two individuals of this stature actually haggling.

“No.”

“Doesn't your sign say prices are negotiable?”

“That applies to others, not you. With your status, can't you even produce two hundred taels?”

The old zombie's words made it clear that he knew exactly who Gu Qingfeng and Jue Mingzi were.

Gu Qingfeng rolled his eyes and reluctantly took out two hundred taels, handing them to the old zombie.

Afterward, Jue Mingzi picked up two coffins and led Gu Qingfeng straight to the backyard.

In the backyard stood an ancient well covered with green moss. Peering into its depths, the reflection of the moon could be seen in the water below.

The old zombie did not follow them; only Gu Qingfeng and Jue Mingzi were in the backyard.

"Who would’ve thought you'd need to buy coffins just to enter your Underworld?" Gu Qingfeng muttered, clearly exasperated. "And the most ridiculous part? We actually had to spend real money! We're all on the same side, and yet there's a toll fee. Can't even haggle. How does that not hurt relationships?”

Jue Mingzi shook his head and explained, "Strictly speaking, Old Zhang, the coffin seller, isn’t one of us. He knows nothing about the Underworld or our true identities. He’s just a man nearing the end of his days. And because he’s close to death, he doesn’t concern himself with anything unnecessary. He doesn't know why we buy these expensive coffins; all he cares about is making money. That’s enough for him."

"Alright, if you have questions, save them for when we reach the Underworld. For now, lie inside the coffin. No matter what happens, don’t open it. Otherwise, something unexpected might occur. Once we arrive, I’ll open it for you."

Oh, great. This was shaping up to be something straight out of a horror story.

Still, Gu Qingfeng didn’t argue. With his skills at their peak, he feared nothing.

So, without further ado, he climbed into the coffin. Jue Mingzi then placed the coffin lid over him.

In an instant, everything went pitch black.

But for someone like Gu Qingfeng, blessed with a divine soul, darkness posed no issue whatsoever.

Lying comfortably inside the coffin, he found himself surprised by its quality. For something this exorbitantly priced, it was at least worth the money.

Soon, he heard the sound of a blade carving into wood.

It was Jue Mingzi, etching something onto the coffin. What exactly, Gu Qingfeng didn’t know.

Jue Mingzi’s movements were swift. Within about the time it takes for a single incense stick to burn, he seemed to have completed his work. It was likely some sort of formation. Gu Qingfeng could sense Jue Mingzi channeling his own energy to activate it.

Once the formation was fully prepared, Gu Qingfeng felt his divine soul's powers being sealed within the coffin, no longer able to sense the world outside.

Of course, if he really wanted to, he could break the formation with ease—it wasn’t strong enough to withstand the current strength of his divine soul.

But Gu Qingfeng chose not to. What if breaking it ruined the entire process and he couldn't reach the Underworld?

Though his divine soul powers were sealed, his senses remained intact, and he could still hear what was going on outside.

Suddenly, he became aware of his coffin rising gently off the ground and beginning to move slowly. It felt as if it was being carried by pallbearers, yet he could sense that there was no physical contact. Instead, some unseen force was levitating the coffin and propelling it forward.

After a short while, the coffin came to an abrupt stop.

Gu Qingfeng blinked—or at least tried to, out of sheer habit. Could they have arrived already?

This speed… It hasn't even made it out of the courtyard yet, has it?

Just as Gu Qingfeng was contemplating opening the coffin to take a look, suddenly—

A sensation of falling engulfed his entire body. The coffin was in free fall.

Falling!?

Damn it!

They're actually throwing me away like this? Are you kidding me? What if the coffin I just spent money on gets damaged?

However, after waiting for quite a while, the coffin continued to fall, descending faster and faster, without hitting the bottom.

Gu Qingfeng froze in confusion. The coffin hadn’t been raised very high earlier, so how could it possibly still be falling?

There could only be one explanation.

The ancient well in the backyard!

They’ve thrown me into the well.

Gu Qingfeng patiently waited for the coffin to hit the water, but no matter how long he waited, the sensation of falling persisted. By his estimation, he had already fallen at least a thousand meters.

This isn’t just a well! It’s practically an endless abyss!

A thousand meters…

Five thousand meters…

Ten thousand meters…

…

By now, Gu Qingfeng was starting to feel like he was riding a rocket—the speed kept increasing, and the fall seemed to stretch on forever.

It was going on for so long that he was beginning to grow impatient.

Suddenly, Gu Qingfeng extended his hand, pressing it against the coffin lid as he prepared to open it to figure out what on earth was happening.

As for Jue Mingzi's warnings, they had long been thrown to the back of his mind.

Ever since learning that the peak power level of this world was the Divine Realm, Gu Qingfeng had grown increasingly fearless.

If Young Master Yin could act as a shepherd dog, his power must be among the top ranks in this world. And now that Gu Qingfeng had received assistance from Young Master Yin, it was obvious that his own strength had reached an unimaginable level.

With such power, coupled with an incredibly robust physique, what was there to be afraid of?