Chapter 19: Asafoetida in the Coffin

I stood there frozen, unable to move.

She spoke, “What are you dawdling for? Take the medicine quickly, there’s still so much to do, hurry up!”

Hearing her scold me again, I immediately said, “You’re the one who told me to!”

Without waiting for the corpse’s reaction, I reached straight in between. I felt the elasticity of her thigh on both sides of the back of my hand. The gap in the middle was very narrow. From this, I could tell her legs must be very beautiful. My mind involuntarily began to imagine what a stunning beauty she would be if she really stood up.

“Still haven’t found it!” The corpse seemed genuinely angry. Although she didn’t say much, her voice sounded like it could tear me apart.

I could only snap back to reality. Sure enough, I felt something the size of a pill. Reluctantly, I withdrew my hand and stood up from my bent position. Then I brought the pill to my nose and took a sniff.

A faint vanilla scent mixed with the corpse’s unique fragrance—quite pleasant.

“What are you sniffing? Are you a pervert?” she snapped.

I looked confused and asked, “What’s wrong with smelling the medicine?”

The corpse was speechless. I asked the air, “Should I just swallow it?”

She remained silent.

I frowned and said, “It just fell between your thighs; wouldn’t it be unhygienic to eat it like this?” After all, that coffin had been sealed for many years, possibly over a century. What if there were bacteria inside? Wouldn’t I be dead on the spot after eating it?

But she misunderstood and thought I was disgusted by her body.

“Smack!” I felt a gentle fragrance on my face before a sharp slap landed. It burned.

Holding my face, I shouted, “I’ll eat it, I’ll eat it! Are you going through menopause? You curse and hit people over the slightest thing!”

With a helpless sigh, I swallowed the pill in one gulp.

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Though I was quite dissatisfied with the corpse—constantly touching and hitting me, stripping me of any semblance of manly dignity—I was sure she wouldn’t harm me. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone through such great lengths to save me back then.

After all, she had been unable to act or speak for fifteen years to rescue me. It would have been easier just to poison me outright.

So there was no hesitation.

The pill looked black and oily, somewhat like the residue from skin. Did this corpse really not bathe for centuries, covered in grime? But she smelled so fragrant; that seemed unlikely.

After swallowing, I felt no immediate effects, but thirty seconds later, the wound on my back felt less painful and instead itched a little. I instinctively wanted to scratch it.

Then the corpse’s voice sounded: “Itching is normal. Now, fulfill your promise. To resurrect me, three conditions must be met, all by tonight, before dawn. If you miss the deadline, you’ll have to wait another fifteen years.”

Three conditions. If I couldn’t accomplish them today, I’d have to wait another fifteen years? I’d be nearly forty by then. I’d never marry in this lifetime.

I hadn’t expected the conditions to resurrect this corpse to be so harsh. A wave of insecurity crept over me.

“Why don’t you find someone else? I don’t know anything, and if I delay your matters, won’t I become a sinner?”

Upon hearing this, the corpse said calmly, “I’ve waited for a whole cycle for you. Fifteen more years won’t matter. Just do your best.”

Though her tone was flat, I detected a trace of sorrow. Could it be connected to me somehow?

I asked, “A cycle?”

She didn’t answer directly but instead gave the first condition: “I need coffin fungus. Chew the coffin fungus and feed it to me. I’ll tell you the other two conditions after you accomplish this.”

Coffin fungus? I had actually seen this mentioned in the book she gave me.

According to ancient texts, coffin fungus, also called “Hidden Lingzhi,” is known in Daoist circles as Ferula. The texts say this fungus grows inside coffins on human bones.

In other words, when a person dies, the body does not decompose, indicating some unresolved grievance during their lifetime.

Over time, the resentment intensifies, forming a block of qi trapped in the throat.

A living person breathes qi; a Buddha offers incense. If this breath cannot ascend or descend and is stuck in the throat, it leads to corpse transformation.

Coffin fungus grows on coffins or bones of such transformed corpses. It resembles wild mushrooms but contains completely different components.

Not every coffin with a transformed corpse has this fungus—it’s a matter of luck. It usually only grows on coffins of wealthy ancient families who regularly consumed precious herbs like lingzhi, ginseng, and deer antler during their lives.

It is said to cure many fatal diseases and even rumored to bring the dead back to life.

Many tomb raiders who find coffin fungus can auction it for millions.

Why so expensive? Who hasn’t dreamed of immortality or resurrection? The wealthier the merchant, the more obsessed they are with such things, willing to pay any price.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang famously sent Xu Fu to seek such medicines.

So the high price is understandable.

And now this corpse simply demanded coffin fungus from me.

Where was I supposed to find it?

Not only did it have to come from a transformed corpse, but also from a wealthy family’s tomb.

In our village of rough peasants, who could afford deer antler year-round? We had to wait for festivals just to kill a chicken.

I said with difficulty, “Miss, I do want to help you. You saved me before, so in both reason and sentiment, I must help. But coffin fungus isn’t easy to find. And finding it within a day… this is no joke.”

The corpse coldly asked, “Is this how you help me? You’re already backing down at the first condition?”

Her voice held a mocking tone. I wasn’t sure why.

I didn’t reply but quickly thought about where to look. I didn’t want to be dissuaded by the first condition; waiting another fifteen years was unacceptable. I felt a bit resentful toward her.

“Why didn’t you say this fifteen years ago? Or can’t you send me dreams? At least give me time to search! Where on earth am I supposed to find a transformed corpse from a wealthy family’s grave?”

Seeing my frustration, the corpse sneered, “You look anxious, so I’ll point you in the right direction. Did you encounter a dried corpse when you arrived?”

Mentioning this, I immediately stood up and asked, “Yes, the entire Erpo family suddenly died and they erected a family tomb. What exactly happened?”

The corpse showed no intention of answering and coldly said, “Whether they died or not is none of my concern. You only need to know their ancestral grave holds what we need. Go get it, and don’t waste time!”