Chapter 28: Expelling the Chill with Solar Fire

"You said count to three, you didn't say I had to shout 'start'!"

Er Pang’s stubborn streak was showing again. I didn't bother arguing with him. Instead, I felt a chilling, yin-cold air wafting from the coffin, which made me shiver for no reason. It seemed the coffin fungus was truly inside. That mysterious female corpse hadn’t lied to me—how on earth did she know? This thing was incredibly difficult to find.

Feeling a surge of joy, I quickly pushed the remaining coffin lid aside.

"Clatter!"

The lid was completely shoved aside, and the coffin was fully exposed. I was immediately hit by a strange odor—a mixture of rot, mold, and dampness. It was hard to describe. Whether it was from exhaustion or the fumes, I felt a bit dizzy. I shook my head and peered inside. The lighting was so poor, relying only on moonlight and a single candle, that I could only vaguely make out a figure lying there.

I pulled another candle from my backpack, lit it, and slowly leaned closer to the coffin. In the dim, flickering candlelight, the contents of the coffin were revealed. Inside lay a skeleton dressed in official robes. There was nothing left but white bone; no skin, no flesh. Logically, a corpse of this age should have long since turned to dust, yet these bones were perfectly intact.

I guessed there were two possibilities. One was the influence of the coffin fungus; its medicinal properties were legendary, and it might have some ability to preserve remains, acting like a natural freezing agent. The other possibility was that the tomb owner hadn't moved on or been reincarnated, and in such cases, the remains would not decay. But regardless of the reason, the likelihood of the coffin fungus being there had increased.

I leaned my head further in, and the freezing sensation grew more intense. I couldn't help but shudder. As I got closer, the skull stared directly at me, inches away. Enduring the discomfort, I began searching. Suddenly, I saw a faint white glow near its wrist. It was so dim that if you didn't look closely, you would miss it. The coffin fungus was extremely cold by nature, so it would emit a cold light. It had to be on the wrist!

Without lifting my head, I told Er Pang, "Hold the candle for me, I’ve found it!"

Er Pang didn't know what I was looking for, but he took the candle immediately.

I freed both hands and reached toward the wrist. The skeleton’s robes were still surprisingly silky—I remembered hearing someone say that official robes from a certain dynasty were made of silk. Sure enough, as I lifted the arm bone, it let out a grating sound, and a tiny mushroom emitting a pale white light appeared. It had probably been hidden by the sleeves.

Once exposed, the glow brightened slightly, though it still wasn't enough to provide real light. The tiny, mushroom-like object was pure white and slightly translucent, only about two centimeters long. It was growing directly from the wrist joint, fused tightly to the bone and covered in a thin layer of frost. This was it—the coffin fungus. I had really found it. With this, there was hope for the female corpse to come back to life!

It had been easier than expected. Excited, I instinctively reached out to touch it. That light touch made me cry out instantly.

"Whoa! So cold! So cold!"

Even though I had only touched it with one finger, it felt as if my entire arm had been frozen in an ice cellar for hours. I recoiled, yelling, but the cold didn't fade. Visible frost began to grow on my hand! Stunned, I hurriedly shoved my hand into my crotch. Men are defined by yang energy, and the crotch is the most potent source of it. The sudden chill there made me jump! I pulled my hand out, but the frost remained.

This was bad. The yin-cold energy had entered my body. What should I do? My own yang energy wasn't enough to counter the freezing cold. If only someone else were here...

My gaze landed on Er Pang, who was looking at me in confusion while holding the candle. Noticing me looking at him, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Are we brothers?" I asked anxiously.

Er Pang sighed helplessly. "Geez, just tell me what you want me to do."

I glanced at his crotch and said, "You said it yourself!"

"Yeah! I said it. So what? You don't mean..."

"AH! DAMN IT! Han Tiangang, what are you doing! It’s freezing! I’m going to freeze to death, get it out of there!"

How could I let go so easily? If I pulled it out, my arm would be ruined, and my life could be at risk. But yang energy could counteract the cold. It was the only way to save my arm. I could have used my own, but I couldn't bear that level of agony, so I’d have to give it to Er Pang. I grabbed his hand, pinning him in place; he could only hop around like an ant on a hot pan.

Finally, after three minutes, the arm didn't feel as cold anymore. The yang energy must have driven out the chill. I let go of Er Pang’s hand. He immediately pulled my offending arm away, clutched his crotch, and began cursing.

"Han Tiangang, if I can't find a wife because of this, you’re responsible!" He curled up on the ground, trying to warm himself.

I looked at my arm. The frost was gone. I let out a long sigh of relief. The coffin fungus was truly not an ordinary object; the ancient texts were right—it had to be transferred via direct contact with human heat. Anything else would have been frozen solid instantly. Why not use tools? Because it was so soft and delicate that a branch or any other tool would easily crush it. Once broken, it would lose all its effectiveness, which would be a terrible waste.

Now that I had found it, the next step was to go to the mountaintop to carry the female corpse. I turned to Er Pang, who was still warming himself on the ground, and said, "Er Pang, stay here and watch. Make sure no one and nothing gets near this coffin. Understand?"

Er Pang grumbled, "Coffin, coffin... what are you doing with this all night? There’s no treasure in that broken thing, who would even come near it?"

As I started to walk away, I said, "Once this is done, I’ll treat you to three chicken legs. All you can eat!"

Hearing that, Er Pang immediately grinned. "That’s a promise!" He knew I wouldn't lie about that, as my family was famous in the village for our chickens.

After settling Er Pang, I ran quickly toward the summit. My heart was pounding with excitement. I hadn't expected to complete the first condition so soon. Despite the hardships, a sense of accomplishment welled up inside me. With only two more conditions left, the female corpse would be able to stand. For all these years, I had wondered what such a cold, elegant woman would be like once she woke up.

If she turned out to be exceptionally beautiful, well... I wouldn't be returning her! She had a great figure, after all, and if she could come back to life...

With these wild thoughts, I climbed toward the summit even faster.