Chapter 52: What Befell the Virtuous Man After Three Lifetimes

I got into Captain Cui’s car without knowing where he was taking me, and at this moment, he didn’t say a word. The atmosphere was unbearably awkward. I rolled my eyes and decided to break the silence, “Officer, where are we going?”

Instead of telling me our destination, Captain Cui furrowed his brows and asked me a question. “Jiang Huai, in your line of work, is there any special method to fix a corpse to the ground?” He must have thought he hadn’t been specific enough, so he added, “But without using any tools—the body is on the ground, and it simply can’t be moved.”

I looked at him in confusion. Considering what had happened in Baolian Temple, I had a rough idea it must be related to the three female corpses found there. I didn’t know of any particular method for this, but I did know what kind of corpse couldn’t be moved.

“There’s probably no special trick needed for that. I have heard that sometimes, after certain people die, their bodies can only be lifted and buried using very specific rituals.” I pursed my lips and added, “Though such bodies are incredibly rare—one may not encounter them in a hundred years.”

To outsiders, the funeral profession is full of rules and taboos. In my opinion, only a few really matter, and the most important is that if you ever come across a corpse that can’t be moved, never try to force it just because you’re strong. Otherwise, you could be plagued by bad luck for three years.

Of course, what I mean by an immovable corpse is different from those whose spirits have unfinished business and can’t don their burial clothes or be sealed in a coffin. I’m talking about a body that cannot be shifted by anyone, not even an inch.

When a corpse is truly immovable, even the King of Hell would have to shave years off his own life to claim it. And what kind of person would the King of Hell not dare collect? Someone who performed great deeds and accumulated vast virtue in their lifetime.

What counts as great deeds? To care for all beneath the heavens, to act for the good of all living beings, to have kindness not just in thought but also in action, to disregard one’s own interests and even one’s life for the sake of others—that is true virtue.

Such virtue is perfected over three lifetimes; when those three lives are complete, the merit is fulfilled, and such a person is known as a Three-Lifetime Sage.

Take Zhang Shancai for comparison—his deeds were all for his own desires. Though there may have been some good intention, they ended in evil, and so cannot be called virtuous.

In all the world, those who can achieve such virtue are exceedingly few. When a Three-Lifetime Sage dies, it is a great misfortune for humanity, and even Heaven and Earth grieve. Even in death, the goodness radiating from their flesh can shake the heavens and earth, and ordinary people must not touch the body.

A master must come to perform a three-day ritual of absolution—more accurately, a ceremonial farewell. After three days of confusion, the soul regains its senses. At that point, unlike ordinary souls who go straight to the underworld, the deceased is given a choice. What exactly that choice is, I do not know. I once asked my grandfather, but even he couldn’t explain. He said if I really wanted to know, I’d have to wait until he died, and then he’d find out and come back to tell me in a dream.

Though the choice itself is unknown, the living can determine how to handle the body based on its condition after three days. If, upon approaching, there is a unique, pleasant fragrance, it means the body can be moved. Then, the descendants must give the deceased one final bath and change of clothes. Afterward, the body cannot rest in a coffin like others, but must be seated cross-legged in a large clay jar, which is then buried in a good spot. Every first day of the lunar month, the family must come and burn incense; only then will their descendants have smooth fortunes.

If, after three days, the body turns black, emits a foul stench, and begins to breed maggots, then there’s no need to ask further—cremate it on the spot. The ashes must not be placed in an urn or buried, but instead scattered a hundred steps west of the room where the deceased once lived.

In any case, I’ve only ever heard of such things, never witnessed them myself.

Captain Cui listened to my story as if he’d just heard a myth. “That all sounds terribly mysterious. Don’t tell me those three girls are Three-Lifetime Sages?”

I shook my head. Such people always die of old age, never so young.

Seeing me shake my head, Captain Cui took a drag on his cigarette and, with one hand on the wheel, asked, “Is there any other possibility?”

I was sure. “There really isn’t—unless someone deliberately fixed the bodies to the ground. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how it’d be possible.”

Captain Cui glanced in the rearview mirror, backed the car into a parking space, and asked, “Then what’s going on here?”

I truly had no answer for him and could only shake my head. Captain Cui parked, turned off the engine, opened his door, put one foot on the ground, then looked back at me. “Come on, let’s go take a look at those three girls’ bodies in Baolian Temple.”

I’ve seen many corpses before, but this was my first time at a murder scene. It felt like a bride entering her wedding sedan for the first time—I was a bit nervous.

Baolian Temple had been completely sealed off, surrounded by police tape and guarded by officers. Not only was this the primary crime scene, but more importantly, the bodies inside couldn’t be moved.

By procedure, the bodies should have been taken away for autopsy, but no matter how they tried, the corpses wouldn’t budge, as if rooted to the earth.

I took the pair of gloves Captain Cui handed me, pulling them on as I asked, “Officer, didn’t you say there was a lead?”

He stayed silent, and since he was dragging me to see the bodies, I asked suspiciously, “You’re not hoping I’ll find you some clues on the corpses, are you? Is that even allowed?”

Captain Cui glanced over. “Special circumstances call for special measures. If you can’t find any clues, at least help me get those bodies moved.”

“Officer,” I called after him as he was about to open the door, “I’m not cheap. Saving your life included, covering my dinners for a month isn’t too much to ask, right?”

He’d already reached the temple’s entrance, one hand on the door. Hearing my words, he turned and smiled at me.

He pressed with one hand and swung the ancient temple doors open in a single move.

The moment the doors opened, a piercing, chilling wind howled through, stinging our faces and making it hard to keep our eyes open.