Evan and Daniel carefully traced the ink lines across the coffin.
"People can be good or bad, corpses can be zombies or dead corpses," Evan murmured to himself.
Ethan's expression froze in mild disbelief, as if he were an old man on the subway scrolling his phone. He hadn't expected Evan to say that, especially since Master Lin never mentioned it.
"People aren't just divided into good and bad, they're divided into men and women too," Daniel joked from the side.
"Hey!" Evan poked his head out from the other side of the coffin. "Don't ruin the mood in such a serious scene."
The two of them quickly started trading playful jabs back and forth.
"Senior Brother, do you think the resentment a zombie carries could actually come from us? Like, maybe we accidentally put it there before it turned?" Evan asked, puzzled.
Ethan thought for a moment. In the original timeline, Ren Tingting did have the opportunity to draw out the energy from Ren Weiyong's throat but never got the chance.
"It's possible, but very difficult," Ethan said calmly.
Daniel frowned. "Why difficult? Isn't the zombie just lying here?"
Ethan stood in front of the coffin, deliberate and steady.
"The energy in a zombie's throat is best drawn out by a close relative or someone deeply connected. Otherwise, no matter what you do, it cannot be absorbed."
Hearing this, the two fell silent. They understood that if anyone suggested Ren Weiyong personally draw it, it would infuriate Mr. Ren beyond measure. First cremation, then a forced extraction? Anyone unaware would be livid.
Just as they were about to stand, Ethan grabbed them by their collars.
"What? Senior Brother, are you trying to make us kiss Grandfather Ren? I can't do that! My first kiss hasn't even happened yet!" Daniel panicked.
Ethan's expression darkened.
"I told you to focus on marking the coffin. You didn't even mark the bottom."
Both blushed awkwardly and crouched down immediately after Ethan released them.
"Wow! There's frost under the coffin!" Evan exclaimed.
Ethan knelt to examine it, frowning slightly. He retrieved a knife and carefully scraped the frost away.
"This area's yin energy is too strong. Finish marking with the ink lines first, then wrap them around the coffin," he instructed. Without waiting for a response, he went to the nearby unprepared ritual altar to start drawing talismans.
Before long, Evan and Daniel had wrapped the remaining ink lines around the coffin. Ethan then approached with yellow talismans in hand, carefully placing them on all four sides and corners.
He pasted several sealing talismans under the coffin and affixed three restraint talismans on the lid, along with two talismans to repel lingering spirits.
Both Evan and Daniel stared, amazed.
"Senior Brother, is all this really necessary? Grandfather Ren is just a white zombie, isn't he?"
Ethan could not explain further. He couldn't exactly tell them that without such precautions, their grandfather might have become a black zombie overnight.
"Better safe than sorry. Daniel, keep watch," he said, satisfied, and then went to the main hall to speak with Master Lin.
"I'll head back now. I need to help Aunt with the shop in the morning," Evan said.
"What? Riding this late, aren't you afraid of encountering spirits?" Daniel asked.
Evan smiled lightly. The two had already reached the door.
He pulled an incense stick from his bike and struck a match to light it. Just as he prepared to blow it out, Daniel quickly covered his mouth.
"Evan, you forgot how Master taught you. You can't blow it out with your mouth."
Evan laughed awkwardly. "Right, right." He fanned the flame gently with his hand until it went out.
He placed the incense on the bike handle and rode off, Daniel watching him disappear into the distance. Daniel closed the door behind him.
From the nearby woods came a soft, melodic voice.
"Her eyes, her eyes, shining like… shining like… the stars are glowing…"
Riding along, Evan frowned in confusion. After a short distance, the ethereal voice faded. He didn't think much of it, only noticing the bike felt unusually heavy.
Strange. I've been training well recently, why does even this short distance feel this hard?
He pedaled harder, but on the back of his bike sat a female ghost dressed in a red bridal gown. She waved farewell to a few little ghosts carrying a sedan chair behind her.
Not far ahead, they arrived at a small Earth God shrine. A branch stretched across the path, covered in talismans, with several incense sticks planted in it.
Evan ducked under the branch and rode through. Behind him, Dong Xiaoyu slammed against the branch with a thud.
The bike suddenly felt lighter, and Evan sped up.
Sitting on the ground, Dong Xiaoyu rubbed her reddened forehead and let out a soft hum.
The shrine glowed a faint red, bathing Dong Xiaoyu in light that made her entire body sting. She quickly disappeared, and the divine glow slowly faded.
Meanwhile, Ethan, just arriving at the main hall, spoke with Master Lin.
"小Ethan, it's almost time for your initiation. In a few months, you'll follow me to Maoshan for the ceremony. This will let the other ancestors recognize you," Master Lin said with a faint smile.
"Yes, Master. I will follow your guidance in everything," Ethan replied obediently.
Master Lin nodded, satisfied. Since taking Ethan as a disciple, everything had started going smoothly. The two other disciples he took in afterward were also far above average.
If Ethan knew Master Lin's thoughts, he would likely agree: without him, the other two disciples might have caused untold trouble.
After a brief conversation, both returned to their rooms.
At midnight, under the full moon, the coffin in the mortuary, wrapped in ink lines, trembled slightly. The lines flickered intermittently but were quickly suppressed by the talismans above.
Thanks to Ethan's careful protections, the coffin remained quiet all night, except for Daniel accidentally knocking over a table, which woke Master Lin.
"You're just made for watching over the ancestral hall," Master Lin shook his head, then glanced at the coffin, lips twitching.
"小Ethan is too cautious, but that's good. Better safe than sorry."
Back in the coffin, Ren Weiyong would have been furious if he could speak, cursing whoever had fortified him this way his corpse energy was almost gone.
Elsewhere, a certain someone diligently trained in body cultivation.
Ethan exhaled deeply and slowly opened his eyes.
"The Mind Hall and the Throat Twelve-Layer Technique are finally complete," he said, feeling the enhanced visual and spiritual perception.
"The range of spiritual awareness has expanded. Excellent," he noted, sensing the improved communication between the upper and lower dantian through the Throat Twelve-Layer Technique. His cultivation speed increased, and the recently broken-through realm began to rise.
"Good. At this pace, Golden Core formation is just around the corner."