I and My Husband Sleep in a Coffin

Chapter 85 Follow-up

"There is a mountain god on our mountain."

An old man sat on a cloth-covered seat in a wet mountain forest, smoking tobacco in a pipe and looked out at the heavy rain, and said this statement intentionally or unintentionally.

And the three men with backpacks who had taken shelter in the temple from the rain exchanged glances. The oldest one shook his head, while the other two strong young men squatted together, pretending to be dumb.

The heavily forested mountain ridge was twined, and the mountain's heavy fog lifted. When it was going to rain, the trio made their way to this temple halfway up the mountain. The bluestone slabs were freshly paved, and the little temple's paint and decorations were brand new. It appeared to have been built only a few years ago.

They had no idea where the rich folks who'd lost their heads from idleness had come from to pour money to build a temple here.

The economy of the village at the mountain's foot was similarly rather backward. They didn't even have a cell phone, and the temple was solely guarded by an elderly man who posed no threat to them. Furthermore, the mountain god mentioned by the elderly man sounded like pure nonsense to them.

The mountain rain soon stopped, and the peak was a rich emerald green surrounded by moisture. The scenery was surprisingly stunning as seen from the small temple's gate.

When they saw that the rain had ceased, the three men with backpacks waited for a while, then rose up and prepared to set off. "Thank you," the oldest man said softly to the old man guarding the modest temple before departing.

The elderly man lifted his dark and wrinkled face, sucked on his pipe, and slowly exhaled.

"The mountain beyond this temple is off-limits. Young men, this mountain has a mountain god. This old man will not lie to you."

"I see. Thank you, sir."

The middle-aged man gave a tiny smile before turning and leaving the modest temple.

The old man shook his head as he saw them walk up the mountain, lightly tapping his pipe on the door rail.

"Sigh, young people don't listen to advice...alas..."

"What was that old man nagging so deeply about, Uncle Tai?" In a hushed voice, one of the hefty men who had ventured into the forest and was drenched asked.

The middle-aged man called Uncle Tai shook his head, saying, "Nothing, just feudal superstition."

"Oh." The man responded, and asked again: "Uncle Tai, do you think we can hunt the goods?"

Uncle Tai responded, saying: "Of course we can. The information I got is very accurate. Someone once saw Siberian musk deer (an endangered species) on this mountain. Even if there are no Siberian musk deer, there are countless mountain monkeys and other rare animals in such a vast ​​undeveloped forest area, which is reason enough for us to take a trip."

"You are right."

The young man paused and stated coldly to the man next to him, who had been silent the entire time: "It's a good time. The rain has just stopped, so the animals will come out to hunt for food. Let's quickly set up the traps, and when we succeed, we'll descend from the other side of the mountain. Someone will meet us there."

After he finished speaking, the three of them quickly followed the traces of vegetation, expertly carried their bags to uncover the tools within, and then split off to begin setting traps around the mountain.

They worked swiftly, and the traps and steel wires for common small animals were ready in no time. They were all excellent survivalists in the wild. They chose a sheltered spot with elevated rocks, lit a fire beneath the pot, and waited silently.

Siberian musk deer with short forelimbs and long rear limbs, small hooves and huge ears, barely the size of a sheep, scampered through the dewy grass after the rain. They sniffed the scents in the air with their black noses, their fawn-like eyes reflecting the woodland in which they dwelt.

The Siberian musk deer chased each other, issuing soft calls, having never encountered any other danger save wolves and other carnivorous animals. The absence of the odor of ferocious beasts in the air put them at ease.

But then one of the deer knelt down on the ground and screamed. The trap savagely grabbed its forelimb, and the serrations sunk into its flesh, fracturing its bones!

The hornless fawn-like Siberian musk deer cried in pain. It struggled to break free, but the steel jaws clamped down even tighter. Because of its struggles, that leg was nearly broken, and the flesh attached to it was sticky, with viscous blood flowing on the emerald green foliage.

The other musk deer that was following its partner bolted in terror.

But after a while, it realized there was no predator and returned, knelt on the ground with its forelimbs, and pressed its head on the body of its companion, not knowing what to do.

It tried to get its companion to stand up.

However, the musk deer caught in the trap lost a limb and was unable to stand up normally after rising many times. It could only lie there, tears spilling from its large dark eyes.

Surprisingly, the other musk deer followed it and lay down, licking its companion's body and keeping warm with it.

As they cuddled together, the two little creatures emitted faint cries, their necks interlaced, and they trembled. The stench of blood was overpowering, and it would undoubtedly draw other predators.

But they never separated...

It was dark, and the three poachers gazed outside at the weather.

"Let's go. Close the net and have a look. If there's nothing, we’ll check the other side of the cliff."

"Alright."

The trio swiftly walked through the knee-high shrubs and separated to close the net.

They reunited half an hour later. The middle-aged man was empty-handed, until he pulled a clear box from his rucksack. Inside was a snake with gorgeous markings and vivid colors, as well as a soldering iron-shaped head. Even though it was locked in the box at the time, it stretched its jaws wide and made a biting motion.

"Oh my God! Such a good 'mountain product'! How did you catch it on a rainy day, Uncle Tai? This is too awesome!"

The two young men showed awe and surprise.

"There's a snake hole in the cliff over there," Uncle Tai said, raising the corners of his lips. "I targeted it when I was collecting the net. What's so awesome about it? You’ll understand after a few more visits with me."

"How much does it sell for..."

The young men mumbled a few times as they displayed their harvest.

One of the two strong young men reaped nothing, but the other carried a white fox with a gorgeous blood-stained coat. The fox was around the size of a medium-sized dog. Despite the fact that its fur was damp, it was clear that it would be quite glossy after cleaning.

"Lao Er[1], where's your wild product?" The constantly cold-faced young man asked with a frown.

Lao Er scratched his head and smiled: "I caught a wolf cub over there. It’s dangerous to provoke things like a wolf, so I strangled it and threw it away. Don't worry, I used medicine to mask the odor."

Uncle Tai remained silent, but the cold-faced young man snorted.

"Let's head to the other side of the cliff where we set traps. Only, expecting to catch musk deer on the first day is too naive. I guess we'll have to spend a few days in the mountains."

This was Uncle Tai's opinion.

But when they saw the two Siberian musk deer in the dark night, they all froze.

Their greedy eyes bulged with eagerness as they stared at the small animals whose necks were entwined and dependent on each other, as if these two lives had become mounds of banknotes stacked up in front of them!

"Shush!" hissed Uncle Tai. He lowered his voice and grabbed the two excited young people. "Lao Er, anesthetic injection!"

"Yes!"

Lao Er, fearful of agitating the 'money' over there, silently rummaged in his backpack and extracted a metal box. When it was opened, it revealed blowpipe anesthetic needles.

The night forest was unsettling and frightening. The trees were tall, and only a few beams of moonlight spilled through, which was almost useless save to provide a creepy atmosphere.

A metal pipe was aimed at the small animals nestled against each other.

"Whoosh!"

The leaves behind the three of them suddenly rustled without wind, and the trio instantly looked back vigilantly.

Someone stood undetected behind them at some point!

And in the dark night, a few strands of their long silver hair slanted down looked to shine. The crimson period clothing moved on its own, and the unreal feminine and handsome face was quite pale. The most scary thing was that this person's long and narrow eyes had terrifying scarlet pupils, occupying the entire eye socket!

The scarlet pattern between the brows was as vivid as snow, reminding people of the evil red ghost and the man-eating monster in the deep mountains! Especially when he slowly raised the corners of his mouth to display a smile as the trio looked back...

The three pairs of dark pupils instantly shrank into pinpricks!

It was also at this moment that Uncle Tai remembered what the elderly man had said: There is a mountain god on our mountain.

A pair of slender palms obscured their view before they could yell...

"Crack, crack, crack."

The bones produced a nice crisp sound.

The red and black robes swept over the three guys lying on the ground and passed through the weeds and bushes, and the cloth was exquisitely embroidered with old patterns. Water drops dripped on the fiery red garments and couldn't be entirely absorbed, so they rolled down to the ground.

The Siberian musk deer was so terrified that it leapt up and ran away, but not far, staring at them with round black eyes.

The mountain god—also known as Wen Fengjin, knelt beside the injured musk deer. Compared to humans, small animals have always been more sensitive to danger and fiercer existences.

The same was true for this little musk deer, which obediently laid on its stomach, slightly trembling but not daring to struggle.

The steel animal trap was easily broken by two seemingly weak and boneless hands. Wen Fengjin sliced his palm and let the blood drip on the damaged leg of the deer. The broken area of the body healed swiftly.

"Go."

He said softly as he watched the little thing stand up and scamper towards its companion, then turned and walked towards the three individuals who were lying on the ground...

The door of the small temple on the mountainside opened at daybreak the next day, and the elderly man retracted his foot before it landed on the ground.

He sighed as he glanced at the three people who were lying at the temple's entrance and had only been there the day before.

"Young ba$tards, don't listen to advice!"

While sucking on his pipe, the old man turned around and expertly hauled out a brazier. God knows what he tossed into the fire after igniting it, but red smoke rose.

The villagers in the settlement at the mountain’s base laughed when they saw the red smoke on the mountain.

"It's the three backpackers who climbed the mountain yesterday. I saw them pose, but they always looked like thieves to me! Our mountain god has captured the poaching sonsofb!tches!"

The other men followed suit, with some going to the county to notify the police and others following the village chief to the mountain to tie them up.

To be honest, this has happened innumerable times.

More than a dozen poachers had been apprehended in this mountain region in just a few years, attracting the attention of many people. Locals had even marketed the mountain god's fame, which had steadily risen...

There was a chill on the man who hurried back from outside to the tomb palace. His face was expressionless, yet he walked rapidly along the long tomb passage, arriving at the lively and splendid palace.

As he approached a little pavilion on a cliff, silver silk floated aloft, and his look softened, as if a glacier was melting. His odd eyes were tinged with warmth, and he cracked a smile.

A chain as thick as a man's waist linked the platform in the middle of the hollow to the red acacia tree that had been blazing silently for thousands of years.

Suddenly, the head of a large red lizard appeared on the platform, and on its back rode a small soft child wearing a little tiger hat.

"Daddy! You're fat[2]!"

When she spotted him, the child's grape-like limpid and clear eyes filled with joy, and she screamed out to him with her half-toothed mouth.

"Mn."

Wen Fengjin responded softly, landing on the platform with a few light jumps, then picking up the baby, his face softening even more.

"How is your mother today?"

The little girl's speech was unclear: "Liangqing, I'm going to kill you[3]!"

Telling tales...

Wen Fengjin stepped to the side of the double coffin, hugging the child who was super soft and smelt like milk.

A gorgeous man lay on his side inside the coffin, his soft cheeks submerged in layers of cloth. His brilliant red robes were loose and messy; tassels and fish beads dangled from loose black and red ropes, and his long black hair was fanned out and very attractive.

"Liangqing! I'm hungry[4]!"

The child looked at the person in the coffin and called to him in a babyish voice.

Wang Xiaomie was dazed from sleep in the coffin. He sat up in a stupor and, without opening his eyes, reached out and felt for the small child, hugging her to his bosom before lying back down.

Mu Yi, who had been caring for the kid for a long time, yawned tiredly as low laughter rang out.

The baby was warm and cuddly. Wen Fengjin sat on the coffin's edge and bent down, his silver hair like a cold blanket covering the two persons inside. His pink lips pressed on Wang Xiaomie's careless sleeping forehead.

Wang Xiaomie mumbled a few times in his sleep when the man's breath enveloped him, but he didn't wake up. The little girl giggled and covered her mouth, and Wen Fengjin also laughed. He pecked Xiaomie’s eyes, his lips lightly brushing the long eyelashes.

After a while, the fast-asleep man finally awoke.

Wang Xiaomie struggled to sit up with the child in one hand, rested lazily against the inside wall of the coffin, and glared at Wen Fengjin.

"Don't touch me in front of the child!" Wang Xiaomie pulled a face, "You've corrupted our family’s Goudan[5]!"

He actually said the word goudan.

The little girl who was blinking and snickering instantly lost her smile and pouted at her vicious mother.

Wen Fengjin was silent for a few moments before saying, "...She is a girl."

"You chose this name." Wang Xiaomie looked heartlessly at the baby, "If you want to blame someone, blame your dad. Your dad was the first to say it!"

The little girl looked at Wen Fengjin with tears in her eyes.

"......"

Wen Fengjin had given his adopted daughter such a name two years before because of an unexpected mistake. Under his daughter’s aggrieved eyes and his lover’s fierce sneer, his face sank and he chose—to change the subject.

Little daughter: "..." I’m looking for a stepfather.

"...Three days ago, I received word from An Kai that the purple-haired zombie buried with him has successfully turned into a red-haired zombie."

"So fast, didn't you say it’ll take three or four years the year before last?"

Wang Xiaomie was surprised.

It had been six years since their ordeal with Yi Yan. They adopted a child in the last six years, and An Kai also returned to Qishan to live in peace with his Little Purple Hair, but he sent news every now and again.

As for Bai Yu...

He had only received one letter from Bai Yu in the previous six years, and it contained only a photograph.

Bai Yu was smiling in the shot, sitting in the middle of the bright sofa in the house. On his right was a puppet that looked exactly like Xiao An, and on his left was a puppet that looked exactly like Yi Yan...

One man and two puppets joyfully smiled at the camera, as if they were the happiest family on the planet.

And Wang Xiaomie, who received this photo, had his hair standing on end and demanded that Wen Fengjin destroy it right away.

Footnotes:

[1] The second child or brother (or sister).

[2] I believe the child intended to say "nǐ huí lái le" (you're back), but instead says "nǐ féi lái le" (you're fat).

[3] “凉青，给窝将故斯了！” The baby's lines make little sense. I believe she is parroting what she overheard WXM say, but the characters she used are all wrong. If I'm not mistaken, "Liangqing" should be "Fengjin". Is there any reader who knows Mandarin well? Please let me know if I got this right.

[4] “凉青！窝饿了！”

[5] literally "dog egg/testicles". A name given to children in poor rural areas in the belief that they will be easy to raise. It's now a nickname akin to "baby, puppy" when applied to close relatives, lovers, and best friends. A stranger calling goudan is a curse/bad word.