Professor Zhang rummaged through his phone again and pulled up a photo taken many years ago to show me.
“Huai Yan, take another look at this character.”
It was also a Plum Blossom Coffin Nail, about the length of a chopstick, lying inside a fine sandalwood box.
The indented pattern at the nail head was also a small seal script character.
“It’s the small seal script character for ‘Pillow’.”
Professor Zhang nodded: “Yes, it’s the character for ‘Pillow’.”
My palms were sweating. I hadn’t expected to see two Plum Blossom Coffin Nails at once from Professor Zhang.
I tentatively asked, “Professor Zhang, may I ask where this Plum Blossom Coffin Nail was discovered?”
“Many years ago, an old friend of mine was helping someone relocate a grave and dug it out from their ancestral tomb. Knowing that I’ve always been interested in studying such things, he took a photo and sent it to me.”
Professor Zhang looked at me and asked, “I heard from Sun Mingyue that you’ve also seen an identical Plum Blossom Coffin Nail?”
I steeled myself and nodded: “Yes, I have. The nail head of that Plum Blossom Coffin Nail should have the small seal script character for ‘Shen’.”
Professor Zhang slapped his thigh excitedly: “That’s it!”
He stood up, pacing back and forth in the office several times before calming down: “Huai Yan, to be honest with you, when I saw the ‘Pillow’ character Plum Blossom Coffin Nail ten years ago, I began researching this subject. But when I reached some conclusions, because I couldn’t find more samples to verify them, this research was shelved.”
“Until half a month ago, when our archaeological team discovered this tomb and photographed the ‘Jade’ character Plum Blossom Coffin Nail, it reignited hope for this research.”
As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper, quickly sketched a simple diagram of human acupuncture points, then switched to a red pen and marked two red dots on it.
One at the top of the head, the other three inches below the navel.
“If my guess is correct, the Plum Blossom Coffin Nail you saw should have been nailed at a position below the right ankle.”
As he said this, he marked the corresponding position.
I suddenly felt a chill below my right ankle—’Shen’ was buried there.
Seeing me nod, Professor Zhang switched to a blue pen and marked ten other points.
With each mark he made, my heart trembled, because every point he marked corresponded to a plum blossom-shaped birthmark on my body.
Except for the one over my heart.
“Each of these Plum Blossom Coffin Nails has its own name, and the acupuncture points where they are placed are the origin of their names.”
“These Plum Blossom Coffin Nails are all made of bronze, carved with dragon totems, and marked with their names in small seal script at the nail heads. There are thirteen in total. In ancient mythological legends, this is a terrifying sealing technique used to seal Xuanyuan Huanglong, who had turned into a demon.”
Sun Mingyue chose an inopportune moment to voice her skepticism: “Xuanyuan Huanglong? Mythological legends? This… seems a bit far-fetched, doesn’t it?”
Professor Zhang glared at her fiercely and said sternly, “What do you know? Many mythological legends also originated from the real life of their times. If we can find evidence from these Plum Blossom Coffin Nails to prove the existence of this sealing technique, wouldn’t that prove that dragons truly existed in our history? And by further deduction, wouldn’t that mean the Four Divine Beasts also existed?”
Sun Mingyue wanted to say more, but I pulled her arm, signaling her to be quiet.
Every breakthrough in archaeological research represents a qualitative leap of immense significance for history, cultural heritage, and beyond.
Professor Zhang had devoted his entire life to archaeology, and no one could truly understand the emotions he was experiencing at this moment.
As for me, his deductions perfectly aligned with the plum blossom-shaped birthmark on my body. Did this mean that everything he said might actually be true?
Looking at the photos on the table, I couldn’t help but ask, “Professor Zhang, if possible, I’d like to go down into the tomb and see this Plum Blossom Coffin Nail with my own eyes. Would that be okay?”
Sun Mingyue quickly added, “I want to go too.”
After a moment of consideration, Professor Zhang said, “Huai Yan can go, but Sun, you should stay in the lab to complete the follow-up work.”
Sun Mingyue looked a bit disappointed, but she soon brightened up and eagerly agreed.
After all, being able to stay in Professor Zhang’s lab was something many of her classmates wouldn’t even dare to dream of.
Professor Zhang said the archaeological team would descend into the tomb again early the morning after next, and he would take me along, advising me to make thorough preparations.
On the way back, I wrestled with my thoughts, unsure whether I should tell Liu Xuanyi and the others about this.
I knew there would be some danger in coming into contact with the Plum Blossom Coffin Nail, but this time was different—I would be going down with the archaeological team.
The team had already been down into the tomb before without any incidents. If I followed Professor Zhang and only observed without touching anything, there shouldn’t be any danger.
In fact, if I didn’t tell Liu Xuanyi, he might never even know I had gone down into the tomb, right?
Even after returning to the courtyard house, I still hadn’t decided whether to tell him.
Unexpectedly, I ran straight into Liu Xuanyi as soon as I entered. Rubbing my forehead, I looked at him and smiled nervously, “You… you’re here.”
Liu Xuanyi hummed in acknowledgment, “Where did you go?”
“I had some business at the university, so I went back for a bit.”
“Hmm.”
His cold attitude made it difficult for me to continue.
Just as I was about to find an excuse to slip away, Liu Xuanyi spoke again, “I heard that heavy rain in the neighboring county caused a landslide recently, exposing an ancient tomb.”
I was startled and stared wide-eyed at Liu Xuanyi, “You know about it?”
“Inside the tomb, there’s a crystal coffin, and lying inside it is a pregnant woman, pinned beneath…”
Liu Xuanyi paused, and I grabbed his sleeve, hopeful, “Have you been to the tomb? Did you see the Plum Blossom Coffin Nail?”
His vertical pupils stared deeply at me, as if waiting for something.
Gritting my teeth, I confessed everything, “Actually, the reason I went back to the university today was because I received news about a new Plum Blossom Coffin Nail. Early the morning after next, I’ll be going down into the tomb with the archaeological team.”
“You are not going!” Liu Xuanyi snapped sternly. “From now on, you are not to step out of this courtyard house.”
With that, he grabbed me and started dragging me toward the backyard.
I struggled and resisted, “Liu Xuanyi, let me go! You have no right to keep me confined!”
“This is my own business, and I have the right to make my own decisions!”
“Liu Xuanyi, who do you think you are? Just because you have cultivation and magical powers, does that mean you can act lawlessly?”
“…”
Liu Xuanyi hauled me into the room, pressed me against the door, and leaned his tall frame over me, enunciating each word clearly, “Remember, I am your man! Huai Yan, on my turf, you will listen to me.”
His words were too domineering, touching a nerve, and I kicked and punched at him: “You say you’re my man, and that’s it? Did I admit it? The marriage contract only says I have an engagement with the Chang family, not that it has to be you!”
Liu Xuanyi grabbed my neck, his eyes red at the corners: “Who else do you want to marry besides me?”