Contents of the Coffin

Dr. Rowan Lin didn't answer. He shot Simon Yu a glare. "Just dig already and stop with all the chatter!"

Simon Yu chuckled, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sped up. His shovel flew with impressive speed, quickly digging a circle around the coffin.

The coffin looked tiny, not like the usual adult size—more like a fifth of a normal coffin. It was really just a small wooden box. Calling it a coffin was almost too generous for this shabby thing.

If Dr. Rowan Lin hadn't said so beforehand, Simon Yu would never have guessed that the late emperor's only son—the former crown prince—was buried in this ramshackle box in the middle of nowhere.

Tsk tsk, just imagine how many royal secrets must be hidden in here!

Once Simon Yu had finished digging, he tossed aside the shovel, jumped into the pit, and lifted the small wooden coffin out. He hopped out and set it on the ground nearby. "Master, it's out. What now?" he asked.

Dr. Rowan Lin pressed his lips together, gazing down at the shabby little coffin. "Open it," he said.

"What!?" Simon Yu's eyes widened. "Master, we're doctors, not grave robbers! It's bad enough we've dug up someone’s coffin—now you want to open it and disturb the dead? That can't be right."

In ancient times, digging up a grave was enough to get you arrested. People cared deeply about burial rites. If this coffin hadn’t been ownerless, Simon Yu would never have agreed to dig it up. Now, hearing they had to open it, he felt it was completely inappropriate.

Besides, didn’t Master say this was the former crown prince’s resting place? Sure, the late emperor died twenty years ago, but the crown prince was still royalty. You can’t just desecrate a prince’s coffin!

Simon Yu's mind was racing, unable to figure out why Master wanted him to do this.

"Just open it!" Dr. Rowan Lin snapped at Simon Yu, who immediately shrank back, picked up the shovel again, and started prying at the coffin.

Surprisingly, the coffin was easy to pry open. It had been nailed together hastily and wasn’t sturdy at all, so just a bit of effort with the shovel made the lid loosen.

Simon Yu looked up. "Master, you really want me to open it?"

Dr. Rowan Lin pressed his lips together, looking a bit anxious. He was clearly very interested in what was inside the coffin. Seeing Simon Yu dawdle, he began to lose patience.

Seeing Master’s expression, Simon Yu felt like if he didn’t open the coffin soon, Master would stuff him inside it. He silently prayed: Former crown prince, please don’t blame me. I’m just following orders. If you want to haunt someone, go after my master, not me!

With that, Simon Yu grabbed the lid, grunted, and lifted it open.

Dr. Rowan Lin instinctively clenched his fists, stepped forward, and peered inside the coffin—only to find...

Empty!?

"An empty coffin!?" Simon Yu exclaimed, scratching his head. "No wonder it felt so light when I carried it. I thought maybe the body was a baby and had turned to bones, but it’s completely empty! Master, didn’t you say the late emperor’s crown prince was buried here? Where’s the body?"

"Where’s the body... where’s the body?" Dr. Rowan Lin murmured, staring at the coffin. But Simon Yu couldn’t shake the feeling that Master wasn’t really surprised. It was as if he’d already guessed it would be empty, and this whole trip was just to confirm his suspicion.