Chapter 2409 - 2312: Stone Coffin

Director He and others were sent to the hospital, and finally, everyone had the energy to deal with the contents inside the main chamber that had already been opened.

By this time, the array in the main chamber had already been deciphered, and everyone could finally see the true condition inside the chamber.

Unlike the previously empty chamber before the array was broken, now everyone could finally see the massive coffin standing right in the center.

This is a stone coffin, made of the same serpentine stone material as the stone pillars and the large stone door that Huo Sining had seen outside before. Various runes are carved on the stone coffin, which seems to be Taoist sealing symbols.

The stone coffin is about four meters long and three meters wide, a standard size for a single-person coffin, but finding such a large piece of serpentine stone to carve out a coffin is quite a feat.

At least in terms of craftsmanship at that time, just to create such a large and exquisite stone coffin would require the labor of at least a hundred people.

The coffin hasn’t been opened yet, but just looking at its style alone, Zhou Shitao and others were already excited. Several old professors circled the stone coffin, their expressions extremely enthusiastic, just as if they were ten years younger.

Not only Zhou Shitao, but Bai Buzhi was also present, though his interest was not in the stone coffin, but in the runes on it.

This old man had long been obsessed with pursuing the Taoist arts, and it was his interest in Ge Hong that persuaded him to accept Huang Zhenlong’s request to come and help.

Upon seeing the runes on the stone coffin, the old man’s eyes instantly lit up. He incessantly circled in front of the stone coffin and occasionally stared intently at the runes engraved on it, muttering:

"Why is it done this way... It’s really strange... Why... Surely not..."

The points of interest for the old men are not on the same channel, but they do not interfere with each other, with no one hindering anyone else.

A tomb over 1,700 years old, only the stone coffin could be preserved; any wooden coffin would have rotted away long ago.

Huo Sining’s interest in the coffin is secondary. She’s more curious about whether Ge Hong’s remains are truly inside this coffin.

Before arriving at Luofu Mountain earlier, Huo Sining had some doubts about Ge Hong’s abilities. This person only lived to the age of sixty, and according to normal destiny, he cannot be said to have died of old age. Moreover, he was a medical expert, and if he understood methods for self-cultivation, there’s no reason for him only to live to such a limited age.

Furthermore, his lifelong commitment to researching elixir formulas and secret techniques, in pursuit of life longevity, led even imperial court nobles to deeply trust him, indicating that he must have had some skill, especially in ensuring a long life.

Given this, there’s no reason he himself would die so early.

Thinking of how he even took hold of the Saige siblings for live research in this ancient tomb, Huo Sining’s suspicions grew.

She always felt that the placement of this coffin was somewhat peculiar.

If Ge Hong’s remains truly lay inside this coffin, who sealed it? The coffin lid fits seamlessly, and merely the weight of the stone coffin lid is heavy enough that it couldn’t have been sealed by one person; it’s certainly not something Ge Hong could have sealed himself.

But if we follow this line of reasoning, then isn’t Ge Hong’s body inside the coffin? Where did Ge Hong go, and why would he go to such elaborate lengths to create this ancient tomb and fake coffin to deceive people?

This arrangement by Ge Hong makes the tomb mysterious, and it is also related to the pursuit of immortality and the Jiaoren, leading Huo Sining to strongly suspect that he wouldn’t share such a major matter with others.

Her conjecture isn’t without reason, knowing the insane experiments Ge Hong conducted at the time; he most likely did not want them known to the world. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have purposely left traces of his elixir-making by the Snow Peak, leading the researchers of that time to explore Snow Peak, thus concealing his secret residence.

So this ancient tomb was definitely only known to him after construction, and perhaps even the people who helped him build the tomb were silenced—it is entirely possible, given Ge Hong’s methods, as it’s something he could absolutely do.

This is perhaps why people at the time had no idea Ge Hong’s tomb was actually located in this region, because those knowledgeable were made to disappear.

Thus, who sealed the coffin becomes a mystery.

Huo Sining’s gaze lingered on the coffin; she knows the speculation is somewhat preposterous, but she can’t help but recall the documents she read about Ge Hong previously.

It’s said that Ge Hong, when he was in his fifties and sixties, looked no different from when he was thirty, having mastered rejuvenation techniques deeply, which is why nobles of that time had significant faith in his so-called elixir of immortality.

Even if it’s 1,700 years ago, it’s an incredible thing even in today’s terms.

If someone in their fifties and sixties looks about thirty, then their maintenance secret could be worth examining.

Just like some celebrity in the entertainment industry claimed to have age-reversing growth, profiting from selling an image, with cosmetic products, masks, and pills being sold everywhere, with countless believers, making a fortune.

In those days, it goes without saying—it would be major news. And if Ge Hong spouted a few words, it would definitely lead the nobles to wholeheartedly support his research without question.

Wealthy, knowledgeable in medicine, and adept at self-cultivation, there is no reason for dying early unless that person believes he glimpsed the Heavenly Dao, thinking he could ascend, and thus seals himself in a coffin, using his own body as an experiment subject, attempting his concocted elixir of immortality.

Such speculation, though not necessarily true, but as long as the remains remain in the coffin, with modern technological levels, tracing why an ancient person died is not a difficult task.

With this thought, Huo Sining stopped overthinking, instinctively reaching out towards the stone coffin to see if it actually contained remains.

Without much thought, purely out of unconscious behavior, but as soon as she reached out, she was startled tremendously, her hair stood on end, a chill ran from her feet, causing her to step back a full step.

In front of her appeared countless eyes; those eyes were full of sinister and vengeful looks, staring at her intensely, as if about to leap out from the coffin at any moment!

Huo Sining nearly screamed, but managed to hold back, suppressing her urge, yet unable to control releasing her grip from the stone coffin.