"Where is my grandfather?" I demanded, staring at it.
The thing tilted its head, pupils contracting.
"Your grandfather? He is right here."
It raised a hand and tapped the wall. I looked, and my hair stood on end. Embedded in the walls were rows of transparent coffins, holding people—men, women, old, young, in clothing from different eras.
In the center of the upper row, inside a clear coffin, lay Grandpa, eyes closed, peaceful, as if sleeping.
"Grandpa!" I shouted. But he did not move.
"Don't shout. He cannot hear. No one here can," it said calmly.
"What is this place?"
"Yin-Yang Abbey is the gate between the mortal world and the underworld. And I… am the thing beyond the gate." It spread its arms, almost arrogant. "Three thousand years ago, I was a ghost king of the underworld, feared by men and spirits alike. Then I was sealed inside this bronze coffin by the first Chen yin walker, Chen Yuandao."
Chen Yuandao—the name on the first stone coffin.
"He could not seal my soul, only trap my body. My spirit could leave, but never for more than seven days, or my flesh would rot completely. I needed a suitable host. The bodies of yin walkers, soaked in yin energy from crossing between worlds, were perfect."
"Your grandfather guarded me for thirty years to prevent me from finding a replacement. But he grew old. His time ran out. The seal weakened when he died. I seized his body."
I suddenly remembered the blood writing and the sounds inside the coffin.
"The blood characters on the bronze coffin, the scraping… was that your doing?"It looked confused.
"What blood writing? After I left, the coffin was empty. Your grandfather's body is with me. There should be nothing inside."
It paused, pupils shrinking sharply, as if realizing something.
"Unless… something else was always inside the bronze coffin. When your grandfather entered, he awakened it."
"What is it?" I pressed urgently.
It did not answer. Its gaze fell on an empty transparent coffin beside Grandpa's, voice low.
"That was your father's coffin."
My body jolted. Blood rushed to my head.
"My father? He's here too?"
"Your father was the previous yin walker. Thirty years ago, he entered Ghost Howl Ridge and never returned. Your grandfather brought you to Yin Village. That coffin was once sealed. Now it is empty. That means your father may still be alive… somewhere in this ridge."