Grave robbers only sought rare treasures - who would steal corpses? Moreover, those four men looked shifty-eyed. Only one served as their spokesman while the other three kept their heads lowered, their faces nearly obscured.
The Nova family's representatives were no fools and refused immediately. While the Novas dealt in funerary artifacts, they never trafficked in human remains - let alone ancient zombies exhumed from tombs.
Generally speaking, unmoulded ancient zombies indicated individuals of high status and nefarious deeds in life. Faced with these four grave robbers of dubious origins, the Nova family naturally hesitated to comply.
But then the grave robbers produced a chest overflowing with gold, accompanied by numerous other treasures.
As netherworld merchants, the Novas could instantly distinguish genuine valuables from counterfeits. Every artifact the grave robbers presented was extraordinarily precious, and that chest of gold alone represented staggering wealth.
The Nova representatives were stunned. The combined value could elevate their family to major merchant status, potentially increasing their financial power a hundredfold. At that time, the Novas were merely a minor netherworld merchant clan, virtually unknown in supernatural circles.
The grave robbers made their offer: if the Novas would safeguard the female corpse, all these treasures would become theirs. The Novas would be required to return the corpse whenever claimed in the future - meaning they might need to preserve it for generations.
Though suspicious, the Novas found the treasure irresistible. The arrangement made little sense - why would grave robbers entrust them with a corpse? They knew nothing of this female zombie's origins.
When questioned, the grave robbers remained evasive. They revealed only that the corpse came from an ancient tomb, that the woman had been important in life, and refused further details. Most puzzling was their insistence on involving the Nova family.
After brief deliberation, the Novas' greed overcame their misgivings. They agreed.
At this point, the lead grave robber produced a parchment contract. Its terms stipulated:
The Novas must maintain the corpse in its coffin with proper respect, neither disturbing nor relocating the zombie. Should anyone present this contract in future, the Novas must return the perfectly preserved remains.
Absolute secrecy - no outsiders could learn of this arrangement. Only Nova family members might know.
Thirdly, the female corpse in the coffin clutched a piece of jade in her arms - this jade must never be disturbed!
This was no ordinary pact. Sealed in blood, it carried dire consequences should the Nova family break their vow.
At that moment, the Novas saw only wealth before them. What did such superstitions matter? They signed without hesitation, adding their blood seal as required.
The grave-robbing trade, after all, was an ill-fated profession. Those who desecrated tombs inevitably brought curses upon their descendants. The Novas reasoned that even if they later reneged on their promise, what could a few dead grave robbers do to them?
With the matter settled, the four grave robbers collected the signed parchment and departed. Strangely, the moment they left, the raging storm ceased abruptly.
To properly store their macabre charge, the Novas later constructed a specialized ice chamber. As for the treasures and gold? They liquidated them for hundreds of millions. Overnight, the family's wealth multiplied a hundredfold. In the 1990s, such sums were astronomical.
These were stolen goods obtained through capital crimes - the sooner disposed of, the better. Fortunately, as seasoned netherworld merchants, the Novas possessed discreet channels for fencing illicit artifacts.
Days after the sale, shocking news arrived: archaeologists had discovered four grave robbers' corpses in a ransacked Tang Dynasty tomb. The excavation revealed no coffin, no artifacts - just four dead men. This baffled experts, as no thief would bother stealing an entire coffin or corpse, regardless of value. The logistics made such theft implausible.
The Novas realized with dawning horror that these were their benefactors. That empty Tang tomb had yielded both the female zombie's coffin and the treasures now lining Nova coffers. Yet according to reports, the four thieves had perished inside that very tomb.
Why would grave robbers return to an already emptied tomb? This mystery troubled the Novas - until the final revelation struck like lightning.
Forensic examination confirmed the four grave robbers had been dead for over a year.
But... they'd delivered the coffin mere days ago.
The Nova family paid handsomely to verify this impossible truth. The forensic reports held firm: those men had moldered in their grave for twelve months before approaching the Novas.
This revelation electrified the Nova family with primal terror, their scalps prickling with supernatural dread.
But netherworld merchants, after all, operate within the supernatural realm. The Nova family had witnessed many haunted phenomena throughout their trade.
They quickly regained composure and imposed strict silence about the incident. The family understood the true source of evil wasn't the grave robbers - but the female corpse itself.
As purveyors of funerary artifacts, the Novas weren't ignorant of occult matters.
The implications were clear: four robbers died in that tomb, yet archaeologists only recently discovered it. Those same robbers had delivered the coffin and treasures to the Novas mere nights before. What did this mean?
The female corpse didn't wish to be found. She had animated the robbers' corpses to transport herself and her burial goods, then arranged for the Novas' safekeeping.
In essence, though dead, the woman remained... active.
The Novas weren't fools. This was clearly supernatural business. Having accepted payment, they resolved to honor their pact - whether made with robbers or restless dead.
From that day, the family not only preserved the coffin meticulously but offered incense three times daily with reverent bows.
Their newfound wealth allowed the Novas to abandon the netherworld trade. They established a jewelry business that flourished, eventually becoming one of Vervecity's most prominent families.
Then disaster struck.
The Nova patriarch - Nova's grandfather - fell in love with the female corpse.
Her preserved face maintained shocking vitality, her beauty so extraordinary it could captivate any man, even in death.
Originally checking the coffin every ten days to ensure security, the grandfather gradually found himself drawn to gaze upon her peach-blossom complexion.
Over time, obsession took root.
This monstrous affection tormented the grandfather. A living man loving the dead? Society would never accept such perversion. Yet emotions defied control.
Finally, in a moment of reckless passion, Grandpa Nova violated the parchment's sacred conditions.
He defiled the corpse.