Chapter 36: The Curse of the Reincarnated
Chapter 36: The Curse of the Reincarnated
"How long is this taking?"
Outside the cave, near the old locust tree, the shopkeeper from the city, Mr. Caoxin Hall, was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. Seeing that Hu Ma and Second Master had been gone for so long, he had a hunch about what was happening. Out of respect for human nature, he didn't rush over to urge them, but he couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed. He looked up at the sky and sighed, "It's getting dark again..."
"Whether it's collecting bones or saying final goodbyes, it takes time, doesn't it?"
From inside the sedan chair, a voice spoke calmly after a long wait. "Indeed, miss, you are kind. Otherwise, he might not even find the remains of his elders."
The old shopkeeper quickly smiled and replied, "Of course, miss, you are so kind."
He was anxious, worried about delaying the important matters of the person in the sedan chair. If they weren't worried, only a fool would be.
"Mr. Caoxin..."
At that moment, the person in the sedan chair suddenly asked, "What level of skill do you think those two people who are fighting have?"
"Hmm?"
The old shopkeeper paused, re-examining the traces he had already observed, and frowned. "They're just using the old tricks of exorcism and ghost summoning. The old lady can summon Yin lightning, which shows she has opened the Gate of the Mansion. But if even an old locust tree can corner her, it's clear she has some skill, but not much. Miss, you shouldn't be concerned with such things."
"Yes, just the usual tricks..."
The person in the sedan chair fell silent for a moment, and it seemed as if a gaze was looking through the curtains at the vast, misty mountains.
In the distance, a dark cloud seemed to be rolling in, heavy and ominous, slowly approaching. Within the mist, it appeared as if people in colorful clothes were blowing and dancing, carrying banners and driving away spirits, a scene both real and illusory.
Even she felt a slight shock, quickly lowering her head, too afraid to look. The old steward and others beside her didn't even notice.
"..."
"..."
"Second Master..."
Standing outside the cave, Second Master had been waiting anxiously for a long time. Suddenly, he heard Hu Ma's call.
He quickly turned around, looking at Hu Ma, who appeared disheartened, and hesitated to speak.
Hu Ma just stood there silently for a while before saying, "The old lady said... to take her back to the old fire pit."
"What?"
Second Master was shocked and rushed into the cave. He saw the old lady, her eyes closed, but a smile on her lips, looking serene and content.
"Old sister, you've suffered all your life..."
In the cave, Second Master's voice trembled with sorrow. Hu Ma stood there silently, thinking about what had just happened.
The old lady had given him some items and repeatedly instructed him, as if she still had many things to say but couldn't bring herself to leave. After the few candles before her burned out, she finally stopped, looking at him with a lingering gaze.
She suddenly scolded, "What are you rushing for? Don't I know the time myself?"
"..."
Hu Ma's heart sank, and he looked at the old lady with concern. She sighed and waved her hand.
She whispered to Hu Ma, "They've already lit the incense. If I don't go, it will raise suspicion."
"But I'm leaving, and you, my grandson, will suffer..."
"..."
By this point, Hu Ma didn't know what to say, but the old lady seemed to have made her final decision.
"It's fine. My grandson has grown up. The Hu family still has someone..."
"..."
Her voice grew faint, and Hu Ma felt his heart tighten.
After a while, he heard a sigh and sensed a figure slowly rising, looking at him for a long time before walking to the cave entrance and gently touching Little Red Tang's head.
Outside the cave, the sky darkened, and a black wind began to blow. A magnificent sedan chair, better than those used by the city's nobles, stopped at the cave entrance.
The old lady got into the sedan chair, and a long, resonant call accompanied by the sound of drums and gongs echoed as the sedan chair slowly moved away.
Only then did Hu Ma look up and see that the old lady's eyes were closed. The two candles beside her had just burned down to the last wick, the flames slowly extinguishing in the wax.
"Where is the ancestral shrine she's going to? And when will she call me back?"
Hu Ma looked at the extinguished candles, thinking to himself, "She said she would call me back, but when?"
Despite the dangers, their final conversation had finally given him some peace of mind.
"The old lady has acknowledged me. I won't be in danger."
"But the things I need to do, she can no longer do for me..."
"..."
After thinking for a while, he composed himself and, with a sad expression, invited Second Master into the cave.
Only Little Red Tang, standing by the cave entrance, remained dazed and a bit hurt. "The old lady really doesn't want me. She didn't even take me in the sedan chair."
"Kid..."
As he was thinking, a voice sounded from not far away. It was the shopkeeper slowly approaching.
He looked at Hu Ma, as if he could see something, and sighed lightly, "Did you find the person you were looking for?"
"Hmm."
Hu Ma nodded silently, "Grandma is gone."
"Poor child."
The old shopkeeper sighed again, "Although I didn't know your grandma, anyone who can enter the forest to exorcise evil spirits, and even risk their own injury to give a chance to the old willow tree that does good, must be a respectable person."
"My young miss said that such a person is highly admirable. Here, take this bolt of cloth to properly bury your grandma..."
As he spoke, one of the guards behind him stepped forward, holding a bolt of black cloth.
Hu Ma thanked the man and couldn't help but look up at the sedan chair.
Now that his business was settled, he should tell her about the Hundred Corpses Tomb, as per their agreement.
However, she had repeatedly warned him in her dreams not to mention it in reality. It looked like he would have to wait until night.
That day, due to the late hour, everyone settled down nearby. The people from the city gave Hu Ma some candles and paper money to use for his grandma's vigil. They stayed with him until nightfall. When Hu Ma finally drifted off to sleep, he connected with the reincarnated soul.
"Thank you."
His mood was somber as he said, "I found my grandma, and now I should give you the information."
"The place you're looking for is called the Hundred Corpses Tomb, right?"
"I do know about it. It's located at the Fox Coffin at Old Yin Mountain, under the eastern bridge. Additionally, I need to tell you that a month ago, a reincarnated soul with the codename Erguotou already went there."
"However, you need to be careful. There seems to be some danger. When I connected with him, he was already at his limit and used some method to seal himself, giving him another month."
"If you go there now, you might be able to rescue him. As for how to divide the spoils, you two will have to figure that out."
"..."
"Oh?"
The reincarnated soul with the codename White Wine sounded surprised and said softly, "Aren't you going?"
"According to the unwritten rules among us reincarnated souls, if you really go, even if your powers are weaker, you should still get a share."
"..."
"Do reincarnated souls have such rules?"
Hu Ma found it a bit odd but, after some thought, he smiled bitterly and declined, "I'll pass."
"I don't know what's there, but since you're all so interested, it must be something powerful."
"Unfortunately, I have more important things to do right now."
"After dawn, I'll set out to take my grandma back to the village."
"..."
It wasn't that he wasn't tempted, or that he didn't feel closer and more trusting of people from his own world. But would someone who worked so hard really share their spoils willingly?
Hu Ma didn't quite believe in that. Besides, his grandma had already warned him, and it wouldn't be right to ignore her advice so soon.
There was a long silence at the other end of the incense line, as if Hu Ma's words had touched her.
"You're a smart one..."
After a long pause, she suddenly sighed, her voice becoming hoarse, and she said with a laugh, "You might live a long time."
"I now believe we will have more opportunities to cooperate in the future..."
"..."
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma was a bit surprised by her sudden change in voice. He had already heard her say that she changed her voice to be more cautious, making it hoarse.
Now, the sudden change gave him a different feeling, as if her natural voice was always hoarse and strange, and she had merely changed it to sound clear and pleasant.
"We reincarnated souls are naturally secretive and don't trust those around us easily."
Her voice remained hoarse, almost inhuman, as if something else was trying to mimic human speech:
"Added to that, when we open our eyes in a strange world, we face unfamiliar people, even younger than us, who fawn over us and call us parents. There aren't many of us, so we tend to be solitary and seek warmth among our own kind..."
"But among our kind, there are no constraints. How much to trust and how much to believe is up to our own judgment..."
"Since you are so good to the people of this world, you will be considered trustworthy by me. If there's a chance, we can cooperate again."
"..."
Hu Ma listened, feeling a slight stir in his heart, "What about you? Do you have a good relationship with your family in this world?"
"Good?"
The voice was low and hoarse, inhuman, and chilling, "Almost all of them are dead..."
"Most of us reincarnated souls are orphans from the start, and if not, we become orphans later. Can you guess why?"
(End of Chapter)
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