Chapter 6: The Ancestors' Spirit
Chapter 6: The Ancestors' Spirit
"Vanished?"
As the incense burned out and the grandmother’s prayers suddenly ceased, Hu Ma’s vision blurred. The bone-chilling cold wind that had enveloped the area vanished as abruptly as it had come. Once again, he felt the warmth radiating from the old fire pit, and sweat broke out on his body as if it couldn’t wait to escape.
When he looked again, the strange human-like shadows in the old fire pit had completely disappeared, as if they had been nothing more than a hallucination.
The grandmother sat silently by the fire pit, not speaking. After a long while, she slowly began to gather her things. Little Hongtang quietly approached, pouting slightly, as if she was a bit upset.
"What’s going on now?"
Hu Ma didn’t dare to breathe loudly, only quietly observing and subtly changing from a kneeling position to a sitting one. He didn’t understand what this meant and didn’t dare to speak out of turn.
"Grandmother Hu..."
At this moment, the old clan leader and a few others, who had been watching from the slope below, mustered their courage and approached. Seeing the grandmother quietly tidying up, their expressions seemed difficult. "After all, Brother Lao Hu Shan wasn’t buried in the old fire pit. The ancestors don’t recognize Little Hu Ma. Perhaps we should think of another way to help Little Hu Ma..."
"They will recognize him."
The grandmother suddenly spoke, her face cold. "Even if the ancestors don’t recognize him now, they will once I enter the fire pit."
"Don’t think of other plans. He is the last seed of the Hu family."
"I won’t let anything happen to him, and I won’t let him hide in the village for the rest of his life, unable to even step outside!"
"..."
"Grandmother, you misunderstand. No one wants anything to happen to Little Hu Ma."
The old clan leader and the others hurriedly explained, helping the grandmother to her feet and leading her to the side. "Everyone has seen the contributions Brother Hu Shan and you have made to the village over the years. But the ancestors are not living people; they can’t distinguish these things..."
"Please come this way. We have some things to discuss with you."
"Perhaps there’s another way to make the ancestors recognize Little Hu Ma..."
"..."
"..."
Watching the grandmother being led aside, they seemed to be discussing something urgently. Hu Ma quickly stood up from the ground, helping the grandmother carry her packed bundle and standing to the side.
Once he was a bit further from the eerie old fire pit, he turned to Little Hongtang with his doubts. "What does it mean that the ancestors don’t recognize me?"
"..."
"Brother Hu Ma, you really don’t remember anything?"
Little Hongtang tilted her head, curiously examining Hu Ma, making him feel uneasy.
Fortunately, Little Hongtang didn’t press further and explained brightly, "The old fire pit is where the ancestors are burned!"
"The elders who pass away in the village are all placed in the old fire pit to be burned."
"Generation after generation, it has always been this way. The only exception is for those who were dishonorable in life, like Grandfather Cui. He stole and ate things he shouldn’t have, so the Cui family disowned him and didn’t allow him into the old fire pit. Instead, they buried him outside the village."
"Even then, the grandmother was worried about him and found a coffin board to watch over him."
"..."
"The village actually has such a custom?"
Hu Ma thought back to the countless human-like shadows he had seen in the old fire pit, understanding their identity. A chill ran down his spine, but he also felt puzzled. "Why do they burn so many ancestors in one place? What is the purpose of the old fire pit?"
"To protect the descendants..."
Little Hongtang giggled. "The spirits of the ancestors in the old fire pit can ward off evil and ghosts, bringing blessings to their descendants."
"The more ancestors burned, the more powerful the protection."
"Normally, they protect the village, keeping the evil spirits from coming in."
"If someone in the village is affected by an evil spirit, they can come to the old fire pit and pray. Even at night, if they need to leave the village, they can grab a handful of ash, put it in a pouch, and it’s better than any amulet..."
"..."
"That’s possible?"
Hu Ma thought about it and found it increasingly reasonable. Initially, when he heard that so many people were burned in the old fire pit and remembered the countless shadows, he felt a sense of horror. This place, filled with malevolent spirits, seemed like a place that would bring more harm than good. But now he understood that the village’s survival had its own simple logic.
If the world was filled with evil spirits, then there must be ways to combat them. And there was nothing more reliable than asking one’s own ancestors for protection, regardless of whether they were gods or something else.
But if a handful of ash could ward off evil, why was his situation so complicated?
...
"Brother Hu Ma is different from others. There’s no one from the Hu family in the old fire pit..."
Little Hongtang’s words unraveled Hu Ma’s confusion and made him realize his awkward position.
"The Hu family is an outsider, and we don't have any ancestors buried in the old fire pit."
"The old lady originally wanted to talk to the ancestors, asking them for their help to protect Brother Hu Ma, but the ancestors refused!"
"So, when Brother Hu Ma encountered the evil spirits, no one helped him, and taking the ashes out of the village didn't work either."
"But once the old lady passes away and is buried in the old fire pit, the ancestors will recognize Brother Hu Ma, and he will have someone to protect him..."
"..."
"Is that how it is..."
Xiao Hongtang, with her innocent and childlike voice, wasn't as organized as an adult, but Hu Ma understood.
The awkward part about his original self was that he had no ancestors buried in the fire pit. The Hu family had been in the village for over twenty years and had contributed a lot. Even his father had died for the village.
But his father had died outside the village, and his body was never found, so he couldn't be cremated there.
The old lady had tried to plead with the ancestors, but they didn't listen.
The old chieftain, perhaps guessing this, had been so anxious to prevent the old lady from being hurt.
...
...
Looking up at this gray, desolate world and thinking about the evil spirits he had encountered, and even the thing that had emerged from the old fire pit just now, Hu Ma felt no relief from understanding the situation. Instead, he felt a shiver run down his spine.
Now, his doubts about this world were no longer so firm.
In this unsettling world, he couldn't find any sense of security.
Perhaps he could only rely on the old lady?
At least, from the way she had been praying sincerely, it seemed she truly cared...
...No, she cares about her grandson, and I'm an imposter.
Hu Ma didn't dare say this. Earlier, his head had been foggy, but now he was fully awake. Although he wasn't sure what was happening, he knew he had come back to life.
In the depths of his mind, he still remembered the empty, rootless feeling he had before he woke up.
It was a vast sense of panic and uncertainty, a complete lack of control over his fate.
Compared to the solid feeling of being "alive" now, that was the most terrifying fear.
So, he couldn't say it.
Life is like that; living is the greatest instinct of a person.
Since he had come back to life, he didn't want to die again.
...
...
As Hu Ma was thinking, the old lady finished talking to the old chieftain and others and slowly walked back. Hu Ma, who had a better understanding of his situation, quickly picked up his bag and went to meet her, offering his support.
"Grandma, shall we go back?"
"..."
"Back."
The old lady didn't say much, just nodded. With Hu Ma's help, she slowly descended the hill.
Suddenly, she turned her head, "Did you see the ancestors just now?"
Hu Ma was a bit surprised and looked into the old lady's eyes, remembering the strange shadows.
Was he not supposed to see them?
"You really did see them..."
The old lady, seeing his surprised expression, looked even more weary and said softly, "You should have already settled your soul, so you shouldn't be able to see the ancestors. Even Xiao Hongtang shouldn't be able to see them."
"I..."
Hu Ma looked down at the little girl holding his hand, feeling a chill run through him. "So she really is a ghost..."
Can't others see her?
On this journey, haven't I been walking with a wisp of air?
"Grandma, they say in the village that only those close to death can see the ancestors in the old fire pit. But Brother Hu Ma saw them too, and I don't want Brother Hu Ma to see me like this."
Hearing herself mentioned, Xiao Hongtang suddenly said, "Does that mean Brother Hu Ma is close to death?"
"No..."
The old lady slowly shook her head and said softly, "Not only those close to death can see them, but also those who have just come back to life."
"Huh?"
Hu Ma's heart skipped a beat, his eyes flashing with surprise, and he quickly looked down.
"You can be cured..."
The old lady didn't turn to look at him, speaking slowly as if to herself, "After all, you just came back from the brink of death. Your body is too weak, which is normal. When a soul returns to life, it feels like being thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. The soul regaining its body is like being flayed and having your bones pulled out."
"You've already overcome so many obstacles. The rest isn't much. Just rest and eat well. You'll definitely get better..."
Hu Ma's back was drenched in cold sweat. He could only stiffly support her, carefully making his way back.
New book, please vote and collect!
(End of Chapter)
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