"Almost all killed?"
"Most reincarnators are orphans?"
Hu Ma was inexplicably startled by the last words left by the reincarnator.
When he wanted to ask more, she had already disconnected.
But this sparked many thoughts in him.
The first reincarnator had warned him about the importance of keeping his secret.
Now, the second reincarnator he encountered had revealed some issues about trust among reincarnators in this world and their relationships with their "family" in this world.
Their words always hinted, intentionally or not, at the cruelty and even brutality of this world.
What kind of relationships had they formed in this vast world? Especially when he thought about the worlds the woman mentioned and what the first reincarnator, codenamed Erguotou, had told him, it seemed most reincarnators were directly reborn into this world, as if they suddenly remembered their past lives.
Even in such cases, could their own fathers ruthlessly crush them to death with a stone roller? This world could accept Grandma Huai helping those who died young to be reborn, but not these reincarnators who had awakened their past memories? In contrast, he seemed more like a soul possessor, but Grandma seemed to have accepted him...
It seemed the issue of reincarnators was far more complicated than he had thought.
Unfortunately, this mysterious reincarnator seemed emotionally stirred and unwilling to talk more.
"Let's go back first!"
Early the next morning, Second Uncle, with a heavy heart, spoke to Hu Ma.
He had also negotiated with the old shopkeeper and surprisingly found that these noble guests from the city, though arrogant, were quite reasonable.
As a guide, he hadn't led them to what they wanted, so the job was incomplete, even half-abandoned, delaying their matters.
But the old shopkeeper still gave him three taels of silver as a reward.
This way, they could end the trip early and help Hu Ma send Grandma back to Dayang Village.
"Returning to one's roots is a big matter. A good person like Grandma, who helped so many in life, should be buried in the old fire pit after death..."
Helping Hu Ma prepare Grandma's body, wrapping it layer by layer in black cloth, Second Uncle's face was very heavy.
Hu Ma knew where Grandma was going, but Second Uncle didn't, and he was genuinely sad.
Since this was Grandma's wish, Hu Ma naturally didn't object, silently thinking to himself.
People in this world valued returning to their roots.
Second Uncle believed it was very important for Grandma to enter the old fire pit.
But according to Grandma, the Hu family originally came from outside, and she mentioned something about an "ancestral hall."
Could it be that the Hu family had something similar to the "old fire pit" outside?
The background of this identity was far more complicated than he had thought.
But for now, it was useless to consider these things; he needed to heal himself first.
So, Hu Ma and Second Uncle prepared Grandma, thanked the city guests, and set off on their return journey.
Originally, Hu Ma planned to carry Grandma himself, but Second Uncle worried he couldn't handle it, so he made a rope from vines and carried Grandma on his back, sighing to Hu Ma, "Your Grandma wanted you to recover and start a family. You must listen to her..."
"Now that the evil spirits sent by your family's enemies have been dealt with by Grandma, you don't need to seal the furnace anymore..."
"Maybe, after we return, you can come with me to the blood ore mine, earn some silver, and I'll see if any family has a good daughter for you to marry?"
"..."
Hu Ma felt a bit helpless.
Second Uncle, despite being a sixty-year-old virgin, was quite enthusiastic about these matters...
When they came, the forest seemed normal with many people.
Now, with only two people, a corpse, and a ghost, the forest felt deep and eerie.
Though Hu Ma was heavy-hearted, he often felt the forest rustling, as if many things were secretly watching him.
Occasionally, he turned and saw a familiar tree stump quietly sitting behind a bush, as if a figure in wide robes was sitting there, silently watching him.
Already in a bad mood, Hu Ma was angered by these ghostly things and angrily took out the machete on his back.
Normally, he would fear the mysterious things in the deep mountains.
But now, if anything dared to provoke him, he would unleash the furnace's fire and fight them.
"Don't panic..."
Second Uncle saw this and pressed Hu Ma's shoulder, whispering, "Your Grandma was a ghost walker."
"Ghost walkers not only help people but also the spirits in the forest."
"Those things aren't here to harm you; they're here to see your Grandma off."
"..."
Hearing this, Hu Ma awkwardly put away the machete.
After walking a few steps, he realized and turned to the gradually disappearing tree stump, slowly bowing.
The surrounding trees and grass suddenly rustled, and faint shadows could be seen, bowing and saluting, as if returning the gesture.
...
On this return journey, Hu Ma should have seen, or sensed, the most evil spirits since coming to this world, but the journey was unusually smooth.
He and Second Uncle spent a day and a half returning to Dayang Village.
The villagers didn't know yet.
The old clan leader, leading a donkey, had just dug two large baskets of potatoes from the field and returned to the village.
Seeing two figures, one tall and one short, from afar, he was startled and hurried over with the donkey:
"Why are you back?"
"Didn't I tell you to serve the noble guests from the city well? Did you offend them and get kicked out?"
"..."
"The guests were satisfied, and I got paid."
Second Uncle looked at the old clan leader, his voice choked: "Brother, I found Grandma."
"She's gone."
"..."
"What?"
The old clan leader, initially displeased, was shocked, staring at the black-wrapped figure behind Second Uncle.
After a long time, his legs weakened, and he trembled forward: "Poor Grandma..."
A mournful cry immediately spread throughout the village.
Nearby people rushed over, hearing Grandma had passed, and wept, helping to bring Grandma back to Hu Ma's house, draping white cloth and hemp rope on Hu Ma.
Second Uncle instructed Hu Ma to keep vigil in the main room for Grandma and had the old clan leader stay to manage things, while he took a sickle and rope to cut the yin wood for cremation.
The village custom was not to use coffins unless there were special issues.
Ordinary families prepared specific cremation wood, carried by blood relatives into the old fire pit, so the cremation wood was crucial.
The better the family, the better and more cremation wood they used, making the funeral more dignified.
Hu Ma didn't expect that shortly after Second Uncle left, neighbors who heard the news also came.
They usually avoided his family, not daring to speak to him or even see Grandma, but now they all came.
Some helped, some mourned, and some brought dry firewood, similar to what Second Uncle went to cut.
In Dayang Village, the most dignified funeral was when the cremation wood wasn't prepared by the family but contributed by neighbors, symbolizing respect.
"Grandma, I was ignorant before. This old woman has come to apologize..."
Unexpectedly, not only did the neighbors come, but even Grandma Cui and her family arrived.
Hu Ma didn't recognize the Cui family until he saw Cui Xie'er among them.
Grandma Cui entered the main room, weeping uncontrollably, publicly scolding her ignorant descendants.
The old clan leader came to console her, and Grandma Cui quickly stopped crying, sitting under the shed outside, drinking tea with others.
Cui's eldest, a weathered man over fifty, led his brothers to kowtow before Grandma:
"We were ignorant back then, Grandma. Please don't hold it against us. We're here to see you off today."
"..."
After crying, they stood, talking with the villagers.
Seeing a pile of hard firewood before the spirit, a man around forty beside Cui's eldest frowned: "What are you doing? You should prepare the best coffin for Grandma!"
Suddenly, the spirit hall fell silent.
Everyone looked up in shock at Cui's second son.
"Cui's second, what are you saying?"
The old clan leader outside heard this and rushed in, scolding:
"Grandma worked hard for Dayang Village all her life. Shouldn't she enter the old fire pit?"
"..."
Cui's second frowned, waving his hand, while Cui's eldest quickly pulled the old clan leader, smiling: "Uncle, don't be angry."
"Let's go outside and talk."
"..."
The old clan leader frowned, surrounded by the Cui brothers, and left the spirit hall.
Several elders inside followed.
Hu Ma didn't speak but saw everything, his anger rising.
He glanced at Little Hong Tang on the beam, signaling her to follow and listen to what was being said outside.
(End of Chapter)