With a slight shiver, Hu Ma found himself standing in the dilapidated temple shrouded in red mist.
On the incense table before him, the incense in the burner had already been lit, and a wisp of smoke extended out from the mist, directly connecting to the tip of the incense.
"Huh?"
Hu Ma was somewhat surprised.
This time, he hadn't actively lit the incense or responded to any call.
How had the connection been established?
Moreover, the voice sounded familiar, and he felt a slight shock in his heart: "Brother Erguotou?"
"Haha, it's me."
The voice laughed: "I came specifically to thank you."
"How did you..."
"Well, I forgot you're a newbie. Once connected, as long as we're within a certain range, we can communicate directly."
Erguotou seemed to notice Hu Ma's surprise and explained with a laugh: "Of course, if you don't like being disturbed, you can disconnect."
Hu Ma was clueless about these methods, but hearing the voice of this old friend made him happy:
"You're out?"
"..."
"Yes."
The voice of the reincarnator Erguotou laughed: "That girl is a bit proud and speaks coldly, but she's quite capable."
"She went to the Fox Coffin Village and found the Hundred Corpse Mound I mentioned. But instead of rushing to take the treasure, she first rescued me. Then, we teamed up to deal with the Corpse Fox, broke the Hundred Corpse Mound, and got the thing inside, splitting it fifty-fifty."
"At first, she didn't say anything, and I thought I was just lucky to have met such a treasure hunter."
"Unexpectedly, it wasn't until we were about to part ways that she revealed her identity and mentioned that you had relayed the message, which saved me from disaster."
"If you had gone with her, the treasure would have been split three ways."
"But since you didn't go, I can't just owe you such a big favor. I've just recovered for a few days and rushed here to thank you for saving my life."
"..."
"That's great."
Hu Ma had kept their previous conversation in mind, but being new here and not having learned any skills, he couldn't help much.
Later, the young lady from the Grass Heart Hall didn't mention how things turned out.
Even the carriage they left at the Great Sheep Village was taken away by the sedan bearers, who refused to answer any questions.
Now that he knew Erguotou was safe, Hu Ma felt much more at ease and smiled: "No need to be so polite, it was just a small effort."
"Haha, what you consider a small effort is a big deal to me."
Erguotou laughed: "If you weren't so righteous and had ill intentions, you could have hidden my information, not told anyone, waited a few months until I couldn't hold on and died. Then, you could have prepared yourself and come to take the treasure. Wouldn't that have been better?"
"Eh? There's such a method?"
Hu Ma was startled: "I was careless..."
"I heard from Miss White Wine."
While Hu Ma was reflecting, Erguotou's voice sounded again, laughing: "You seem to have reincarnated into a village and haven't been doing well lately?"
"Brother, a great favor doesn't need words of thanks. You helped me through a crisis. If you need any help, just let me know. I've been reincarnated into this damned world for over thirty years. I've faced dangers and experienced things, so I might know a bit more than you."
"..."
"Help?"
Hearing his hearty voice, Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly.
First, hearing that this person had been in this world for over thirty years, which was longer than his own age in this world.
So, were they really from the same era?
Thinking this, Hu Ma quickly asked, and Erguotou laughed in response: "You really are a newbie. These are common knowledge, and I can teach you about them."
"I've discussed this with other reincarnators many times. We are indeed from the same world and era. Even our birthdays are concentrated within a span of ten to twenty years."
"But no one knows why, after reincarnating into this world, some came earlier and some later."
"The oldest reincarnator I know is over eighty years old in this world, but in our original world, if we met, he would still call me 'brother'..."
"..."
Hu Ma listened carefully, feeling more and more astonished.
Meeting this old friend made it convenient to ask questions he hadn't understood before.
But among these questions, the most important was that his reincarnation method was indeed different from others.
But this wasn't something he could reveal outright.
He silently pondered and only said: "I grew up in the Old Yin Mountain Village and haven't ventured far beyond the village gates. Before connecting with you, I thought I was the only one who had crossed into this damned world. I really don't know much..."
"Does every reincarnator have this connection ability?"
"..."
"Yes."
Brother Erguotou laughed: "The incense burning in our burner is actually a manifestation of our life energy."
"You can think of it as our life force, the 'life' in male and female, not the surname 'surname'."
"This life force is vitality. The thicker the vitality, the higher the cultivation. If the vitality burns out, we become dead."
"Normally, as long as we light the life incense in our Life Temple, we can use this method of consuming life energy to find other reincarnators, exchange information, and help each other."
"..."
Hu Ma listened carefully.
These were things he had long wanted to understand, but last time, Miss White Wine wasn't easy to communicate with, so he couldn't ask such detailed questions.
Now, catching the key points, he quickly asked: "What do you mean by Life Temple?"
"You should be in a dream now, haven't you noticed that the place you're in looks like a temple?"
Erguotou laughed: "We're used to calling it the Life Temple."
"Every reincarnator has a temple. We don't know if it's a mental space or a dream. There's a strange incense burner in the temple. Lighting the life incense allows us to search for other reincarnators within a certain area."
"Normally, it can cover about a city. If there are other reincarnators in the city who are also burning life incense and are willing to respond, the two can connect."
Compared to Miss White Wine, Brother Erguotou was more forthcoming.
He even seemed a bit talkative.
He clearly thought Hu Ma had reincarnated into a remote area and hadn't consumed the 'Tai Sui' (a mythical fungus), so it took him so long to gain the ability to connect.
He patiently explained: "Behind the incense table is our Life Statue."
"I heard from a senior that this is a reflection of our spirit. The skills we learn and the cultivation we achieve in this world are reflected in the statue."
"Even certain cultivation and personal issues will have corresponding reflections on the statue, allowing us to more intuitively discover our problems..."
"... This is also why reincarnators often have good cultivation talent."
"..."
"Ah?"
Hu Ma's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Thankfully, he had practiced his acting skills in front of his grandmother, so he didn't give himself away.
He was indeed different from other reincarnators.
In their temples, behind the incense table, they could see statues? And those statues were their own images?
But he suddenly looked up at the area behind his incense table.
The incense table was dilapidated, surrounded by ominous red mist.
Behind the incense table, there was only darkness.
Vaguely, he could see the outline of a statue, but it was enveloped in thick, dark red mist, making it impossible to see clearly like the others.
He stared at the statue, feeling as if it was also looking at him.
His heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
After a long while, he tentatively asked: "So, you also remembered your past life after the age of three?"
"Isn't that how it is?"
Erguotou laughed at Hu Ma's simple question: "Mostly around three years old, but some with exceptional talent might remember earlier or later."
"Generally, between the ages of three to ten, in a daze, a voice suddenly wakes us up, reminding us of our past lives. As we grow older and our vitality strengthens, we discover our Life Temple and find other reincarnators."
"..."
"A voice..."
Hu Ma listened carefully, hesitating slightly before cautiously asking: "The voice you heard, was it also..."
"Yes, a very strange voice."
Erguotou sighed: "We don't know who it is, nor do we remember exactly what was said, but it vaguely warned us to be careful of our situation and not to reveal our identities."
"We've discussed this with others, but no one knows what it is. We just call it the 'Awakener'."
"..."
"Confirmed..."
Hu Ma's heart trembled, confirming his difference from others.
Other reincarnators seemed like proper reincarnators, but he felt like a half-baked one.
Others had Life Temples that reflected their cultivation, but his Life Temple looked dilapidated and long abandoned.
Others were awakened by a voice, but he was awakened by his grandmother...
Realizing his differences from other reincarnators, some of the doubts in his heart made him even more hesitant to ask directly.
Seeing Hu Ma deep in thought, Erguotou knew that as a newcomer, he had a lot to digest.
He smiled: "Our experiences are bizarre, but there's nothing we can do. We just have to accept it. Take your time to digest it, but if you need any help, just let me know."
"I'm eager to repay this big favor."
"..."
Hu Ma sensed that he wasn't just being polite or敷衍.
He gradually realized that no matter how different he was, things had already turned out this way.
He could think about it later.
But now, there was an important issue troubling him.
So, after some thought, he carefully formulated his words and slowly said: "Actually, there is something I'd like to ask you..."
"Have you ever heard of someone who lights the furnace?"
"..."
"Lights the furnace?"
Brother Erguotou, indeed knowledgeable, laughed upon hearing this: "That's the skill of the 'Shou Sui Ren' (Guardians of the Year), right?"
(End of Chapter)