"Gone?"
As the incense burned out and the old woman's prayers suddenly ceased, Hu Ma's vision blurred for a moment.
The bone-chilling cold wind that had surrounded him vanished without warning, just as it had appeared.
Once again, Hu Ma felt the warmth emanating from the old fire pit, and sweat began to pour from his body as if it couldn't wait.
When he looked again, the eerie figures in the old fire pit had completely disappeared.
It was as if what he had just seen was nothing more than a hallucination.
The old woman sat silently by the fire pit, not saying a word.
After a long while, she slowly began to pack up her things.
Little Hong Tang quietly approached, pouting as if she was a bit unhappy.
"What's going on now?"
Hu Ma didn't dare to breathe too loudly, silently observing and quietly shifting from a kneeling position to sitting.
He didn't understand what this meant and didn't dare to interrupt.
"Grandma 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 old woman packing up with her head down, their expressions seemed troubled: "After all, Brother Hu Shan wasn't buried in the old fire pit back then. The ancestors don't recognize Little Hu Ma. What do you think? Maybe we can find another way for Little Hu Ma..."
"They will recognize him."
The old woman suddenly spoke with a cold face: "Even if the ancestors don't recognize him now, they will when I enter the fire pit."
"Don't think of any other ideas. He is the last seed of the Hu family."
"I won't let anything happen to him, nor will I let him hide in the village for the rest of his life, unable to even step outside!"
"..."
"Grandma, you misunderstand. No one wants anything to happen to Little Hu Ma."
The old clan leader and the others hurriedly explained, helping the old woman up and leading her aside to talk: "Over the years, Brother Hu Shan and you have done so much for the village. Everyone has seen it. But the ancestors aren't alive, they can't distinguish these things..."
"Come over here first. We have something to discuss with you."
"Perhaps there's another way to get the ancestors to recognize Little Hu Ma..."
"..."
"..."
Watching as the old woman was led aside, seemingly engaged in a tense conversation, Hu Ma quickly stood up, picked up the packed bundle, and stood to the side.
Moving further away from the eerie old fire pit, he turned to Little Hong Tang and asked the question on his mind:
"What does it mean that the ancestors don't recognize me?"
"..."
"Brother Hu Ma, do you really not remember anything?"
Little Hong Tang tilted her head, curiously examining Hu Ma, making him feel uneasy.
Fortunately, she didn't press further and cheerfully explained: "The old fire pit is where we burn our ancestors!"
"When someone in the village passes away, they are cremated in the old fire pit."
"This has been the tradition for generations, except for those who were disgraced in life, like Old Master Cui. He stole and ate things he shouldn't have while alive, so the Cui family disowned him and didn't allow him to be cremated in the old fire pit. Instead, they buried him outside the village."
"Even then, Grandma was worried something might happen to him, so she found a coffin board to watch over him."
"..."
"The village has such customs?"
Hu Ma thought of the dense crowd of figures he had seen in the old fire pit and understood their identities.
A chill ran down his spine, but at the same time, he was puzzled: "Why burn so many ancestors together? What's the purpose of the old fire pit?"
"To protect the descendants..."
Little Hong Tang said with a smile: "The ancestors in the old fire pit have spirits. They can ward off evil, dispel ghosts, and bring blessings to their descendants."
"The more ancestors are cremated there, the more powerful it becomes."
"Usually, they protect the village, making it harder for evil spirits to enter."
"If someone in the village is haunted or possessed by evil spirits, they can come to the old fire pit and pray. Even at night, if you need to leave the village, just grab a handful of ashes and put it in your pouch. It's better than any talisman..."
"..."
"It can do that?"
Hu Ma thought about it carefully and found it increasingly reasonable.
At first, hearing that so many ancestors were cremated in the old fire pit and thinking of the dense crowd of figures, he felt a sense of horror.
How could anyone feel at ease burning so many people together in such a strange, evil-filled place?
But now he understood that the village had its own simple logic for survival.
Since the world was filled with so many evil spirits, there had to be ways to deal with them.
And what could be more reliable than asking one's own ancestors for protection?
But if simply carrying a handful of ashes could ward off evil, why was he going through all this trouble?
...
"Brother Hu Ma is different. There are no Hu family ancestors in the old fire pit..."
Little Hong Tang's words cleared Hu Ma's confusion and made him realize his current awkward situation.
"The Hu family came from outside. We have no ancestors buried in the old fire pit."
"Grandma wanted to talk to the ancestors and ask them to help protect Brother Hu Ma, but they refused!"
"So when Brother Hu Ma encounters evil spirits, no one protects him. Even carrying ashes out of the village won't work."
"But when Grandma passes away and is buried in the old fire pit, the ancestors will recognize Brother Hu Ma, and you'll have someone to protect you..."
"..."
"So that's how it is..."
Little Hong Tang spoke with childlike innocence, not as logically as an adult, but Hu Ma understood.
The awkwardness of his situation lay in the fact that no ancestors from his family were buried in the fire pit.
Logically, the Hu family had been in the village for over twenty years and had contributed much to the village.
Even Hu Ma's father had died for the village.
But unfortunately, his father had died outside the village, and his body was never recovered, so he couldn't be cremated there.
Grandma had wanted to plead with the ancestors, but they wouldn't listen.
The old clan leader, perhaps realizing this and fearing Grandma would be heartbroken, had been so tense.
...
...
Looking up at this gray, dull world and thinking of the evil spirits he had encountered that day, even the things that had emerged from the old fire pit, Hu Ma felt no relief from understanding his situation.
Instead, he felt a shiver of fear.
By now, his doubts about this world could no longer be so firm.
But in this world filled with unease, he still couldn't find any sense of security.
Perhaps he could only rely on this old woman?
At least, judging by her devout prayers earlier, she seemed genuinely concerned for him...
...
No, she was concerned for her grandson, and he was just an imposter.
Hu Ma didn't dare say this.
Earlier, his mind had been foggy, but now he was clear-headed.
Though he wasn't sure what was happening, he knew he had truly come back to life.
Deep in his mind, he still vaguely remembered the emptiness and helplessness he had felt before waking up.
It was a profound fear and uncertainty, a complete inability to control his fate.
Compared to the solid feeling of being "alive" now, that had been the most terrifying fear.
So, he couldn't say anything.
Life was like this—staying alive was the greatest instinct.
Since he had come back to life, he had no intention of dying.
...
...
As Hu Ma was lost in thought, the old woman finished her conversation with the old clan leader and slowly walked back.
Hu Ma, now more aware of his situation, quickly picked up the bundle and went to meet her, offering his arm to support her.
"Grandma, shall we go back?"
"..."
"Let's go back."
The old woman didn't say much, just nodded.
With Hu Ma's support, she slowly descended the slope.
Suddenly, she turned her head: "Did you see the ancestors just now?"
Hu Ma was surprised and looked into the old woman's eyes, recalling the strange shadows he had seen.
Was he not supposed to see them?
"You really did see them..."
The old woman looked at his startled expression, her eyes seeming even more tired, and said softly: "Your soul has already settled. You shouldn't be able to see the ancestors, not even Little Hong Tang."
"This..."
Hu Ma glanced down at the little girl holding his hand, feeling a chill: "So she really is a ghost..."
Others can't see her?
All this time, to others, he must have been holding onto thin air?
"Grandma, the village says only those close to death can see the ancestors in the old fire pit, but Brother Hu Ma saw them too. I don't want Brother Hu Ma to see me when he can see me."
Hearing her name mentioned, Little Hong Tang suddenly spoke up: "Does that mean Brother Hu Ma is close to death?"
"No..."
The old woman slowly shook her head, murmuring: "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, a flash of fear crossing his eyes before he quickly lowered his head.
"It can be fixed..."
The old woman didn't turn to look at him, speaking as if to herself: "After all, you just came back from the brink of death. Your body is weak, which is normal. When a soul returns to life, encountering yang energy is like being thrown into a frying pan. The soul taking root in the body is like being skinned and having your tendons pulled."
"You've made it through those trials. What's left isn't much. Rest well, eat more meat, and you'll surely recover..."
Hu Ma's back was drenched in cold sweat.
He could only stiffly support her as they carefully made their way back.
New book, seeking votes and collections!
(End of Chapter)