manynovel Chapter 9: The deceased embrace each other, welcoming their father and mother home.
Chapter 9: The deceased embrace each other, welcoming their father and mother home.
As night deepened, they could no longer find their way back, but they were sure they were heading in the right direction.
In fact, Chen Xin could have simply used his sword to fly him back, but Zhang Xun insisted on leaving the forest before doing so.
Whether he had been there before or not, he wanted to try to find those two people.
Today, in addition to searching for a suitable soul beast, the two were also looking for clues, but unfortunately they did not find any.
Let's look in a more outlying area this time; maybe we can find some clues.
Two hours passed quickly, and the midnight moonlight was exceptionally bright.
Above the winding tree trunk, bluish-green vines hang down like curtains, as if a curtain is waiting to be unveiled.
Beneath the captivating scenery lie tree roots covered in claw marks. The brown imprints on them testify to the place's past, while scattered bone fragments lie like gravel on the ground, listening to a mournful melody under the pale moonlight.
Chen Xin had no reaction to these things; he had long been accustomed to them over the past seventy years.
He glanced at the tree roots and said, "It's just a soul beast that's a little over a hundred years old. There are no traces left by its martial soul attack. It doesn't even have the ability to fight back, yet it dares to enter the Star Dou Great Forest."
Zhang Xun parted the vines, revealing even more horrific marks; the phrase "bones exposed in the wilderness" was quite apt at this moment.
"Not everyone is as powerful as you, Elder Chen. If I didn't have the skills and foundation left by my master, one of those Silver Moon Wolves could have easily bitten my throat and torn my chest open."
As he spoke, he picked up a skull and stared at it with empty eyes.
Zhang Xun bowed slightly in apology, then carefully divided the soil into seven shallow pits and buried the children there. The soil was loose, so he quickly dug seven shallow pits and buried them in the pits.
He continued walking, but stopped again after a few steps. He felt that he shouldn't leave this area at this moment, as there might be something important that he hadn't found yet.
He raised his hand and pinched his fingers, and his eyes lit up slightly. Then Chen Xin patted his shoulder.
"There seems to be something there."
Zhang Xun turned around and looked in the direction Chen Xin was pointing. A gentle breeze blew by, and the leaves just happened to reveal a narrow opening in the tree hole as they fluttered. A grayish-white color in the opening made Zhang Xun understand something.
With his heart pounding, Zhang Xun summoned his nine-section staff, parted the drooping branches and leaves, and finally saw what was inside.
The tree hollow had an entrance about two feet wide, and the interior was quite spacious. Two broken skeletons, dressed in blood-stained clothes, sat together, their backs against the tree wall.
Judging from their clothing, they are a couple wearing matching outfits, and each of them has a withered yellow bamboo ring between their ring fingers.
"Six years have passed, shouldn't you go home?"
Zhang Xun murmured to himself and crawled into the cave.
Chen Xin originally wanted to say that there might be poisonous insects hidden inside, but judging from his expression, it would probably be useless to say so.
The child, who was a little taller than yesterday, kowtowed three times to the two skeletons before beginning to carefully tidy them up.
A moment later, they were all carried out of the cave and laid flat on the open ground.
"I would be grateful if you could help me cut two coffins, Mr. Chen."
Zhang Xun bowed deeply and made the request, while Chen Xin simply nodded in agreement.
In the blink of an eye, the sword flashed, and several appropriately sized giant trees were cut into planks that could be pieced together.
As instructed, he also cut the mortise and tenon joints.
An hour later, the dust settled.
Once the convergence was complete, Zhang Xun finally let out a long breath.
"We were able to bring you two back on this trip entirely thanks to the kindness of Mr. Chen. Please accept my bow."
Chen Xin, who was lost in thought about cultivation, was startled by the sound and looked down to see that the child had already finished bowing.
His eyes held a complex expression. "There's no need to thank me. If you hadn't insisted on walking through the woods, we wouldn't have found all of this."
Zhang Xun shook his head and explained.
"If Elder Chen hadn't brought me here, none of this would have happened, would it?"
From the very beginning, he only chose to walk based on his intuition. Chen Xin was willing to accommodate him. If they hadn't found it, it would have just been a waste of time. But since they had found it, that was a blessing.
No matter how irresponsible the elderly couple's behavior was, they were still their biological parents. If it weren't for this accident, who knows what the future would have been like?
"Alright, then I'll take it." Chen Xin stopped refusing and then asked with some doubt.
"By the way, how did you determine that it was these two? I didn't see anything that could prove their identities."
"Intuition tells me that besides the two elders, bamboo rings are a village custom. Apart from the two elders, no one else from Zhuhe Village came here."
Upon hearing the answer, Chenxin said no more.
He knew that there was some kind of connection between blood relatives; he had seen similar situations before, and Zhang Xun's subconscious turning around was probably because of this.
Chen Xin deliberately made the Seven Kill Sword larger this time, knowing that the other party would definitely bring a coffin.
Sword energy soared into the sky, and the sword left the dense forest to embark on its journey home.
Who knows how this whole group perished here? It's a miracle the two elders survived unharmed.
The stars in the night sky no longer twinkled, and the bright moon was shrouded in haze.
In the somber atmosphere, Chen Xin wanted to say something to cheer up the children behind her and ease the tension.
Before he could speak, Zhang Xun asked, "Elder Chen, do you think spirit rings are important to spirit masters?"
Chen Xin's lips twitched slightly. The two coffins behind him were occupied because of their spirit rings. What do you think...?
He pondered for a moment.
"It has always been the same from ancient times to the present. Hunting soul beasts and obtaining soul rings is the only way for soul masters to become stronger. For those who aspire to higher goals, soul rings are naturally very important."
Gazing at the waning moon peeking through the mist, Zhang Xun murmured, "Yes, I also think it's quite important."
"But, since it has always been this way, is that right?"
After these words were spoken, both of them fell silent.
In the bamboo forest
The journey back to the village was silent.
When he arrived home, it was already dawn. After asking Chenxin to go back to her room to sleep, Zhang Xun carried his shovel and walked into the bamboo forest alone in the thin morning light.
Today, the third day of the sixth lunar month in the year of Yi Si (2015).
Suitable for: Sacrifices, breaking ground, construction, and burial.
• Taboo: Moving into a new house, digging a well •
What a coincidence! We found them right after midnight, and it just so happened to be an auspicious day, perfect for burying them.
The morning mist hangs heavy in the forest.
As a local, Zhang Xun had long since figured out the geomantic energy of the area; there was no such thing as a feng shui treasure land here.
However, since the two elders prefer a quiet life together, let's help them.
They chose a scenic spot not far from the courtyard and buried the remains there.
They share the same grave, the same tombstone, and the same incense offerings.
A small figure was constantly busy without rest, while the white-haired man watched quietly from the window as the child sweated profusely.
He knew that there were some things he could help with, but there were others the child wouldn't allow him to do.
midday
Chen Xin looked at the black charcoal skewer on the bamboo stick, casually cut it open with a knife, and thought, "Hmm, it's grilled very evenly, charcoal inside and out."
Having finished everything, Zhang Xun, carrying a shovel, walked into the yard and his nose twitched slightly as he looked over.
"Mr. Chen, what are you doing? Grilling charcoal?"
Looking at the object in the other person's hand, Zhang Xun recognized it as a bamboo rat based on its shape.
"I'll cook. Elder Chen, you should focus on your cultivation. There are some things that are indeed not suitable for a swordsman to do."
After that day, their relationship suddenly changed a little.
More like family than tenants and landlords.