My mind was not focused on the dead bodies, but on the corpse refiner. Although the corpse refiner swore not to set foot in Lao Wa Town again, it was just an oral promise. What if he comes back?
In fact, it's not strange for a corpse refiner to appear in Lao Wa Town. Over the years, other members of the Taoist community, both practicing black magic and orthodox cultivation, have appeared in Lao Wa Town. I even had friction with some of them, leading to physical fights.
After some thought, I felt helpless. After all, I couldn't restrict others' actions.
Soon, the relatives of the corpses finally finished handling the bodies, and we finally left the woods. Along the way, nothing much happened, except for a few emotional outbursts from some of the relatives.
The only thing worth mentioning was that ever since Fat Dun clung to me, he refused to let go. I was forced to comfort him constantly, saying, "Fat Dun, it's okay, don't cry."
"Boohoo." Fat Dun continued to sob and snivel all over me.
Helpless, I had to support Fat Dun as we left the woods. Once we returned to the previous graveyard, we bid farewell to the relatives of the corpses and turned back to Lao Wa Town.
Finally in the town, I handed Fat Dun over to his parents, and gave him a good kick on the butt, finally getting some relief.
The rest of the journey was easy, and I picked up the pace, ready to head home. It was already late, and if I didn't return now, my uncle would worry. Fat Dun's saliva and mucus all over me emitted a very unpleasant smell, making me feel sick. I just wanted to get home and take a shower.
With these thoughts, I walked alone into the darkness.
Although Lao Wa Town is a small town, the nights are very dark, except for a few street lights on the main streets, everything else is pitch black. Such nights breed all kinds of ghost stories.
For an ordinary person walking alone at night, they would definitely feel uneasy and suspicious. But for me, such nights were comforting. Since I began cultivating, I've walked along these night roads countless times.
However, as I walked, I suddenly felt uneasy too.
Because as I hurried home, I unexpectedly came across an old lady in front of me, holding a white lantern. The lantern emitted a white light which illuminated the old lady. I wasn't paying attention and she actually startled me.
When I came to my senses, the old lady was walking towards me, then walked past me in a stiff and wooden manner, as if she hadn't seen me at all.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but frown.
I recognized the old lady, she was from Lao Wa Town. She was very kind and loved children. When I was young, I used to visit her house often. But seeing her like this at this hour left me puzzled.
Where could she be going at this late hour?
While I was pondering, suddenly another old man emerged from where the old lady had come from, nearly bumping into me. The old man seemed agitated, he stopped, wiping his sweat.
I glanced at the old man and understood. He was the old lady's husband, obviously coming to find her.
Recognizing the old man, I couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa Chen, what are you and Grandma Chen doing at this hour? It's late and you're wandering around outside?"
Grandpa Chen, whose surname was Chen, was how I usually addressed him. Upon hearing me, Grandpa Chen carefully scrutinized me and then hurriedly said, "Oh, it's Little Mu, your Grandma Chen, your Grandma Chen..."
"What about Grandma Chen?" I asked urgently.
Grandpa Chen said, "Oh, here's the thing, our Grandson, Little Loach came to visit us a few days ago, but he unexpectedly drowned in the river. Your Grandma Chen can't accept what happened, and now she's so upset that her eyes are swollen from crying. Every night, she comes to the riverside to send a lantern to Little Loach. I can't stop her."
"Little loach?" I suddenly remembered that there was indeed such a kid in my memory. He rarely came to the old town, but I did see him at Aunt Chen's house. That child was very cute, why did he drown? I felt a wave of regret.
Chen Gong suddenly wiped away tears too. "You said my grandson died, I am also sad, but once a person is dead, what's the use of being sad? Those who are alive still need to continue living."
"Um," I nodded.
Chen Gong said again, "Xiao Mu, I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go after Aunt Chen. I'm really worried she might do something foolish."
"I'll go with you." Seeing Chen Gong walk past me and quickly take the lead, I hastened to catch up.
After walking just a few steps, we arrived at the riverside. From a distance, Chen Gong and I saw the white lantern that Aunt Chen was carrying at the riverside. At this moment, Aunt Chen had inserted a wooden stick by the river, and the lantern was hanging on top of the stick.
"Little loach, it's cold here. Grandma has come to see you. Why don't you come out and see your grandma too? Grandma knows you're afraid of the dark, so she lit a lantern for you." Aunt Chen burst into tears as she spoke.
Hearing her cry, I also felt a bit sad. This old couple only has one daughter, who is now married far away, and they rarely see her throughout the year. Naturally, the most beloved to the couple was their grandson, Little Loach. But now, this Little Loach had passed away, how could they not be heartbroken?
Finally, Chen Gong and I slowly walked over to Aunt Chen. Standing a distance away, Chen Gong shouted to Aunt Chen, "Granny, you don't need to fuss. Little Loach is gone, just let him rest in peace. Fidgeting like this will only make Little Loach more reluctant to leave."
Aunt Chen turned around, raised her voice and scolded Chen Gong, "You heartless old man! When Little Loach was alive, he served you tea and water every day. But now that he's gone, you act like nothing happened. You heartless creature, get out of here."
"Granny," Chen Gong became anxious.
At this point, Aunt Chen suddenly stood up, walked slowly to the riverside, squatted down, and put her hands in the water. "Loach, come out and see grandma, I'm right here."
Seeing this situation, I sensed trouble. It was midnight, and there were too many strange things in the river. I was really worried that Aunt Chen might get into trouble. I quickly approached and suddenly said to Aunt Chen, "Aunt Chen, what Chen Gong said is right. Little Loach is already gone, there's no point in doing this. Let's just leave."
"Xiao Mu?" Aunt Chen turned to look at me. "Why are you also colluding with Chen Gong? Both of you leave, let this old granny stay here alone. I just want to accompany my grandson and light a lantern for him."
"Aunt Chen," hearing this, I was a little helpless. Judging from the situation, it seemed that persuading Aunt Chen was futile. At this moment, I suddenly said, "Aunt Chen, shall I help you call Little Loach out?"