"I see."

Xuanqing still didn't understand.

Hua Ying added, "After a soul enters the underworld, it cannot be reincarnated immediately. Many souls need to wait in the underworld. The Earth Mother Goddess is kind-hearted and will open the gates of hell once a year to allow souls to come out and breathe."

"The sun belongs to Yang, and the moon belongs to Yin. During the Red Moon Festival, the Yin energy in the world is too heavy, so a powerful force can block the bright moon, which is why the moon we see is red."

"I understand now."

"I understand now."

Xuan Qing and Qin Luo nodded in agreement.

Hua Ying raised her eyebrows arrogantly.

Xuanqing continued, "Why are there candles in the mountains?"

"The candles in the mountains are the people worshipping their ancestors!" Qin Luo said, looking at the distance.

Xiaodie silently memorized their conversation.

During the Red Moon Festival, many spirits wander in the mountains. Qin Luo and his companions had too much yang energy, so no spirit dared to approach them.

"The mountains are so lively tonight!"

Xuanqing grinned and waved to the ghosts not far away, scaring a group of ghosts into fleeing in panic.

"Aren't they ghosts?"

"You're not human either."

"That's true."

Xuanqing scratched his head awkwardly.

Qin Luo recalled the Red Moon Festival of the past, when it was truly a procession of ten thousand ghosts, with spirits roaming the mountains and fields.

Even now, during the Red Moon Festival, there are fewer ghosts in the mountains than before. Qin Luo saw a grave near a deserted village not far away, with a lonely old man squatting on the grave.

"Wait for me here."

"Uh-huh."

Fearing he might frighten the old man, Qin Luo asked Hua Ying and the others to wait nearby, as he wanted to ask the old man some questions.

The old man gazed at the dilapidated village, with only weathered ruins remaining. No one had lived there for many years, and no one came usually, let alone in the middle of the night.

"Excuse me, sir/madam, could I bother you for a moment?"

Qin Luo approached and bowed respectfully. The old man was initially startled, but quickly regained his composure and nodded. "Young brother, what do you wish to ask?"

Where is this place?

"This is Crab Ditch."

"Where did you come from to return to the human world?"

The old man pointed eastward, "There's a local earth god temple to the east. I came back from that temple."

Seeing his dejected expression, Qin Luo said, "Old man, if you want to send a message to your family, I can help you."

The old man smiled and shook his head. “Young man, thank you for your kindness. My sons have been gone for many years, and my grandson has hardly ever seen me. As for my great-grandson, he probably doesn’t even know I exist. I just wanted to come back and see my hometown. There used to be many crabs in the mountain gullies, but now there’s no water in the ditches.”

Nothing lasts forever.

The old man pointed to the ditch in front of the village, "When I was young, I caught a big fish in the river, at least twenty pounds, no, thirty pounds, but unfortunately the rod broke."

"It's a real pity."

Qin Luo had assumed the old man was waiting for his family to come and offer incense, but now he realized he had been overthinking it.

"Excuse me, sir."

"It's nothing, I haven't chatted with a living person in a long time! The fish I caught really weighed thirty pounds!"

"I believe you!"