“There are some anomalies as well,” a faint female voice suddenly appeared, sounding quite young.
"Niece Mingzhu, why haven't I heard you mention this before?" Xu Fugui was somewhat surprised. Didn't we agree to share resources? Why was this girl keeping it a secret?
“I wasn’t really sure either, so I didn’t tell you,” Xu Mingzhu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Don’t you think the locations of our graves are interesting?”
Hua Xiangyun: "Can you take me to see it?"
Xu Fugui, ...
Xu Mingzhu said, "Girl, let me take you to see my grave! It's not far from here."
Hua Xiangyun remained vigilant, holding several talismans in her hand as she followed Xu Mingzhu to her grave, which was more of a mound than a grave, without even a tombstone.
“I died young, so I can’t have a tombstone,” Xu Mingzhu said softly.
Hua Xiangyun nodded, understanding some of the customs. "The feng shui of your grave is quite good; it can protect your descendants. The adopted son your family chose for you, right?"
This grave clearly shows that someone has been taking care of it. So many years have passed, and there are no large trees or weeds around it.
"Yes! I never expected that my elder brother would still care about me when I died young, fearing that no one would worship me in the future, so he adopted his second son into my family."
Now she has several great-grandchildren. Even if they can't find incense and paper money these days, they will secretly go to the grave to help clean it up and kowtow a few times. Xu Mingzhu feels that although her life is not good, she is blessed.
So what if the other elders have many children and grandchildren? They are not as filial as their adopted descendants.
Xu Mingzhu said, "Master, to be honest, after being a ghost for so many years, I'm already very impatient."
Having personally seen my parents, brothers, and some descendants off, it was undoubtedly torture for me. I ask for nothing more than to be able to embark on that road to the underworld.
Hua Xiangyun did not answer her immediately, and looked at several more graves. "There are seven graves here, where are the other two?"
There were only five ghosts following her, so there were two missing.
"Those two old guys went out to have some fun for a few days and haven't come back yet, but they should be back soon." Xu Fugui said expectantly, "Little Miss, do you think there's a reason why we've been staying for so long?"
"You've seen the ancestral rites, haven't you?" Hua Xiangyun felt there was nothing wrong with saying this. "The seven of you must have died around the same time in the same year, and the time between your deaths was not long, and there was also a difference in your age range."
The distribution of the graves is also quite interesting; coupled with the mountains on both sides, it resembles a circle of sacrificial offerings, all facing the same direction.
“You said our graves are used for sacrificial rites,” Xu Fugui, who had spent most of his life traveling and working as a businessman, immediately realized.
"That's pretty much the idea, and this ritual will be performed soon," Hua Xiangyun said, having happened to read about it in her sect's ancient books; otherwise, she wouldn't have made such a quick judgment.
For this kind of ritual to take place, the right time, the right place, and the right people are all necessary; none of these can be lacking.
"Little Miss, does that mean we've all been tricked?" Xu Fugui gritted his teeth. He had heard of Taoist rituals before, but he never imagined he would become a victim himself.
“No, you should have reached the end of your lifespan.” Hua Xiangyun knew that this was also an important aspect of human relations. If one of them had not reached the end of their lifespan, the person who performed the ritual would be violating human ethics and would suffer the consequences. Generally, the Xuanmen would not do such a losing deal.
"Then what about this ritual?" The other souls, disregarding their own defenses, all surrounded Hua Xiangyun, making her feel that the surroundings were even colder.
"Don't get so close, it's cold enough today," Hua Xiangyun said, stepping aside in disgust. "Speaking of which, this must be a convenience provided by your clan, otherwise your birth dates and times wouldn't be in someone else's hands."
“That’s impossible,” Xu Fugui exclaimed immediately. “Our ancestors left long ago and only returned here to seek refuge. No one has ever told me my real birth date and time.”
Hua Xiangyun rolled her eyes at him, "Did your parents register you in the family genealogy?"
Xu Fugui fell silent, knowing that his grandfather had been corresponding with Zhu Zhong, but he wasn't sure if he had reported back his birth date and time.
An old ghost standing nearby immediately told him the answer, "If you're talking about this, I do remember something. We revise our family genealogy every three years. I've been lucky enough to go in a few times. You and your two sons are registered in the genealogy. My second uncle told me that your father and grandfather would write to the clan every time a new member was born in the family."
So when your branch of the family returned, although the villagers didn't recognize you, they quickly identified you after checking the family genealogy."
Although they are not from a prestigious family, they are not people who can be accepted by just anyone.
Xu Fugui was stunned. "I really didn't know about this. Then my grandsons shouldn't be included in the family genealogy, right?"
Not long after he returned home, the noise and commotion at home distracted him from everything else.
Later, due to health reasons, he was bedridden and didn't manage to include many of his children in the family genealogy.
"Probably not. The family genealogy was just completed before you came back. You old man, you had bad luck and didn't live to see three years. Your two children also moved away from the village in a hurry. I guess they won't be able to be included in the family genealogy in the future."
The old ghost shook his head, unsure whether he should be happy for them or worried.
The previous generation has mostly passed away, and even if they want to return to the clan in the future, the clan members may not necessarily accept them.
"Little aunt, do you know who betrayed us?" Xu Fugui had always thought it was a blessing that ghosts could wander around without illness or pain, but now all he felt was anger.
Hua Xiangyun: "Even if they knew, so what? They might have already been reincarnated."
"You've been here for almost a century; have you noticed any strange people coming here during that time?"
After Hua Xiangyun finished speaking, she shook her head again, "But even if he comes, I guess he won't let you find out."
“Master,” Xu Mingzhu said, feeling a little relieved knowing that her life hadn’t ended by trickery, “then I wonder what will become of us once the ritual is completed?”
Hua Xiangyun said, "I've only read about this in ancient books. Once the ritual is completed, you will offer all your soul power as a sacrifice to help others defy fate."
"And you, your secrets have been buried by magic, preventing you from reincarnating in this life. Moreover, a hundred years have passed and no one has investigated. Your soul power over those hundred years has been absorbed by the one who performed the magic, so naturally there will be no future for you."
The ancient books she had read only recorded this kind of Taoist method, but did not provide detailed instructions on how to break it. "I have only read the relevant records, but I do not know how to break it."
"Then we'll just sit here and wait to die," Xu Fugui's yin energy surged. He had spoken calmly before, but when he realized he had been tricked, the anger in his heart was enough to make him violent.
The yin energy emanating from the other spirits also intensified, and a chilling wind swept across the hillside.
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