My grandfather glanced at me, then quickly pulled my father up and headed towards the main hall.
"Hingxia" is a common term in our rural area. It is actually a place where ancestral tablets are enshrined, also known as an ancestral hall. There are also shrines for gods. Almost every surname has a tingxia. In the whole village, only my family, whose surname is Zuo, has a tingxia.
"Quickly, put the child under the incense burner," my grandfather urged anxiously from inside the hall.
My dad hesitated for a moment, but then listened to my grandpa and placed me next to the incense burner.
"Dad, what should we do now?" my dad asked my grandpa.
"Take these talismans and guard the windows," my grandfather said, taking a stack of talismans from his pocket and handing them to my father before turning and walking toward the gate.
When my grandfather arrived at the gate of the courtyard, the red coffin there was already surrounded by all sorts of figures, but they seemed to be afraid of the coffin and did not dare to get too close.
Just then, a red sedan chair slowly floated in from afar, carried by four people in red robes.
Those around them, upon seeing the red sedan chair, hurriedly made way for it.
"Taoist priest, I just smelled the aroma of food. Tell me, where are you hiding?" a sweet, coquettish voice came from inside the red sedan chair.
"What are you?" My grandfather asked, his face turning grim.
"Taoist priest, hand over the food, and I'll spare your life tonight," a sweet, coquettish voice came from inside the sedan chair again.
"There's no food here that you want, and even if there were, I wouldn't give it to you." My grandfather would never hand me over, even though the other party was formidable, my grandfather wasn't afraid at all.
"Then go die."
As soon as the sweet voice finished speaking, a red ribbon suddenly flew out of the red sedan chair and stabbed straight towards my grandfather's throat.
My grandfather raised his staff and swung it down on the ribbon, instantly knocking it back.
"Hehe, so there's another magical artifact." A sweet, delicate voice rang out again from inside the red sedan chair.
Just then, another red hood flew out of the red sedan chair, went straight to my grandfather's head, and slammed down on him.
My grandfather raised the staff in his hand.
The red hood was placed on my grandfather's staff, making a creaking sound.
Soon, my grandfather's golden staff turned completely black.
My grandfather was so shocked that he staggered, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He hurriedly threw the staff in his hand aside; the staff had been contaminated and was now ruined.
"Hehe, Taoist priest, your skills are not good enough. Hand over the food obediently and don't put up a futile resistance." A sweet voice drifted from the red sedan chair.
My grandfather's face darkened. He clutched a red copper coin tightly in his hand, looked at the red sedan chair, and said, "I don't have the food you want here. Even if I did, it was taken by the mummified corpse from two years ago."
"Hmph, you think you can fool me? Although the aroma of the food has disappeared, I have a feeling that it's still in the house."
"If you don't believe me, go inside and find out for yourself," my grandfather said, shifting his body slightly to the side.
"hey-hey."
A delicate laugh came from inside the red sedan chair, and then the red cloth covering the sedan chair door was pulled open by a pale hand.
Just then, my grandfather suddenly shot the red copper coin in his hand into the sedan chair.
"Ahhh!"
The red sedan chair suddenly shook violently and plummeted from mid-air, crashing to the ground with a thud.
The red sedan chair continued to shake, emitting wisps of blue smoke, before stumbling and drifting away into the distance, disappearing in no time.
The figures around us trembled with fear, their eyes fixed on my house with greed. They were unwilling to leave, but they didn't dare to get closer.
Just then.
My father's screams came from inside the house.
My grandfather staggered inside, but he was too late. By the window, my father was covered in blood, and a group of dark figures were munching on him.
"Tiger Cub!" My grandfather shouted, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He drew a pattern on his palm with the blood and slapped it towards the dark figures.
My grandfather slapped those dark figures away with a single palm strike, and then rushed over to hug my father, tears streaming down his face. He asked in a trembling voice, "Tiger Cub, how are you?"
"Dad, I...I'm not going to make it. You have to protect my child and make sure he lives. You...you haven't named him yet?" My dad said intermittently, blood gushing from his mouth.
"Let's name our grandson Changming." My grandfather's tears fell drop by drop, and his whole body trembled violently.
"Zuo Changming, Chang...ming, Chang...ming, good name..." Before my father could finish speaking, his arm went limp and he breathed his last.
"Aaaaah!" My grandfather's eyes were bloodshot as he let out a miserable roar, "You killed my son, I'll make you all be annihilated!"
After my grandfather finished speaking, he spat out another mouthful of blood essence, drew a pattern on each of his palms, and charged out, plunging into the crowd of ghosts.
The fighting continued until late at night. After the storm had passed and the outside world had calmed down, my grandfather dragged his heavy body back home. Looking at me lying quietly under the incense burner, he reached out with trembling hands and took me out, choking back tears as he said, "Grandson, from now on you will be called Zuo Changming. Grandpa will definitely protect you until you grow up."
As my grandfather was speaking, he reached out to remove the door god paper from my face. Just then, my house began to tremble—no, the whole village began to tremble. Two eerie cries came from somewhere.
The voices were strange, as if countless men, women, and children were saying the same thing, but the pace of their speech was uneven, and I couldn't make out what they were saying.
Upon hearing this, my grandfather's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly put me back under the incense burner.
The cries stopped at that moment, but the ground still trembled faintly.
Just then.
The village roosters started crowing. At first, it was the first crowing, then the second, then the third, and eventually all the roosters in the village started crowing.
After the rooster crowed, the vibration disappeared instantly, as if it had never happened. However, the dust covering the floor of the hall proved that it was not an illusion.
My grandfather's face was very solemn. He picked me up again, slowly removed the paper door gods from my eyes, looked closely into my eyes, sighed sadly, and said, "My dear grandson, it seems that Grandpa cannot keep you healthy."
My grandfather carried me back to the room and placed me in the cradle he had woven for me. He reached out and pinched my cheek, a sad smile on his face.
After my grandfather settled me in, he moved my father's body to the bed and placed it next to my mother's body.
"Huihui, Huwa, rest in peace. I will raise him even if it costs me my life." My grandfather wiped away his tears and found a white cloth to cover their bodies.
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