Chapter 34 Who are you?

Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Who are you? "Granny..." As Hu Ma rushed into the cave entrance, he heard Little Hongtang call out anxiously. His eyes adjusted slightly to the darkness, and he immediately saw that this wasn’t much of a cave, just a shallow indentation a little over ten feet deep. Granny was now lying in the cave, half of her body covered in blood, looking weak and spiritless. In front of her were two burning candles, an incense stick, and some broken bone talismans and bottles. The candles were nearly burned out, but the light they emitted had an intangible force. Beyond the candlelight, three or five baby ghosts were desperately clawing and biting, trying to get inside, yet unable to approach. Was Granny injured and forced to hide in this cave, hastily setting up this simple dharma method to fend off the baby ghosts? Hu Ma didn’t have time to think. Holding his saber in one hand, he quickly charged into the cave. Behind the candlelight, Granny was extremely weak. She struggled to lift her head and saw Hu Ma charging inside with a fierce look, saber in hand. Startled, she found she had no strength left to do anything but watch him approach quickly. "HISS..." Suddenly, he swung his saber forcefully, the wind from the blade causing the candle flames to flicker, almost extinguishing them. In that moment of trance, Granny even felt a sense of resignation to her fate. But to her surprise, Hu Ma’s swings were powerful and filled with masculine energy. The baby ghosts, who had been trying desperately to approach her, sensed the danger and turned to attack him instead. Yet, under the broad, sweeping arcs of his Mountain Opening Saber, he easily cut them down, each one dissipating into nothingness. Then Hu Ma took two steps forward, reaching Granny. He planted the Mountain Opening Saber into the ground and helped her up. "Granny, are you okay?" "..." Granny, with what seemed like cloudy eyes, stared blankly at Hu Ma, her gaze churning with a storm of emotions. Hu Ma looked at Granny’s sallow face and sunken eyes, and his heart trembled inexplicably. Since he had woken up, Granny had appeared eerie and terrifying, but later seemed almost omnipotent. She had chanted sutras to exorcise evil for him, just to let him have a good night’s sleep. She had gone deep into the mountains to retrieve the Blood Tai Sui, more precious than gold, to prolong his life. She had even gone alone into the forest to find the ghost sent by the Meng family, determined to eliminate future troubles for him. Despite her old age, she had seemed strong and tireless. But now, she was so weak. This severely injured and fatigued old woman, like a candle in the wind, gave him a surreal feeling. "Granny, it’s all right now." He unconsciously comforted her, "Second Master and I came to find you. I even brought... a distinguished person from the city to help." Granny just stared at Hu Ma, her eyes swirling with endless emotion. Suddenly, she flipped her hand, her withered, bony hand grabbing Hu Ma’s wrist with exceptional force. Lowering her voice, she asked with difficulty, "You... what exactly are you?" "SWISH!" Hearing this question out of the blue, Hu Ma’s heart trembled. He looked at Granny incredulously. Granny was very weak now, no longer exuding that oppressive, eerie feeling he’d sensed when they first met. But this time, he saw her eyes clearly. Those dim and sunken eyes were sharp and lucid, as if they saw through everything. His heart thumped—slowly, but loudly. Hu Ma slowly said, "I’m Hu Ma, Granny..." "You are Hu Ma, you are Hu Ma..." Granny murmured, her grip on Hu Ma’s arm tightening. She whispered, "But I know my grandson." "He... how could he be so sensible?" "..." "BUZZ..." At that moment, a shiver that seemed to reach deep into his soul coursed through Hu Ma. So Granny had understood all along. He thought about the first Reincarnator he had met, who had told him about the taboo. He also remembered how even that distinguished person from the city, despite her high status and influence, didn’t dare to show the slightest hint that might arouse suspicion. Even when she wanted to help him in front of her subordinates, she had to stage an elaborate act for others to see first. And all of this was because... ...Secrets! A Reincarnator’s greatest secret was their very existence as one. Once exposed, regardless of their identity or level of cultivation, they would meet a terrible demise. He had been treading on thin ice, exercising extreme caution to keep this secret. Yet, Granny had seen through it. Second Master was just outside the cave. He could deal with whatever was out there and come in at any moment. Little Hongtang was right beside him; had she heard? If those distinguished people from the city became curious and came over for a look, wouldn’t they immediately overhear this? His palm grew slightly warm, and a hint of violence welled up in his heart. He felt an urge to reach for the Mountain Opening Saber he had thrust into the ground beside him... But just as this thought arose, he noticed Granny’s eyes again—those dim eyes, filled with an unshakeable, profound worry and hope. He had seen such a look in his previous life too. In this life, he was a Reincarnator. The blood bond between him and Granny was false, but he couldn’t believe that look in her eyes was false... Gradually, his gaze calmed. He placed his hand over Granny’s, which was still gripping his. Stroking that hand, as coarse as tree bark, he looked into Granny’s eyes and slowly said, "I’m Hu Ma, Granny." "I just... remembered some things from before I was reincarnated, and forgot some things from this life." "But I remember you’re my Granny..." "..." Granny stared at Hu Ma, her pupils seeming to dilate slightly. After a long moment, he suddenly saw her eyes fill with boundless joy. She slowly sat up, her dim eyes now glowing with an unusual radiance. She was completely different from the frail, elderly woman of moments before. She was still strong, mysterious, and unfathomably profound, yet now, a loving light shone in her eyes. "Yes, my little grandson..." Granny grasped his hand forcefully, as if afraid he would run away, her voice trembling. "You are my little grandson. My little grandson has become so sensible..." "God has eyes! Our Hu Family has suffered many disasters, but our Hu Family, in the end, is not extinct..." "..." "..." "I..." As Granny held his hand, Hu Ma was suddenly startled, a cold sweat breaking out on his skin. Granny, she... He couldn’t quite articulate the feeling, but he clearly realized that the Granny he had seen moments before—the one who seemed to have only a single breath left, like a candle in the wind—had made him feel such compassion that he had uttered words he didn’t quite believe himself, just to comfort her. But only now did he understand. Granny wasn’t as he had thought. She might have been tired, but she hadn’t grown weak at all. So, her earlier display... was it actually... a test? He couldn’t imagine what the consequences would have been if he had truly acted on the murderous intent he’d felt just moments before. "Don’t be afraid, my grandson..." Seeing Hu Ma’s expression, Granny’s face, on the contrary, showed a comforting smile. She gently stroked his head and whispered, "I actually knew you were different from before, ever since you were first summoned back, when your mind was still unclear..." Hu Ma didn’t know how to respond, an undeniable look of fear in his eyes. But at this moment, Granny looked at him with unprecedented tenderness. Holding his hand tightly, she said in a low voice, "But I never doubted that you weren’t my grandson, because I personally summoned you back. I know I didn’t summon the wrong soul." This response caught Hu Ma completely off guard, leaving him momentarily unsure how to reply. Granny, seeing his expression, seemed even more pained. She sighed gently and said, "The soul is right, the eight characters are right, even your destiny is right. If you are not my grandson, then who is?" "It’s just that you did take a trip to the Ghost Gate. Forcibly summoning you back was bound to cause some issues." "But you can’t be blamed for these problems..." "..." She spoke slowly, her eyes seemingly filled with deep guilt. "This is Granny’s fault. Granny didn’t protect you well. When I found you, it was too late..." "Like..." Her gaze slowly drifted towards the outside of the cave. She paused for a long moment before speaking in a low voice, "Like the children on the locust tree." "Before they even understood the world, they experienced the suffering of reincarnation. So who can they blame?" "..." Hearing her words, Hu Ma felt a sudden tingling sensation on his scalp. What he had said to her earlier was indeed intended to comfort the old woman; he couldn’t bear for her, already overexerted, to suffer such a blow. But at this moment, he suddenly realized that perhaps he was the one who didn’t understand these things clearly. Granny had long confirmed his identity on other levels; she just didn’t understand why he had undergone such a change. So, who exactly am I? "Granny, how are you?" Just then, urgent and heavy footsteps sounded from outside the cave. Second Master, panting heavily, rushed inside. His forehead was bleeding, smearing blood on his face, and he had a large, comical-looking bump. "Huh?" Glancing up, he saw Hu Ma holding Granny’s hand while Granny was half-reclining against the cave wall. He couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. Hurriedly taking two steps forward, he raised his hands high, not daring to touch anything, his voice trembling as he asked, "Are you, you’re... you’re okay?" "..." "Second Master, you’re so boisterous, you’re giving me a headache..." Granny seemed to be in a great mood. Looking at the Second Master somewhat teasingly, she said, "That thing the Meng family sent over, although formidable, was no problem for me to handle. Why were you so reckless, insisting on bringing him to such a dangerous place to find me?" "This..." The Second Master was bewildered, saying awkwardly, "You can’t blame me. It was him who insisted on coming." "As soon as he heard you were in trouble, you should have seen how worried he was..." "..." "Yes, indeed..." Granny, listening to the Second Master’s praise, was so pleased her eyes squinted with joy. "My grandson was just young before, not yet grown up." She sighed slowly, leaning against the stone wall. Her eyes, fixated on Hu Ma, seemed to hold boundless joy as she softly said, "Second Master, you’re a grown man. Crying in front of me like this just isn’t proper." "You wait outside for a moment. I still have a few things to tell my little grandson."