Chapter 8: Goodbye in the Next Life

After listening to Master Wang's earlier words, everyone was no longer as frightened as before. Moreover, rural people are inherently bold, and with the presence of the master and so many people, their courage was further bolstered. Wang Wu shouted, "Brothers, let's get to work!" The eight strong men picked up their shovels, some digging the earth while others piled up the mud, working with great enthusiasm.

At the tender age of seven, Grandma Liu heard this story from Grandma Li and merely regarded it as a tale, not taking it seriously. After finishing the corn, she ran off to play with her friends. As for Grandma Li, her husband was Wang Wu, who had served as a steward for Old Master Zhang and had witnessed the entire incident. Now, Wang Wu is already sixty-seven years old. Over the decades, he has never forgotten what happened that year. Whenever he gets drunk, he would recount the story to Grandma Li, and he cannot forget the words spoken by Master Wang to the soul of Orchid at that time: "In the next life, we shall meet again!"

In the blink of an eye, the affairs of the Zhang family have passed for several decades. Since the old master Zhang witnessed a ghost with his own eyes, he has been devoted to doing good deeds, earning the reputation of a great benefactor in the surrounding villages. Until his last moments, he did not forget the matter of repairing the road behind the village, and he advised his descendants to engage in more charitable acts and to never commit evil, lest they face retribution.

"Look quickly! What is that?" Liu Ping shouted to her companions, pointing at the corner of the wall

"Why is it gone! I clearly saw it just now, how could it disappear in the blink of an eye!" Saying this, she got up and ran to the corner of the wall where the little thing had been, searching all around, but found nothing and the book was also gone. Liu Ping muttered, "Strange, it was clearly here just now! How could it vanish in the blink of an eye?"

Grandma Liu's name is Liu Ping. In her youth, she was charming and adorable, and everyone liked this clever girl. However, her background was quite tragic; she lost her parents at the tender age of seven. It was precisely because of this that she was much more mature and understanding than her peers. Yet, every time Wang Wu saw her, there would always be a hint of unusual expression in his eyes.

Wang Yi stated: "Women inherently possess a heavier yin energy, and thus should not come into contact with this. In contrast, men have a significantly stronger yang energy, and with the presence of peach tree branches on them, it becomes difficult for yin energy to invade. It is less certain for women. You do not understand these matters, so it is best not to inquire further. My methods are guided by my own reasoning."

However, including Wang Yi, no one noticed that not far away, on another grave, there was a creature resembling a weasel, entirely snow-white and about the size of an adult man's palm, standing upright with its front paws placed on its chest, its small eyes fixed intently on the group of people. It had witnessed everything that had previously occurred.

Oh dear, Liu Ping, stop trying to fool us, let's continue with the game!

The other two girls, one surnamed Zheng, named Zheng Jie, and the other named Li Caixia, turned to look at the corner of the wall following Liu Ping's direction. They saw nothing there, and Zheng Jie exclaimed, "What is there? You are just trying to fool us!"

Old Master Zhang was well aware that although Wang Daxian had a somewhat peculiar temperament, he was extremely meticulous and measured in his actions. He surely had his own reasoning and principles behind what he did, so he nodded and did not inquire further.

Here they come, who has been coaxing you? Just now, I clearly saw it... Liu Ping searched around while walking back to play with them, but the image of that little thing lingered in her mind.

Alright, everyone, let's get to work and raise the orchid's grave. Remember to elevate the base of the grave, so it will never be flooded in the future said Wang Yi.

The little creature had its front paws placed on its chest and was standing on its hind legs, staring intently at itself at that moment. Although it was young, having been born in the countryside, it recognized some common livestock and had even seen the legendary Huang Daxian twice, but this one was the first of its kind it had encountered.

In that era, for impoverished children like Liu Ping, being able to eat a boiled egg was already quite remarkable. The three little girls received the eggs as if they had obtained some precious treasure, playing with them in their hands, reluctant to eat them for a while.

The rain outside was pouring down harder and harder, seemingly showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. At that moment, Granny Li entered, wearing a raincoat, and sighed, "This rain is really heavy! It has soaked me to the bone!" As she spoke, she took off her raincoat and hung it by the door. Then, she pulled out three steaming boiled eggs from her pocket and walked over to the three little girls, handing one to each of them.

The day after Grandma Li finished telling Xiao Liuping and the other young girls about the Zhang family's past, a heavy rain fell from the sky, accompanied by strong winds, flashes of lightning, and claps of thunder! The entire sky seemed as if it were about to collapse. On such a rainy day, there was no work to be done, nor could they go out to play. Xiao Liuping and the other two girls were playing around in the room when, unexpectedly, Liuping caught sight of a small creature, entirely white, squatting in the corner of the wall.