Chapter 327: Family Reunion

Chapter 327: A Family Reunited

"Dad, this is a red bean paste mooncake—remember how you loved red bean paste the most?" Bai Lingmiao specially held up a piece of mooncake marked with a red stamp and stood on tiptoe to place it before the spirit tablet.

"Young brother, you liked mung bean paste. We couldn't find any in the village, so try this sesame one—it's quite delicious too."

After distributing the mooncakes, Bai Lingmiao took out three incense sticks again and lit them, kneeling down before them and bowing deeply, then placing them among the remaining mooncakes.

Thin wisps of smoke drifted slowly between the spirit tablets, and once more, the Bai ancestral hall was filled with incense.

Bai Lingmiao looked up at the dark wall in front of her, as if lost in thought. After a long while, a faint smile appeared on her face as she said, "Today is the night of the full moon. I'll spend it with everyone."

She picked up a slice of mooncake from the tray, walked forward two steps, and sat down on the steps of the ancestral hall. She gazed at the bright moon above, nibbling at the cake in small bites.

As she ate, a figure appeared beside her. Bai Lingmiao extended her right hand, placing the mooncake into the red veil of the second deity. Then, gently leaning her head to the left, she rested it against the silk robes of the great goddess.

Thus, outside the Bai ancestral hall’s steps, two women who looked identical silently nestled together, sharing the same mooncake, admiring the same full moon in the sky.

Suddenly, a flash of firelight flickered in the distance. Bai Lingmiao stood up and looked toward it, seeing a makeshift kiln built from tiles and stones far away.

The kiln was tall, higher than other houses in Niu Xin Village. The blazing flames engulfed it completely, like a giant bonfire reaching the heavens.

Gouwa stood atop a nearby rooftop, screaming wildly while tossing old clothes into the fire.

It was time for the burning of the earth kiln on the night of the full moon. Bai Lingmiao remembered that this had always been the case every year. But such customs were usually enjoyed by the brothers and sons in the village; girls rarely cared for them.

Looking at the distant inferno, Bai Lingmiao recalled her troublesome younger brother.

As an elder sister, she had raised him alone since their parents were always busy with affairs. She had watched the baby in the cradle grow into a lively boy who could run and jump—but everything came to a sudden halt.

Her longing for family members reached its peak. Her trembling hands finally reached for the drum at her waist and began to beat it.

"Thump-thump-thump... thump-thump-thump..."

The rhythmic drumbeats echoed through the quiet village.

After hesitating for a moment, Bai Lingmiao opened her mouth and began to sing. The tears she had held back all night finally flowed down.

She sang the "Crying Soul" melody of the Bajia sect. Her voice carried such profound sorrow that even the surroundings seemed to tremble.

"Ah, gentle breeze... oh, soul in smoke... waaahhh..."

At that moment, she resonated with the lyrics. If everything before had merely been following instructions under pressure from the immortals, now she suddenly understood the deeper meaning behind those rituals for summoning spirits.

Only when enough family members have died can one truly grasp what emotion is needed to perform the Crying Soul chant.

She realized that her emotions were affecting the immortals—an unusual sensation indeed.

In fact, Bai Lingmiao now possessed at least twice the emotional depth of Li Zhiqiang in terms of the Bajia sect, yet this price was one she would never wish to pay.

The drum continued beating, and the mournful divine tune still rang out.

"Soul in smoke... in the mortal world, three realms of people live... waaahhh... in the underworld, three cities hold souls in smoke..."

"It is said heaven is a roof, earth a pool. People are like fish in muddy waters of the mortal realm... waaahhh..."

"Living through one moment, passing two days. Living through two days, missing one moment..."

This time, it was the Great Goddess watching from the side, observing Bai Lingmiao singing the soul-summoning chant. A gust of cold wind swept past the entrance of the Bai ancestral hall, passed over the red veil of the Great Goddess, extinguished the white lanterns, and began swirling around Bai Lingmiao.

Feeling something amiss, Bai Lingmiao almost stopped singing, but she gritted her teeth and struck the drum heavily against her waist.

"Heard the soul in smoke weep bitter tears, heart feels like bitter yellow lotus. With grievances, soul in smoke has nowhere to speak. With injustice, no place to cry out!"

The wind grew stronger. All the spirit tablets inside the hall rattled violently, and even the tiles of the roof shook. It felt as though the entire Bai ancestral hall had come alive.

As she sang, a cold breeze lightly brushed past the hem of the Great Goddess’s dress, slipping into the blood-red veil.

A smell of burning began to rise from the Great Goddess. Trembling, she raised both arms and slowly moved toward Bai Lingmiao. “Nannan…”

At that sound, Bai Lingmiao’s heart jolted. Without hesitation, she threw herself forward, arms wide open. “Mother!!”

When she embraced the Great Goddess, Bai Lingmiao felt she had found her anchor again. She poured out everything she had kept inside.

She closed her eyes and spoke for a long time, but when she finally stopped, there was no response.

With red-rimmed eyes, she looked at the red veil covering the Great Goddess, only to receive a disappointing answer. As soon as she ended the divine tune, the woman had already departed.

"When my mother passed, did she say anything?" Bai Lingmiao asked softly.

Through the red veil, the Great Goddess stared at Bai Lingmiao for a long time before slowly saying, "She wasn’t your mother..."

"No! She was my mother! My father and grandfather just returned—they’re all blaming me!" Bai Lingmiao shook her head fiercely, shouting in denial.

The Great Goddess said nothing. She opened her arms again, embracing Bai Lingmiao tightly, lowering herself to lift her up and gently rocking her.

Bai Lingmiao kept her eyes open, swaying slightly, silently staring at the beams overhead of the ancestral hall, as if contemplating something.

The earth kiln outside had gone out at some point. The two sat in silence within the dark hall.

"If I leave, will you stay with Brother Li? He really needs someone by his side," Bai Lingmiao suddenly spoke.

The Great Goddess only held her, showing no reaction.

"I'm sorry, but I can't go on anymore. I can do nothing. I can't even avenge my family!"

Tears streaming down, Bai Lingmiao broke free from her embrace and pulled out a rope she had long prepared.

She walked to the center of the hall and threw the rope toward the beam, beginning to tie it.

The Great Goddess stood up and walked behind Bai Lingmiao, wrapping her arms around her slender legs to help complete the next step.

Once the Great Goddess gently let go and stepped back, the creaking of the tightened rope and the sharp intake of breath filled the air.

Ignoring these sounds, she quietly moved to sit on the steps of the hall, continuing to admire the full moon above.

Behind her red veil, the faintly swaying white shoes of Bai Lingmiao were visible, and behind those shoes lay rows upon rows of black spirit tablets, like a wall of the dead.

(End of Chapter)