Bab 59: Chapter 59: Something Strange
Lin Yun pondered and responded, "So the reason I can't sense anything might be because my cultivation level is too low?"
Lin Xiao thought about it. His brother was only at the first level of Qi Refining and couldn't sense anything, while he, at the seventh level, could only vaguely feel something. Could that mean this presence was possibly something very advanced?
A sense of worry crept into Lin Xiao's heart. This place wasn't far from Shoushui Village. But then, he thought he might be overthinking things. It was just a vague feeling, and he didn't even know what the source of this uneasiness was. What if it was something harmless, born from nature?
Moreover, whether this presence had recently appeared or had been there all along, it hadn't caused any harm yet. At least, he hadn't heard of any strange occurrences in the area—aside from the ghost stories the villagers made up to scare children.
Even with this reassurance, Lin Xiao couldn't help but remain on guard. He resolved to pay more attention to this area in the future.
His desire to improve his cultivation suddenly became even more urgent. Indeed, increasing his strength was essential; it would be his greatest ally in dispelling fear when faced with the unknown.
Lin Xiao said to Lin Yun, "Brother, let's keep an eye on this grave hill in the coming days."
Lin Yun nodded, wanting to say more, but at that moment, Lin Dayou, who was clearing the graves at the top, called out to them, "Er Lang, San Lang, what are you two whispering about? Hurry up and bring these weeds down—"
"Alright, coming!" The two brothers quickly went up to gather the weeds.
Both of them tacitly decided not to mention this incident.
Once the Lin family had cleared all the weeds around the graves, they began to add fresh soil to the grave mounds. The adults shoveled the earth onto the mounds, and then the children each took turns adding a handful of soil as a gesture of respect.
When everything was tidied up and the graves looked refreshed, they began the ritual of paying respects to their ancestors.
After setting up the offerings, they burned incense and moved from grave to grave, bowing and paying their respects.
Grandpa Lin led the ritual, pouring a bowl of wine over each grave, inviting the ancestors to drink and eat.
Lin Dayou brought Lin Yun and Lin Xiao to each grave, and finally, they arrived at their mother's grave.
Standing in front of the tombstone that had been weathered by years of wind and rain, Lin Dayou's usually stern expression softened.
Lin Yun and Lin Xiao knelt down and solemnly kowtowed three times before their mother's grave.
Though Lin Xiao had little memory of his mother, having been just a baby when she passed, he felt deep love and respect for her. Without her fierce protection back then, he wouldn't be here today. In a way, his life was a gift from her.
Kneeling by his mother's grave, Lin Xiao silently poured out all the thoughts and feelings he had in his heart. Beside him, Lin Yun did the same.
The two brothers knelt quietly, like statues, while their minds were filled with endless words spoken in their hearts.
Eventually, Lin Dayou grew impatient and urged them to leave, "Alright, that's enough. Go see if your grandpa needs any help. Move along."
He grabbed each son by the collar, lifting them to their feet, and pushed them toward the rest of the family.
Once the boys were out of sight, Lin Dayou slowly sat down beside the tombstone.
He gently traced the weathered characters on the stone, "Lin Songshi," and then looked tenderly at the smaller characters below, "Chunxiu."
These were the words he had asked the stonemason to carve—his wife's name.
Softly, he began to tell her about everything that had happened over the past year, sharing all the little stories and thoughts he had saved up, speaking to her as if she were still there with him.
Except during major festivals, Lin Dayou rarely came here alone. He feared that if he came too often, he would get lost in the memories and sadness, unable to move on. So, he always saved up his words and only spoke them to her during these moments.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao and Lin Yun returned to their grandfather and the others. Lin Xiao couldn't shake the uneasy feeling, so he used the excuse of gathering firewood to walk around the area.
But his efforts were in vain. No matter where he went, the strange feeling remained constant, giving him no clue as to where it might be coming from.
Reluctantly, Lin Xiao decided to let it go for now.
As the day grew late and the Lin family finished their tasks and prepared to leave, the sun had already begun to set.
On the way back, Lin Yan and Lin Ying had gathered handfuls of wildflowers, weaving them into crowns that they placed on everyone's heads.
The rest of the family had also collected bundles of firewood, enough to last for a while.
Grandpa Lin and Grandma Lin even picked a large handful of tender wild greens, planning to make a fresh vegetable soup when they got home.
By the time they returned to the Lin family's old residence, only half of the sun remained above the horizon.
Aunt Qin quickly took the chicken and fish from the offerings to prepare dinner, while Grandma Lin salted the large piece of pork belly to preserve it.
Everyone else got busy with their tasks—fetching water, putting things away—each with their own duties.
Although the Lin family had divided into separate households, they still gathered together at the old residence during festivals and special occasions.
With chicken, fish, and fresh wild vegetables on the table, the meal was delicious and satisfying. Even Lin Dayou, who had been quiet and melancholy on the way back, regained his spirits, energetically using his chopsticks to whack Lin Xiao's leg when he saw him slouching.
Lin Xiao yelped in pain.
And so, the peaceful evening passed quietly.
After Qingming, Lin Xiao doubled down on his cultivation.
Of course, he also began actively helping Sun Yigao with his training.
Sun Yigao felt that their Sect Master had become unusually clingy lately.
Normally, their Sect Master was hard to find, either busy in the sect's main hall or quietly cultivating spirit fields and building houses. But now, every morning, as soon as Sun Yigao arrived on the mountain, Lin Xiao was there waiting for him. Together, they would enter the cultivation room, where Lin Xiao would spend the entire day discussing the heart sutra with him.
Lin Xiao even brought out the spells he had previously said weren't urgent to learn, encouraging Sun Yigao to practice them whenever he had spare time.
Sun Yigao was puzzled by Lin Xiao's behavior.
While he appreciated the increased attention and the rapid progress in his cultivation, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with Lin Xiao.
It made him a bit anxious.
Unaware of Sun Yigao's thoughts, Lin Xiao was thoroughly enjoying his new routine.
Every morning, he would head straight to the cultivation room and spend the entire day with Sun Yigao, only leaving for urgent necessities.
It was as if he planned to spend all his time in the cultivation room.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone