Chapter 68 I didn’t come alone

When I was all tidied up and in front of everyone, I could clearly feel that everyone’s mood had improved. A life with a purpose is always stronger and more meaningful than a life without direction. It is easier to have a leader than to grope around alone.

As Ruoxue said, this superficial spirit is all an illusion, but it does have a certain effect on lifting people’s spirits.

Facing such a me, everyone’s mood was undoubtedly much better. What did Grandma Lingqing tell everyone? It was Ru Yue who told everyone: “My grandmother said that the people of Grandpa Jiang’s generation have always had one great wish in their lives, and that wish is also their secret. It is too difficult, too empty, and too dangerous, so according to Grandpa Jiang’s personality, it will not involve the next generation. And this decision was made long ago. As for my grandmother, she will definitely accompany Grandpa Jiang. She told my sister and me that she has carried the burden of the village and worked for the country all her life, serving as a bridge between the Bai and Han people. She is tired and old, and she must do what she wants to do without any regrets.

Ruyue’s words actually did not contain any clues, but they made us feel better. It seems that the masters all chose this irresponsible way to leave, just not wanting the next generation to repeat their path.

However, you can plan our future, but you can never plan our feelings. The feelings we have cultivated over the years have already doomed us to follow the same path as yours one day. Even if you do the same thing as us and go in search of it when you are old, you will definitely do so.

When I think about this, I always feel that this is the fate of our family. I feel helpless, heartbroken, and most of all, confused, because I don’t know what my masters have done, and what I should do.

I subconsciously pinched my eyebrows, but I didn’t expect Hui Gen to suddenly cry in front of me, saying, “Why did Master leave again?”

I pulled Hui Gen up, not knowing how to comfort him. At 13, he was a half-grown boy, and he probably had to endure more than I did.

Seeing this situation, Ruoyue took Hui Gen’er by the hand and said, “Your master is with Grandpa Jiang. They are lifelong friends, and their friendship has penetrated to the bone. Hui Gen’er, just like you treat your third brother, treat him as a brother. They are brothers. My grandmother also told me about your master. She said that for such a dangerous thing, Master Hui must be with Grandpa Jiang, and Master Hui also has his own pursuits. He also wants to find something through something. Hui Gen’er, you’ll understand when you grow up.”

In fact, I don’t know what Master Hui was thinking. Our master had disappeared, and we were all adults, but Hui Gen was still a minor. Did he have to return home halfway through his training? Could he still adapt to the world of ordinary people? Master Hui was even more…

I don’t know how to describe it, but later I learned that Master Hui had never given up on Hui Gen, and he had already made arrangements.

We only learned about this a week later when Brother Chengqing arrived with two boxes of ashes.

It was a rainy day, and we had been waiting at the Bamboo House for seven days.

No one was impatient, and no one mentioned leaving. During this period, no one dared to leave each other because no one dared to bear the immense sadness alone.

During these seven days, we should have leaned on each other for warmth. We talked about everything, practiced, discussed the Dao, and read books, deliberately not talking about the Master. Although we had all decided what we would do in the future, we needed a period of grief to settle.

Especially when Yue said what Grandma Ling Qing said, that what the masters had done was very dangerous, we were even more uneasy. Who among us did not have a hope in their hearts? We hoped to see the masters alive and well, not to receive the news of their death.

Therefore, we need more time to calm ourselves down, so that we can calmly plan for the future and deal with everything.

Seven days is not a long time, but it is a good buffer period. At least it is enough time for us to bury the deep sorrow in our hearts. Although we cannot bury the deep sorrow in our hearts and make the surface calm, we can still seem to be living a peaceful life, and occasionally we can even laugh and joke around, although that smile may not be sincere.

It was a drizzly morning, and Brother Chengxin said to me early in the morning, “Chengyi, this should be the last spring rain.”

I remembered that the day after my master passed away, it was also a drizzle. I always felt a bit repelled by this drizzle, always thinking that it was something inseparable from sadness.

It was such a morning that Chengqing came, without an umbrella, carrying two boxes and a backpack, all the way to the Bamboo Grove.

I was sitting in front of the porch, lost in thought, and was the first to see Cheng Qingge. Seeing him like that, I quickly went inside to get an umbrella and went out to greet him.

Under the umbrella, Cheng Qing’s expression was the same as ours, calm, but there was an indelible sadness in his eyes. The first thing he said to me was, “Chengyi, I didn’t come alone. I brought Master and the little nun with me.”

I didn’t react immediately. Uncle Li, a little sister? I asked subconsciously, “Where are they?”

But as soon as I asked, I knew the answer, and the next moment, tears fell again. I knew that Master and the others had a younger sister, who had passed away many years ago when Master and the others were still young. Uncle Li and Little Sister were brought together, so that can’t be…

Uncle Li has gone? I was in a daze, but Chengqing hugged the two urns even tighter and said, “Let’s take them inside first.”

I nodded and followed Chengqing behind me with an umbrella.

Sadness, will you never stop? Looking at the two new urns on the altar that was originally dedicated to the Three Pristine Ones, all I could think about was this.

Another person who cared about me in this world has gone.

After respectfully placing the two urns, and after we had all bowed to the urns, Chengqing’s face was already covered in tears. He turned to us and said, “I owe you an explanation. After all, my master was also your uncle, so I have to explain all this.”

We listened quietly, and Chengqing wiped away the tears on his cheeks before saying, “Master had already reached the pinnacle of divination and astrology in his life, and he had long since calculated that his time was coming. He could have gone with his uncles to pursue and fulfill his last wish. But he didn’t want to leave his junior apprentice, who was also his junior apprentice. He said, “If I go there, I’m afraid I won’t even be able to be buried with her. Forget it, forget it. You all have a lot to tell your apprentices, so let me be the last one to take over. After I’m gone, Chengqing will take your instructions.”

Hearing this, I already understood that Uncle Li and Little Sister had a relationship. In the end, he chose to stay in the world to accompany Little Sister and be buried in the same grave after death.

I don’t understand why I have such thoughts. Staying in the world, but didn’t Chengqing say that if he went there, he was afraid that even the ashes could not be buried together?

Suddenly, my mind was clear as if I had suddenly grasped something.

However, the sadness of my uncle’s passing still overwhelmed me in an instant. I couldn’t think too much about it, and Chengqing continued to say, “Actually, you are luckier than I am. You may still be able to see your living masters and uncles. But I am also luckier than you, because I was able to personally see my master to the end. My master didn’t want to be separated from death with too much sorrow. He said that death is just a hurdle that people have to face, and it is also a beginning. There is no need to be too sad, so don’t inform so many people, just quietly leave. He said that the Bamboo Grove was quiet and peaceful, so after he died, he wanted to be buried here with his junior sister-in-law.

At this point, Cheng Qing paused and said, “Master said that he had no hometown in his life, and that he had always been drifting with his master. Wherever his master was, that was his hometown. So, being able to be buried in a place where our lineage exists is also a way of returning to one’s roots. In addition…”

Chengqing stopped again before continuing, “Originally, the plan was to bury them with my master three years ago. However, my master decided to stay, so it was delayed until now. They wanted to stay for a while to get together, after all, because of the many things that happened back then, they missed out on decades of time.”

Gathering together refers to the gathering at the Bamboo Grove? Or is it that everyone is still reluctant to let go of their own concerns and use this as an excuse to stay a little longer?

“This time I came with a lot of letters that the uncles wanted to give to you. In addition, there is this thing that was sent to Chengyi’s old residence in Beijing. A month after Chengyi left, it was sent to me.” Chengqing said.

What is it? Could it be a letter from Gao Ning? That was the first thought that came to my mind.