Phi-Fic Chapter 216 Funeral
Chapter 216 Funeral
After hearing about Cheng Jiu's experiences in the demon realm, the group sighed in amazement at how eventful they had been.
Qin Che seemed to have thought of something and looked at Cheng Jiu, asking, "Junior Sister, you're from the Luo family of Hailian City, right?"
"Yes, is there something you need?" Upon hearing this familiar name, Cheng Jiu suddenly realized and looked at Qin Che with a puzzled expression.
"Not long after you left the sect, a person claiming to be from the Luo family of Hailian City came to the sect looking for you."
"What does he want from me?" Cheng Jiu's tone immediately became indifferent, asking casually.
"We've come to invite you back to attend your father's funeral!"
"My father is dead?"
Cheng Jiu's eyes widened in surprise. She had always thought that the guy was a scourge who would live a long and prosperous life. When she suddenly learned of his death, Cheng Jiu thought it was an April Fool's joke.
"Yes, it is said that he died in battle protecting the people of the city during the beast tide."
"Died in battle?"
Cheng Jiu's expression became very complicated. He knew the cruelty of the beast tide and that many people had died in it.
But when Pu Yi learned of the death of someone he knew, he only felt a bit of dark humor.
"Junior Sister, are you going back?" Yingyue asked worriedly, looking at Cheng Jiu's complicated expression.
Cheng Jiu suppressed the complex emotions surging within him and shook his head: "It's probably too late to go back now. It's all in the past, several months have passed, he should have been buried by now!"
"I heard it hasn't happened yet! But I think you should go back, Junior Sister."
Although I don't know what happened between you and your father, he is still your biological father no matter what.
That cannot be denied in any way, and you should attend his funeral.
Qin Che advised that no matter what, the other party was still Junior Sister's father. No matter how many conflicts there were between them, not attending the other party's funeral would be considered unfilial in the eyes of the world and in the eyes of Heaven.
If investigated in the future, this will be an inextricable karmic debt that can never be repaid, and sooner or later it will become an insurmountable obstacle on the path of cultivation.
"Not yet?" Cheng Jiu grasped the key point.
"It's said that your mother insists you go back before your father can be buried."
"My mother?"
Cheng Jiu could hardly believe her ears. Her mother, that love-struck mother, would actually stop Luo Xing'an from being buried for her sake!
This world has really gone mad!
"Yes! It is said that your mother insisted on stopping it, and since she had the highest cultivation level, your father's body is still lying in the hall. Otherwise, the Luo family would not have come all the way to find you to go back."
"I'm going back!"
Cheng Jiu said she absolutely had to go back and see what was going on!
"Junior Sister, would you like us to keep you company?"
"No need, I'll go myself!"
Cheng Jiu shook his head and declined the kind offers from his senior brothers and sisters.
Yingyue and the others had no objections, after all, this was Junior Sister Cheng Jiu's private matter.
Once he made a decision, Cheng Jiu was very proactive.
After sending a message to his master and receiving a reply, he rode the little cloud beast and flew towards Hailian City.
Leaving the territory of Guiyuan Sect and entering Yunxiao Sect, Cheng Jiu felt somewhat dazed as he looked at the increasingly familiar surroundings.
Compared to the child who once trembled with fear as she rode in a caravan bound for Jin Guan City, filled with anticipation for the future yet worried about the caravan's ill intentions and the allure of her wealth, she is now a powerful cultivator!
The closer you get to the coast, the more familiar the salty, damp smell of the sea breeze becomes.
I had long heard that the beast tide at Yunxiao Sect was the largest and most dangerous, and now I see that it is indeed true.
What was once a vast land has been covered by the sea, with only ruins and broken walls faintly visible. The site of Hailian City has now become a vast ocean.
The newly built Hailian City is located closer to the inland. After searching for several cities in a row and making some inquiries, Cheng Jiu finally arrived at the new Hailian City.
Although the city's layout was based on the former Hailian City, it no longer had the familiar atmosphere that Cheng Jiu was familiar with.
The little cloud beast landed, attracting almost everyone's attention. For this small city, the little cloud beast, a spirit beast at the Nascent Soul stage, was a legendary existence.
With such a powerful spirit beast, the people of Hailian City were even more curious about how the beast's owner had suddenly appeared in Hailian City.
Cheng Jiu landed on the little cloud beast. After nearly a month of long journey, Cheng Jiu looked somewhat travel-worn, but his complexion remained unchanged.
Heading towards the city gate, the people in line made way for Cheng Jiu, who arrived at the gate without any hindrance. The guards on duty didn't even confiscate Cheng Jiu's spirit stones and let her in directly.
Upon entering the city, Cheng Jiu headed straight for a familiar spot.
"The Chen residence?"
Cheng Jiu looked at the two large characters hanging high above the gate of the house.
"You're back!"
A figure shrouded in gloom floated out from the gate of the house; it was Chen Tingyi, who had become a ghost cultivator: "Your father has been waiting for you for a long time!"
"?" Does this mean her father isn't dead?
Cheng Jiu's expression turned slightly unpleasant. Could it be a trick to coax her back?
But she didn't show her emotions and followed Chen Tingyi into the mansion.
The light from the white candles illuminated the mourning hall brightly, and the Luo family members, dressed in mourning robes, knelt on both sides.
The two Luo siblings knelt at the front, while Zhao Meier knelt behind them, sobbing uncontrollably.
A white soul drifted around the coffin.
Upon closer inspection, isn't this his father's soul?
We really did wait for her; we waited for a long time.
"Cry! Why aren't you crying? Your crying isn't sincere; how can the master have peace?"
Chen Tingyi looked at these people and scolded them: "I knew you were only superficially affectionate towards the master. How can you repay the master for taking care of you all these years!"
Upon seeing Cheng Jiu approach, everyone burst into tears. Although the sounds were mixed, Cheng Jiu surprisingly detected a certain sincerity in them.
"How long have they been guarding this place?"
Hearing Cheng Jiu's question, Chen Tingyi replied matter-of-factly, "The master hasn't been buried yet, how can they stop wailing! What if they disturb the master's peace!"
Cheng Jiu looked at the blank soul, which, although devoid of any consciousness from its previous life, was visibly restless.
Isn't this already causing unrest?
Judging from the state of his soul, if he is not buried soon, his soul will likely be reduced to ashes.
Cheng Jiu looked at her mother with a strange gaze.
As a ghost cultivator, even though it hadn't been long, she didn't believe her mother couldn't tell.
Chen Tingyi handed a mourning garment to Cheng Jiu, who took it and put it on.
"Let's offer incense to your father!"
After accepting the incense offered by the other party, Cheng Jiu respectfully bowed three times to the coffin, for the deceased should be respected.
After offering incense, before she could kneel down and mourn with the others, a sprightly old man suddenly appeared beside her.
Cheng Jiu recognized him; he was the seventh elder of the family, a rigid old man.
He then raised his voice to the crowd.
"Everyone's here! Let's lift the coffin!"
So fast! Cheng Jiu looked at Chen Tingyi's matter-of-fact expression and swallowed her doubts. It was so different from what she had imagined. Cheng Jiu felt she needed to calm down.
Upon hearing the news of the coffin being lifted, Luo Zhui and Luo Aimei, brother and sister, stood up, supporting each other, and numbly passed by Cheng Jiu's side.
There was none of the malice or provocation I had imagined; upon closer inspection, I noticed the other person was even staggering.
Several strongmen, who had been arranged in advance, quickly erected the coffin.
The spirit altar has long been removed.
A maid dressed in plain white clothes supported the swaying Zhao Meier, whose already pitiful appearance made her seem even more pathetic.
"What are you doing! You're only supposed to kneel for a few days, yet you're making people help you up. Do you have some kind of grudge against the master?"
Chen Tingyi looked at Zhao Meier and reprimanded her sternly.
"Sister, I can't stand up anymore!"
Zhao Meier was in tears. Her cultivation level was only average, and she had always been pampered. After kneeling for several months, she really couldn't take it anymore!
"You're not being loyal enough to the master! Don't help him up, absolutely not! Do you hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Chen Tingyi is currently the most powerful person in the Luo family. Although these maids have always served the Luo family, they dare not disobey this lady in the slightest.
"Why are you crying? Is there something you're unhappy with about me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Meier instinctively sobbed, no longer daring to shed tears.
"Why aren't you crying? The master is dead, aren't you sad at all?"
Cheng Jiu stared at his mother in disbelief.
Oh my god! I never expected this.
"Has the lady of the Luo family finally given permission for her burial?"
"I heard that lady's daughter has returned!"
"Finally back! It's been months! I was about to stink!"
"Are you out of your mind to say something like that!"
Cheng Jiu followed the funeral procession, heading west after leaving the city gate. The road became increasingly remote, and Cheng Jiu realized that this did not seem to be the way to Chen Tingyi's tomb.
Is this a case of not being buried together?
The burial had been prepared long beforehand, and they were ready to be buried there.
They were not buried together as expected.
Cheng Jiu glanced at Chen Tingyi. She had thought that Chen Tingyi would want to be buried with Luo Xing'an!
The moment Luo Xing'an was buried, Chen Tingyi's entire demeanor changed, as if she had finally been freed.
"I'm going back to the Ghost Realm!" Chen Tingyi looked at Luo Xing'an's tomb: "He said you're called Cheng Jiu now?"
"The 'cheng' in 'future' is 'jiu' which means 'nine thousand miles'."
"It's a beautiful name!" Chen Tingyi nodded in approval, a radiant smile spreading across her beautiful face. "Xiao Jiu! As Chen Tingyi, thank you. But as her mother, I'm sorry! I haven't been a good mother!"
"I don't care anymore!" Cheng Jiu shook her head; she had moved on the moment she left the Luo family!
"I don't know what a home is, nor do I know how to be a mother!"
Chen Tingyi suddenly had a lot to say to Cheng Jiu, her only daughter, the only daughter who carried her bloodline: "That year there was a great drought. My mother said that sons were more important than daughters, so my father sold me to get silver and grain for my brother to get married."
I have no home!
The master is very good, but that's not my home.
I wanted a home, and then your dad showed up! I'm so happy.
But your father wants a son, and your father's mother also wants a son. My mother also told me that a son is the most important.
Everyone told me that only when a son is born can a family be considered complete.
When I was pregnant with you, I thought that if it was a daughter in my belly, I would definitely not let her suffer the same fate as me.
I'm so sorry, I'm in so much pain!
Fortunately, you've been different since you were little!
When I saw you in the ghost realm, I was glad that you hadn't repeated my mistakes.
I'm telling you all this for no other reason than this!
Chen Tingyi took a deep breath, and in her eyes, she looked at Cheng Jiu with a tenderness and love that Cheng Jiu had never seen before.
"Xiao Jiu, I just want to tell you that I was full of anticipation for your birth!"
You've become the person I wanted you to be, so within my power, I won't allow anyone to get in your way!
Listening to Chen Tingyi's words, Cheng Jiu felt as if he were soaking in warm water, feeling warm and cozy, yet also with a strange bittersweet feeling.
She murmured, but couldn't utter a single word.
Luo Xing'an had already been buried. A soul-reaping envoy appeared in the sky, his expression unchanged, completely ignoring the cultivators around him. He grabbed the pure white soul of the other and flew towards the black hole in the sky.
Chen Tingyi followed closely behind.
Looking at the small grave and the words engraved on the tombstone, Cheng Jiu thought it was really all over.
"She insisted that you must return before she could be buried," a sinister voice rang out.
Cheng Jiu met a gaze filled with apprehension and resentment as she followed the sound. Meeting the other's fearful eyes, Cheng Jiu curled her lips into a smile: "Then it should be the Chen residence now, not the Luo residence, right?"
"What do you want to do?" Luo Zhui asked sharply and nervously.
“As Chen Tingyi’s daughter, I should rightfully have ownership, shouldn’t I!” Cheng Jiu slowly took a few steps toward the other party.
Luo Zhui and his sister instinctively took a step back: "Don't go too far!"
Zhao Meier looked at Cheng Jiu with tears in her eyes: "They are your younger brother and sister, they are family."
“I’ve never admitted it! Besides, as I said back then, who can prove that those two are definitely Luo Xing’an’s children?”
Cheng Jiu shook his finger and said disdainfully.
"?!" Zhao Meier's eyes filled with tears: "Zhui'er and your father are almost identical, how could you, how could you..."
"It might just be a coincidence! Why don't you let my dad come and tell me himself?" Cheng Jiu looked at the three of them with a roguish grin.
Upon hearing this, the three trembled with rage. How could they allow it? They had just been buried in front of everyone! Even their souls had been taken to the ghost realm by the soul-reaper.
Seeing the three people who were furious, Cheng Jiu looked at them with a warning in his eyes: "Don't mess with me, and stay far away from me in the future! Otherwise, I will kick you out and leave you with nowhere to hide."
The overwhelming pressure made it almost impossible for anyone present to stand up, and their fearful gazes fell on Cheng Jiu.
Nascent Soul Stage!
The siblings, who were originally very proud of themselves, were on the verge of collapse. This is the immense pressure that comes with power.
After Luo Xing'an was buried, Cheng Jiu hastily ate a vegetarian meal at the Luo family's house, stayed for two days, and then left.
The Luo family was left to the siblings. A group of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people would be a burden for Cheng Jiu, and Cheng Jiu didn't want to get involved.
After the beast tide ended, most of the Luo family's treasures were lost in the tide. The only reason they were able to occupy the mansion they have now is because of the compensation and reward given to Luo Xing'an for dying while protecting the city.
It was because Chen Tingyi relied on her strong power to protect the compensation that she was able to receive, which is why she was said to have "no problem with the Chen family".
The journey back to the sect felt incredibly slow to Cheng Jiu. Unlike when he came with a clear goal, he felt somewhat lost on the way back.
Fortunately, there's no rush, so we can travel at our own pace.
"Does Junior Sister Jiu want to join the Enforcement Hall?"
After receiving news that everything was over from Cheng Jiu's side, Qin Che sent Cheng Jiu a message.
"The Hall of Enforcement?"
"Once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, you can go out and train! The Enforcement Hall has many missions with very generous rewards. You can train and take on missions at the same time."
"want."
Upon seeing Cheng Jiu's message, Qin Che replied, "Then I'll wait for you at the sect, Junior Sister! We can team up to take on missions and train together."
Upon seeing Qin Che's message, Cheng Jiu's mood improved for some reason. The previous incident was merely a minor episode on the path of cultivation. We should strengthen our resolve and stride forward on the path of pursuing the Great Dao.