I didn't look at that monk again, because after looking at him for a long time, I felt uncomfortable everywhere.
He has a benevolent and kind expression, but the aura around him is too deathly serene and transparent. Old Gong didn't like him either; his head kept rolling back and forth on the bed.
I was actually very tired, and I haven't slept for how long. So, I just got onto the bed, closed my eyes, and fell asleep deeply.
Woken by a knock on the door, it was just beginning to dawn. The clouds were a brilliant red and the sunrise was just around the corner.
I opened the door, and there were my parents at the door, both in a different set of clothes, which must have been brought by that monk. Other than being overly undernourished and thin, their appearance was no different from that of a normal person.
Internally, I felt warm. After calling my parents, they both smiled gently, and my mother even came to hold my hand, not letting it go.
Outside of this hotel, I saw the white-topped house on the side. Last night it was too dark, and the visual difference made people feel that the two houses were connected, while in reality there was a small path between them.
Several cars were parked in front of the white-roofed house, with their trunks open. Inside were two parallel platforms, with a body bag placed on top.
A few people were lifting the body into the white-roofed house, accompanied by a monk in the habit, who was quietly waiting by the side.
Morgue?
It seems not as simple as that.
The monk who had been camping on the side of the road all night was standing by one of the cars, talking to the driver. The driver was particularly devout, always keeping his hands in prayer, nodding continuously.
"Ngakpo Lama is different from other sky buriers. The dead body for a normal sky burial doesn't need the participation of a Lama, but he has immersed himself in it anyway, allowing the deceased to directly ascend to heaven." My father finally spoke up.
For me, I don't understand these details; I can only listen.
"The monks of Black City Temple and the Monastery are sworn enemies. Over the years, the Monastery has gradually become more purified, and they have long since separated into different traditions. The Lama who chooses the dead body for a sky burial is arranged by Ngakpo Lama very well. If we return to the Monastery one day, our whole family should come to thank him properly." My father continued.
"Okay." I replied.
After another ten or so minutes, all the bodies had been taken into that white-roofed house.
Ngakpo Lama waved at us, and our whole family walked over to him.
The driver shouted at us in a poor Mandarin, telling us to get into the car, and his smile was quite intense.
My parents got on the car first, and then Ngakpo Lama reached out and surprisingly grabbed my hand.
His tone was strange, and after saying a few words, he handed me something.
It was a roll of cloth, with a texture similar to human skin.
My hand trembled slightly, but I managed to catch it.
Ngakpo Lama smiled again and bowed deeply towards me, which made me feel slightly awkward, so I quickly returned the bow. However, he turned around and walked away towards the distance.
After that, I got into the car. My parents sat next to each other leaning against the wall of the car, and I didn't want to sit on the table where the dead bodies were transported, so I leaned against them.
After the driver got into the car, he drove downhill all the way, the journey was naturally bumpy.
A stench of death filled the car, continuously hovering around my body.
We didn't go through Dazhou. Instead, we probably took another route away from there.
There were no accidents during this time.
When the car stopped, the driver opened the trunk, and when I got out, I saw nothing but a vast and majestic river in front of me. There were towering mountains all around, white mist hovering at the mid-levels of the mountains, and mist on the water's surface.
My dad had a brief conversation with the driver, exchanged greetings, and then the driver drove off.
"It's safe here," my dad sighed with relief. At last, a smile of relief appeared on his face.
My mother was still tightly holding my hand.
"Is Mr. Qin still okay?" Dad suddenly asked: "Hehe, I thought you had talked to your mother about it. She didn't know anything about it."
I was stunned and remained silent.
My mother's expression became somewhat complex.
A moment later, I composed myself and told them about Old Mr. Qin's death.
My dad stood still, his eyes filled with a sense of sadness and deep regret.
"Old Qin... why don't you call him..."
The expression in his eyes changed slightly as he stared at my waist.
"Manifestation... it seems that there are many things that are not the same as what Mr. Qin said or arranged!?" His tone rose gradually, his doubt reaching an extreme level.
I exhaled a breath and said, "Indeed, a lot of things have happened."
My father's reaction confirmed my deduction that the reason they left me behind was related to Old Mr. Qin's plan to cultivate me, of course, this had a direct connection to the fact that the Luo family would not look favorably upon me.
I signaled my dad to continue walking towards the direction with human settlement, making it easier for us to leave by car. While walking, I basically recounted everything that had happened over the past ten years.
Hearing about Sun's attitude and behavior towards me, as well as the deaths of Sun Dahai and Sun Zhuo, my mother's eyes filled with tears. She said, "Indeed, not one with the same blood is just a white-eyed wolf."
Only after she explained did I learn that because the Gu family only had daughters and couldn't have a son, even after her, all their daughters mysteriously died. That's why her parents adopted Sun Dahai from another family branch, and thus Sun Dahai became my uncle.
In fact, the Gu family changed Sun Dahai's surname, but when the old couple of the Gu family were gradually aging and unable to take care of things themselves, Sun Dahai was still young and returned to his original surname.
The saying "auntie and uncle are closer than blood relations" is a lie in Sun Dahai's case.
However, it was just a deception aimed at the young me.
My dad fell silent for a long time before he said, "I begged for the strips of dead flesh, while what Fushen Master asked for was the body of a respected Taoist. As you imagined, he has indeed peeked into the secret of ascending to heaven more than once. He always felt that his attachment was too heavy, causing his desires to be too heavy as well, thinking that it would be difficult for him to ascend to heaven. He wanted to use a mummified body as a nesting site and ascend to heaven through high teachings; this was indeed what he wanted. However, all I brought back was half a finger, which did not meet his needs. In addition, after Yuyang Jiu's change in attitude and belief that we had succeeded, we were forced into separation due to necessity."
"Master Qin, it's not appropriate to leave the body exposed in the wild, with the wind and sun beating down on it all year round. How can this be considered decent?"
"Manifestation, there are some things that you must do, that Qiqi..."
My dad just got to this point when my mom glanced at him, and her usually mild expression clearly took on a hint of reproach and sorrow.
Actually, my mom is also very strong-willed. It's not surprising to have that look of reproach and sorrow when she's blaming her husband.
The three characters "Qiqi" filled me with a sense of coldness in my heart.
But my dad paused suddenly and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Perhaps the most important thing we should do first is to give your elder brother who is both your father and teacher a proper explanation. My wife and I have indeed done many wrongs."
