The Si Clan's Funeral (Continued)

The once vibrant and picturesque Water Mirror Manor is now shrouded in white mourning clothes, with people dressed in mourning attire scattering paper money, creating a somber and oppressive atmosphere.

The patriarch of the Si Clan Si Jingxi, passed away three days ago, and today is the day of her burial.

Whether they genuinely supported their ancestor or harbored resentment due to past oppression, the members of the Si Clan all wore expressions of sorrow and confusion at this moment. Their hearts were heavy, and they were speechless, some silent, some weeping, instinctively sensing a sense of impending doom.

Even among those who shed tears, the vast majority are crying for their own unknowable future, not for their ancestors.

The Nation of Beauty is a nation of art and culture, composed of non-mainstream schools of thought such as Painting School, School of Fiction Music School, Chess School, Calligraphy School Shaman School. In terms of overall national strength, it may rank at the bottom of the second tier, but its military strength is indeed third-rate.

With everyone focused on art, fewer people were practicing martial arts, resulting in a small number of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster —only eight on the surface. Now that Si Jingxi is dead, they can't even gather enough people for two mahjong games.

Si Jingxi lived to the age of 149, which is a long life compared to ordinary people, but it is undoubtedly short for Spirit Transformation Grandmaster. She could have lived longer, but unfortunately, she was seriously injured in the battle with the Eight Asura Sin Lord ten years ago and had been barely surviving until now, but in the end, she still could not make it through.

Regardless of who the ancestor may have mistreated in the past, she single-handedly supported the entire Lineage. Out of respect for her, others dared not touch the Si Clan. Now that this pillar has collapsed, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.

Even when people fight amongst themselves, there are still limits; at least they won't resort to violence. Everyone is related, and it's easy to find someone to claim a connection. Going too far would only alienate supporters. But if it's someone from outside the clan, they won't show any mercy. Taking advantage of someone's misfortune and robbing them when they're down is all too common.

All the preparations for the funeral were complete. The coffin containing Si Jingxi's body was placed on the ground. A beautiful woman of about forty years old walked out from the funeral procession. She had a fair, oval face, arched eyebrows, and sorrowful phoenix eyes. She was an extremely beautiful woman. She was Si Jingyue, the current patriarch of the Si Clan.

The Water Mirror Manor Si Clan possesses a special bloodline that can only be inherited by women. Therefore, women are respected within the clan, and all those who hold real power are women. Moreover, the stronger the bloodline in a person's body, the greater the probability of giving birth to a girl. Conversely, if a boy is born, it proves that the person's bloodline is becoming thin and they will usually be removed from the main clan's genealogy and become a branch of a sub-clan.

The men of the Si Clan are often treated as mascots and are not treated badly. After all, due to the bloodline, the number of men in the clan is small. In order to ensure the purity of the bloodline as much as possible, endogamy is usually practiced. Therefore, according to the clan rules, every man of the Si Clan can only marry a woman of the clan.

Accompanied by a group of elders, Si Jingyue walked to the coffin, pushed open the lid, and revealed the deceased's head. At this moment, the guests who came to watch the funeral all turned their gazes, some even standing on tiptoe to look, which was extremely impolite and drew disapproving glances from the Si Clan members, but they still went their own way.

These guests were less there to attend a funeral and more there to confirm Si Jingxi's death. When a wild beast falls, many hyenas will come to devour its corpse.

Out of courtesy, these people will not cause trouble at the funeral, but they will surely be unable to restrain themselves after the funeral.

The Si Clan was fully aware of this, but they couldn't stop the other party from coming to the funeral. After all, they could only stop them temporarily, not forever. What was meant to happen would happen sooner or later, and what could they do if the other party came uninvited?

With their ancestors gone, they've lost their confidence and can no longer stand tall and look down on others like they used to.

Si Jingyue seemed completely unaware of this and unaffected. Following Nation of Beauty custom, she placed a piece of jade into the deceased's mouth and then loudly recited. "The morning dew on the leek is so easily dried; the dew dries and falls again tomorrow. When will a person return after death?"

This is the funeral song "Dew on the Allium". There is another one called "Artemisia Village", which says, "Whose land Artemisia Village? It gathers souls, whether wise or foolish. How the ghost lord rushes us, and human life cannot hesitate even for a moment."

"Dew on the Allium" is a funeral song for princes and nobles, while "Artemisia Village" is a funeral song for scholars and commoners. Since the Nation of Beauty no longer has an emperor or monarch, Si Jingxi, given his status, would naturally not use a funeral song like "Artemisia Village" that even commoners could use.

"When he committed suicide, his disciples were saddened and composed a mournful song for him, saying that human life is like dew on a leek, easily extinguished. It also says that after death, the soul returns to the Artemisia Village, hence the two chapters. The first is called 'Dew on the Allium,' and the second is called 'The Artemisia Village,' which were sung by those who carried the coffin. The world also calls them elegiac songs. They are also called the 'Song of Long and Short Life,' saying that the length of a person's life is predetermined and cannot be sought arbitrarily."

This is the origin of funeral songs.

Then, Si Jingyue closed the coffin lid. The elders who had some cultivation and were still strong and healthy stepped forward, lifted the spirit coffin, and slowly walked forward. A group of handsome young men followed on both sides of the spirit coffin, and they all opened their throats and sang "Funeral of Yu".

The chariot wheels swayed and lurched, the dragon's head soaring high and mighty. A mournful dirge was sung, its mournful clamor echoing through the carriage.

The Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals records that when Duke Ai of Lu met with Wu to attack Qi, Gongsun Xia said, "You two will surely die." Before the battle, Gongsun Xia ordered his followers to sing the "Funeral of Yu" song.

"Funeral of Yu" is a funeral song that signifies certain death.

The young singers flanking the coffin are called "funeral attendants" or "funeral boys." They are usually outstanding young men selected from among the noble children. To be a funeral attendant, one must meet two conditions: first, have a beautiful singing voice; and second, be handsome and charming.

Therefore, commoners and even ordinary landlords and wealthy families could not hire a pallbearer; only Aristocratic Clan families had the necessary talent and resources.

The Si Clan are disciples of the Shaman School. The clan members are skilled in singing and dancing, and with their good genes, there are many handsome young men in the clan, so there is no need to hire outsiders.

According to custom, the deceased should be allowed to see the land they cherished most in life. Therefore, the coffin was carried almost around the entire Water Mirror Manor. Fortunately, although these elders were old and no longer agile enough to fight, they possessed profound Internal Cultivation and, having lived a life of luxury, were not lacking in brute force. Therefore, after carrying the coffin for several thousand meters, they were only slightly out of breath and not too tired to move.

Finally, they placed the palanquin next to the cremation pyre, and musicians began to play funeral music. To the music, the tribespeople led over several animals designated as sacrifices and killed them. Their blood was mixed with milk, honey, and wine, and then sprinkled around the cremation pyre. Ghee, rosin, sal resin... were all prepared in advance.

The Nation of Beauty does not practice burial. Only Confucian School advocates that "our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents, and we dare not damage them." Other schools of thought do not value this aspect as much, with some liking it and others disliking it. Only the Mohist School, the main adversaries, believe that burial is too cumbersome, wasteful of resources, and wasteful of land, thus squeezing out the living space of the living. Therefore, they have legislated to strictly prohibit burial.

The Shaman School dislikes burial. They believe that placing a corpse in a coffin to slowly decompose is a desecration of "beauty." The deceased should leave this world in the most perfect state, which is the only way to respect the dead.

In fact, most Nation of Beauty share the same view, as they are all followers of schools of thought that pursue artistic beauty and naturally agree with this view.

Of course, cremation can also be very grand, even more extravagant than burial, which is different from the Mohist School view of "keeping everything simple" and "not letting the dead burden the living".

In the Nation of Beauty, there is a very thriving profession: mortician, also known as a funeral director. Their job is to prepare the deceased's face and body with makeup, restoring them to their state before death as much as possible. They are said to bring the cold corpse back to life and give the deceased eternal beauty.

After all the rituals were completed, the mourners began to pour fragrant oil on the pyre, throw various spices, and pile up countless laurel wreaths and garlands, colorful flowers, green leaves, rich sandalwood incense, and garlands of all colors. Amidst the clamor, one could not detect any trace of sorrow.

Although the Si Clan was not very large, it was still a large Lineage. In addition, there were a number of guests attending the funeral, so there were many wreaths sent. They not only covered the entire pyre, but were also thickly stacked around it. This was after excluding some people of too low status who were not qualified to attend the funeral.

Undoubtedly, they used the most precious spices and flowers, worth a fortune, and some were even priceless.

If an ordinary person could find a flower or a spice among them, selling it would be enough to cover their household expenses for a year.

The disparity between rich and poor, with the dead living more luxuriously than the living, is truly ironic, but those standing here would never think that way; to them, this is the normal world.

Clan Si Jingyue stood before the coffin, torch in hand, suppressing her grief, and recited aloud. "All who are born must die; an early end is not necessarily a hasty death. Yesterday we were all human, today we are in the register of ghosts. Where does the soul go? The withered form rests on an empty tree. My beloved child cries for its mother, my good friend weeps for me. I know no more of gain or loss, no more of right or wrong! A thousand autumns and ten thousand years from now, who will know of honor or disgrace? I only regret that in this life, I could not drink my fill of wine."

Then, a young girl emerged from the funeral procession. Her aura seemed to envelope her like the fragrance of flowers. She had delicate, sharp eyebrows, a neat and noble nose, and snow-white skin as clear as cold milk. Her large, competitive eyes were framed by long eyelashes, and her gaze was filled with stubbornness. There was not much sadness in her eyes; instead, it shone with the brilliance of glory and confidence. Her gaze towards the "uninvited guests" revealed undisguised hostility.

She is Si Jingyue's daughter, and also the young patriarch of the Si Clan, Si Jingyu.

Although she is not yet eighteen years old, she has already begun to take over the reins of the Lineage, helping her mother handle Lineage affairs and demonstrating Superman talent. Whether it is internal affairs, arts, or martial arts, she has achievements that are admired by ordinary people.

Holding a torch in hand, she recited aloud. "The wild grasses stretch endlessly, the white poplars rustle sadly. In the ninth month, the severe frost sends me to the distant suburbs. No one lives on any side, only the high graves stand majestically. The horses neigh towards the sky, the wind howls mournfully. The secluded chamber is now closed, never to rise again for a thousand years. Never to rise again for a thousand years, what can the wise and virtuous do? Those who came to see me off have all returned to their homes. Relatives may still grieve, but others have already sung. What can be said of the dead? I entrust my body to the mountains."

Singing this elegy is definitely not a good choice, especially the line "Relatives may grieve, but others have already sung," which undoubtedly implies something.

Those guests with malicious intentions naturally understood the hidden meaning. Some of them turned grim and thought the girl was impolite, while others revealed cruel sneers, showing no shame.

When the torch was thrown down, it quickly ignited the balm that had been poured on it. A burst of flames shot out and spread, and soon the entire pile of wood was filled with leaping, undulating tongues of fire, enveloped in clouds of fragrant smoke.

The clansmen cried out in unison, calling out "Our Ancestors!" and wailing loudly. Some even fainted on the spot from crying.