Who are you?

"Old Woman..."

The moment he rushed into the cave entrance, Hu Ma heard Xiao Hong Tang call out anxiously.

As his eyes adjusted slightly to the darkness, he immediately saw that it wasn't much of a cave, only a little over a zhang deep.

The Old Woman was lying inside, half her body covered in blood, her spirit utterly depleted.

In front of her, two candles had been lit, along with a stick of incense. Some broken bone talismans and bottles were also placed there. The candles were almost burned out, but the light they emitted possessed an intangible power.

Beyond the candlelight, three or five infant spirits were desperately trying to bite their way in, but couldn't get close.

It must be that the Old Woman was injured and forced to hide in this cave, hastily setting up this simple ritual to ward off the infant spirits?

Hu Ma had no time to think. Gripping his saber with one hand, he quickly charged into the cave.

At this moment, behind the candlelight, the Old Woman was extremely weak. She struggled to lift her head and saw Hu Ma charging in with a fierce look, saber in hand. Her heart jolted, but she was too weak to do anything, only able to watch Hu Ma approach rapidly.

"Chii..."

He suddenly swung his saber with force, the wind from the blade making the candle flames flicker as if about to extinguish.

In this daze, the Old Woman felt a sense of resignation, ready to close her eyes and await death. But she hadn't expected Hu Ma's saber strike to be so powerful and forceful, filled with masculine energy.

The few infant spirits desperately trying to get close to her sensed the danger and turned to pounce on him. Under the wide, sweeping swings of his Mountain Splitting saber, they were easily slain, dissipating into nothingness one by one.

Then, Hu Ma took two steps forward, reaching the Old Woman. He thrust his Mountain Splitting saber into the ground and reached out to support her.

"Old Woman, are you alright?"

"..."

The Old Woman's somewhat cloudy eyes stared blankly at Hu Ma, and a seismic, tsunami-like change seemed to occur within them.

Seeing the Old Woman's sallow complexion and sunken eyes, Hu Ma's heart trembled for no reason.

Ever since he had woken up, the Old Woman had seemed eerie and terrifying, and later, almost omnipotent.

She chanted scriptures to drive away evil spirits, just so he could sleep soundly.

She had cut Blood Ganoderma, as precious as gold, from the deep mountains for him, to extend his life.

Finally, she had even entered the forest alone to find the ghost sent by the Meng Family, intending to resolve the threat for him. Despite her age, she seemed strong and tireless.

But now, she was so weak.

This severely injured and exhausted elder, like a candle in the wind, gave him a sense of unreality.

"Old Woman, it's alright now."

He subconsciously comforted her, "I came with Second Master to find you. I also found... a distinguished guest from the city to help."

The Old Woman simply stared blankly at Hu Ma, endless emotions surging in her eyes.

Suddenly, she flipped her hand, her withered, bony palm gripping Hu Ma's wrist with surprising strength.

Lowering her voice, she asked with great difficulty, "You... what exactly are you?"

"Swish!"

Hearing this question out of the blue, Hu Ma's heart suddenly trembled, and he looked at the Old Woman with disbelief.

The Old Woman was very weak now and no longer exuded the immense pressure and eerie aura she had when they first met.

However, this time, he saw her eyes clearly.

Those dim, sunken eyes were filled with clarity, as if she understood everything.

His heart thumped, thumped, beating slowly but very loudly.

Hu Ma slowly said, "I'm Hu Ma, Old Woman..."

"You're Hu Ma, you're Hu Ma..."

The Old Woman murmured, her hand gripping Hu Ma's arm even tighter, saying in a low voice, "But I know my grandson."

"He... when has he ever been this sensible?"

"..."

"Buzz..."

In that instant, Hu Ma felt a tremor that reached the depths of his soul.

So the Old Woman already knew.

He couldn't help but recall the taboo mentioned by the first Reincarnator he met, and he remembered that even the distinguished guest from the city, with such high status and influence, dared not reveal the slightest hint of suspicion.

Even in front of his subordinates, if he wanted to do him a favor, he had to first arrange a play for others to see.

And all of this was because...

...of secrets!

The biggest thing for a Reincarnator was their secret. Once exposed, no matter their status or cultivation, they would die miserably.

He had been treading on thin ice, being extremely careful to keep this secret.

Yet, the Old Woman had seen through it.

Second Master was just outside the cave; he could deal with whatever was out there and come in at any moment.

Xiao Hong Tang was right beside him, and he didn't know if she had heard anything.

What if those nobles from the city got curious and decided to come take a look? Wouldn't they immediately hear about this matter too?

His palm felt slightly warm, and a hint of brutality stirred within him.

It felt like he wanted to reach out and grab the Mountain Splitting blade stuck in the ground beside him...

But just as that thought arose, Hu Ma noticed the Old Woman's gaze again. He saw the deep, unshakeable worry and hope in her dim eyes.

He had seen that look before in his past life.

In this life, he was a Reincarnator. His blood relation with the Old Woman was fake, but he couldn't understand this look as fake…

So, his gaze slowly calmed, and he reached out to press on the Old Woman's hand holding his.

Stroking her rough, bark-like palm, he looked into her eyes and slowly said, "It's me, Hu Ma, Old Woman."

"I just remembered some things from before I reincarnated, and forgot some things from this life."

"But I remember you're my Old Woman..."

"..."

The Old Woman stared at Hu Ma, her pupils seeming to widen slightly. After a long while, Hu Ma suddenly saw endless joy flood her eyes.

She slowly sat up, and her dim eyes shone with an unusual brilliance.

She was completely different from the frail, aged woman from just moments ago. She was still as powerful, mysterious, and unfathomably profound, but now, a gaze of tenderness emerged from her eyes.

"Yes, my little grandson..."

The Old Woman tightly gripped his palm, as if afraid he would run away. Her voice trembled, "You are my little grandson, my grandson has grown sensible..."

"Heaven has eyes. Our Hu Family has suffered disaster and hardship, but our Hu Family has not been wiped out..."

"..."

"..."

"I..."

Hu Ma's heart suddenly jolted as the Old Woman held his hand, and a cold sweat broke out on him.

The Old Woman...

He couldn't quite articulate the feeling, but he clearly realized that the Old Woman he saw in his eyes moments ago seemed to have only one breath left, like a candle in the wind. He had felt pity and said something he didn't quite believe himself to comfort her.

But only now did he realize that the Old Woman wasn't as he had thought. She might be tired, but she hadn't become weak at all.

So, what was that just now...?

...A test?

He couldn't imagine what the outcome would have been if he had truly harbored murderous intent at that moment.

"Don't be afraid, my grandson..."

Seeing Hu Ma like this, the Old Woman actually showed a comforting smile. She gently stroked his head and whispered, "I actually knew you were different from before, right from when you were first summoned back and your consciousness wasn't clear..."

Hu Ma didn't know how to respond. Fear was already unavoidable in his eyes.

But at this moment, the Old Woman's gaze towards him held unprecedented tenderness. She held his hand and said in a low voice, "But I never doubted that you weren't my grandson, because I summoned you back with my own hands. I know I didn't summon the wrong person."

This answer caught Hu Ma completely off guard, and he didn't know how to respond.

Seeing his expression, the Old Woman seemed even more pained. She sighed softly and said, "Your soul is right, your birth characters are right, even your destiny is right. If you're not my grandson, then who is?"

"It's just that, after all, you've walked through the Gate of Hell once. Forcing you back will always cause some problems."

"But this problem can't be blamed on you..."

"..."

She spoke slowly, her eyes seeming to fill with deep guilt. "This is my fault, Old Woman. I didn't protect you well enough. It's my fault I found you too late..."

"Just like..."

Her gaze slowly shifted to the outside of the cave, paused for a moment, and after a long while, she whispered, "Just like the dolls on the pagoda tree."

"They experienced the suffering of reincarnation before they even understood things. Who can they blame?"

"..."

As Hu Ma listened to her, his scalp suddenly tingled.

Earlier, his words to her did have the intention of comforting the old woman, not wanting her to bear such a blow when she was already overworked.

But at this moment, he suddenly realized that perhaps he was the one who couldn't understand these matters.

The Old Woman had already confirmed his identity from another level, she just didn't quite understand why he had changed.

So, who was he, really?

"Old Woman, how are you?"

Just then, hurried and heavy footsteps sounded from outside the cave. Second Master, panting heavily, rushed into the cave.

His forehead was bleeding, with a large bump, making him look a bit comical.

"Ah?"

As he suddenly looked up, he saw Hu Ma holding the Old Woman's hand, while the Old Woman was leaning against the cave wall. He couldn't help but gasp, rushing forward a couple of steps with his hands raised high, but not daring to touch anything. He trembled, saying:

"Are... are you alright?"

"..."

"Second, your booming voice is giving me a headache..."

The Old Woman seemed to be in a good mood, looking at Second Master with a hint of teasing. "That Ghostly Puppet sent by the Meng Family is powerful, but I can handle it. Why were you so reckless, insisting on bringing him here to such a dangerous place to find me?"

"This..."

Second Master was stunned as he listened, and said sheepishly, "You can't blame me, he insisted on coming."

"When he heard you were in trouble, look how anxious he was..."

"..."

"Yeah..."

The Old Woman's eyes narrowed happily as she listened to Second Master's praise. "My grandson was just young before, not grown up yet."

She sighed slowly, leaning against the stone wall. Her eyes, just looking at Hu Ma, seemed to hold a myriad of joy. She said softly, "Second, you're a grown man, crying in front of me isn't a good look."

"You wait outside for a bit. I have a few more things to tell my little grandson."