Old Fire Pit

"Was the voice in my dream real? Or did I just have a strange dream because I miss my old world too much?"

Hu Ma silently thought about the strange temple in his dream and the voice he heard just before waking up, a sense of oppression filling his heart.

He silently threw off the covers and got out of bed.

In this bizarre environment, he didn't dare to take off his clothes or shoes, so getting up was convenient.

Except...

...it seemed he hadn't lain down at all last night. Who had covered him with the quilt then?

Outside, the Old Woman was indeed waiting, leaning on her cane and carrying a bag.

Seeing Hu Ma come out, she said coldly, "Let's go!"

Hu Ma was both afraid of her and subconsciously wanted to please her. He took a couple of steps forward and said, "Shall I carry the bag?"

The Old Woman seemed a little surprised and looked deeply at Hu Ma.

Perhaps because he hadn't slept well last night, Hu Ma had heavy dark circles under his eyes, his face was pale and bloodless, and he looked listless.

The Old Woman's expression seemed heavy, and she shook her head, "You have an injury on your shoulder; you can't carry heavy things."

"Let's go to the Old Fire Pit first and pay respects to the Ancestors."

"..."

Hu Ma didn't know what the connection was between the Old Fire Pit and the Ancestors, but his mind was weary, and he couldn't be bothered to ask.

The road was paved with stones, and in some places, there were still puddles from the recent rain, muddy and damp.

Morning mist shrouded the village, casting a mysterious aura over everything near and far.

It was indeed completely different from the world Hu Ma remembered—ancient and remote, with an inexplicable sense of alienation and decay.

For some reason, facing this world, Hu Ma felt a faint sense of trepidation.

Just then, his left hand suddenly felt cold. He looked down to see the little girl named Hong Tang approaching him and taking his hand.

"Let's go, Brother Hu Ma..."

She looked up at him, grinning, her expression carefree and bright.

She looked just like a little girl who, afraid of being alone when going out, always held an adult's hand.

"But she's a little monster..."

He inwardly refused to hold the little girl's hand, but he didn't dare to pull away, so he could only force himself to endure it.

Holding her hand, he followed the Old Woman's hunched back as they walked forward.

This was Hu Ma's second time going out. Unlike the confusion and dizziness of yesterday, this time he clearly saw the appearance of this world. It seemed to be nestled within a range of mountains; in every direction he looked, he could see towering peaks reaching into the clouds and verdant, deep forests.

Surrounding them were rows of wooden houses, stacked layer upon layer, irregularly divided by winding stone paths, forming the appearance of a village.

This time, he looked more closely and still found no trace of any modern things he was familiar with.

Whether it was the clothing of the villagers or their farming tools, the clumsy stone mills, and the damp wells, everything exuded an ancient aura.

"Swish..."

As they walked, a household ahead pushed open their door.

But upon seeing Hu Ma and his companions, they quickly retreated and quietly closed the door.

The villagers had risen early, and they occasionally encountered groups of three to five people on the road. However, upon seeing the Old Woman approaching, they all quietly dodged away.

Those who couldn't retreat simply stood there awkwardly, offering the Old Woman a smiling face.

Faintly, Hu Ma heard someone whispering from a nearby house, "Old Granny Hu is still quite capable..."

"That Hu family kid was possessed so badly, and she still managed to save him..."

"..."

"Oh my, judging by Old Granny Hu's direction, they're heading to the Old Fire Pit?"

"Will the Ancestors recognize Little Hu Ma?"

"Shhh..."

"..."

"Hong Tang doesn't like the villagers..."

As they walked silently, the little girl suddenly looked up at Hu Ma and said, "Granny has always been helping them with their illnesses, and she doesn't even charge the poor, even giving them herbs. But now they all avoid Granny, afraid she'll borrow their lives to give to Brother Hu Ma..."

"Borrow lives?"

Hu Ma looked at the little girl's face, unsure how to respond.

The villagers were afraid of the Old Woman, and he was afraid of her too...

However, what was the Old Woman's identity? Was she a doctor or a shaman in this village?

In his past life, in some remote and ancient villages, the responsibility of healing and exorcism was often held by the same person.

With fearful eyes, an old woman, a child, and a young boy walked through the village and arrived at a hillside to the north.

Several people were already waiting at the foot of the hill.

The one in the lead wore a sheepskin jacket and had a long, crude iron pipe tucked into his waist. His aged face was covered in wrinkles.

"Hu Family Old Woman..."

Upon seeing Hu Ma, the Old Woman, and the others arrive, he hurried to greet them. He glanced at Hu Ma first, then averted his eyes and hesitantly asked the Old Woman, "Little nephew Hu Ma seems to have recovered greatly, but... are you sure you want to take him into the Old Fire Pit?"

The Old Woman slowly raised her head to look at him, then at the few timid middle-aged men behind him.

"Is that not allowed?"

"No, no..."

The old man hurriedly shook his head and said in a low voice, "Isn't little Hu Ma just getting better? Why don't you let him rest a bit longer?"

"Precisely because he just recovered, we must enter the Old Fire Pit."

The Old Woman's attitude seemed very firm. "If the Ancestors don't protect him, who will?"

The old man's expression immediately became very troubled.

But the Old Woman said no more and walked forward first. Xiao Hong Tang, holding Hu Ma's hand, excitedly followed behind.

The old man could no longer try to dissuade her at this point. The men behind him also smiled and nodded at the Old Woman.

But after the Old Woman had passed, they gathered in front of the man in the sheepskin jacket, saying with some difficulty:

"Clan Leader, the Old Woman doing this, what do you think..."

"There's no choice!"

The Old Clan Leader said, "In this village, who would dare to stop the Old Woman?"

"Should we abandon our conscience?"

"Let's see what the Ancestors intend..."

"..."

After climbing the slope, Hu Ma saw a twenty-square-meter pit on the flat ground.

It was surrounded by adobe bricks and was long and narrow. The pit was filled with ash.

Faintly, he could see dark red embers hidden beneath the surface ash, with wisps of smoke rising, as if the fire within had never been extinguished.

Most importantly, in the pit, Hu Ma saw an unfinished skull.

Only half of it remained, lying on the ash. Its hollow eyes stared directly at him.

Hu Ma was startled. "This Old Fire Pit is for burning people?"

"Kneel."

The Old Woman had already reached the fire pit and taken down the bundle from her back. She spoke in a low voice to Hu Ma.

Hu Ma obediently knelt.

Xiao Hong Tang beside him did not kneel, but squatted happily to the side, resting her chin on her small hands and watching him.

"Kneel closer, let the Ancestors see you properly."

Seeing Hu Ma kneel seven or eight meters away, the Old Woman frowned and motioned him forward.

Hu Ma had no choice but to kneel closer, now less than a meter from the Old Fire Pit. He could already feel the baking heat emanating from it, thick and oppressive, making him sweat all over and seeming to make breathing difficult.

The Old Woman took out incense, a bowl, meat, and a Talisman from her bundle.

She lit the incense, offered the meat, burned the Talisman, and performed the ritual respectfully, then bowed her head and prayed:

"The Hu Family entered the village twenty years ago, helping neighbors and guarding the village, diligently farming the fields."

"Now the Hu Family faces disaster, enemies press and evil spirits cling."

"Today I beg the Ancestors to protect my grandson, and I will repay with more incense and money..."

"..."

She closed her eyes, mumbling repeatedly.

Hu Ma didn't hear clearly the first time, but later he slowly understood. Seeing her solemn and devout expression, he felt a slight warmth in his heart.

This Old Woman truly cared deeply for her grandson...

Unfortunately...

But before this thought could fully form, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew over the Old Fire Pit.

Hu Ma's vision blurred, and he suddenly felt that the baking heat from the Old Fire Pit instantly turned bone-chillingly cold.

This cold seemed to penetrate directly into his bones, freezing his entire body.

At this moment, his ears were filled with unintelligible whispers from who knew where.

It was as if a hundred people were murmuring, but the sounds were densely packed together, pouring into his ears.

Not only that, his eyes hurt terribly. He subconsciously raised his hand to rub them, then suddenly froze.

In the Old Fire Pit, the half-burnt skull had actually grown an eye, looking at him with cold malice.

Immediately after, he saw a hand emerge from the ashes.

Then came a second hand, followed by a human face, a second human face, a third human face.

Ghostly arms, cold and sinister, translucent faces, all emerged from the ashes.

Were there dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of them?

They were packed together, intertwined, like a centipede with a thousand arms, reassembled.

Countless figures were crammed into the fire pit, which was less than twenty square meters.

Bodies intertwined and overlapped, like a crushed crowd.

Countless faces pushed together, countless eyes looking up and down, all staring uniformly at Hu Ma, blinking densely.

Some were sinister and cold, some were lost and foolish, some were curious yet fearful.

"Buzz!"

Hu Ma's mind was reeling from the sight. Terror surged from his chest, almost stopping his heart.

He just stared blankly at the endless figures emerging from the Old Fire Pit.

A cold wind swirled around the fire pit. The Old Woman's chanting grew more urgent, and Xiao Hong Tang hid far away.

It was like a bizarre human tree, with more and more ghostly figures emerging from the fire pit.

They were mere inches away, looking down at Hu Ma with indifference.

None of them reached out.

The Old Woman kept her head lowered, chanting continuously, as if she weren't even breathing.

But her chanting grew more frantic until the three incense sticks burning in front of her reached the bottom at an unusual speed. Only then did she suddenly stop.

Her messy hair obscured her face, so her expression was hidden. All that could be heard was her disappointed sigh.

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