Carrying the Coffin North

"Brother Hu Shan's bones?"

Compared to Hu Ma's calm at that moment, Second Master was far more moved.

He had always felt that many of the misfortunes that had befallen the Hu Family were connected to Hu Shan, the taciturn man from back then. When Hu Shan had shielded Great Sheep Village from disaster, he could have been buried in the pond.

But because they had never found his body and did not know whether he was alive or dead, none of the Hu Family had been buried in the pond. As a result, during the period when Hu Ma underwent his transformation, the village's hearth fire could not protect him.

And back then, Second Master had been too ignorant. Like people from the other villages, he had thought that their ancestors belonged only to them and could not easily be asked to shelter outsiders. So although he had felt indignant on Old Woman's behalf, he hadn't known how to explain it to the village.

Now, after walking through fire for the Mountain Sacrifice and witnessing the birth of the Pond God, he understood many things.

The practice of guarding one's own village and shutting out outsiders was, in truth, a lie.

No one could say where the lie had first come from, but this custom only prevented a true god from being born in the pond.

His heart grew complicated. He hurried to help Hu Ma carry the bones inside, then burned incense and settled the soul.

Only then did he look at Hu Ma and ask, "Will you bury him in the village, or...?"

Now that members of the Hu Family were to be buried in the pond, no one would stand in the way. They would consider it only right and proper. But Second Master had long