Chapter 127: Chapter 127: The Conscious Qiu Mu
Xiao Qingya was a little embarrassed. She was too caught up in dealing with the ghosts—looking for the conscious and cooperative one that she paid no attention to the surroundings.
Upon seeing the newcomer’s expression, she could only give him an innocent look.
"Tiezhu," Xiao Jingran greeted the person. "What are you doing here?"
It was the Sun family’s oldest son, Sun Tiezhu. The teenager scratched his head and hesitated slightly. "I am going to burn some paper for my mother, Brother Jingran."
Xiao Qingya studied the honest-looking young man in front of them. Although he mostly inherited Sun Daniu’s looks, they really had different personalities.
This Sun Tiezhu was really a responsible person, taking care of all his younger brothers.
"How about you, Brother Jingran?" Sun Tiezhu glanced puzzledly at the siblings. "Why are you here with your little sister?"
"My little sister wants to play with the water in the river." Xiao Jingran answered gently.
Xiao Qingya was speechless; her eldest brother had used her as an excuse, but considering it was her who had dragged him there, it wasn’t completely false.
"You can just continue what you are going to do. We won’t disturb you." Xiao Jingran added.
Sun Tiezhu nodded, and he started to walk toward the huge rock by the riverside. It was noon, and there were only a small number of people near the river—they would take some water and leave immediately.
The young man pulled out items from his pouch, and then started burning the paper he had prepared. The smell of burning paper spread around the surroundings, and the atmosphere turned a little tense.
Xiao Qingya took a deep breath, glancing at Sun Tiezhu occasionally as she listened to the howling ghosts around.
[Let me take over your body for a while...]
Before the ghost could finish, Xiao Jingran already threw a talisman on her, and she let out a pained howl, her transparent figure dimming slightly.
The worst thing about these ghosts was that not all of them knew fear. Even though they had witnessed other ghosts suffering from the siblings’ talismans, they still dared to make excessive requests.
The Ling siblings shuddered upon seeing the female ghost’s state. Other ghosts who still retained some sanity and human feelings also retreated further, not daring to get close.
At this moment, as the smell from Sun Tiezhu’s paper burning spread around them, the Ling siblings who had taken a deep breath suddenly turned to the water.
A figure had appeared there.
In Xiao Qingya’s eyes, Qiu Mu almost looked like a normal person, but for Xiao Jingran, her whole face and neck was bluish purple.
[Zhu’er...] A pained expression appeared on Qiu Mu’s face as she slowly floated toward her eldest son’s side.
She obviously recognized her son although her expression was mostly wooden, alternating between confusion, pain, sadness, and unwillingness.
[She hasn’t accepted her death.] Ling Bo murmured.
He remembered his previous state, the various emotions coursing through him as he stared at his uncle and the eldest son who had come to visit their house.
It was as chaotic as Qiu Mu’s distorted emotions.
"Let’s talk to her..." Xiao Qingya softly grabbed her eldest brother’s hand, looking at him with her pair of round and big eyes.
Xiao Jingran pursed his lips, and eventually nodded. He would need to reveal his ability to Sun Tiezhu. Perhaps, the younger man might have some clues.
He slowly led his youngest sister to Sun Tiezhu’s side.
The young teenager had a dazed look on his face, softly calling his mother. He didn’t even notice the siblings’ presence. A brief clarity flashed in Qiu Mu’s eyes when she heard her son’s voice.
Once again, she called out in her low, hoarse voice. [Tiezhu... Mother is here... look at Mother.]
"Auntie Sun," Xiao Jingran called out in a gentle tone.
Sun Tiezhu snapped out of his daze, and he turned to Xiao Jingran with a stunned face. Qiu Mu also turned to him, her expression blank.
"Brother Jingran, what’s wrong?" He was a little puzzled why the siblings had gotten so close. After all, he had deliberately chosen a location a bit far from them so that he wouldn’t disturb them.
Xiao Jingran secretly observed Qiu Mu’s reaction.
[Tiezhu! My Tiezhu...] Qiu Mu tried to touch her son’s face, but her hand passed through.
A surprised look crossed her face, and she trembled slightly. [What’s happening?]
Xiao Qingya let out a sigh of sadness. Qiu Mu could regain her clarity so fast because of Sun Tiezhu’s presence.
[Hello, Auntie Sun.] Ling Bo appeared near the thin female ghost.
Qiu Mu nearly jumped in fright when she saw the young man’s terrible state. [W-who are you?]
Then, she remembered she couldn’t even touch her son’s face. He also... acted as if he hadn’t seen her. A thought suddenly crossed her mind, and she couldn’t help but ask it out loud.
[Am I dead?]
She braced herself to look at Ling Bo’s bloodied state, seeking confirmation.
[Yes, Auntie Sun...] Although he didn’t want to be the one who delivered the bad news, someone had to say it. He also felt pity for this Auntie Sun.
Qiu Mu blanked out for a while, and a moment later, bloody tears streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed, [T-they... still...]
There were infinite regrets coursing through her invisible heart at this moment.
The Ling siblings let her calm down for a while. Qiu Mu didn’t notice the Xiao siblings yet. In her sadness, she spilled a lot of things.
[Tiezhu... my eldest son... how can my sons live after this? What if these people are going after them?] Qiu Mu said in a panicked tone.
At this moment, she suddenly heard a male voice interrupting her thoughts. "Auntie Sun, can you help us with something?"
The pair of mother and son, separated by death, turned to Xiao Jingran with a similar stunned look on their faces.
"Brother Jingran, w-what did you say? Why... are you mentioning m-my mother?" Sun Tiezhu asked, stuttering, his eyes wide.
