Chapter 58: Qingming Season

With these thoughts in mind, Lin Xiao took out his copy of the Benyuan Heart Sutra and headed straight to Sun Yigao's side in the cultivation room.

Sun Yigao, sensing someone approaching, opened his eyes. Seeing it was Lin Xiao, he smiled and nodded slightly before closing his eyes to continue cultivating.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao also sat down beside him and began his meditation.

After a while, when Sun Yigao finished the current stage of his cultivation, he felt ready to move forward. He opened his eyes and started reading the Benyuan Heart Sutra again.

Noticing this, Lin Xiao scooted closer, holding his own copy of the sutra. He flipped through the pages until he reached the same part as Sun Yigao and said, "Yigao, look at this part, 'With the original heart, boundless and fearless, think with purity...'"

The others in the room noticed the two of them discussing the sutra seriously and couldn't help but glance over.

Their usually nonchalant Sect Master, who rarely set foot in the cultivation room, was suddenly so diligent in his cultivation?

Meanwhile, Lin Ying, who had been promised guidance by Lin Xiao at the Lin family's old residence, pouted as her third brother seemed to have forgotten all about her.

"Stupid Third Brother, you don't keep your word."

Feeling a bit miffed, Lin Ying turned away from Lin Xiao and focused on studying with Lin Yun, who was more attentive.

With Lin Xiao's assistance, Sun Yigao made rapid progress. By noon, the two were still engrossed in their cultivation, but Lin Yun walked over with Lin Ying and reminded Lin Xiao, "Er Lang, it's time to head down the mountain."

Lin Xiao looked confused for a moment as he stared at Lin Yun with bewildered eyes. "Head down for what?"

Lin Yun was stunned by his brother's forgetfulness and sighed helplessly. "Did you forget that we agreed to go for the Qingming festival today?"

With this reminder, Lin Xiao suddenly remembered.

Right! They had to go visit their mother's grave!

Immediately, Lin Xiao put aside his cultivation and told Sun Yigao, "Yigao, I need to go home for the Qingming festival. We'll continue tomorrow!"

Sun Yigao nodded, not thinking much of Lin Xiao's promise to continue tomorrow. After all, the whole sect knew that their Sect Master rarely cultivated.

Lin Yun and Lin Xiao took Lin Ying back to the Lin family's old residence, where they found everyone ready with offerings and a large cloth bag filled with paper money and gold ingots.

The offerings included a whole steamed chicken, a large piece of boiled pork belly, and a whole fish.

The fish had been carefully fried by Grandma Lin, its golden and crispy aroma making Lin Xiao's stomach growl.

Aunt Qin handed several warm steamed buns to Lin Xiao, Lin Yun, and Lin Ying.

There wasn't time for lunch; they had to hurry up the mountain.

In the Lin family, visiting the graves during Qingming was usually a full-day affair. However, this year, they had adjusted the schedule to accommodate Lin Xiao and the others' cultivation, so they decided to head out at noon and move quickly.

Without waiting for them to finish eating, Grandpa Lin waved his hand, signaling everyone to depart.

The village had two mountains designated for burials, different from Beishan, and located in the southwest. These mountains were a bit further from the village.

The Lin family was one of the earliest to perform their Qingming rituals. Many other families in the village usually waited a few days after Qingming because large clans coordinated their visits with the clan head. This was the case for families like Qin Jianghe, Liu Yunan, and Hu Liang.

As a result, the Lin family didn't encounter many people along the way.

The southwest mountains were different from the vast and lush Beishan range. These were small hills with flat, open grasslands between them, where some villagers had their fields.

Among these small hills, the tallest ones were used as burial sites.

Unlike Beishan, where dense forests and wild beasts deterred people from venturing deep into the mountains, the grave hills often saw visitors. Villagers sometimes came to collect wild vegetables or gather pig fodder.

Along the way, the Lin family occasionally exchanged greetings with fellow villagers.

Uncle Lin Dasha and Lin Dayou each carried offerings and tools like hoes and shovels, while Lin Yan and Lin Ying plucked pretty flowers whenever they saw them.

Grandma Lin and Aunt Qin gathered firewood along the way, and Lin Xiao, Lin Yun, and Lin Lei carried the bundles on their backs.

In this lively manner, the Lin family arrived at one of the burial hills.

The Lin family graves were located on the eastern slope, halfway up the hill.

At the forefront were the graves of Lin Xiao's great-grandparents, followed by the older generations. Lin Xiao's mother's grave was at the lowest part of the family plot.

Upon reaching the gravesite, Grandpa Lin instructed everyone to put down their things. The adults picked up hoes and sickles to clear the weeds, while the children helped by pulling weeds by hand.

Lin Yun worked diligently nearby, but when he glanced over, he noticed Lin Xiao seemed distracted, almost throwing the weeds at their father.

He quickly grabbed the weeds from Lin Xiao's hand and tossed them aside, nudging his brother's waist and whispering, "Er Lang, what's wrong?"

Startled, Lin Xiao returned to his senses and frowned, whispering back, "I feel something strange around here."

Since arriving at the burial hill, Lin Xiao had sensed something unusual. It was a faint feeling, difficult to describe, but persistent. He was sure it wasn't his imagination. This eerie sensation had lingered in his awareness since they arrived, a feeling he had never experienced on previous visits.

Puzzled, Lin Yun replied, "What's strange? I don't feel anything."

Lin Xiao shook his head, "I can't pinpoint it, but it's definitely not just in my head. Brother, I think there might be something bad around here."

Hearing this, Lin Yun felt a chill down his spine. Nervously, he swallowed and said, "Don't scare me... We come here every year, and there's never been anything strange..."

Lin Xiao focused, trying to sense more clearly, but he couldn't identify the source of the strange feeling. Given that he was now at the seventh level of Qi Refining, his senses should be sharper.

After pondering for a moment, he said to Lin Yun, "There are two possibilities. One is that whatever it is arrived recently. The other is that it's been here all along, but I couldn't sense it before because I wasn't cultivating."