Forbidden Land – CH 114

The three continued up the mountain. Soon, they saw the house, half-collapsed. The madwoman wasn’t standing outside.

Grandpa glanced around, pointed to a slope beside the house, and said, “Her son’s grave is over there. I’ll go and destroy it.”

Chen Rong frowned slightly and asked, “Grandpa, is destroying the grave enough?”

Grandpa nodded. “Graves are where ghosts live. If you destroy the grave, they have nowhere to live and’ll naturally disperse.”

Zhang Chao didn’t understand these things; he only knew that destroying someone’s grave was the most immoral thing to do. However, remembering how that madwoman had scared him half to death in the outhouse, he disregarded the immorality. The sun was shining brightly, and the surroundings were clear, so he naturally felt bolder. He picked up a hoe and volunteered to be the first to go.

Unexpectedly, Chen Rong hesitated, saying, “Grandpa, I think… I think we should just let it go. Desecrating a grave is… it isn’t good.”

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Zhang Chao decisively shook his head. “What’s wrong with it? That crazy woman was terrifying; she scared the soul out of me, but she didn’t say anything bad. Today I’ll destroy her ghost son; hmph, that’s revenge.”

Chen Rong said, “She’s crazy after all, and you’re better now, so… so let it go.”

Zhang Chao asked curiously, “What’s wrong with you now? You suddenly changed your mind?”

Chen Rong shook her head, her eyes flickering. “No… I… I just feel like this isn’t right.”

Zhang Chao laughed. “It isn’t like you’re destroying someone’s ancestral grave; what’s there to be afraid of?”

Grandpa sighed and said, “Smashing graves is never a good idea; it’s bad karma. But that madwoman’s son should be reincarnated; staying on the mountain isn’t a good thing either, he might frighten children later. It’s best to keep such unclean things away from places where people live. I’ll do it later; I’m old. Bad karma, hehe, it’s alright.”

Saying this, Grandpa took the hoe from Zhang Chao and quickly walked towards the slope.

Zhang Chao and Chen Rong exchanged a glance and followed.

The three arrived at a small grave mound. On the stone slab in front of the grave was written “Beloved Son Ge Bao.” Grandpa put down the bucket of excrement, picked up the hoe, and began to dig.

In no time, the top of the grave was leveled. Just as they were about to continue digging, a loud shout came from outside. The madwoman, dressed in her funeral clothes, leaning on her cane, her lantern nowhere to be seen, stumbled and ran frantically towards them, shouting and cursing as she went.

Although it was daytime, Zhang Chao had never seen a madwoman like this in the countryside before, and seeing her now still made him feel a little uneasy. Even though he knew a disabled person couldn’t possibly harm anyone, just like a normal person facing a madwoman, he instinctively felt a little afraid.

Grandpa stopped hoeing, turned to look at the madwoman, and cursed, “What are you doing here? Go back, or I’ll beat you!”

The madwoman, usually afraid of the villagers’ beatings and curses, seemed to have suddenly changed. Instead of backing down, she spoke clearly in her local dialect. “Why are you digging up Ah Bao’s grave?”

Grandpa said, “Your son refuses to enter reincarnation, hiding in the mountains. What kind of behavior is that!”

The madwoman sneered, “Ah Bao isn’t dead. Ah Bao isn’t dead. What reincarnation does he want?”

Grandpa ignored her, cursed her as a madwoman, and continued digging.

The madwoman stepped forward, crying as she went, shouting, “Ah Bao is dead! Ah Bao was killed by your Chen Rong! And now you’re digging up Ah Bao’s grave! Waaah…” Her voice was heart-wrenching.

“Was Ah Bao killed by Chen Rong?” Zhang Chao was stunned.

Chen Rong’s face suddenly changed color.

Grandpa turned around and angrily shouted, “You madwoman, what nonsense are you spouting! If you say another word, I’ll come and beat you!”

The madwoman continued to cry, “Ah Bao didn’t fall; Chen Rong pushed him! I saw it, I saw it! Your Chen family has committed a sin, a sin!…”

Grandpa snorted coldly, ignoring her, and continued digging quickly. Soon, he saw a small jar. Without a word, Grandpa smashed it down with his hoe. With a bang, the jar shattered.

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The madwoman suddenly stopped crying, staring blankly.

Grandpa didn’t pause at all. He grabbed some excrement from the side and poured it on the jar. Then he quickly gathered up the surrounding soil and filled the grave mound back up.

The madwoman just stared blankly at all of this, without saying a word.

Zhang Chao had been watching the madwoman closely, feeling a mix of emotions.

After a while, Grandpa finished and told Zhang Chao to take the hoe. The three of them went down the slope together. When they reached the path at the bottom, the madwoman stood motionless in the middle of the path. Grandpa stepped forward and shouted, “Get out of the way!”

The madwoman sneered and suddenly shouted, “The Chen family killed Ah Bao! The Chen family killed Ah Bao!” With that, she leaped over on one foot, grabbed Grandpa with both hands, and the two of them tumbled down the slope.

“Grandpa!” Zhang Chao tried to grab her grandfather, but he wasn’t fast enough, and they had already rolled down.

“Grandpa!” Chen Rong cried out in terror but watched helplessly as the madwoman dragged Grandpa down the slope.

The slope was several dozen meters high, with another small mountain path below. When the two rolled down the path, they rolled off again, continuing to fall until they landed in the terraced fields at the bottom.

Chen Rong and Zhang Chao were stunned for a moment, then quickly ran down the slope.