Chapter 203 - Relief (1/2)

Chapter 203 Relief“Where are we going?” Xiao Hong was driving. It was clear that Hao Ning did not want to have a drink but had a release of his boredom. So, Xiao Hong planned to take him to someplace far away.

Hao Ning was in a daze to look at the scenery in the front and his mind came back after Xiao Hong had asked him several times. He sighed: “Could you take me to Chang’an?”

“Where?” Xiao Hong thought he misheard something, “which district in S city?”

“Not in S city, it’s in the old capital Chang’an in Qin Province,” Hao Ning explained, “it’s thousands of miles away. Please take me there by your fire power.”

“For what?” Xiao Hong felt strange. Chang’an was the old capital for 13 dynasties and it was absolutely a good site to travel. But now Hao Ning felt upset and it so was weird to go to the distant place just for the release of boredom.

Hao Ning lowered his head and did not look at Xiao Hong: “That’s my hometown, and there is the tomb of my younger brother.”

Xiao Hong got it. He stopped the car at the roadside and turned back to look at Hao Ning. But he found that Hao Ning’s face was covered with tears.

“Brother Hao Ning…” Xiao Hong felt a little confused, “you have said that your younger brother was dead when you were born, so you might have not a deep relationship with your brother…”

Hao Ning knew that what Xiao Hong was thinking about. He thought that Xiao Hong was right. He had not lived together with his brother for even one day and did not felt sorry for that for 25 years, and he felt nothing when Yan told him that he had a younger brother who was not born but now he did not know why he felt so upset about that.

“I know what you mean, but I did not know why,” Hao Ning wiped his tears, “maybe it’s because it was I that made my younger brother do not get born. Maybe it’s because I saw the soul of my younger brother in the nether world; maybe it’s because I had occupied the body of my younger brother for 25 years, but I did nothing for him; maybe there are some other reasons I don’t know. But I can’t explain why I feel so upset logically. I don’t know. I just know that I got so confused when I knew something in the nether world.”

At present, Hao Ning looked at Xiao Hong and asked seriously: “I thought I could lend the art because of the death of my younger brother, but now the reason for the death of my brother is that I can lend the art? Could you tell me which the cause is, and which is the effect, my power and his death?”

“Ah, I have no idea,” Xiao Hong signed, “I could understand the core principle of space-time by Avalokitesvara, but now I can understand its words—ordinary people fear the effect while Avalokitesvara fears the cause…”

“Yes. I did not understand but now I do,” Hao Ning wiped his tears again and gave a reluctant smile to Xiao Hong, “it is too late to seek the cause once the effect comes into being.”

“Don’t smile,” Xiao Hong felt upset, “Let’s go.”

With a red light flashing, Xiao Hong and Hao Ning arrived at the deserted graveyard. There was no sunshine even in day time due to the heavy haze in the sky.

It was evident that the custom of on-ground burial was reserved here. A stone tablet stood on each grave and some words were carved on it.

“Which one is your younger brother’s tomb?” Xiao Hong walked around quickly and found that those words were mainly husband and wife and parents, such as Strict Father XXX and Loving Mother XXX. However, he did not find the stone tablet of Hao Ning’s younger brother.

“Here.” Hao Ning pointed at the small hillock beside a big tomb. The tomb of his younger brother was built by some broken bricks and stones without any words. One would not notice it and believe those bricks and stones were the waste for tomb building left by others if he did not look clearly.

“This one? You mean this is a tomb?” Xiao Hong felt strange, “why is there a stone tablet like other tombs? It is due to the lack of money? Or I can help to repair the grave of your younger brother—”

“No,” Hao Ning sat on the ground causally and did not care dirty soil and thatch, “the custom in my hometown is that only adult can set a stone tablet and little hillock is used for kids. And my younger brother was dead before birth. He would not be buried seriously without my mom’s strong urge.”

Xiao Hong understood when Hao Ning explained. Nowadays people did not care much about that. Dead infant after birth would be neglected by people because people always paid much attention to comforting the pregnant woman and worrying that she would conduct suicide.

“In my childhood, at Tomb-Sweeping Day, my mom would take me to the grave in advance to sweep the tomb of my ancestors—” Hao Ning pointed at some graves on the right side, “my mom would always tell me that that grave was my younger male cousin who was in a very close relationship with me.”

Hao Ning mocked himself, “I was confused at that time so I asked my mom how close the relationship was between us because I even did not know him.”

“My mom just sighed and sometimes wiped her tears,” Hao Ning added, “she told me that I just need to know this, and it was my grandmother that did not let her tell me the truth. My grandmother banned this issue in the family.”

“Your grandmother may know much more about this kind of issue.” Xiao Hong sighed, “she was just worried that the ominous thing might affect you badly.”

“I always just have a quick glimpse at the tomb without much feeling,” Hao Ning looked at the tomb and felt upset generally, “but Xiao Hong, I now understand. My body is not my soul and is borrowed, borrowed! From whom? From my younger brother! It was I that snatched the body of my brother! And He could not be reincarnated in a new body because of me! All blame to me!”

Hao Ning turned to look at Xiao Hong with his red eyes dripping two lines of tears, “do you think if I am the sinner? I have no reason to live in this world. I am unqualified to give advice to others. I am so shameful to have the ability to lend art. My body was borrowed! Do you think whether I should fall down into hell?”

“Hao Ning, Hao Ning—” Xiao Hong looked at Hao Ning and knew that he was so uneasy. Xiao Hong scratched the shoulder of Hao Ning and said: “NO, NO, you are wrong—”

Xiao Hong got panic. He thought that he was good at fight and revenge but not persuasion, especially to those people in mental unease like Hao Ning. Previously he was just a decorative background behind the Avalokitesvara when the Avalokitesvara persuaded ordinary people and help them live through pains. Though he learned that for a long time, but he remembered nothing. It was no wonder that Xiao Hong at present felt blank when persuading Hao Ning.

“Ummm, dead people cannot revive—no, not suitable,” Xiao Hong tried to recall the persuasion method of Avalokitesvara, “how about try this? Destiny is regulated by heaven. Your brother suffers a lot in this life, but he will be happy and rich in his next life after he is reincarnated in a new body!”

Hao Ning wailed after he heard Xiao Hong’s words: “but my younger brother can’t be reincarnated in a new body!”