Chapter 178
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Chapter 178: the Power of All Beings’ Thoughts
The feast continued as usual after that. Since Lin Mohua and Madam brought up the topic, the other members of the Lin family cautiously exchanged a few words with the Old Master.
The Old Master seemed to be in a good mood today, and he generally agreed to the requests of the younger generation, as long as they weren’t unreasonable.
But it is worth mentioning that there was no conversation between the old gentleman and Chu Jiang.
When the banquet was over and the young masters escorted the guests away, the old gentleman stood up and looked at Chu Jiang, saying, "Follow me."
Chu Jiang nodded and carried the heavy coffin, walking step by step behind the old gentleman.
During this process, it was clear that the other members of the Lin family were also paying attention. They had realized that there was some kind of understanding between the old gentleman and Chu Jiang, and they must have had some special topics to discuss privately.
Of course, even if they were given a hundred times their courage, they would not dare to eavesdrop, as they couldn’t escape the old gentleman’s perception.
Seeing Chu Jiang walking past her, Fifth Aunt gave him a pleading look. If it weren’t for Madam watching closely nearby, she would probably have hugged Chu Jiang’s arm.
Lin Mohua was annoyed by Fifth Aunt’s actions, on one hand, and on the other hand, she watched Chu Jiang leave with some worry. She just approached and held his hand.
"Please don’t go, okay?" she said, also with a pleading tone.
Chu Jiang just smiled and pulled his hand away, saying, "I’ll be back soon."
After speaking, he quickly caught up with the older gentleman.
And so, the ladies, young ladies, young master, and madams of the Lin family, with a particular kind of emotion, watched Chu Jiang and the older gentleman walk towards the depths of the Lin Manor…
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The older gentleman didn’t bring Chu Jiang back to the courtyard where he usually stayed. Instead, he walked slightly unsteadily into an empty hearing room.
As the two entered, the door of the hearing room automatically closed with a creak.
Sitting down at the table in the room, the older gentleman seemed much more tired than when he was outside. In Chu Jiang’s eyes, he appeared to have aged more than ten years in an instant.
"Please have a seat. If you have any questions, go ahead and ask. I’ll answer what I can."
Chu Jiang settled down with the coffin on his back. "Is this your Ghost Domain? Are you still alive?"
"You could say that. As for me, I died a long time ago. I’m human, not a god. I can’t live for two hundred years."
This made Chu Jiang even more cautious, "So, are you a ghost?"
"Ghost…" the old man showed a confused expression, "Maybe, I don’t know if I am a human or a ghost in this existence now."
"But one thing I can be sure of is that this state cannot be maintained indefinitely."
"On one hand, I am tired, and I don’t know when human nature will be engulfed by ghostly nature; on the other hand, the incense from descendants is diminishing, becoming less and less sincere."
"I estimate that within the next twenty or thirty years, I will completely lose sanity and become a full-fledged ghost."
"Of course, if the situation outside continues to deteriorate, if all the descendants of the Lin family die out and no one comes to worship the ancestral hall, then within one or two years, the cycle and order I have established will completely collapse."
"By that time, this place will become the most terrifying and dangerous area within thousands of miles, and countless ghosts will escape from here."
"In the situation of a ghostly parade at night, the rules of killing are no longer as important because numerous rules overlap. Even if you move or blink your eyes, you can be killed."
Chu Jiang felt heavy-hearted when he heard this. Could it really be related to the incense? But he didn’t expect that even insincere people who lit incense and burned paper could also have an impact on the old man’s side.
It makes sense that relying on the power of burning incense and praying is actually relying on the thoughts and beliefs of people, rather than just a few ordinary incense sticks or pieces of paper.
If the worshippers don’t believe in the spirits of their ancestors, then their prayers wouldn’t hold much power.
This is also a natural consequence of continuous modernization and development.
"So you’re saying that if I and the descendants of the Lin family didn’t ask for your help before, you wouldn’t have intervened?"
After all, if you hadn’t intervened, all the descendants of the Lin family in Luohe City would have died, and there probably wouldn’t be many people coming to worship in the future.
The old man shook his head slightly, "The Lin Ancestral Hall has already reached its limit in terms of accommodating, sealing, and suppressing ghosts. It took a lot of effort for me to barely maintain this delicate and precarious balance."
"This balance is very fragile, so when the Black Sun was wreaking havoc outside, I didn’t intervene at first."
"Because if I captured that ghost and brought it inside, it could potentially break this balance."
"But later on, your enlightening words made this old man, who is worn out and feeble, remember some past events."
"And because the descendants of the Lin family asked for help, I decided to step in."
"After that, I kept Black Sun at bay, temporarily not sealing it underground; meanwhile, I threw you into the Lin family’s courtyard, letting you live here for a few days."
"Do you know why?"
Chu Jiang nodded, "You want me to personally experience what exactly is going on here, which is more useful than just explaining it. I promise you that I will never again casually bring spirits in here."
The old man waved his hand, "Not only that, even though I’ve been staying in this ancestral hall, I still have some understanding of the things outside."
"I can’t keep up with this situation forever. If possible, I want to pass on this responsibility to you in the future and let you shoulder this burden."
"Of course, this is not obligatory. You have no obligation to take over this heavy burden for a dead person like me."
"And even now is not the time. If you fail to grow up and die halfway through, then it won’t matter anymore. I’m just mentioning this in advance."
Chu Jiang pondered for a moment, "I…"
The old man raised his hand and said, "Don’t give me an answer now, it doesn’t mean anything. When you have the ability in the future, whether you accept or refuse, I will gladly accept."
Chu Jiang nodded and said, "Do you know about Research Institute No. 21? Perhaps it would be better for you to share the pressure with the institute."
The old man shook his head and said, "I don’t trust them. Call me stubborn, but during our time, there were similar large organizations both domestically and internationally."
"When people come together, the unpredictability of human nature is even scarier than ghosts. Sometimes, people are willing to sacrifice many things for their own interests. I have seen too many examples."
"That’s why I have been observing you these past few days. At least for now, I think your character is qualified."
"If we really reach a desperate situation in the future, for the sake of the people, I may hand over the Lin Ancestral Hall to that research institute. But before that, as long as there is still a choice, I won’t do it."
Chu Jiang remained silent and didn’t persuade anymore.
One reason is that the old man has experienced too much and it’s normal for him to have his own judgment and thoughts.
Another reason is that Chu Jiang’s understanding of the institute is only superficial. He is uncertain if giving the Lin Ancestral Hall to the institute would be a better choice.