I asked, "My master has entered seclusion, did you need him for something?"
"Entered seclusion, huh? Actually, I don't have anything I need from him; I was just asking."
Yan Bashui was indifferent about Zhang Zidao entering seclusion and didn't pay much attention to it; he smiled lightly at me and said, "I'm actually here for you, Wanwan. I don't know… if it's convenient for you to help send those Walking Corpses back home?"
"Of course it's convenient, I'll go with you right now." I agreed without hesitation.
It wasn't until I was helping to send the Vine Armor Zombies back home that I came to understand they could be described as zombies raised by the village.
But they could also be regarded as private property owned by various families in the village, or more precisely, our own relatives.
In Tianying Village, there is a custom of turning the deceased family members into Walking Corpses, as for them, becoming a Walking Corpse means eternal life.
Relatives can then keep us company just as they did when they were alive.
This was a very unique cultural practice, something I had never seen before.
When I first heard it, I thought it was somewhat horrifying, but upon deeper reflection, I also felt an inexplicable sense of warmth.
Death is a complex issue for humans, not everyone can accept it calmly.
I couldn't help thinking of Bai Yinman's child, Congcong. For that child, reincarnation would be the best outcome.
After all, Tianying Village has such customs, and they have methods of preserving bodies handed down over thousands of years.
"Uncle... Maternal Granduncle, I destroyed so many Walking Corpses; didn't I commit... a grave error...?" I mumbled softly, looking down at the ground.
Yan Bashui patted my shoulder, "You didn't know the customs of the village. It is normal to protect oneself in dangerous situations. Besides... it's not a bad thing for the Walking Corpses to be cremated and return to the earth."
"You…" I looked up in astonishment.
Yan Bashui said earnestly, "Turning dead relatives into Walking Corpses is a longstanding custom in Tianying Village, but… they have stayed in this world long enough. Having the chance to enter the cycle of reincarnation is also quite good. Wanwan, don't worry; no one will blame you."
His words seemed simple, yet they seemed to hold profound truths.
The village is primarily made up of the She and Yan families, with other family names like Bai, Ruan, Tian, and the like.
However, the numbers of the other families are quite small, with only a few households each.
We arrived at the home of a family surnamed She, and Yan Bashui and I brought in a Walking Corpse.
A woman was weaving on an old-fashioned loom, with a small turnip-head diligently helping by her side.
When the woman saw Yan Bashui and me arrive, she quickly got up, "Stronghold Master, Miss... Miss, you have come."
"Wanwan has brought She Dalì to you and your child," Yan Bashui spoke before finishing his sentence.
Little Turnip Head ran up and hugged the Walking Corpse's leg, "Daddy."
"Thank you, Miss Wan, you truly are kind-hearted and beautiful," the woman thanked me sincerely. "My child was so impulsive, and you didn't mind it at all; you even personally delivered his father."
I said, "It's what I should do."
I smirked bitterly to myself; 'kind-hearted and beautiful' sounded so ironic to me now.
My current appearance and bearing are almost as jarring as a vile demon from Hell with a blue face and ferocious fangs.
"Hey, although you're not pleasant to look at... you're actually not a bad person," Little Turnip Head popped his head out from his father's leg and said dryly.
The frail and haggard mother immediately became livid.
She picked up a bamboo stick, laid into Little Turnip Head's behind with a fierce energy, causing him to howl in pain.
Yan Bashui couldn't help but chuckle, almost applauding in delight, saying with satisfaction, "There, you got what you deserved for being so naughty."
"Auntie She, there's nothing else, Uncle and I will go to the other houses now." I signaled to the woman spanking Little Turnip Head's behind and then patted the tall figure's arm - my height only allowed me to reach She Dalì's forearm - "Take good care of your wife and child."