Watching Grandma’s slow-moving figure, Shen Siyuan shouted, "Grandma, go back, I’ll come to see you again in a few days."
"Be careful on your way and give me a call when you get home."
Clearly, Grandma heard Shen Siyuan’s voice, but she did not catch what he was saying; they were each saying their own thing.
Shen Siyuan did not stay in place any longer. He gently pressed on the accelerator and continued forward until Grandma’s figure turned into a tiny black dot.
This time, Shen Siyuan rode his motorbike very slowly. The setting sun painted the clouds at the edge of the sky red, and the evening breeze brushed his face, bringing with it strands of coolness. The sounds of chirping insects from both sides of the road entered his ears; everything was so peaceful.
Just then, an old man came towards him with hands clasped behind his back and a stooped posture.
Shen Siyuan’s eyes widened, and his face exhibited a hint of disbelief.
Because the old man coming towards him was Shen Siyuan’s granduncle, that is, Grandma Yu Suzhen’s brother, Yu Youcai.
His granduncle had been married, but his wife passed away when she was very young, and he never remarried. He had no children of his own, so he treated both Shen Siyuan’s father and Shen Siyuan himself as if they were his own.
When his father, Shen Jianjun, first started his business, he lost a lot of money. His granduncle even took out his own retirement savings to help fill the gap and also lent a hand in managing the sandstone factory; in short, he really helped their family a lot...
And for Shen Siyuan, there were no words to describe him. Every winter and summer vacation, he would buy a lot of tasty snacks in advance, just waiting for Shen Siyuan to come back...
And when Grandma was young, she struggled a lot raising a child alone, and it was thanks to his granduncle’s support that she managed to get through it.
So for Shen Siyuan, his granduncle was no different from a real grandfather.
However, his granduncle had already passed away over a decade ago, and it was Shen Jianjun and him who had donned the mourning garments.
Unexpectedly, his granduncle had lingered in the Mortal World and never left.
The old man also noticed Shen Siyuan, with a look of surprise, but mostly delight.
As he passed by Shen Siyuan, he reminded him, "Ride slowly."
Clearly, this was not the first time he had seen Shen Siyuan after death, and he knew Shen Siyuan couldn’t see him, yet he still showed the same concern and caution as an elder would to a younger.
Seeing the familiar face again, hearing the familiar voice, in that instant, Shen Siyuan felt a surge of tears welling up.
His voice choked up as he called out, "Granduncle."
"Big Head? You can hear me talk?"
His granduncle stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with surprise as he looked at Shen Siyuan.
Shen Siyuan also turned off the motorbike and stopped.
"Granduncle, I can not only hear you, but I can also see you. But I’ve grown up now; please don’t call me Big Head anymore."
Shen Siyuan’s eyes brimmed with tears, but his face was smiling.
He had been upset for a long time when his granduncle passed away, never expecting he could see him again.
For the first time, he felt extremely fortunate to have the ability to see ghosts.
"How did you suddenly become able to see me?" asked his granduncle, very curious.
"I don’t know either, but that’s not important. Granduncle, to see you again... to see you again..." Shen Siyuan was so choked up he could barely speak.
"Alright, don’t be sad. I’ve been gone for so many years, why are you still thinking about me?" his granduncle said cheerfully.
Despite his apparently reproachful words, his face was filled with smiles.
"Granduncle, I could forget anyone, but I would never forget you. But, where have you been and come back from?" Shen Siyuan asked, somewhat astonished.
"I went to visit a few old friends. Ah, there are hardly any left; they’ve all come to reunite with me."
His granduncle sighed, feeling relieved and at peace, yet not sad.
"Granduncle, do you still have any unfulfilled desires?"
His granduncle was surprised by the question, "You know about these things?"
Shen Siyuan nodded, and upon hearing this, Great-Uncle fell silent, ultimately shaking his head.
Seeing this, Shen Siyuan hurriedly said, "Great-Uncle, if you have any unfulfilled wishes, you can tell me, and I will help you complete them."
Great-Uncle, hearing this, a brilliant smile bloomed on his aged cheeks.
"Big Head’s got some skills now," Great-Uncle remarked sentimentally.
"But Great-Uncle doesn’t have any regrets; it’s all in the past."
Although Great-Uncle said this, Shen Siyuan knew he hadn’t truly let go.
As far as Shen Siyuan understood, there were only two ways ghosts could exist in this world: one was that they lingered in the Mortal World due to unfulfilled wishes.
The other was the power of the living’s yearning, akin to a rope that tethers the departed, ensuring that as long as the dead are not completely forgotten by the living, they can remain in the Mortal World.
Of course, ghosts can also choose to let go and return to nature’s embrace, since reminiscence, too, is a form of shackle.
Many ghosts cannot endure the prolonged loneliness and waiting, and eventually choose to let go of everything.
This is also why ghosts haven’t completely overrun this world.
Almost all the ghosts lurking in the Mortal World harbor unfulfilled wishes.
Of course, this is not something Shen Siyuan imagined himself, but something he has discerned.
The Jiuyou Demon Lord is an ancestor-level figure who toys with ghosts, and his understanding of them exceeds even that of the ghosts themselves.
Although there are some differences in the rules between the two worlds, such differences are not significant.
These wandering ghosts in the Mortal World all bear a faint red glow on their souls, which represents their unfulfilled wishes or, in other words, their persistence.
It is because of this persistence that they form bonds with this world.
Yet, despite Great-Uncle’s claims of having let go, the red light around him had not dissipated.
"It’s getting late; you should head back home soon."
Great-Uncle scrutinized Shen Siyuan with a gaze full of affection.
"Great-Uncle, come back with me," Shen Siyuan suggested after a moment of thought.
Upon hearing this, Great-Uncle shook his head.
"My home is here, I’m not going anywhere."
Saying this, he casually walked towards the direction of the Yu Family Mansion.
Shen Siyuan wanted to call out to him but didn’t know what to say.
However, Great-Uncle’s old house was already abandoned, overgrown with weeds and infested with rats and ants. Shen Siyuan felt the impulse to take him into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner but decided against it after some thought.
"Great-Uncle," Shen Siyuan called out from a distance.
"Hmm?" Great-Uncle turned his head back while holding his hands behind him.
"I’ll come to see you again in a few days," Shen Siyuan said.
From such a distance, although Shen Siyuan could not see clearly, he knew that at this moment, a smile was spreading across Great-Uncle’s wrinkled face.
Shen Siyuan gently accelerated, and the motorcycle once again headed off into the distance.
Great-Uncle turned back, looking at the fading figure of Shen Siyuan, a worried expression on his face.
Muttering to himself, "How come he can suddenly see now? I hope it’s not going to cause any problems? I’ll go ask Old Ghost..."
Then, instead of following the road to Yu Family Mansion, he walked along the ridges of the fields, heading off into the distance.