Chapter Forty-Four: Confronting Uncle's Resentment

  Shi Xiaofu was very nervous on the way to Yinyu City with his uncle. The story his uncle told him before, he had also heard for the first time. However, when he was in his hometown, he had already vaguely known that his father had secretly used means to buy out the elderly who spoke heavily in the clan and became the head of the clan. He used to think that his father, as Shi Hong's brother, was qualified to be the head of the clan, but after he really understood where the black witchgrass came from, he knew that his father had no qualifications to be the head of the clan at all.

  According to reason, this time he and his uncle went to the Bodhisattva's place to repay the debt of the black witch grass he took away before, but that was only to repay the share of the black witch grass he took away before. However, they came this time to ask for new black witch grass, what would they use to exchange? He remembered his uncle's previous words: "It's not that you can become the patriarch just by getting the black witch grass!" What did those words mean? Was it saying that even if he used his own life as a price to get back the black witch grass, he still couldn't become the patriarch like his uncle before?

  The current tribe leader is Shi Xiaofu's father, and if the black witchgrass they brought back this time can also be used for twenty years, he will definitely have time to replace his father as the tribe leader. It was in this bewildered state of mind that he and his uncle set off towards Yinyu City with their guide being Qi Huang, the owner of the ancient temple. They left before dawn after the rain stopped, which was what Qi Huang had requested. Shi Hong listened to Qi Huang's plans, and Shi Xiaofu could only follow behind.

  As they approached the city of Yinyu, Shi Xiaofu's mood became increasingly heavy. It wasn't because he would also face a fate similar to Shi Hong's, bound by a death contract that wouldn't be triggered for another twenty years. His heart was heavy because his uncle, Shi Hong, was truly marching towards death this time. Although Shi Hong had been dissatisfied with not becoming the clan leader over the years, and this dissatisfaction would inevitably affect Shi Xiaofu, he was still Shi Xiaofu's uncle after all. How could Shi Xiaofu, who was still just a big kid, not feel distressed when facing the reality of losing his loved one?

  He finally understood why his father had asked his uncle to take him to the Dark Domain City to get the Black Witchgrass, and Shi Hong's prompt agreement had left his father surprised. Shi Hong claimed that the secret of the Black Witchgrass could only be known by one person other than himself, and he stated that it was crucial for Shi Xiaofu to become the future head of the clan. Despite having reservations about his own brother, Shi Xiaofu's father was forced to agree to let his only son go with Shi Hong to the Dark Domain City.

  When the two of them finally saw Batara Kala under the guidance of Chi Huang, something that he never expected to happen finally occurred. After witnessing the eerie atmosphere of the Underworld City and seeing the beauty of Batara Kala which was even more exaggerated than the rumors, Shi Hong finally revealed his true intentions in front of him.

  He gave Shi Xiaofu two choices. The first choice was that he would let the Bodhisattva kill Shi Xiaofu and fulfill his promise to the Bodhisattva, so no one could bring back the Black Witchgrass. Although Shi Xiaofu's father could still be the tribe leader, without the Black Witchgrass, the family would thoroughly decline. The second choice was that Shi Xiaofu would willingly replace him in being absorbed by the Bodhisattva and then bring others to continue fulfilling this promise after bringing back the Black Witchgrass.

  When Shi Hong presented the two options in front of Batu, Batu was amused by Shi Hong's thoughts and laughed. She said to Shi Hong: "You are no longer young, why sacrifice your nephew's life for nothing? After I suck you dry, let your nephew take the black witch grass back, isn't that better? Twenty years later, he will come again, and he won't be as old as you!"

  Shi Hong heard Ba Da Shen say this and feared she wouldn't agree with his deal, so he hastily added: "Ba Da Shen, don't worry, if he chooses the second one, then after I bring back the Black Witchgrass to his father, I'll immediately return to repay this transaction, I won't make you wait twenty years!"

  Shi Xiaofu remembered that Ba Tu Shen was very puzzled at the time, because no matter how Shi Xiaofu chose, it was far less suitable for the uncle and nephew to let Shi Hong leave with the black witch grass. It was clear that she was a woman with a strong curiosity, and she had to ask Shi Hong for the reason why he did so, otherwise she would not agree to trade with him.

  Then Shi Hong told her about the various things that had happened after he brought back the Hei Wu Cao. He gnashed his teeth and complained to the gods about the injustices done to him by his clansmen, who had forced him to pay with his life but still made him kneel down in front of his brother for twenty years, bearing humiliation and resentment. The reason he didn't just leave was that he was waiting for the day when the Hei Wu Cao would be used up. He knew that once the Hei Wu Cao was gone, it would be his chance to start anew. So he willingly brought his nephew with him, punishing his brother by making him lose his only son, to repay the debts of all these years!

  "Even if you kill your nephew and let your brother suffer the pain of losing a child, what can you gain? Your brother is still the head of the clan, no matter what choice your nephew makes, you will die!"

  Shi Xiaofu was also shocked by Shi Hong's behavior of harming others without benefiting himself. He knew that his uncle had been harboring resentment over the years, but he didn't expect it to be so intense that he would want to kill his own nephew no matter what! Shi Xiaofu thought about this and couldn't help but feel sad for his uncle who was going to die soon, but things turned out to be so ironic. No matter how he chose, it seemed that he was doomed to die anyway.

  Here is the translation:

  As Shi Xiaofu spoke, Luo Siqi was also shocked by the hatred in Shi Hong's heart. But now, Shi Xiaofu was alive and telling his story right in front of him, and the bag at his feet clearly showed that he had brought back the black witchgrass. So what was going on? Had Shi Hong, who had such hatred for his father, suddenly discovered his conscience, abandoned his hatred, and spared his nephew?

  Chi Huang stood by silently listening, since he was the one who brought him to the Buddha's face, then he might know what happened. Shi Xiaofu said here and choked with sobs, Luosi Qi could only cast his eyes on him, hoping that he would continue to say what happened next.

  However, Chi-huang did not rush to tell what happened next. He turned around and pointed at the statue behind him, saying to Losie: "Don't be in a hurry, do you know what god this temple's statue is?"

  In the hall stood two statues of gods, which Luo Siqi had noticed last time she came. The appearance of these two statues was very strange. One of them had a smile on his face and held a round thing in his hand that she didn't know what it was. The other one looked at him with a blank expression, with his left hand across his chest and his right hand behind his back, doing something unknown to her. At the time, she felt that these two statues were too eerie, but after listening to Shi Hong's story, she forgot to ask Chi Huang what gods they were.

  At this time, she heard Chi Huang ask her proactively, so she shook her head and said that she didn't know. She asked him about the origin of the statue, but she couldn't understand what profound meaning Chi Huang had when he mentioned the statue at this time. Could it be related to what Shi Xiaofu told her?