"Isn't that Brother Zheng? You've grown quite heroic after all these years. Where's your father? Please send him my regards."
Meng Shaode tossed aside his sickle, rubbed his hands, and stepped forward, giving the leader a bear hug.
The burly man leading them had a ferocious look, his eyes bloodshot, likely from a rampage in the village. He was momentarily stunned by Meng Shaode's action.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, your memory isn't very good. I had a life-and-death friendship with your father when I escorted caravans back then."
As Meng Shaode spoke, he cautiously peeked into the cave. It seemed his wife and the others knew the situation was dire and had already evacuated.
"Who the hell had a life-and-death friendship with you? Do you know who my father is?"
The leader had a saber at his waist. Although he didn't wear the uniform of an official, he had already become a lackey for those people during these chaotic times.
"Hey now, look at you, kid. Your father, isn't he Zheng Sangou? If you don't believe me, go ask. Recognize Meng Shaode, also known as Master De. Ask him if he remembers your mother's hysteria. It was I who went to Nanling to escort caravans and paid a hefty sum to buy the blood-stasis-dispelling herb to cure her. You'll know if you ask."
Meng Shaode puffed out his chest proudly, showing no fear. In reality, he was terrified to death.
Ah Jiu, hiding behind a rock, broke out in a cold sweat. If that man had a conscience, his father might have a chance to escape this ordeal.
The leader thought about it suspiciously, and surprisingly, didn't immediately retort.
Ah Jiu saw all this, his heart pounding in his chest.
Before long, the sound of hooves faded into the distance.
The sky began to lighten, resembling the belly of a fish, and soon the scorching July sun beat down on the earth.
The group finally regrouped at the mouth of the cave. Their faces were dusty and smudged, a thick layer of lingering fear covering them.
"Old Meng, you scared me to death. If Ah Jiu hadn't said she could see you, that you were all safe, I would have taken my daughter to jump off the cliff." Cai Lihua finally broke down and sobbed.
Meng Shaode's expression hadn't changed.
Fortunately, he had a sudden recollection of this incident from the original owner's memory. He had saved this Zheng Sangou's life back then.
It was also fortunate that this rascal hadn't forgotten the favor. Had he been even a tiny bit less forgiving, Meng Shaode would have met his maker by now.
"It's alright, it's alright. It was an old acquaintance." Meng Shaode forced himself to remain calm, putting on a brave front as the head of the family.
"Second brother, where's Shaokang?" Luo Xiuying searched anxiously in private.
Meng Shaode then remembered that their eldest son was so terrified he hadn't dared to come out of the tree hollow.
"Nanxing, go and drag your uncle out of his tree hollow. Ah Jiu, where's your grandmother? Didn't she injure her leg? Where is she?"
Instantly, Ah Jiu looked around. That's right, with a leg injury, she couldn't have run off on her own. Where was she?
"She seems to be on the cliff face," Cai Lihua pointed towards the high mountain.
When Ah Jiu and Meng Shaode, father and daughter, reached the mountaintop and looked down, they found the old lady still sitting cross-legged.
Tears streamed down her face as she wailed, "Master, must you punish your disciple like this?"
"How can this mortal body bear the powerful spirit of a disciple? This place is barren, and the spiritual energy is depleted. Sob, this disciple has been breathing in dust all night..."
Meng Shaode's neck stiffened. He mechanically turned his head to look at Ah Jiu.
"Father, Grandma seems to be possessed. She's talking nonsense," Ah Jiu, having already witnessed such things, wasn't as shocked as her father.
"Possessed?" The scar on Meng Shaode's face contorted into a grimace.
No matter what, she was his mother. He had read so many classics; he couldn't just abandon her and act inhumanely.
It took immense effort to carry her back up.
"Mother, do you still recognize your son?" Meng Shaode cautiously leaned in to ask.
In the cave, as if having survived a great calamity, Cai Lihua and Luo Xiuying had started cooking. One was gathering firewood, the other was cooking.
Even boiled, this hundred catties of barley could fill their stomachs. Ah Jiu looked worriedly at her grandmother, who was still sitting cross-legged outside the cave.
"Since that is the case, I shall consider it a tribulation. You are my son, aren't you? Come here."
"I?" Meng Shaode's face darkened. This wasn't just possession; it seemed her gender had also become strangely altered.