#8: The Forest of No Return

After returning from Kangping Fang, Wu Ruian was in low spirits. His expression was solemn, and he remained silent throughout the journey. After a long while, he spoke hoarsely, “Where did that old man... take his granddaughter?”

“He probably went to find a forest in the suburbs to bury her,” Di Jiang said sadly.

“Just wrapped in that tattered straw mat and buried?” Wu Ruian was startled, appearing somewhat incredulous.

“Otherwise?” Di Jiang scoffed, “For families like theirs, even working as night soil carriers their entire lives, they probably can’t afford even a thin wooden coffin.”

“What about Gongsun Qi? He caused her death, shouldn’t he compensate them?”

“They say he used his power to bully, so why would he compensate?” Di Jiang shook her head and smiled, “There must be hidden circumstances we don’t know about.”

“I’m going to the Gongsun Manor right now to get a clear explanation from Gongsun Qi!” Wu Ruian rolled up his sleeves, ready to leave. Di Jiang felt there was nothing wrong with his doing so and let him go.

But who knew, after a while, Wu Ruian stopped again and turned back, saying, “Forget it, I’ll go find him another day. For now, let’s go send Old Xu a coffin.”

“Hmm?” Di Jiang smiled, a little puzzled.

Wu Ruian added, “As for Gongsun Qi, I can’t go to him privately. I used to have a good relationship with him, in pleasure quarters...” At this, Wu Ruian’s face flushed, and he stopped speaking.

“Hmm?” Di Jiang looked amused, prompting him to continue.

Wu Ruian cleared his throat, embarrassed, “In short, I know what kind of person he is, and I understand his methods. If I go rashly, he will surely find an excuse to exonerate himself.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

Wu Ruian thought for a moment and said, “Tomorrow at morning court, I will request Imperial Mother to personally preside over this case. Once this matter is made public, Gongsun Qi will surely be brought to justice, appeasing public anger!”

Di Jiang nodded, appearing somewhat surprised, and after a long moment, she smiled, “Your Highness’s thoughts are far-reaching and your actions thorough. Your image, in my heart, is truly growing taller and taller.”

“No problem, no problem,” Wu Ruian scratched his head and chuckled, looking like a big boy who hadn’t quite grown up yet.

Subsequently, the two went to Zhong Xu’s coffin shop, briefly explained what had happened, and then bought a coffin from Zhong Xu.

The coffin was made of willow wood, not precious, but it looked stable and sturdy. This standard would neither seem too abrupt to Old Xu nor burden him psychologically.

Wu Ruian and Zhong Xu pushed the coffin, walking ahead.

“Which way should we go now?” Wu Ruian stood at the crossroads, looking around, only then realizing they didn’t seem to know where Old Xu had gone.

“The Forest of No Return,” Zhong Xu calculated with his fingers, “He’s in the Forest of No Return in the western suburbs.”

“Are you sure?” Wu Ruian asked, suspicious.

Before Zhong Xu could answer, Di Jiang chimed in, “Poor common folk will bury their deceased relatives there. There’s no government oversight, no need for bribes, and no worries about future troubles.”

“I see.” Wu Ruian nodded, then asked Zhong Xu to lead the way, while he pushed the cart from behind.

The group headed towards the outskirts of the city, attracting a lot of attention along the way.

Though coffins symbolize promotion and wealth, they still carry some ill omen. And passersby didn’t know if there was a body inside, so they instinctively avoided it a little.

Their eyes mostly held disgust and irritation. Some, however, due to the superior appearance of the three, were unconsciously curious about which noble family’s young master and lady they were.

In short, there were all kinds of people along the way, and being pointed at like this was a first for Wu Ruian.

An hour later, they finally arrived at the Forest of No Return in the western suburbs. The path all the way was a muddy, winding goat track. Zhong Xu and Wu Ruian, pushing the coffin one in front of the other, were already drenched in sweat from exhaustion.

At this point, a faint smell of night soil wafted through the air, which was nauseating upon first whiff. Old Xu was a night soil collector, so it was not strange for him to smell. Moreover, in this world, if not for the efforts of people like them, others would not have clean lives.

They merely frowned slightly, not showing any particular expression of disgust. The three passed through a bamboo grove, and the view suddenly opened up before them.

This was a valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides. The grassland in the valley was sparse, with no tall trees. The only sight was a multitude of graves, some new, some old, countless skeletons buried within.

Most of these graves were low and without tombstones. Even if there were tombstones, they were merely a few rotten pieces of wood with scrawled, ghost-like characters on them. For these impoverished people, literacy was an enormous luxury, and those who could write well were even rarer.

This was Di Jiang’s first time in the Forest of No Return.

Even though she had heard of it before, seeing it with her own eyes today, she couldn’t help but be affected by its desolation.

Those who arrived here would never leave.

The wind whistles, the Yi River is cold, and loved ones, once gone, never return.

They would be buried here, without even a decent tombstone.

Zhong Xu had clearly been there many times and showed no reaction. Wu Ruian, however, was completely stunned.

“There’s actually a place like this near the imperial capital,” Wu Ruian said in a hoarse voice, clearly deeply affected.

His past life had always been one of luxury, fine clothes, and endless entertainment, and such a scene was something he could not have imagined even in his dreams.

Zhong Xu glanced at him and said calmly, “There’s also a mass grave in the southern suburbs of the city, where those without family or friends are buried. They come from unknown places, their names unknown. After they die, the government sends their bodies to the morgue. If unclaimed for too long, they’re thrown into the mass grave, not even a pit.”

“…”

“So, those who are buried by their relatives are fortunate, at least they are laid to rest.”

After Zhong Xu finished speaking, Di Jiang realized that he had said all this to comfort Wu Ruian.

Wu Ruian, upon hearing this, felt somewhat better.

The three of them circled the Forest of No Return, and initially did not see Old Xu. Later, Wu Ruian and Zhong Xu each climbed a hill, and after a careful look, they finally saw a figure digging a grave in the northeast.

Old Xu’s entire body was in the pit, so they hadn’t immediately noticed him when they passed by.

The three walked closer and saw him with red eyes, his hands painstakingly digging the earth inch by inch.

Beside him was Xu Ya’s corpse. Part of the body was exposed to the air, already beginning to decompose, as if she had been dead for many days.

“Grandpa… Ya’er was unfilial… Ya’er should have listened to you… Ya’er hurts so much… so much…”

The girl’s soft, high-pitched cries, still the voice of a child, reached Di Jiang’s ears.

She sat on the edge of the pit, looking at her own corpse, at a loss.

She would also repeatedly reach out, wanting to touch her grandfather’s arm, but each time her hand passed through his body, she never managed to touch him.

Di Jiang’s chest felt constricted. She turned to look at Zhong Xu beside her, who stood there blankly, equally stunned.

His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, clearly he had heard and seen it too, but he made no other move.

If this were in the past, he would have already drawn his long sword and struck with one blow.

His motto was “Slay all demons, cook all ghosts.” For vengeful spirits unwilling to reincarnate, he was never soft-hearted. If he encountered them, regardless of the reason, their only fate was “death.”

But now… he turned a blind eye, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

“Old Xu, let me help you.” Wu Ruian rolled up his sleeves and jumped into the pit without asking.

Old Xu glanced at him, somewhat puzzled.

Wu Ruian gave a slightly apologetic smile and said, “You’re old and it will be very hard for you. Let me do it.”

The apology in his eyes made Old Xu even more terrified.

He... didn’t even know these people!

Xu Weizhou looked up and around, only to realize that it wasn’t just Wu Ruian, but three more people had appeared beside him, plus a large coffin!

“Who are you…”

“We couldn’t bear to watch and wanted to do our small part. Please don’t refuse, and don’t be anxious. We mean no harm.” Wu Ruian finished speaking, then scooped up a handful of dirt and threw it outside.

Zhong Xu also rolled up his sleeves, opened the coffin, picked up Xu Ya’s body, and carefully placed it inside.

“This pit is a bit too small for the coffin, we’ll dig it larger,” Wu Ruian said, calling Zhong Xu down to help.

Zhong Xu didn’t decline. With a tap of his toes, he landed on the other side of the pit and extended its length.

“Thank you… thank you all,” Old Xu sobbed, tears streaming down his face.

Normally, because of his dirty work, almost no one would approach him. Yet, in such a desolate situation today, someone was willing to help him.

At this moment, Wu Ruian and his group were practically divine beings in his heart.

Wu Ruian and Zhong Xu were helping Old Xu dig the pit, while Di Jiang sat by, taking out a piece of wood she had prepared earlier and beginning to carve characters onto it.

Xu… Ya… As soon as these two characters were carved, Di Jiang stopped her carving pen and asked, “Old Master Xu, which year was Xu Ya born?”

“Xin You year, tenth day of the You month.” Old Master Xu finished, even stopping his crying. His entire being looked withered, as if his soul had been drained.

“Just one more month until she’s twelve…” Di Jiang sighed, and after a brief moment of stun, continued to engrave.

The air echoed with Xu Ya’s cries, and besides them, there were many other sounds.

Di Jiang took a deep breath, deciding not to listen anymore.

She subconsciously shook her head, and indeed the voices became much softer, but some still lingered in the air, unwilling to depart.

At this moment, a gust of wind blew, scattering the spirit money from the basket like falling snow.

It landed on Di Jiang, on the coffin, in the pit.

The world seemed to be covered in a layer of grey, heavy and oppressive.

Di Jiang stopped her carving knife, staring blankly at the withered grass on the ground.

The plants growing in this barren land were like the people living in the slum. Their lives never fully bloomed before they grew old, withering into mud.

So humble, so insignificant, so unremarkable…

But she knew that even the most ordinary people in this world would always have some who possessed extraordinary souls.

They would shine in places we couldn’t see.