Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 933 - 929: The Old Man

Ruan Hongzhuang and the others didn’t really feel the Yin Wind too much, simply taking it as a night breeze blowing.

But in the eyes of Shen Siyuan and a few kids, they saw an old man with his hands behind his back, walking towards them.

This included Tang Tang, who couldn’t see ghosts, yet she could sense changes in the colors around her.

Plus, Dou Dou and the others often teased her, letting her know that these movable colors were actually an invisible "person."

"Oh~"

Thus, she reacted the most, being the first to look towards the figure.

In contrast, Dou Dou and the others were very calm, just glanced over without much reaction, as they’d seen too many ghosts.

Much like when you see someone on the street, you give a glance, but don’t have much reaction.

So, Tang Tang’s reaction immediately caught the old man’s attention.

"Hmm, can this little girl see me?"

The old man seemed quite surprised.

Tang Tang naturally couldn’t hear him, but seeing him approach, she immediately stretched out her small hand to poke at the position of his navel.

If he had been facing away, she would have surely poked his bottom.

After all, she often poked Dou Dou like this.

"You little girl, such impoliteness."

The old man reached out to slap Tang Tang’s hand.

But no sooner had his palm extended than it was caught by another hand.

"It’s not her being impolite, it’s you who shouldn’t have come near her." Shen Siyuan gave the other a cold glare.

The old man was clearly of a fiery temperament. Being grasped by Shen Siyuan, his first reaction was to yank his arm back and glare angrily at him.

But not only did his arm not move, once their eyes met, his body became rigid. He couldn’t even move a finger, let alone glare back.

It was an invisible intimidation, and he only came to his senses when Shen Siyuan released his wrist and looked away.

But even so, he did not feel relieved, as if a burden of a whole day suddenly lifted, feeling deeply fatigued from the inside out.

Only then did Ruan Hongzhuang and the others take notice of Shen Siyuan’s actions. Yet, they were not surprised, including Mao Sanmei; although they couldn’t see ghosts, they had long been accustomed to it.

Moreover, they no longer feared ghosts, carrying on with what they were doing.

"Young man, you can also see me?"

The old man set aside all his temper and carefully asked.

Shen Siyuan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he picked up Tang Tang and let her sit on his lap.

"Oh~"

Tang Tang turned her head and pointed at the old man’s position, seemingly reminding Shen Siyuan.

"Alright, I got it."

Shen Siyuan handed the flashlight in his hand to Tang Tang.

The little one turned on the flashlight, and a beam of light shot skyward in the night sky.

"Han~"

And by this time, the old man also realized that not just the young guy in front of him could see him.

All the little girls beside him could see him as well, with one even making a face at him.

Seeing Tang Tang distracted, Shen Siyuan turned his attention back to the old man.

"Why are you here, are you a villager from around here?"

"Yes, our village is over there."

The old man pointed in a direction, yet nothing could be seen in the deep of the night.

Then he pointed to a nearby wheat field.

"That used to be our home... but it’s no longer ours..."

The old man seemed a bit despondent.

"All things are cyclical, what is gained is eventually lost, what is lost will one day return, let go of your obsessions, there’s no need to force it..." Shen Siyuan casually comforted him.

"Potato, what are you talking about, I don’t understand a bit." Dou Dou scratched her chubby cheek, looking puzzled.

Ruan Hongzhuang and Taozi, however, looked at Shen Siyuan in astonishment.

"Why are you suddenly saying such things, I’m telling you, don’t you dare suddenly see through the mortal world one day." Ruan Hongzhuang said with concern.

"Don’t worry, with you two beauties, I naturally won’t." Shen Siyuan laughed heartily.

Hearing this, Taozi coyly gave him a slap and said, "The kids are still here, don’t talk nonsense."

Actually, it was fine, except for Xiao Yue sneering with disdain, the other three little ones were all puzzled, having no clue what they were talking about.

At this moment, the old man saluted respectfully, "May I ask if sir is a Taoist Heavenly Master, a Buddhist mage, or a layman master..."

Shen Siyuan was somewhat surprised to hear this, the other looking like an old farmer, dressed in coarse fabric, face etched with the marks of time, yet he seemed to know quite a bit.

"I am neither Taoist nor Buddhist, just a layman who knows a few tricks..." Shen Siyuan replied.

"May I ask for your surname?" The old man saluted again.

"My surname is Shen." Shen Siyuan said.

"So it’s Mr. Shen." The old man clasped his hands together.

"I am Zhang Siyuan, I apologize for my previous offense, please bear with me."

Zhang Siyuan said, bowing deeply once more. His respectful demeanor made Shen Siyuan a bit uncomfortable.

However, with his sudden humility, he must surely have a request.

Sure enough, before Shen Siyuan could inquire, he went on, "I know you are a master in cultivation who keeps away from worldly affairs, but this old man has a matter to trouble you with."

Saying this, he bowed deeply to Shen Siyuan again.

Shen Siyuan never expected someone with an old farmer’s appearance to speak in such a scholarly manner.

Seems like he’s been educated; truly, you can’t judge a person by their appearance.

Zhang Siyuan having unfinished business didn’t surprise Shen Siyuan, since after all, staying in the mortal world after death usually indicates unfulfilled wishes, not willing to leave just yet.

But Shen Siyuan was curious about what he wanted, so he said, "Tell me about your matter first."

Zhang Siyuan’s face lit up upon hearing this.

Then, he slowly started to talk about his own situation.

Zhang Siyuan is from Zhang Family Village nearby, according to the Zhang family records, in the 23rd year of the Hongwu era, the ancestors Zhang An and Zhang Legong migrated from Shanxi Hongdong Big Locust Tree to this place.

As the population developed, it gradually became known as Zhang Family Village, with over a hundred households, all bearing the surname Zhang.

There was a tinge of melancholy in Zhang Siyuan’s voice.

"Sir, don’t mind this appearance of mine now, when I was young I did study for a few years. Although our Zhang Family Village is remote, we always had the tradition of ’farming and reading’, my father was even a village tutor, teaching many kids literacy in his day, but sadly he passed away early..."

Shen Siyuan nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"When I was young, I served in the military, stationed on the borderlines of Northeast for five years."

Zhang Siyuan raised his hand, touching his white hair at the temples, his gaze drifting to the distant night sky, as if seeing scenes from decades ago, "Back then I thought, after retirement, I must make my family live a good life. But I was uneducated, besides farming and shooting, I knew nothing, so after coming back, I could only stay and guard these few acres of wheat fields..."

Shen Siyuan enjoyed listening to elderly stories and thus wasn’t impatient.

Meanwhile, the little ones had long run aside to play, catching grasshoppers in the grass, their laughter echoing in the night sky...