Happy Little Farmer
Chapter 715

Chapter 715: Chapter 715

In Yang Fan’s understanding, confirming whether a mummified corpse, separated by countless generations of lineage, is truly their ancestor is an entirely impossible task.

It’s bad enough that it’s turned into a mummy, not to mention that it’s now in pieces. What’s more, this mummy is generations removed from the oldest living member of the Yun Family—there isn’t a single person who would recognize it.

How could anyone confirm this?

It’s clearly impossible.

But Mr. Fan actually had a way.

After everyone descended into the cavern, he gathered the shattered and fragmented remains of the mummy—scattered earlier during Yang Fan’s handling—and arranged them into a cohesive form. Around the remains, he laid out a peculiar formation using small stones and then inscribed some runes onto the stones with a red pen. Finally, he placed the scrap of cloth, which was stained with the fingertip blood of several Yun Family members, onto the broken forehead of the mummy.

Then, something strange happened: a soft, blood-red light began to emanate from the body of the mummy.

A pale crimson glow.

Mr. Fan nodded affirmatively. "No problem; he’s indeed your ancestor. But since he’s already turned into a malevolent creature that can harm others, my disciple had no choice but to take action. I hope you don’t mind!"

"Under normal circumstances, someone’s bones from this many generations ago would have completely decayed to nothing by now. At least his remains are relatively intact. You can piece them together and enshrine them again."

Yun Miaoyi’s father said, "How dare we blame you for anything? Without the intervention of the two of you, we Yun Family members might have become the scourge of the entire surrounding community. We’re fortunate that it was discovered in time, and so far, no major casualties have occurred."

"These creatures are born to harm others. Consuming human vitality is what enables them to grow stronger. Judging by this situation, your ancestor initially prioritized absorbing Moon Essence. But harming and devouring humans would’ve only been a matter of time," said Mr. Fan. "It’s their nature—it cannot be changed. Encountering one of these things leaves no choice but to destroy it."

"In most cases, when we deal with creatures like this, the safest method is to burn them completely to ashes. Zombies are notoriously hard to kill entirely. However, your ancestor’s head was more or less obliterated by my disciple, so the situation shouldn’t be too difficult to resolve."

"This is your decision to make: burn him thoroughly now, and you can gather the bones later for reburial. Don’t worry that your ancestor will be displeased or fail to protect you in the future—he’s no longer your ancestor. What remains is merely a dried husk."

Yun Miaoyi’s father seemed a bit conflicted.

After briefly discussing the matter with two companions beside him, he asked, "Mr. Fan, will our ancestor be incapable of hurting anyone in his current state?"

"Right now, that’s definitely impossible," Mr. Fan replied. "What I mean is that if you don’t burn him, he might eventually awaken again. The likelihood is very small, but it’s not zero."

"Then how about this as a solution?" Yun Miaoyi’s father asked politely. "We cannot make a firm decision at this moment. Could we first bring our ancestor’s remains up to the surface and consult with the elders of our clan?"

"Our family is relatively large with many members. Any matters involving the clan are generally discussed and decided by several of the elders; we younger generations can only make suggestions at most."

"That’s not an issue," Mr. Fan agreed with a nod. "Even if you choose to burn the remains, it’s better to do it on the surface. This place isn’t suitable to linger. In today’s society, a family as united as yours is truly a rare sight. Take your time to discuss, and just give me your answer by noon tomorrow."

Yun Miaoyi’s father agreed repeatedly and expressed his gratitude to Mr. Fan.

Soon, the Yun Family members worked together to collect their ancestor’s remains and transported them to the surface. Only after this did Yang Fan and the others grab onto ropes and get hoisted up by those waiting above.

At the top of Siwa Cave, countless flashlights illuminated the small hill like a light show.

The Yun Family gathered in a large circle, gazing intently at the handsome visage of their ancestor.

Some screamed in terror, yet couldn’t help but stretch their necks to steal another curious glance.

Yang Fan and Mr. Fan stood at a distance, not joining the bustling crowd.

"This thing had quite the ambition!" Mr. Fan suddenly remarked.

Yang Fan turned his head in confusion. "Master, what do you mean?"

"The zombie—it had already developed some level of Spiritual Wisdom and knew how to choose what was most beneficial for itself," Mr. Fan replied quietly. "By absorbing Moon Essence, it could assist in its Transformation and further its intelligence. Feeding on humans would have granted it greater strength, but at the cost of reduced intelligence, turning it into nothing more than a mindless husk."

"Most zombies, upon entering the human world, commit their first act of harm against living beings. It’s their nature; it’s instinctive. But your ancestor forcibly suppressed his primal urges and prioritized absorbing Moon Essence. This creature could probably be considered a genius among zombies."

Yang Fan was somewhat taken aback. "It almost sounds like this guy might be smarter than me."

Mr. Fan chuckled. "At least you’re self-aware. To be honest, this thing might indeed be sharper than you. It managed to suppress its nature, yet it seems you can’t even do that."

"Master, enough already!" Yang Fan raised an eyebrow. "I can tell when you’re criticizing me indirectly, no need to spell it out. I’ve been incredibly sincere here; you should at least honor your word—don’t say one thing but mean another."

Mr. Fan’s expression stiffened. After a moment, his demeanor grew slightly subdued, and he said, "You must’ve misheard me. I was just casually making an observation, nothing more."

As the saying goes, those who accept favors are bound to others by obligation.

The rare and precious Spiritual Energy Yang Fan had provided had even managed to soften Mr. Fan’s sharp tongue.

Yang Fan chuckled quietly to himself.

The results were not bad at all.

Just then, Yun Miaoyi approached with one of the Yun Family elders.

"Mr. Fan, Mr. Xiao Yang."

The elder politely greeted both Mr. Fan and Yang Fan before speaking. "We’ve just held a quick discussion within the clan. Although burning our ancestor pains us deeply, to avoid future trouble, we’ve decided to cremate him and then collect his bones for reburial."

"That’s the safest course of action," Mr. Fan said with a nod of approval.

"Actually, to be precise, this choice restores your ancestor to his true self. The current entity is, in truth, something else entirely—it’s no longer truly your ancestor. Cremation isn’t an act of disrespect; in fact, it’s an expression of filial piety."

The Yun Family elder smiled and nodded. "Mr. Fan, this may just be words of consolation to me, but coming from you, it eases my concerns and puts my heart at ease."

"No, it’s the truth," Mr. Fan said, shaking his head. "There’s a simple way to discern the difference: if this were truly your ancestor, he would have retained his memories long ago. But this zombie is only just beginning to develop intelligence, evolving from a mindless husk toward a being with rudimentary intellect."