Last Bus of Route 13 - Chapter 62 - The First Divination

Old Liu’s sudden outburst startled me, making me shiver.

“Old Liu, what’s wrong? Why are you shouting like that?”

Frowning, Old Liu lowered his voice and said, “There’s something off about Da Lao Wang’s soul transfer. I’ve heard of people raising spirits by hosting human souls in animals, but Da Lao Wang’s method just now… it felt sinister.”

I froze for a moment, then asked, “Sinister? What do you mean? Explain.”

“Most of the steps were fine,” Old Liu replied. “But the issue lies with that weight-an iron weight. You can’t just use something like that casually. During the soul transfer, Da Lao Wang hung the weight around the rooster’s neck. But after the transfer, do you remember where he tied that iron weight?”

His words sent a chill through me. I racked my brain, trying to recall the scene of Da Lao Wang’s ritual. But honestly, I had been so tense at the time that I barely noticed the weight. If Old Liu hadn’t brought it up, I would have completely forgotten about it.

Seeing my struggle, Old Liu continued, “The red cloth tied around the corpse’s feet is for locking the soul in place. The silver needles in the head are for bridging the soul’s passage. But if Da Lao Wang tied that iron weight to the red cloth on the corpse’s ankle, then it becomes a Ghost Fall Trigger. The soul of the deceased will never find peace.”

Hearing Old Liu’s final words sent a shiver down my spine.

An iron weight tied to the ankle’s red cloth could doom a soul for eternity? Was it really that serious?

Old Liu sighed and said softly, “I’m getting old, and my memory isn’t what it used to be. But this-this is something we must confirm. I don’t know much about soul transfers, but I know exactly what a Ghost Fall Trigger is.”

I understood what Old Liu was getting at. It all boiled down to the final placement of the iron weight. A tiny mistake could lead to catastrophic consequences.

As we were discussing the iron weight, the argument next door between Zhou Zhuang and his wife grew even louder.

It was nearly 3 a.m. What could they possibly be fighting about at this hour?

I thought about going over to mediate, but Old Liu stopped me, saying, “Couples fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot. Don’t meddle in their business.”

Since Old Liu had said so, I crawled back under the covers. After chatting with him for a bit longer, we both went to sleep.

At the crack of dawn, Old Liu, like a rooster, woke me up right on time.

I couldn’t help but marvel. Old Liu stayed up late every night and still woke up so early. How did his body handle it?

Rubbing my eyes, I reluctantly got out of bed. After a simple breakfast, Old Liu dragged me off to Da Lao Wang’s house.

Yawning, I asked, “Old Liu, last night before bed, you said Da Lao Wang was unreliable. Now, at the break of dawn, you’re rushing to see him. What are you up to?”

Old Liu replied coldly, “Whether he’s reliable or not depends on where that iron weight ended up. We’ll deal with your issue first, then figure it out.”

After spending so much time with Old Liu, I realized he was becoming more and more like my father-waking me up every day, teaching me how to handle things, and always having the final say. I had no choice but to follow his lead.

Still, having Old Liu as this unexpected father figure gave me a sense of security. Sometimes, I even thought about how he had no children of his own. After all he’d done for me, when he got too old to move, I would definitely take care of him!

When we arrived at Da Lao Wang’s house, he was in the yard drying medicinal herbs. Seeing us enter, he quickly put down what he was doing and came over with a warm smile to greet us.

“Ah, my benefactor is here! If it weren’t for this young man last night, I’d have been chopped up with a kitchen knife!”

It seemed that Old Wang had truly taken my kick to Old Zhang to heart.

And rightly so. That kick of mine earned me a good beating from four or five people, not to mention the scratches left on my face by some woman’s nails.

Old Liu, never one for pleasantries, said in a low voice, “No need to thank him. It’s what he should’ve done. Today, we’re here to ask you to do a divination for this kid.”

Da Lao Wang waved us inside with a smile. “Of course, of course. Come on in.”

Following Old Liu, I stepped into the house and sat down on the kang. Just like before, Da Lao Wang pulled out his two walnuts and asked, “Young man, tell me your Eight Characters.”

Not daring to delay, I quickly recited them truthfully.

Da Lao Wang held the walnuts in his palms and began shaking them, muttering something under his breath. After a while, he tossed the walnuts onto the kang.

The two walnuts rolled randomly to one side.

Da Lao Wang leaned down, carefully examining them. He looked at one, then the other, going back and forth several times.

I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Yesterday, when he did a divination for that other guy, it only took a few minutes. Why was he taking so long with mine?

After a while, Da Lao Wang furrowed his brow, looked up at me, and said, “Oh boy, your fate is really something to worry about.”

Confused and anxious, I pressed him, “What do you mean?”

Lighting a hand-rolled cigarette, Da Lao Wang spoke slowly, “Your Eight Characters are nothing out of the ordinary. Your early life is destined to be smooth and stable. But your later fate… it’s full of drastic changes.”

That was an interesting way to put it. From childhood to now, my life had been peaceful and happy-no wealth or glory, but no major troubles either. It was only this year, after I started driving the Route 13 bus, that strange, vortex-like incidents began piling up one after another.

Drastic changes in later fate? If that’s the case, then this Route 13 bus wasn’t written into my destiny. Maybe I still have a chance to break free!

After finishing his explanation, Da Lao Wang added, “Your fate is blocked by the element of metal, and your Eight Characters clash with fruitwood. If I’m not mistaken, you’re at risk of a blood calamity every month.”

His words hit me like a bolt of lightning. A blood calamity every month? That aligned perfectly with what Old Liu had said about the blood calamities occurring on the 15th day of the lunar month.

Though Da Lao Wang only spoke a few sentences, every word struck home. Even though he hadn’t admitted it outright, I was now convinced-he had to be Semi-Immortal Xu!

Overjoyed, I leaned forward eagerly and said, “Everything you’ve said is spot on. Please, show me a way out. Tell me what I should do.”

Da Lao Wang chuckled and shook his head. “Your fate is too complex, with too many variables. I’ll need three days to fully calculate it. Come back the day after tomorrow.”

Three days?!

His words made my heart sink. That meant I’d have to wait at least three days to get any answers.

I glanced at Old Liu, who nodded and said, “Reading someone’s fate isn’t as simple as it seems, especially when their destiny is full of changes. Taking three days to figure it out is a sign of a true master.”

Da Lao Wang laughed lightly at that. “A master? Hardly. But you, understanding these things so well, must not be an ordinary person yourself.”

Old Liu, as usual, wasn’t one for flattery. He let out a cold chuckle and began making arrangements to leave.

After stepping out with Old Liu, I found myself caught in a strange mix of emotions-neither entirely pleased nor entirely disappointed. While today’s divination didn’t reveal much, at least it confirmed one thing: I hadn’t sought out the wrong person.

On the way back, Old Liu kept his head down, lost in thought. His somber expression puzzled me, so I asked, “Old Liu, is something bothering you? You don’t seem too happy.”

He raised his head slightly, gazing ahead, and replied in a low voice, “It’s nothing serious. That man does have a knack for divination, but something feels off. I need to confirm where the iron weight ended up last night.”

I sighed and said, “The body’s at Zhang’s family’s place. We’re not related to them, so we can’t just waltz in and take a look.”

Old Liu paused for a moment, then said, “I didn’t see the village chief at home yesterday. I’ll go check again now and see if he can help. You head back and wait for my news.”

I agreed, and we parted ways at the fork in the road.

On my way back, I called Xiao Liu to check in and let him know I’d be staying here for another couple of days. Xiao Liu, as always, readily agreed without hesitation. While I was still on the call, I suddenly noticed, about ten meters ahead, an old man standing with his hands behind his back, hunched over.

That silhouette was familiar-it was the blind old man who’d asked me for the time yesterday!

I quickly ended the call, debating how to avoid him. Before I could make a move, the old man spoke without turning around, his voice low and raspy, “Young man, what time is it?”

Again with the time!

I remembered his eyeless sockets from yesterday, and the thought of him turning around made my skin crawl. Hastily, I glanced at my mobile phone and replied, “It’s eleven thirty, sir.”

After giving him the time, I turned to leave, hoping to sidestep him entirely. But before I could take a step, he continued, “Young man, one of my chickens has gone missing. Could you help me find it?”

I froze. The old man’s eyeless appearance was downright terrifying, and I really didn’t want to get involved. But my incurable soft-heartedness kicked in. Plus, I recalled what Zhou Zhuang had said about this old man-homeless and surviving on the villagers’ charity. Sympathy tugged at me, and I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. Gritting my teeth, I replied, “Alright, sir. What does your chicken look like, and where did it go missing? I’ll help you look.”

The old man still didn’t turn around. Instead, he chuckled twice and said, “My chicken is only a month old. It’s easy to recognize-it has a tuft of red feathers near its comb.”

I nodded and said, “Got it. Where did it go missing? I’ll check the area.”

He raised a hand and pointed eastward. “It disappeared on the road over there. Go take a look.”

Afraid he might turn around, I quickly agreed and told him to wait right there while I searched.

I followed the dirt road toward the east of the village. There were plenty of chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs along the roadside, but despite scouring the area, I couldn’t spot a chick with red feathers near its comb.

Just as I was about to head back and confirm the location with the old man, I looked up-and there it was. A little chick stood on the road ahead. Upon closer inspection, sure enough, there was a tuft of red feathers near its comb!

I ran excitedly toward the chick to catch it, but as soon as it saw me coming, it flapped its tiny wings and darted forward.

Oddly enough, despite its small size, the chick was surprisingly fast. Each of my strides should have easily outpaced its minute-long sprint, yet somehow, I just couldn’t catch up to it.

We zigzagged along the village path, and before I knew it, the chick had bolted into someone’s yard. I looked up and froze in shock. The entrance to the house was lined with wreaths and Paper Men-clearly, a funeral was taking place. Then it hit me: the only family in the village that had recently lost someone was Zhang’s family.

I had unknowingly chased the chick all the way here. Standing outside, I hesitated, debating whether to enter the yard to continue my pursuit. Just then, I saw a group of people emerge from the courtyard. Quickly, I ducked behind a corner and peeked out.

Leading the group was Old Zhang himself, accompanied by men and women carrying shovels. Old Zhang turned to the others and said, “The burial is set for the day after tomorrow. Let’s head up the mountain to dig the grave now. You stay here and prepare lunch; we’ll be back soon.”

After giving his instructions, Old Zhang led the group west of the village toward the mountain.

Once they were out of sight, I stepped out from my hiding spot. I had been worrying with Old Liu about how to get into Zhang’s family home, but now, with everyone off to the mountain, the opportunity had practically fallen into my lap.

The courtyard was empty. I slipped inside, scanning the area for where the body might be kept. Suddenly, I spotted the chick with the red feathers standing by the door of a storage room, staring straight at me.

Feeling puzzled, I cautiously crept into the storage room. As soon as I entered, I was startled-the chick had vanished. Instead, there was a large rooster tied to a pillar, its gaze fixed on me. Its cold, sorrowful eyes were nothing like those of a bird; they were disturbingly human.

It was the rooster from last night’s soul transfer ritual!

I avoided looking directly at the eerie rooster and glanced around the room. The storage space was eerily empty, save for a long wooden plank in the center, covered by a white cloth.

I gasped, my breath catching in my throat. There was no need to guess; beneath the white cloth lay the body of Zhang’s son.

Old Liu had been preoccupied with figuring out where Da Lao Wang had tied the Iron Weight. Now, I finally had the chance to confirm it.

I crouched down, reaching to lift the white cloth, but suddenly, a thought struck me-something felt off.

It wasn’t the corpse that felt wrong. It was the blind old man who had sent me on this wild goose chase.

How could he raise chickens when he had no eyes? And even more baffling, how could he possibly know that the lost chick had red feathers near its comb?