Last Bus of Route 13 - Chapter 63 - Up the Mountain

These questions puzzled me, and what was even stranger was that I clearly saw the chick with red feathers slip into the warehouse. Yet, in such a confined space, it just disappeared!

I steadied my mind, deciding not to dwell on these questions anymore, as there were more pressing matters to attend to―like figuring out exactly where Da Lao Wang had hung the Iron Weight.

Just as I reached out to lift the white cloth, a loud shout came from the door:

“What are you doing? Seems like the scratching you got at Da Lao Wang’s house last time wasn’t enough!”

This sudden shout made me shiver. I looked up to see standing at the doorway the sister of Zhang’s family man, who stayed home to cook.

I vividly remembered being mobbed at Da Lao Wang’s house last night, and this woman had scratched me quite a bit.

This shrew was holding a kitchen knife, her eyes bulging as she glared at me.

I had just managed to get close to the body, a rare opportunity, and decided to ignore her and continue to lift the cloth covering the corpse.

Just as my hand touched the white cloth, I heard a “swoosh” as the kitchen knife flew towards me!

She really dared to strike! The kitchen knife was upon me in an instant, and I quickly withdrew my hand.

I was almost there, just about to uncover the cloth, and just a fraction away from having my hand chopped off by the flying knife!

I broke out in a cold sweat and cursed at her:

“Are you insane, throwing a kitchen knife?”

She shouted back at me:

“You’re the crazy one, what the hell are you doing here? Stay away from my nephew’s body or I’ll scratch you to death!”

This shrew was truly fierce. It wasn’t that I was scared of her, but I did feel somewhat out of place, intruding into someone else’s storage room without good reason.

I swallowed my pride and didn’t continue to argue. In a low voice, I said:

“Sister, don’t rush to conclusions. There’s nothing in your storage room. I’m not here to steal anything. I’m just helping an old man look for his chick.”

Just as I finished speaking, I suddenly saw the chick with red feathers around its comb appear again at the doorway of the warehouse.

I quickly pointed at it and said:

“Sister, look, this chick here, it’s not yours, right?”

The shrew glanced at the chick, puzzled, and said:

“How did this chick get into the storage room? Alright, just take it and get out.”

I nodded hastily and went to grab the chick. Previously mischievous, the chick now stood still, allowing me to catch it.

I picked it up and ran out without saying another word.

Fearing the shrew might follow, I ran all the way back to the village road, took a deep breath, and looked down at the chick in my arms.

Gone? It disappeared!

The chick had been in my arms the whole time; when did it jump out? How could it just vanish like that?

I shook my head in frustration, having gone through all this trouble and still not caught it. I thought about it and decided to go back and inform the blind old man. I did my best to find the chick, but somehow, it seemed smarter than me!

When I returned to the meeting place with the old man, there was no one there.

Just as I was wondering about this, I saw Zhou Zhuang carrying a hoe coming from the east.

“Li Yao, what are you doing here?”

I responded and mentioned that I had just been searching for Semi-Immortal Xu and was about to head home, so we walked back together.

Zhou Zhuang seemed to be in a good mood, smiling as he asked me if I was getting used to the food and lodging.

Despite his personality having changed quite a bit, my old classmate was still as genuine as ever, which made me feel a bit closer to him.

“Zhou Zhuang, I have a favor to ask. I wonder if you could help me out?”

Zhou Zhuang looked at me with a smile and said, “What kind of talk is that? If there’s anything I can help you with, just let me know.”

I pondered for a moment before saying, “I want to take a look at Zhang’s son’s body, but as an outsider, it’s not convenient for me. Do you have any way to help?”

Zhou Zhuang furrowed his brows and looked at me with confusion. I knew he couldn’t accept such a sudden request, so I continued, “Don’t worry, I have no ill intentions. The old man who came with me knows a bit about metaphysics. He found something off with Da Lao Wang’s soul transfer and wants me to check the body to confirm.”

Zhou Zhuang thought for a while before saying, “Well, it’s a bit difficult, but not impossible. Our village has a custom where the deceased must be placed near the grave pit the night before burial until dawn. So, tonight the body will be taken up the mountain.”

I was taken aback. “Tonight up the mountain? Then there won’t be any chance!”

Zhou Zhuang slowed his pace and said, “It’s hard to approach when relatives and friends are keeping vigil at home, but usually only four or five people accompany the body up the mountain.”

He looked at me and continued, “I don’t understand why you’re getting involved with this body when you’re here for divination, but I trust you. I’ll definitely help you with this.”

Seeing that Zhou Zhuang was willing to help, I felt particularly pleased. We finally agreed to go up the mountain together at night, with him finding a way to distract Zhang’s family.

I spent the afternoon at Zhou Zhuang’s place, but Old Liu never returned.

Zhou Zhuang went out to find out that Zhang’s family planned to take the body up the mountain at nine o’clock when it was completely dark.

I intended to ask Old Liu’s opinion, but since he hadn’t returned, I had to proceed with the plan.

Night fell quickly, and Zhou Zhuang kept urging me to set off, but Old Liu still hadn’t come back.

I felt uneasy, knowing Old Liu went to the village chief to learn about the situation, and it had been all afternoon without a sign of him.

Zhou Zhuang noticed my concern and reassured me, saying the village chief was a warm-hearted person who insisted guests stay for dinner and drinks. Perhaps Old Liu was enjoying a drink with the village chief at that moment.

Thinking it made sense, I set off with Zhou Zhuang to go up the mountain.

Zhou Zhuang brought a shovel, and I asked him why. He simply said it was to help distract Zhang’s family.

Leading the way, Zhou Zhuang guided us from the east of the village, through fields, up the hillside, and soon into the mountains.

Yangcaogou was a large rural area, and the mountains here were particularly high and deep.

After walking along the mountain path for about twenty minutes, Zhou Zhuang suddenly stopped and suggested we head off the path.

I asked in confusion, “Zhou Zhuang, the moonlight isn’t good tonight. It’s hard to find our way even along the path. Won’t we get lost if we go off it?”

Carrying the shovel, Zhou Zhuang chuckled and said, “I grew up at the foot of this mountain. Don’t worry, we won’t get lost. Just stick close to me.”

Without waiting for my agreement, he turned and went off the path.

As an outsider, everything here was unfamiliar to me. I figured Zhou Zhuang had his reasons for making such a decision, so I didn’t think much of it and simply followed him.

We trudged through the thick underbrush of the mountain for quite a while. The grass was tall and the branches plentiful, tearing several holes in my clothes.

“Zhou Zhuang, we’ve been walking for ages. How much further is it? Did they really dig the grave pit this far out?”

Zhou Zhuang kept walking ahead without turning back, muttering softly, “Almost there, just a bit further.”

Resigned, I continued to follow him.

After another half hour, the mountain became steeper. I started to feel uneasy. My family lived in the countryside too, and when someone passed away, we buried them halfway up the mountain, never this high up.

“Zhou Zhuang, are you sure you got the right information? Who buries their dead this high up?”

Zhou Zhuang didn’t slow down, using the shovel to push aside the obstructing weeds.

“Just a bit further,” he said, his tone starkly different from the cheerful one he had before we started climbing. It sounded rather cold.

We climbed for another ten minutes, surrounded by desolate vegetation. Occasionally, the cries of birds and beasts pierced the eerie atmosphere of the midnight wilderness. The chilling wind raised goosebumps on my arms.

Unable to hold back any longer, I demanded sharply, “Are you sure you got it right? Dragging the corpse up here would exhaust them.”

Zhou Zhuang finally lost his patience, replying coldly, “Shut up, we’re almost there.”

Shut up??

Since arriving in Yangcaogou and staying at his place for the past two days, Zhou Zhuang had been nothing but courteous to us. This was the first time he spoke to me in such a manner!

The trees were tall in the deep mountains, unlike the lower areas where you could rely on moonlight. Following him, I could only make out his silhouette. The atmosphere around us was unsettling, and I was starting to feel scared.

Just as I was about to suggest heading back down, Zhou Zhuang suddenly stopped. He said icily, “We’re here.”

Upon hearing this, I quickly turned on my mobile phone’s flashlight to survey the surroundings.

What I saw shocked me!

Unknowingly, I had followed him into a circle of grave mounds. The mounds varied in height, but they all shared one thing in common: none had tombstones.

This was a mass grave!!!

I took a deep breath, my heart tightening with tension. I asked warily, “Zhou Zhuang, what do you mean? We came to find Zhang’s family grave pit, why did you bring me here?”

Zhou Zhuang finally turned around. In the light of the phone, I saw his face contorted with a twisted expression.

“This is your home.”

The way he said it was terrifying. My heart sank, and I instinctively took a step back, only to lose my footing and fall into a large pit.

Panicked, I realized the pit was square-exactly the shape of a coffin pit!

Just as I was about to climb out, Zhou Zhuang leapt forward, swinging the shovel at my head.

I collapsed, powerless, blood streaming from my head, my heart filled with despair.

It was over for me!!

Through squinted eyes, I saw Zhou Zhuang.

He was vigorously shoveling dirt over me.

He was going to bury me alive!!