Last Bus of Route 13

As the last Paper Man was blown over by the wind, my heart sank into despair. At the same moment, a fierce gust of wind swept through the room. Shuilian, standing by the outer door with a tray in her hands, had it knocked over by the sudden gust. The door swung open with the wind, and after a brief moment, everything returned to calm.

Old Lady Qiu shook her head helplessly at the scene.

“This ghost is indeed not simple. Two teams of Locked Ghost Paper Men are my best method, yet they couldn’t hold it. It’s fate, and there’s nothing more this old lady can do for you.”

With that, Old Lady Qiu stood up, sighed, and walked out the door.

Seeing success slip away, leaving the ghost to escape, I collapsed onto the bed, utterly drained and filled with profound disappointment.

Unaware of the situation, Shuilian was startled by the sudden gust that overturned her tray. She quickly crouched down to clean up the shattered dishes scattered on the floor.

Success was within reach, yet it was thwarted by the breeze Shuilian brought in when she opened the door. I felt frustrated but had nowhere to vent my anger.

Who could I blame? Shuilian’s morning visits to deliver breakfast were routine. She was innocent and unaware, and it wasn’t her fault. It was my lack of foresight, only telling her not to come at night without considering the morning.

Shuilian noticed Old Lady Qiu leaving in low spirits and found it odd. She entered the room and asked me, “Brother Li, why has Old Lady Qiu been visiting you so often these past few days?”

I had no desire to talk, merely lying on the bed, sighing repeatedly.

Seeing my disinterest, Shuilian sat for a while before getting up to leave.

After last night’s ordeal, even if Old Lady Qiu were willing to help again, capturing the ghost would be difficult.

If it’s meant to be, it will be. If it’s trouble, it can’t be avoided. Given the situation, there’s no reason to stay in Huaihu Village any longer. Yet Old Wu has been gone for so long and hasn’t returned even once. I was considering whether I should head home on my own.

I remembered Old Wu driving me through the highway for an entire night. This village is so remote it doesn’t even have electricity. If I were to walk out, who knows how many days it would take?

But regardless, I had to try. With that thought, I quickly got up to pack my things.

Around noon, Shuilian came to deliver lunch and saw me packing my luggage. She couldn’t help but feel sad and asked softly, “Brother Li, why are you packing? Are you leaving?”

Seeing Shuilian, I took the opportunity to ask her, “Yes, I’ve stayed long enough. It’s time to go back. By the way, Shuilian, do you know the way from your village to the city?”

Shuilian bit her lip, pondering for a long time before saying, “Our village has always had little contact with the outside world. Usually, the village chief leads any trips out for supplies. I don’t know the way.”

Shuilian surely wouldn’t lie. But Huaihu Village is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Without someone from the village to guide me, getting out would be nearly impossible.

I sighed and continued packing. Ten minutes later, with my packed luggage in hand, I headed out. Shuilian followed behind me silently, reluctant to see me go.

At the village entrance, about to part ways, I wanted to give Shuilian a gift as a memento. But having come in such a rush, I hadn’t brought anything suitable. So, I took a hundred yuan from my wallet and handed it to her.

“Shuilian, take this money. I work at the bus stop on Changxin Street. If you ever get the chance to come to the city, make sure to find me. I’ll show you around.”

Shuilian shook her head, refusing the money. “Brother Li, the mountains surround us here. Even if you follow the mountain path, it’s easy to get lost. And are you really leaving just like that? What about the little girl who comes to see you every night?”

I almost forgot about the little girl until Shuilian mentioned her. That’s right, she visits me every day, rain or shine. If I leave so suddenly, she’ll be so disappointed!

Thinking it over, I pulled out my mobile phone and placed it in Shuilian’s hand. “The little girl comes to my house every day to play with the phone. Please leave it on my bed as a keepsake for her.”

Shuilian took the phone, hesitating to speak.

Seeing that it was getting late, I exchanged a few more words with Shuilian and set off with my luggage.

The mountain path in Huaihu Village was narrow and full of potholes, making it difficult to walk. I was already out of breath after just a few hundred meters.

The path was my choice. Since it’s no longer safe here, I have to find my own way back to the city, where Xiao Liu, Bun Hairstyle, and Old Liu are waiting.

After resting by the roadside for a while, I gathered my strength and continued on my way.

The mountain road was deserted except for me. I kept walking, but the path seemed endlessly long. I walked until dusk, and all I could see were mountains upon mountains!

I had underestimated this unassuming Huaihu Village, never imagining its remote location.

The weather was fine when I left, but it gradually changed. Dark clouds gathered, and a torrential downpour began.

With no shelter from the rain on the mountain path, I sat by the roadside, letting the rain pelt me.

As darkness fell, the rain made the muddy path even harder to traverse, and I regretted my rash decision to leave the village.

I was stuck halfway, with no village or shop in sight, feeling utterly helpless.

When night fully descended, the rain intensified instead of easing up, soaking me to the bone.

The mountain wind mixed with the rain brought a chilling cold that left me hopeless. Just when I was at my wit’s end, I saw headlights coming from the direction of Huaihu Village!

Could it be someone from the village heading to the city?

Excited, I staggered to the middle of the road, hoping to flag down the vehicle for a ride to the city.

But to my surprise, the vehicle sped along the muddy mountain road, reaching me in no time.

I waved my arms in the road, but the vehicle showed no sign of slowing down. By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late. With a loud “bang,” I was hit and sent flying.

The impact was so severe, it felt like all my bones had shattered. Lying in the muddy ditch, my eyelids grew heavy, too heavy to keep open. Was I going to die?

Just before I lost consciousness, I felt someone lifting me up.

I used all my strength to open my eyes but saw no one helping me. Instead, I saw the back of the vehicle that hit me.

The red letters on the back were all too familiar-Route 13.

When I woke up, I found myself lying on the bed in the old house.

I was back!

Just as I tried to get up, a sharp pain shot through my body, and I couldn’t help but let out a groan.

Seeing me awake, a pair of small hands reached over and pulled the blanket up over me.

It was the little girl!

Standing beside the bed, she tucked me in and asked, “Uncle, are you not planning to stay here anymore? Where are you going?”

I took a deep breath and glanced around. Apart from the little girl, there was no one else nearby. Could it be that she was the one who rescued me from the mountain road?

I nodded and said, “Little sister, I miss home.”

The little girl blinked in confusion and asked, “Are you afraid of the person who came looking for you?”

I understood what she meant; she was referring to the ghost that even Old Lady Qiu couldn’t deal with.

She could see ghosts, so it was hard to believe she wasn’t a ginseng doll.

I didn’t say anything, just smiled and nodded at her.

“Even grandmother couldn’t help?” she asked.

Grandmother?

I asked in confusion, “What grandmother? Have I met your grandmother?”

“Yeah, didn’t she come to help you last night?”

Suddenly, it dawned on me that the grandmother the little girl mentioned was actually Old Lady Qiu.

I asked, puzzled, “Little sister, did you ask grandmother to help me?”

The little girl nodded and said, “Yes.”

Old Lady Qiu couldn’t possibly be a ginseng old lady. If she was the little girl’s grandmother, then I realized the little girl must be…

Her innocent gaze made my heart warm inexplicably.

“It’s okay, I’m fine,” I said, forcing myself to sit up despite the pain.

Reflecting on the recent events was truly terrifying. If it weren’t for the little girl saving me, I might have ended up as a corpse in the mountains.

Strangely enough, the vehicle that hit me was the Route 13 bus I used to drive. I knew it couldn’t be a real bus, but I remembered seeing the Route 13 bus on the road for the first time when encountering Ghost Waiting for Bus. This was the second time.

Was the ghost trying to warn me about something?

The little girl saw me deep in thought and whispered, “Uncle, don’t be afraid. I’ll help you,” then ran out of the room.

I didn’t have time to call her back, so I lay down to rest.

By morning, I felt no pain at all; my body had miraculously healed!

Shuilian didn’t know I was back, so she didn’t bring breakfast today.

I wandered around the yard with a hungry stomach, feeling embarrassed to ask her for food.

Just as I was at a loss, Old Lady Qiu arrived again.

This time, she didn’t greet me with a smile but instead coldly said, “I’ll help you catch it one last time, but you must promise me, whether it works or not, don’t stay here.”

I was taken aback. Help me catch it one last time?

I quickly asked, “Old Lady Qiu, can you really help me again? Didn’t you say the Locked Ghost Paper Man was your most powerful method and there was nothing else you could do?”

Old Lady Qiu sighed, turned away, and said slowly, “If it weren’t for my granddaughter’s incessant pleading, I wouldn’t bother with your affairs. The last method is a bit risky, and whether it works depends on your fate.”

I eagerly agreed.

Old Lady Qiu pointed to the house and said, “Come, into the west room.”

I hesitated and said, “Old Lady Qiu, this room is my friend’s ancestral home. He specifically told me not to enter before he left.”

Old Lady Qiu sneered and said, “Stop wasting time. If you want to catch the ghost, follow me.”

With that, she turned and entered the room. The door to the west room was tightly shut, but Old Lady Qiu pushed it open effortlessly.

I had always wondered what was inside, but when the door opened, I was utterly disappointed.

The room was covered in a thick layer of dust, with bedding and cabinets scattered around. The most conspicuous item was a Taishi Chair in the center of the room!

Old Lady Qiu looked at the old reddish-brown chair, tears welling up in her eyes, and in a hoarse voice, she whispered to the chair, “Old friend, it’s time for you to help!”