Last Bus of Route 13

The old Taishi Chair was covered in dust, yet Old Lady Qiu was inexplicably moved to tears as she gazed at it. After a moment, she composed herself and turned to me, saying, “This Taishi Chair dates back to the Republic era. An old friend of mine cherished it dearly.”

She walked over and gently caressed the chair, her touch filled with emotion. Watching her, I couldn’t help but speculate that the chair’s owner might have shared an indescribable bond with Old Lady Qiu in her youth.

After a while, I softly asked, “Granny Qiu, does this Taishi Chair have any special use for catching ghosts?”

Old Lady Qiu nodded, explaining, “My old friend was a formidable Yin-Yang master in his lifetime, treating illnesses and capturing countless ghosts. After he passed, a trace of his spirit lingered on this chair. Tonight, if that ghost sits on it, I can make it vanish forever.”

Her words imbued the chair with a mystical aura, bolstering my confidence for tonight’s ghost-catching endeavor.

She added, “This chair is meant for the ghost to sit on. You must never sit on it, understand? Once the ghost takes a seat, I’ll rush in.”

I nodded quickly, assuring her, “I won’t sit on it, don’t worry.”

After her instructions, Old Lady Qiu reluctantly took a few last glances at the Taishi Chair before leaving.

Once she was gone, I grabbed some burlap to clean the dust from the room. Unsure if ghosts minded dirt, I also polished the Taishi Chair.

By the time I finished cleaning, it was afternoon, and hunger gnawed at me. I swallowed my pride and went to Shuilian for food.

Shuilian was delighted to see me back, greeting me with a warm hug and plenty of food and drink.

Recalling the previous failed attempt at catching the ghost, I repeatedly reminded Shuilian not to bring dinner or breakfast to my house. Seeing my seriousness, she agreed.

With everything set, I awaited tonight’s second attempt at catching the ghost!

Night fell swiftly. Following Old Lady Qiu’s advice, I placed the chair in the center of the room and lit a Black Candle on the windowsill. As the candle burned, I lay on the kang, nervously watching the yellow flame.

“Tick… Tock… Tick…”

The old clock on the wall marked the passage of time. The night deepened.

Strangely, the Black Candle burned steadily, its yellow flame peacefully illuminating the room without changing color.

I glanced at the time; it was already half-past eleven. Was it not coming?

Just as I was pondering, a car horn blared from the yard-Old Wu had returned!

Old Wu entered, saw me in the west room, and glared, scolding, “Didn’t I tell you not to enter this room? Not only did you enter, but you moved in!”

Unsure how to explain, I quietly asked, “Old Wu, why did it take you so long to come?”

Old Wu sighed, “After dropping you off here, I returned to Tangwazi Village the next day. Guess what? I asked around half the village, and everyone said they only saw you come. There was no Old Tang.”

“They say I went alone? That’s not true. Old Tang was with me, asking the villagers about Sixth Uncle. He was standing right next to me then.”

Old Wu, upon hearing this, lit a cigarette and slowly said:

“Maybe Old Tang is a ghost that only you can see. By the way, I remember you asked me on the road if anyone survived the car accident ten years ago. Where did that come from?”

I spoke without much thought:

“I heard from a reliable source that Sixth Uncle escaped from the car accident, but I have seen his death record with my own eyes. I’m still confused about whether Sixth Uncle is dead or not.”

Old Wu exhaled smoke and squinted as if pondering something, then spoke slowly:

“I’ve been asking around in Tangwazi Village, and the villagers actually say Sixth Uncle is alive. It’s hard to say whether this old fellow is dead or not. I’ll pick you up today. When you get back, no matter how you do it, you must find out whether Sixth Uncle is a person or a ghost. If he really isn’t dead, tell me where he is immediately. Don’t worry about anything else, got it?”

I was taken aback and asked:

“You want me to investigate Sixth Uncle? Old Wu, why are you suddenly so interested in whether Sixth Uncle is alive or dead?”

Old Wu clicked his tongue and said impatiently:

“To save you! Just do as I say. I’ve only asked you to check on Sixth Uncle. Don’t worry about the accident from years ago!”

Old Wu’s attitude this time was a bit different from before. Just as I was about to keep questioning, I suddenly caught sight of the Black Candle on the windowsill, which had somehow turned from yellow to green!!!

Panicked, I looked towards the Taishi Chair and saw it was faintly shaking. Trapped?

Seeing my disturbed expression, Old Wu spoke softly:

“Get ready quickly, we’re leaving soon.”

While saying this, he walked over to the Taishi Chair, ready to sit down. I remembered Old Lady Qiu’s words, that this chair was meant for ghosts, not for people. Just as I was about to speak out, Old Wu had already sat down.

After Old Wu sat down, my heart leapt to my throat, but nothing unusual happened!

Is everything okay? A few minutes later, I turned to look at the candle on the windowsill, and the flame had changed back from green to yellow!

Just as I was mulling this over, a rush of hurried footsteps came from the yard, followed by the little girl running in with a panicked look, saying to me:

“Uncle, something’s wrong with my grandmother. You should come quickly.”

Frowning, I asked in a low voice:

“What happened, what’s wrong with Old Lady Qiu?”

“I don’t know, grandmother is holding a rope and trying to hang herself, and I can’t stop her.”

Old Lady Qiu hanging herself?

I was so frightened that I immediately grabbed my shoes, with Old Wu running crazily towards Old Lady Qiu’s house.

The door to Old Lady Qiu’s house was open. As I rushed into the room, she was just about to hang herself from a rope dangling from the beam, standing on a stool.

I quickly ran over and lifted Old Lady Qiu down. Her eyes were vacant and dull, and she kept kicking me, trying to stand back on the stool. Luckily, she wasn’t very strong, so I managed to pull the rope off the beam and tie her hands and feet.

The little girl stood by, crying nonstop. I asked:

“Little sister, when did you notice something was wrong with grandmother?”

The little girl, sobbing, said, “In the middle of the night, grandmother was cutting out Paper Men just like usual, and then suddenly, she just changed.”

Is it a possession?

I couldn’t help but wonder if the ghost, knowing that Old Lady Qiu had helped me, was seeking revenge on purpose.

Attracting a ghost to the village was originally my doing, and now it had unfortunately involved Old Lady Qiu. I felt terribly guilty but before I could think of a solution, I suddenly heard loud shouting outside.

On the village road, several villagers were grappling with someone, continuously muttering:

“What’s wrong, young lady? Why would you want to jump into the river…”

I rushed over and to my surprise, the person they were holding back was Shuilian!

Shuilian trying to jump into the river?

What was happening tonight? I hurried over and embraced her, asking Shuilian’s mother:

“Auntie, what’s wrong with Shuilian?”

Through tears, Shuilian’s mother said:

“I don’t know what got into her. She suddenly woke up, dressed, and headed out. She wouldn’t answer when I spoke to her, just kept mumbling about wanting to jump into the river.”

I told Shuilian’s mother to hurry home and fetch some rope, to tie her up for now. After getting the rope, I quickly tied Shuilian’s hands and feet. While I was busy, I suddenly saw a slender figure sprinting down the village road towards my house.

It was hard to see clearly in the deep of night, but the red scarf around her neck instantly gave her away-Old Lady Qiu, how did she get out?

After securing Shuilian, I quickly ran after her, just in time to run into the little girl coming from behind. Anxiously, I asked:

“What happened? Didn’t I tie her up?”

The little girl, crying, said:

“I was afraid the ropes were too tight and uncomfortable for grandma, so I loosened them a bit.”

Upon hearing this, I stomped my foot in frustration and hurried after her.

Old Lady Qiu was running fast on the village road and soon disappeared into the night. Where was she going, to my house?

I had no choice but to try my luck and ran headlong towards my house. When I arrived, I found the door wide open. I slowed down and carefully stepped inside.

In the west room, under the flickering light of the Black Candle, I saw Old Lady Qiu disheveled, sitting on the Taishi Chair. Her eyes were wide open, bloodshot, with blood streaming from all orifices-a horrifying sight of death!

Gasping for breath, I stood frozen in place. Then I noticed the candle on the windowsill had turned green-the ghost was in the room!

Suddenly, I looked up and saw a line of blood written on the wall:

“Continue investigating the Last Bus of Route 13.”