Last Bus of Route 13 - Chapter 90 - Cabin in the Woods

Fearing for Bai Fan’s safety, I couldn’t hold back any longer. I shouted and charged forward, waving the newspaper like a madman. My sudden action startled everyone, and they all stared at me with tense expressions.

I grabbed Bai Fan and pulled her behind me, pointing at Old Zhang, “He’s a ghost! He died before we even started climbing the mountain!”

Bai Fan and Old Liu were stunned by my words. Old Zhang chuckled and said, “Young man, how did you come to call me a ghost? I’m not taking the blame for this.”

Old Liu, standing behind, asked, “What’s going on? What nonsense are you spouting?”

I knew Old Zhang wouldn’t admit it, so I turned to Old Liu and said, “These two died in a car accident on their way to Changbai Mountain. If you don’t believe me, look at this.”

I extended my hand to give Old Liu the newspaper, but to my shock, I was holding a stack of joss paper instead!

Old Liu took the joss paper, frowned, and asked, “Where did you get this joss paper in the middle of nowhere?”

Staring at the paper, sweat beaded on my forehead as confusion set in. Where was the newspaper? I was sure the middle-aged man had handed me a newspaper!

Suppressing my fear, I turned to look where I had met the middle-aged man, but he was nowhere to be seen.

I quickly recounted the encounter with the middle-aged man to Old Liu. Before Old Liu could respond, Old Zhang coughed and said, “Young man, Red Leaf Valley behind Changbai Mountain isn’t exactly a secret. Many people know about it, and countless have come searching for it. Among them, some have become obsessed with the mountains and ultimately died here.”

Sensing a hidden meaning in his words, I asked, “Are you saying the middle-aged man who spoke to me and handed me the newspaper is a ghost who died in the mountains?”

Old Zhang chuckled, “What else could it be?”

I was dumbfounded. Bai Fan, sensing the awkwardness, tugged my arm and whispered, “Ghosts or not, you’re just scaring yourself. It’s getting dark, you must have seen wrong. Don’t worry, Li Yao, don’t take it to heart.”

Old Liu chimed in, “It’ll be completely dark soon. Let’s finish eating and get some rest. You two need to keep watch tonight.”

Soon after, everyone except Bai Fan dispersed. I swallowed hard, not wanting to worry Bai Fan, and assured her it was nothing before escorting her back to the tent.

After the incident, I arranged with Xiao Zhou to take the first watch while he took the second. Xiao Zhou agreed readily.

As night fell, everyone settled down to sleep. I sat at the tent entrance, staring at the spot where I had met the middle-aged man, pondering if I had really encountered a ghost.

Fortunately, the night passed peacefully without any strange occurrences. With dawn, our group of five set out again to find Red Leaf Valley.

Having slept poorly due to the previous night’s events, I felt sluggish during the day’s journey. Bai Fan noticed my condition and insisted on carrying her own luggage.

Old Liu and Old Zhang walked ahead with the map, while the three of us younger folks followed closely behind. As we continued, the sunlight gradually diminished, and a massive, ominous cloud drifted over from the distance, signaling an impending storm.

Seeing this, Bai Fan excitedly asked Old Zhang, “Uncle Zhang, I remember you mentioned that if we’re on the right path, we’ll encounter a sudden wind and rain. With this rain coming, are we near Red Leaf Valley?”

Old Zhang glanced at the approaching clouds and chuckled, “No, this storm is different from what we’re hoping for. The sudden wind and rain you mentioned are unexpected and without warning. Look now, the clouds have arrived before the rain.”

Bai Fan pouted in disappointment.

Behind Old Zhang, Xiao Zhou remarked, “Teacher, this rain looks heavy. We should find a place to set up the tents and take shelter.”

Old Zhang nodded and pointed ahead, “Over there, that’s a good spot for the tents.”

Changbai Mountain, apart from the peaks holding Heavenly Lake, is mostly covered with endless forests at mid-levels, with no caves or high rocks for shelter. We could only set up tents to avoid the rain.

As the rain approached, we hurriedly set up two tents. I, Old Liu, and Bai Fan huddled together, while Old Zhang and his disciple took shelter in the other tent.

Soon, the rain began to pour down heavily.

Bai Fan, feeling a bit cold, sat close to me, which made me quite happy. I wanted to put my arm around her shoulder, but with Old Liu nearby, I hesitated and didn’t move.

I glanced at Old Liu, who seemed troubled, and asked, “Old Liu, do you really believe what Old Zhang says?”

Old Liu shook his head, “You can’t fully believe it, but you can’t dismiss it either.”

“What do you mean? From the start, I felt this old man wasn’t trustworthy. Who carries a set of white bones everywhere they go?”

Bai Fan, hearing this, disagreed, “What’s wrong with carrying white bones? After hearing Uncle Zhang’s love story, I’m not scared at all. I’m actually happy for Granny Zhang finding true love. It’s a unique way to commemorate, after all.”

Bai Fan’s thoughts were simple; a made-up story could easily convince her. I didn’t want to argue, so I waited for Old Liu to speak.

After pondering for a while, Old Liu slowly said, “I’ve looked at Old Zhang’s map; it’s genuine. His talk of sudden wind and rain is true as well. But there’s one thing he’s not honest about.”

“What?”

“His reason for finding Red Leaf Valley is definitely not just for medicinal herbs.”

I nodded, agreeing that the old man’s lies weren’t convincing. He’s been here eight times over forty years, just for herbs? Who’s he fooling? Searching for the elixir of life?

Old Liu thought for a moment and continued, “It’s normal for strangers to keep secrets from each other. We haven’t been entirely honest with him either. Besides, I think this old man has some skills. Traveling with him isn’t a loss; we just need to be cautious.”

Old Liu rarely praised anyone, so hearing him speak highly of Old Zhang was something I didn’t like.

The storm came quickly and left just as fast. After about half an hour, it had completely stopped.

We stepped out of the tent to breathe in the fresh air after the mountain rain. Bai Fan patted me excitedly and pointed westward, urging me to look. There, stretching from east to west, was a magnificent rainbow, vibrant and beautiful.

After resting, we packed up the tent and continued on our journey. Although the air was refreshing after the rain, it also caused us quite a bit of trouble; the mountain path had become muddy and difficult to traverse.

We didn’t cover much ground that afternoon, and eventually, we reached a point on the map where there was a disagreement. Old Liu’s map and Old Zhang’s map depicted completely different directions here-one leading east, the other west.

Initially, the two old men couldn’t agree, but eventually, Old Zhang conceded. He had been here eight times without finding Red Leaf Valley, so this time he decided to trust Old Liu’s map.

We carried our luggage and followed Old Liu’s map eastward. Another afternoon passed, and as the sun set, the sky was filled with red clouds. Tomorrow promised to be a clear day.

Xiao Zhou suggested we set up camp right there. Just as we were about to unload our backpacks, Old Zhang waved his hand and said, “No need to pitch the tent tonight. Look over there!”

He pointed ahead, and we followed his gesture to see a small cabin nestled among the trees in the distance.

I glanced over and couldn’t help but say, “Uncle Zhang, how can there be a house in this desolate mountain area? Haven’t you read Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio1?”

Old Zhang chuckled and replied, “No worries, this cabin might belong to someone who watches over the forest.”

With that, he beckoned Xiao Zhou towards the cabin. I looked at Old Liu, who nodded in agreement, and we followed them.

The cabin wasn’t large; upon entering, there were no partitions, just a big bed and a stove. However, it was equipped with blankets, cups, and other essentials, suggesting someone lived there-likely a forest ranger’s dwelling.

We entered the cabin, but the owner was nowhere to be seen. Happily, we unloaded our luggage. The cool breeze of the mountain night was refreshing, and we could warm ourselves by the fire inside the cabin.

As night fell, I intended for Bai Fan to sleep on the bed, but she adamantly refused, eventually giving the bed to Old Zhang. We spread out our things on the floor and lay down to rest, drifting into sleep.

Suddenly, a loud shout jolted us awake: “Get up, get up, who the hell are you?”

We turned on our flashlights and saw a bearded man standing at the door, wearing a leather jacket and holding a shotgun.

The bearded man scrutinized us and said, “What the hell are you doing here, sleeping in my cabin?”

Old Zhang got off the bed and softly replied, “Brother, we’re tourists, just some travelers. We only need shelter for the night and will leave at dawn.”

The bearded man waved dismissively, grumbling, “Cut the crap. I’ve seen plenty like you, just here looking for Red Leaf Valley. Get out, this is a protected forest area, and it’s fire season. You can’t just wander in.”

Hearing that the bearded man knew about Red Leaf Valley, I asked, “Big Brother, have you heard of Red Leaf Valley?”

The man clicked his tongue and said: “I’ve been watching over this grove for over ten years,” the bearded man declared, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. “All that talk about Red Leaf Valley or Green Leaf Valley is nonsense. There’s nothing there, got it? Tomorrow, I’ll have a helicopter come to take you out. You have to leave.”

I was about to try reasoning with him, but Old Zhang spoke up first, “Alright, we’ll head back at dawn. But it’s already dark now, so at least let us stay the night, okay?”

The bearded man nodded, “Fine, stay the night. Just make sure you leave the grove tomorrow.” He slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder and turned to leave.

Old Zhang offered, “You can take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

The bearded man waved him off impatiently, “Forget it. The cold out here is no joke, and you’re not young anymore. You should sleep on the bed. I’ll manage by the door for the night. I’ll call the helicopter at dawn.” With that, he slammed the door behind him.

Old Liu shook his head and gestured for me to lie down. I couldn’t help but feel a bit defiant. Were all our days of roughing it in the grove for nothing if we were just going to be sent back?

I was about to get up and try to bribe the man at the door, but Old Zhang, sitting on the bed, waved me off with a confident smile, “There’s no need to go anywhere. Just sleep. It’s fine.”

His assurance was puzzling. Did he have a plan? I figured there was no rush, so I lay back down.

Sometime in the middle of the night, I was woken by voices at the door. Groggily, I noticed Old Zhang was no longer on the bed. Was he negotiating with the bearded man? Before long, I drifted back to sleep.

By morning, we were all up and eating. I was curious about the bearded man, so I stepped outside to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

Back inside, I asked, “Where did that man go? Wasn’t he supposed to call a helicopter for us this morning?”

Old Zhang chuckled as he ate, “Who cares where he went? It’s better for us if he’s not around. We’ve come this far; we can’t let one person ruin everything.”

I didn’t respond, still pondering the situation. The bearded man’s attitude had been so firm last night. Where could he have gone? Did Old Zhang bribe him?

After breakfast, we set off without seeing the bearded man again. Old Zhang and Old Liu led the way with the map, and we followed.

As we walked, I glanced at Old Zhang’s backpack and noticed something odd. His large pack, which usually carried his wife’s old White Bones, seemed to be dripping from the corner.

Squinting for a better look, I realized, “Whoa, that’s not water!”

Whatever Old Zhang had in his backpack was dripping blood onto the ground.

Footnote:

Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio(聊斋志异): “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio” (聊斋志异) is a collection of supernatural tales by Pu Songling from the Qing Dynasty. It features ghosts and spirits, exploring themes of love and morality while reflecting Chinese culture. The stories combine fantasy with social commentary and are celebrated for their vivid storytelling.