Last Bus of Route 13 - Chapter 91 - Red Leaf Valley

The blood dripped steadily from Old Zhang’s backpack onto the ground, startling me. Bai Fan noticed my tense expression and followed my gaze, letting out a frightened scream at the sight.

Old Liu and Old Zhang, walking ahead, stopped in their tracks and turned around, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Bai Fan pointed at Old Zhang’s backpack and whispered, “Uncle Zhang… why is your backpack dripping blood?”

Old Zhang was momentarily taken aback, but then his expression shifted back to a smile, saying, “It’s not blood; you must be mistaken.”

Seeing Old Zhang trying to dodge the issue, I angrily retorted, “It’s sticky and red-how is it not blood? Let me see what’s inside your bag.”

I reached out to grab his backpack, but before Old Zhang could respond, his disciple, Xiao Zhou, stepped in between us, frowning and speaking softly, “Hey, the bag contains my master’s wife’s remains. It’s not right to just grab it.”

Old Liu, noticing the tension, intervened with a cold tone, “Alright, the bag belongs to him. Whether to open it or not isn’t up to you.”

Feeling anxious, I argued, “Ever since that forest guard disappeared this morning, I’ve felt something’s off. What’s really in that bag that’s bleeding? It could be pieces of a body for all we know.”

Bai Fan, hearing my words, took a few steps back in fear.

Old Zhang chuckled and said, “Young man, you need evidence before making accusations. Did you see me commit murder? How could an old man like me kill him? He had a gun, you know.”

“Then just open the backpack and show us, and that’ll be the end of it.”

Old Zhang nodded with a smile, “Alright, I’ll show you.”

With that, he took off his backpack and unzipped it in front of everyone.

Though surrounded by people, the thought of seeing severed heads, arms, and legs inside made me uneasy. I took a deep breath, bracing myself, and stared at the backpack.

“Zip.”

As the backpack opened, it revealed the White Bones, but aside from them, there seemed to be nothing else.

I leaned in closer, incredulous, inspecting the contents. The backpack was packed full of White Bones, leaving no room for anything else.

Old Zhang, seeing my astonished expression, chuckled, “Do you see any body parts?”

I stared at the bones in disbelief, suddenly sensing something amiss. I had seen this skeleton before; it was dry and weathered, with a rough surface lacking any sheen. But now, each bone appeared smooth and bright, as if freshly cleaned!

Yet, even so, where was the blood coming from?

As I pondered this mystery, Old Zhang zipped up the backpack again with a smile.

“I told you, you were mistaken. Maybe it rained a few days ago, and the bag got wet, dripping some water. Let me show you the bottom of the bag.”

He lifted the backpack to show me the underside. Once airborne, it no longer dripped blood. The bag was dark brown, making any blood stains hard to discern.

Bai Fan and I exchanged puzzled glances and looked down again. Indeed, there was a trail of blood where he had walked.

Xiao Zhou laughed and said: “The few drops of blood on the ground aren’t from the teacher’s bag; they’re mine. I was restless while sleeping last night and accidentally cut my arm. It’s still bleeding now, see?” Xiao Zhou said as he rolled up his sleeve, revealing a gruesome wound. His entire forearm, from wrist to elbow, had been torn open by something unknown, with flesh turned outward and blood streaming down.

Old Liu, upon seeing the wound, spoke in a deep voice, “With such a severe injury, why haven’t you bandaged it?”

Xiao Zhou seemed unfazed, smiling as he replied, “I’ve applied some medicinal powder. I’ll bandage it once the bleeding stops.”

This backpack bleeding incident was easily dismissed by the old man and his disciple with a few casual words.

Seeing this, Old Liu said no more and urged us to hurry along.

If it were just me seeing things, it might be uncertain, but Bai Fan clearly saw the backpack bleeding earlier too.

Throughout the ordeal, Bai Fan didn’t speak up, but it was evident she was quite frightened, sticking close to me as we walked.

We followed the map through the Changbai Mountain forest area for two whole days and nights. To our excitement, we hadn’t made any mistakes and were getting closer to the marked endpoint on the map. Moreover, a sudden rainstorm hit in the afternoon, completing the saying about wind and rain!

However, the closer we got to Red Leaf Valley, the more anxious I became. Old Zhang and his disciple definitely had issues, and I still didn’t know their purpose for going to Red Leaf Valley. If we entered together, who knows what might happen.

As we traveled, we noticed the poplar trees around us were becoming more frequent. Old Liu had mentioned that poplars were planted at the entrance of Red Leaf Valley.

Seeing hope, everyone walked with increasing vigor, and before we knew it, night had fallen again.

We found a spot to pitch our tent, planning to reach Red Leaf Valley the next day.

Except for Old Liu, who was as stoic as ever, everyone else was unusually excited.

After setting up the tent, we sat together for dinner as usual.

Given the earlier events, there was a sense of unease among us, and after exchanging a few words, everyone retreated to their tents.

Inside the tent, I asked Old Liu his thoughts on the backpack bleeding incident during the day. To my surprise, Old Liu sided with me this time, saying coldly, “Old Zhang definitely has issues, and there was indeed blood in the bag.”

I leaned closer, puzzled, and asked, “Right, but how come when he opened the bag, the blood was gone?”

Old Liu replied calmly, “I suspect it’s already been consumed.”

Consumed?

I was startled and quickly asked, “Who consumed it? I was watching closely and didn’t see either of them drink anything.”

“The White Bones in the bag drank the blood. I suspect that this set of bones, carried around by him everywhere, remains so well-preserved because it’s soaked in human blood.”

Blood-soaked White Bones-a chilling practice I could believe Old Zhang capable of.

Old Liu continued, “Although White Bones don’t rot, if left outside for too long, they can weather and become brittle. For those bones to remain intact to this extent, this old man must have used quite a bit of human blood to soak them over the past decade.”

Old Liu’s explanation made sense to me. It was akin to using preservatives to prevent mummies from decaying. I knew traditional Chinese medicine emphasized that blood could nourish bones, but I never imagined this old doctor would apply his healing skills in such a way. No wonder the bones appeared smoother and sturdier when I looked at them during the day.

“Old Liu, where do you think Old Zhang gets the blood to soak the White Bones? Could he have killed the man guarding the grove and used his blood to feed the bones?”

Old Liu sighed and replied, “It’s hard to say. We’ll reach Red Leaf Valley tomorrow, so keep your eyes open.”

I nodded at his words and fell silent. Old Liu was getting on in years, and the past few days of roughing it in the mountains had worn him out. Before long, he was fast asleep.

I was on duty for the first half of the night. After midnight, Xiao Zhou came over to let me know he was taking over. Relieved, I collapsed to the side.

Tomorrow, we’d find Red Leaf Valley, meet Meng E, and perhaps break the curse of Route 13. The little girl might be saved! These thoughts kept me too excited to sleep.

Around two in the morning, I heard some noise from the opposite tent. Curious, I peeked out to see Old Zhang, with his large backpack, whispering with Xiao Zhou. Moments later, they both sneaked off into the depths of the grove.

What were they up to?

Suspicion gnawed at me. Worried they might plot against us, I quietly slipped out of the tent and followed them.

At first, they hurried through the grove, but as they got further, their pace slowed. Xiao Zhou said, “Master, it was pretty close today. Luckily, the blood soaked in quickly, or it would have been hard to manage if discovered.”

Old Zhang chuckled, “I’ve timed it perfectly over the years. When I open the backpack, the blood seeps in just right. No problem.”

It was dark, and I wasn’t far behind, able to eavesdrop on their conversation. The backpack dripping blood was exactly as Old Liu described about soaking bones. I silently praised Old Liu’s insight.

“Master, your long-held wish is finally coming true. Once we reach Red Leaf Valley and find the Spiritual Chicken to get its blood, we won’t need human blood to soak the bones anymore. Master’s wife won’t have to fear the elements.”

I finally understood their purpose in seeking Red Leaf Valley. They wanted the Spiritual Chicken’s blood to soak the bones, and it seemed this blood could preserve youth!

They continued talking and walking, seemingly confident. I followed stealthily, but my pants snagged on a branch.

With a ripping sound, I felt a chilly breeze below. My pants had torn open!

The noise caught Old Zhang and Xiao Zhou’s attention. They turned sharply and spotted me.

Seeing I’d been discovered, I turned and ran for my life. Old Zhang shouted, “Xiao Zhou, chase him!”

At his command, Xiao Zhou dashed after me like a mad dog. In the pitch-black surroundings, there was no time to discern direction. I ran headlong, Xiao Zhou hot on my heels, stumbling and crashing through the underbrush for a good twenty minutes before finally losing him.

Though Xiao Zhou hadn’t caught up, there was little to celebrate, as I realized I was lost in the deep forest!

Panting heavily, I wiped the sweat from my brow, glancing around in panic. I noticed something different about the Poplar leaves beneath my feet. I pulled out my mobile phone to illuminate them-they were red!

A bold thought surged in my mind-had I accidentally stumbled into Red Leaf Valley?