Last Bus of Route 13 - Chapter 93 - Meng E Shows the Way

Old Liu and Bai Fan were still in the grove. The news about the two bodies sent a chill down my spine, and I quickly followed Sister Meng E outside. The one who knocked on the door was a short member of the Forestry Team. I hurriedly asked him, “Hey, are any of the bodies female?”

He shook his head and replied, “I don’t know yet. They’ve been brought back and are over there. Come with me to check.”

With that, he led the way, and my heart was pounding as I followed Meng E. On a clearing, a group of people had formed a circle, whispering about the bodies covered with white cloth. I anxiously pushed through the crowd and crouched beside the two covered bodies, my heart racing. Could it really be Bai Fan and Old Liu?

Taking a deep breath, I nervously lifted the white cloth. Seeing the gray hair, my heart skipped a beat-Old Liu! Tears were ready to fall, but as I fully uncovered the cloth, it was indeed an old man, but not Old Liu-it was Old Zhang! I uncovered the cloth on the other body, revealing his sturdy disciple, Xiao Zhou.

Their lips were pale, clearly dehydrated for a long time. They must have failed to find Red Leaf Valley, just like me, lost in the grove without water or food! Although I felt a bit relieved, I grew even more anxious. Bai Fan and Old Liu were truly in danger, especially Old Liu, given his age, could he hold on?

I couldn’t wait until dawn. Looking at Meng E, I said anxiously, “Sister, my two friends are still in the mountains. I need to rescue them.”

Before Meng E could speak, a tall man in the crowd said, “I’m the Forestry Team captain. Let me give you some advice: it’s dark now, visibility in the grove is low, and searching is pointless. Don’t worry, wait until dawn.”

His tone was calm yet firm, clearly used to speaking in official terms. Old Liu and Bai Fan were risking their lives in Changbai Mountain because of me, and he was telling me not to worry? I didn’t listen to him and started to walk away. The tall man was startled and was about to reach out to stop me when Meng E said, “It’s late, and rushing won’t help. There are dangerous beasts in the grove at night. It’s risky for the Forestry Team members to search now. Listen to me, wait until dawn, and I’ll go with you to find them, okay?”

Though I hadn’t seen Meng E’s abilities, anyone recommended by Semi-Immortal Xu couldn’t be too far off. Seeing her say this, I thought for a moment and finally suppressed my urgency. I’ll wait until dawn.

Meng E let me stay in her room while she went to share with her colleague. With Old Zhang and his disciple already in trouble, I couldn’t sleep. I lay there with wide eyes, waiting for dawn. When it finally came, I jumped up to find the Forestry Team captain.

Despite his official tone, the tall captain was efficient. Seeing it was dawn, he quickly gathered the team to search the grove. I walked with the captain, who first asked about the approximate location where we got separated, then started giving me a political lecture.

On the way, the captain gave me a thorough scolding, but what could I do? We were the ones who sneaked into the grove first, and now we were asking for their help to rescue our friends. I swallowed my temper and endured the reprimand without saying a word.

The captain, armed with a map and a walkie-talkie, spread his team out in a grid search across the grove. But Changbai Mountain was vast, and despite the number of people, the task seemed daunting.

We searched from the break of dawn until the sun was high in the sky, without any progress. My palms were sweating, and my anxiety grew with each passing moment.

Fortunately, luck hadn’t entirely abandoned me. The captain’s walkie-talkie crackled to life with a call from a search team member-they had found them!

When I arrived at the location with the captain, I saw Bai Fan and Old Liu lying on the ground, unconscious and barely breathing. I rushed over, hoisted Bai Fan onto my back, and the captain carried Old Liu as we sprinted out of the grove.

Luckily, we found them in time. Bai Fan and Old Liu weren’t in any immediate danger, though Old Liu’s age meant his recovery would be slow.

When Bai Fan regained consciousness, she hugged me tightly, crying. Old Liu, though less emotional, showed his relief through his eyes.

Seeing they were out of danger, the captain gave a few instructions and left with his team, leaving only Meng E and us in the room.

Old Liu pondered for a moment, then asked quietly, “When did you leave the grove? We woke up that morning and found you gone.”

I quickly explained, “Old Liu, a few nights ago, I saw Old Zhang and Xiao Zhou sneaking out of the camp while we were asleep. I followed them and overheard their conversation, but then Xiao Zhou spotted me and chased me away.”

Old Liu smirked and asked, “What did you overhear?”

“Their purpose in finding Red Leaf Valley wasn’t to gather herbs but to catch the Spiritual Chicken and use its blood to soak those White Bones.”

I suddenly remembered Meng E standing nearby and introduced her, “Oh, by the way, this is Sister Meng E.”

Bai Fan and Old Liu were surprised and asked if I had found Red Leaf Valley. Meng E chuckled and said, “There’s no such place as Red Leaf Valley in the back of Changbai Mountain. It’s all just rumors and legends. Who told you about it?”

Old Liu replied quietly, “No Red Leaf Valley? A friend told me you went from Xiaobai Mountain to Red Leaf Valley, so we came looking for you.”

“Well, your friend does have some skills. I did come from Xiaobai Mountain, but the Red Leaf Valley part is just nonsense.”

I interjected, “Old Liu, didn’t your friend give you a map to Red Leaf Valley? Show it to Sister Meng E.”

Old Liu nodded, took out the parchment map from his pocket, and handed it to Meng E.

Meng E took the map, opened it, and couldn’t help but laugh. She then pulled out another map from her pocket, one I recognized as Old Zhang’s relic.

Pointing to Old Zhang’s map, Meng E said with a smile, “This map is the real one, but it doesn’t lead to Red Leaf Valley. It points to where the Spiritual Chicken is. Your map is fake; it leads to Ghost Marsh.”

Ghost Marsh? Just hearing the name sends chills down my spine. I was utterly surprised; Old Liu’s map was given to him by some of his influential friends. How could they not know if the map was genuine or not?

Old Liu sighed and nodded, saying, “Something’s definitely off. The closer we got to the marked location on the map, the stranger things became. I noticed something was amiss and decided not to go there in the end.”

Meng E chuckled, “Good thing you made that decision early. Once you enter the Ghost Marsh of Changbai Mountain, you won’t come out unless you’re a ghost. Clearly, your friend set you up.”

Old Liu got duped by his friend!

According to them, Old Liu’s map was indeed fake. But why would his friend give him true information with a false map? Or rather, why trick us into going to Ghost Marsh to meet our doom?

Old Liu didn’t say a word, just shook his head with a cold scoff.

“So, in a way, Old Zhang and his companion were delayed by us, weren’t they?”

Meng E shook her head, “Those two ended up dying far from where you were. I guess they realized something was wrong and tried to retrace their steps using their own map.”

“And what about the saying ‘one wind, one rain’? Is that fake too?”

“Changbai Mountain is known for its Spiritual Chicken, but not many know about it. The path to find the Spiritual Chicken is complex, and the saying about enduring one wind and one rain is true, but there’s one more-one fog. I suspect those who died earlier didn’t make it through the final fog and ended up trapped inside.”

I suddenly understood. So that’s how it was.

Meng E continued, “Even if they had made it through the fog, it wouldn’t have mattered because the Spiritual Chicken is no longer in Changbai Mountain. You met Semi-Immortal Xu, right? You must have seen the chick with red feathers beside him; that’s the Spiritual Chicken.”

Meng E’s words made me recall that clever chick with the red feathers near its comb. Old Liu had mentioned it was called the Spiritual Chicken.

So the legend of Red Leaf Valley in Changbai Mountain was false. There was no Red Leaf Valley here, only a place where the Spiritual Chicken, now taken by Semi-Immortal Xu, used to nest.

Now that everything was clear, it was time to deal with my own matters. With Old Liu present, I quickly sought Meng E’s guidance for a way to save myself, saying, “Sister Meng E, I’ve met many people along the way, always being sent here and there, looking for this and that. Since Semi-Immortal Xu, such a powerful figure, recommended you, please don’t push me away. Just teach me a method directly.”

Meng E laughed and said after a while, “Don’t worry, I’m not like that old scoundrel who insists on making things difficult even when he can handle them himself. I’ll point you in the right direction.”

I was overjoyed and listened intently to Meng E’s advice.

“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t have Mr. He’s extraordinary abilities, nor can I perform divination like Semi-Immortal Xu, but I can dream. Let me sleep tonight, and whatever I dream about, I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Dreaming?

Although she’s not an ordinary person, I still felt a bit skeptical.

After speaking, Meng E said she wouldn’t disturb Old Liu and the others’ rest and left the room.

After Meng E left, Old Liu saw my bewildered expression and said coldly, “Don’t act so surprised. Meng E made her name by her ability to dream. It’s said she can see people’s past lives and future, quite impressive,” Old Liu explained.

With his assurance, I began to trust her abilities. If she could dream about past lives, surely she’d uncover the mystery of the Route 13 problem bus overnight. Maybe then I could finally ask about the ghost that killed Old Lady Qiu and the little girl!

Excited, I nodded and went back to my room, hoping Meng E would have a revealing dream.

The next morning, Bai Fan, Old Liu, and I had breakfast before heading to find Meng E. She seemed refreshed, greeting us warmly and inviting us to sit.

“I dreamed about your bus last night,” she began. “It’s just like Semi-Immortal Xu said-it’s not a big deal, but there’s a ghost involved, crossing between the Yin-Yang realms, which makes it tricky.”

I nodded nervously and asked, “What should I do?”

Meng E replied slowly, “This ghost harbors deep resentment and hasn’t reincarnated in ten years due to its obsession. The solution is simple: resolve its fixation, and the problem will naturally dissolve.”

Resolve the ghost’s obsession? I recalled it killed Old Lady Qiu in Huaihu Village and left bloody writing on the wall, urging me to investigate Route 13. Its fixation must be tied to the car accident a decade ago.

But what could be so resentful about those three accidents? And why should I help a ghost that killed Old Lady Qiu and the little girl? I was furious and asked, “Is there another way?”

Meng E thought for a moment and said, “You could kill it.”

“I choose that!” I exclaimed without hesitation. I wanted not only to save myself but also to avenge them.

Meng E chuckled and pulled out the small red paper man. “Didn’t you ask me to infuse this paper man with spirit?”

I stared at the little girl’s paper man and asked, “Yes, but how is that related?”

Meng E explained, “This red paper man was infused with a fragment of its owner’s pure and kind soul. If you kill the ghost, you’ll incur a spiritual debt and can’t infuse the paper man.”

I sighed. Saving a life and seeking revenge were at odds. Was I really forced to follow the ghost’s path?

After much internal struggle, I decided saving the little girl was more important. I asked, “Alright, I won’t kill the ghost. Can you teach me how to resolve its obsession?”

Meng E smiled and said, “Investigate!”

Investigate? What kind of solution was that? I would have done it anyway. I eagerly said, “Could you be more specific? Since you dreamed about the beginning and end of this, why not tell me who the ghost is and what grievances it holds?”

Meng E sighed and shook her head. “Semi-Immortal Xu didn’t dare tell you because he feared trouble. Your situation involves not just ghosts but also powerful people. Though we dabble in the mystical, we’re still mortal. Revealing too much would be our end.”

I was stunned. Not only ghosts but also powerful people were involved. Who could these powerful people be?