Taboo Mage - Chapter 54 - Departure

Train Station.

I stood in the bustling train station’s Waiting Hall, suitcase in hand, surrounded by an agitated crowd, feeling like I had stepped out without checking the almanac for an auspicious day.

Beside me, Jue Chi, though dressed in casual clothes, still held his prayer beads in hand and the tonsure scars on his head drew significant attention.

“Jue Chi, what should we do?”

Due to several days of torrential rain, landslides had occurred, and all trains heading to Shenyang were suspended for the next few days. Even flights were scarce, making tickets almost impossible to snatch.

I felt a headache coming on. No trains, no planes, was I really supposed to take a bus? From our city to Shenyang by bus, not to mention the availability, it would probably take ten days to half a month. By then, it would all be too late.

Jue Chi shook his head and just looked at me, saying nothing.

If we wanted to reach Shenyang before the fifteenth of next month, we had to leave now, but…

I sat in the Waiting Hall, completely stumped, my hands covering my head, clueless about what to do next. At that moment, a pair of black leather shoes stopped in front of me.

I looked up to see a man in a black trench coat, mysteriously clasping his hands together, head bowed, asking, “Heading to Shenyang? Heading to Shenyang?”

“Who are you?” I asked with a frown, on guard.

The man swiftly opened his coat, and I stared in astonishment as the inside of his trench coat was filled with various types of mobile phones.

I was dumbfounded; such scenes were only seen on television, and yet here I was experiencing it firsthand. What era was it anyway that someone still used such an outdated method to sell phones? And second-hand ones at that?

Seeing the expression on my face, the man looked down at himself, then quickly zipped up his coat and awkwardly chuckled, “Sorry, old habits die hard. I’m not trying to sell you a phone, I’m a ticket scalper. There are no trains to Shenyang now, and if you need to get there soon, your only option is the bus.”

Great, I freaking knew I had to take the bus, but the real question was, how long would that take!

“Excuse me, how long does it take to get to Shenyang by bus if we start from here?” Jue Chi tucked his prayer beads into his pocket and asked with a smile.

The man, sensing a potential deal, rolled up his sleeves, sat down, and began to explain vociferously how to travel to Shenyang.

It turns out that the bus to Shenyang isn’t a direct route from here. Instead, we would need to take a train to the nearby City Y, where we could then catch a direct bus to Shenyang.

The train usually takes a day and a night, and the bus might take an extra two to three days. In total, we would be spending at least five days on the road.

Jue Chi hesitated and glanced at me for a signal. I rubbed my palms together for a few minutes and finally nodded in agreement.

Seeing my consent, the man stood up with a slap on his thigh and pulled us both towards the crowd buying tickets.

After purchasing our tickets to City Y, he gave me a phone number to call once we arrived so someone could meet us at the train station.

To avoid being scammed, I took two mobile phones from him and also kept his ID card.

The man was furious and stamped his feet, but since he probably wouldn’t find anyone else as eager to get to Shenyang as we were, he had no choice but to let us go.

The train to City Y wouldn’t leave until midnight. Jue Chi and I grabbed something to eat at the train station entrance and then headed into the Waiting Hall to catch some sleep before boarding.

There were hardly any passengers in this train service, leaving the Waiting Hall almost empty, with only a few people catching some sleep on the seats.

Jue Chi and I decided to take turns watching our suitcase. After finding a good spot, I hugged the suitcase and fell asleep first.

In a half-sleep state, I thought I heard someone calling my name. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up, but Jue Chi was nowhere to be found. The Waiting Hall was eerily empty, not a soul in sight.

Startled, my drowsiness instantly vanished, and I propped myself up from the seat. The suitcase was still beside me, which meant Jue Chi hadn’t gone far.

However, knowing Jue Chi as I do, he would never leave me alone intentionally. This thought worried me – could something have happened to him?

With that concern, I jumped to my feet, forgetting the suitcase, and started looking for Jue Chi everywhere. From the Waiting Hall to the bathrooms, he was nowhere to be found. Finally, I stood in the center of the Waiting Hall, anxiously shouting Jue Chi’s name.

“Are you awake?”

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind me. I turned around to see Jue Chi holding a bowl of instant noodles, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

I was stunned for a moment, then rushed up and slapped him on the head.

“Where the hell have you been! I woke up and couldn’t see anyone; I thought you had been kidnapped!”

“I got hungry and went to find something to eat. We have another hour before we need to catch the train. Do you want some?” Jue Chi asked, holding up the instant noodles with a smile. I was full of frustration, but seeing his innocent face, I couldn’t stay mad. I snatched the instant noodles from his hands and started slurping them down while sitting.

Halfway through eating, I remembered something and turned to Jue Chi, “Didn’t we agree to wake me up in an hour so we could take turns sleeping?”

Jue Chi, holding a piece of dry toasted bread in his hands, chewed and responded, “I’m used to staying up late. You sleeping a bit more doesn’t hurt anything.”

Trying to be sentimental in the middle of the night, but I was not having any of it!

After finishing the instant noodles, we sorted our luggage just as the train station announcement began broadcasting the ticket check. I stood up with my luggage and suddenly, several people with their luggage surged towards the ticket checkpoint.

Once again, I realized that catching a midnight train is truly an art form.

The train was not crowded. After boarding, Jue Chi and I found our seats, stowed our luggage, and got ready to sleep. Most of the seats around us were empty, which was perfect-it meant I could comfortably stretch out for the night.

Just as I was about to prop my legs up on the seat across, an auntie shuffled over. She pinched her train ticket in one hand, squinting her eyes as she carefully matched the ticket with the information on the train car.

“Young man, this seat is mine.”

I quickly lowered my legs as she stood beside me, gave an embarrassed smile, and then found another seat to stretch out my legs.

After sitting down, the auntie leaned against the carriage wall, clutching her bag, her eyes wide open, showing no signs of wanting to sleep.

At first, I thought she was worried about losing her belongings, but even after sleeping for an hour and waking up, she remained in the same position, not having moved at all.