Chapter 27

The young girl, Luo Shi, continued, "I was also stunned by the old man and respectfully said, 'Please, Immortal Elder, give me your guidance.' The old man nodded slightly, stroked his beard, and seemed satisfied with my attitude. He then said, 'Tonight, go home and see your father. Remember, you must arrive at home between 5:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Not a moment earlier, not a moment later.'"

"I was startled by his words. My mother passed away early, and my father lived alone in the suburbs. My sister and I worked in the city, and no one took care of him. From the old man's words, it was clear that something was going to happen to my father. Concerned, I hurriedly asked, 'Immortal Elder, what’s wrong with my father?'"

"The old man waved his hand, 'I cannot say. You will know when you get home.' I thanked him and turned to leave. The old man called me back and repeated, 'Remember, you must arrive at home between 5:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Not a moment earlier, not a moment later. If you arrive early, the disaster will not be averted, and there will be consequences. If you arrive late, your father will be beyond saving. After everything is done, come to this address to find me.' He then gave me an address."

"I took it, thanked him, and without even looking at it, rushed off. When the time was right, I got in the car and headed home."

"By the time I reached the village entrance, it was still early, but I remembered the old man’s words, 'after 5:30 PM, before 6:00 PM.' I didn’t dare to go back early, so I waited at the village entrance. It was a struggle, but I finally managed to wait until around 5:30 PM before running home."

At this point, she paused and glanced at Xu Mo.

Xu Mo pressed, "What happened next? What happened to your father?"

Luo Shi continued, "Before I got home, my father was making dinner. A thief broke in, not knowing my father was home, and tried to steal. My father heard the noise and confronted the thief. The thief turned out to be an acquaintance who beat my father unconscious and fled, fearing that my father would call the police. Before leaving, he dragged my father into the kitchen, locked the door, and turned on the gas, intending to kill him."

"Fortunately, I arrived just in time, and my father was saved. Thanks to the old man, if he hadn’t predicted it accurately, my father might have already..."

At this point, her eyes welled up, and she couldn’t continue, tears streaming down her face as she rubbed her eyes.

Xu Mo was at a loss, not knowing how to comfort her. After a moment, when Luo Shi calmed down, he thought for a moment and asked, "What happened next? The old man told you to find him after everything was done. Is the address he gave you the same as Qiu Xia Road No. 13? Are you here to find him?"

Luo Shi shook her head, "No, it’s not. The address the old man initially gave me was different, and I have already found him."

Xu Mo said, "Oh, what did he say when you found him?"

Luo Shi replied, "Because my father really was in danger, I no longer doubted the old man. After returning home, I brought gifts and went to the address he gave me. The old man lived in a lane, in an old-style quadrangle house, elegant and ancient, at least several decades old. I nodded in approval, thinking that such a remarkable person couldn’t live in the cramped buildings of the city. This place was barely suitable for the old man."

"I was about to knock on the door when the old man’s voice came from the courtyard, 'The door is open, come in.' I hadn’t done anything, but he knew I was there, even through the gate and the wall! I was stunned for a moment, but then I remembered his mysterious abilities and immediately thought it was normal."

"I pushed the door open and saw a corridor leading to the main house. The courtyard was vast, with a garden in the center, planted with pines, bamboo, and flowers. In the middle of the garden was a pond, and in the center of the pond was an octagonal pavilion connected to the outside paths by a stone bridge. Inside the pavilion were stone tables and benches. The old man was sitting on a stone bench, reading a book, his back to me."

"The old man was engrossed in his book and ignored me. I walked into the pavilion and stood behind him, not daring to disturb him. After a long time, he put the book down and asked, 'Do you know why I called you here?'"

"I shook my head and, imitating the characters in books, respectfully said, 'Please, Immortal Elder, enlighten me.' The old man stroked his beard, suddenly stood up, and walked to one side of the pavilion, saying, 'You are about to face a great calamity.'"

"If anyone else had said this, I would have laughed or dismissed it. But since the old man said it, it must be true. I was terrified and blurted out, 'Immortal Elder, save me.' The old man turned around, his left hand behind his back, and quickly moved his right fingers, as if calculating."

"After a long time, he shook his head and sighed, 'The calamity is too great and too bizarre. I cannot predict it, nor can I save you.'"

"How can that be?" I asked, disbelieving, "With your abilities, Immortal Elder, is there anything you cannot predict?" The old man shook his head, "The situation is too bizarre, beyond my understanding, so I cannot predict it."

"I was terrified, 'Am I going to die?' The old man looked at me with pity, 'Not death, but something a thousand times, even ten thousand times worse than death.'"

"Something ten thousand times worse than death? I couldn’t believe it, and I fell to my knees, bowing and pleading, 'Immortal Elder, you must save me.' I couldn’t help but cry. The old man helped me up and laughed, 'If I didn’t want to save you, I wouldn’t have called you here. I can’t save you, but someone else might. I recommend you see a person. Try to see if he can help you. If even he can’t help you, then no one in this world can save you.'"

"I felt a bit relieved but also curious, 'Who is this person? Is he more powerful than you, Immortal Elder?' The old man smiled, 'How can I compare to him? In front of him, my abilities are nothing. Compared to him, I am like a firefly to the moon, not even in the same league. Rest assured, with his abilities, if he truly wants to help you, he might be able to save you.'"

"I thought for a moment and asked, 'What should I do to make him help me?' The old man smiled, 'Nothing you do will make a difference. If he doesn’t want to help you, he won’t. But he is my old friend, and I introduced you, so he shouldn’t refuse. Don’t worry, he owes me a favor. If I ask him to help, he will. My old friend calls himself Qing Qiu Jun. When you see him, tell him that the Bamboo Forest Elder sent you. Bamboo Forest Elder is my other name. He will know you are my introduction.'"

"I knelt down again and bowed, 'Thank you, Immortal Elder, thank you.' The old man helped me up and said solemnly, 'There is one more thing I must warn you. My old friend has a unique appearance. When you see him, don’t be surprised. If you show any surprise, he might get angry, and even as my introduction, he won’t help you. Do you understand?'"

"When he said this, his expression was very serious. I was startled and nodded, 'I understand!' I repeated his warning in my mind several times, memorizing it. Later, the old man gave me an address and told me to find his old friend..."

Xu Mo interrupted, "Is this address Qiu Xia Road No. 13?"

Luo Shi nodded and confirmed, "Yes."

Xu Mo continued, "The old man said his old friend has a unique appearance. What is so unique about him? Why did he specifically warn you?"

Luo Shi shook her head, "I don’t know. I’m also worried. It might be his appearance..." At this point, she suddenly remembered something, looked around fearfully, and didn’t dare to continue, as if afraid that something might be listening.

Xu Mo found it a bit amusing and comforted her, "Don’t worry, he can’t hear you."

Luo Shi disagreed, "I don’t think he can hear, but these extraordinary people have special abilities. Even if they can’t hear, they can predict. So it’s best not to speak ill of them behind their backs."

Xu Mo ‘hmm’ed, fell silent, and after a moment, suddenly said, "Did you ever ask the Bamboo Forest Elder why he was helping you?"

Luo Shi was taken aback and asked in surprise, "No, is that important?"

Xu Mo said seriously, "He is not related to you, yet he is so热心, don’t you find that strange?"

Luo Shi widened her eyes, "Not really. He is a remarkable person. Does he need a reason to help people? Wandering the world, doing good deeds, and saving people, isn’t that what books say about such remarkable people?"

Xu Mo said, "If he loves helping people so much, why didn’t he save the person who had the car accident?"

Luo Shi smiled, "That person disrespected the old man, so the old man wanted to punish him." She paused and added, "And saying the old man didn’t save him is not entirely correct. Isn’t there a saying, 'Medicine can only cure curable diseases, and Buddha can only save those with a connection'? It’s not that the old man didn’t save him; it’s that he didn’t want to save himself."

She looked at Xu Mo again, her expression serious, and warned, "You seem to be doubting the Bamboo Forest Elder. Be careful, he might predict it and punish you."

Xu Mo shook his head, thinking about what happened to Qin Ruolan’s husband and what Qin Ruolan had said, 'Why should such good fortune fall on us?'

Moreover, the methods involved lotteries and winning. As for the predicted car accident and the incident with Luo Shi’s father, if deliberately arranged, it wasn’t impossible to achieve.

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