Chapter 5

The hunched old fisherman, wearing a patterned raincoat, drank two buckets of water, insisting on raw water rather than boiled water, and discarded his fish basket and straw shoes, before diving into the water like an old turtle.

The answer was already clear.

Jiang Yue was a very observant person. He had found the old fisherman's strangely patterned raincoat odd from the start.

After seeing the patterns on the old turtle's back, Jiang Yue immediately understood what was happening.

Those few dozen characters were likely left by the old turtle using the two buckets of water, right?

Others borrow flowers to offer to Buddha.

Is the old turtle borrowing water to convey a message?

But—

The old turtle transforming and speaking human language, is this still the normal world? Even on Qingming Festival, this is too shocking.

Returning to the old house, everything inside was intact, but the water character that had been clearly imprinted on the corridor had mysteriously disappeared.

It was as if someone had used a dryer to instantly dry it, leaving no trace.

Knowing how the characters appeared, Jiang Yue naturally didn't dwell on how they disappeared.

After all this back and forth, the food had cooled completely. Fortunately, the two of them were already seven or eight parts full.

To please Jiang Yue, San Gou was extremely diligent in cleaning up the dishes.

In no time, San Gou had tidied everything up inside and out. It was clear that even living with his aunt, San Gou had done a lot of work. With such keen insight, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage anywhere.

Jiang Yue was happy to enjoy the results, leaning back in a rattan chair, pondering the events of the day.

Since returning to Pan Shi Ling yesterday, Jiang Yue had felt that something was off everywhere.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but the events of the day, if scrutinized, could easily be woven into a ghost story.

His mother appearing in a dream, the photo frame falling, the woman in the flower dress, the paper money burning easily, the soup head seeking its source, the dragon and tiger fighting, the phoenix's spine breaking...

Now, add the old turtle's message.

The white tiger fights the blue dragon, piercing a hole in heaven and earth. The phoenix's spine breaks, and human affairs become chaotic...

These twenty characters of prophecy were easy to understand on the surface, but when it came to the details, Jiang Yue felt his ignorance limited his imagination.

He couldn't fathom how a clear and peaceful world could have a hole pierced in it, or what kind of chaos could ensue.

A war?

An earthquake?

Or a plague, disease, or other natural disaster?

This exceeded Jiang Yue's imagination, after all, he hadn't written novels online, and his mind wasn't expansive enough to make logical deductions.

But—

A place of trouble is full of trouble, don't stay too long.

This was a clear and straightforward statement, the meaning couldn't be clearer. Was it a reminder for them to leave this place? To leave Pan Shi Ling?

But, what was the reason?

This was what Jiang Yue found unsettling!

There must be something wrong that hasn't been noticed, and this wrong thing might be the reason the old turtle was warning him to leave.

Jiang Yue felt his mind was about to explode.

Several times, he pinched himself hard when San Gou wasn't paying attention. The sharp pain reminded him that this wasn't a dream.

"Second Brother, have you noticed that our village is a bit strange?" Jiang Yue was just about to vent his frustration when San Gou moved a folding chair close and spoke in a mysterious tone.

He sat down facing the back of the chair, resting his chin on his hands.

"How so?" Jiang Yue's heart stirred.

Although San Gou was a bit thick-skinned, this kid had an unusual way of thinking and a stronger observational ability than most of his peers. Perhaps from his perspective, he could get some clues?

"There are very few people in the village this year. Isn't that strange? When I came back this morning, I didn't see a single person on the way. In previous years, even on a rainy Qingming Festival, there would be several groups of people going to Da Jin Shan to pay respects. Today, apart from Second Brother, I only saw that old fisherman, and he was from out of town."

Pan Shi Ling was originally a small mountain village, geographically remote, with only twenty to thirty households. Over the past twenty years, the original residents had indeed become fewer, and those who could move out had mostly done so.

Strictly speaking, even Jiang Yue wasn't a native, but rather a city dweller returning to the countryside.

But even so, there were still some elderly people staying behind.

With elderly people staying behind, their children and descendants would surely come back on Qingming Festival, right?

The tradition of Qingming Festival tomb sweeping was always taken seriously in Pan Shi Ling, so there was no reason for no one to be seen.

The more Jiang Yue thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

Recalling carefully, since returning to Pan Shi Ling yesterday evening until now, he hadn't seen a single person, not even heard a dog bark.

Pan Shi Ling, with its generations of descendants, even if scattered across various places, shouldn't have no one returning for tomb sweeping on Qingming Festival.

Even that old fisherman, whether he was human or not, was questionable.

So—

Where are the people?

Thinking about the details, it was truly terrifying.

The road at the entrance to the courtyard, though not the main road of the village, was still a frequently used path. For the whole day, apart from San Gou's and his own footprints, there were no other fresh footprints!

The mountain path to Da Jin Shan from Jiu Li Ting was overgrown with thorns, clearly not having been cleared, meaning that before they went, no one from the village had gone to Da Jin Shan to pay respects!

This was clearly abnormal!

After all, in Pan Shi Ling, as long as someone passed away, except for those who died far away or were unworthy of being buried in the ancestral cemetery, the rest were basically buried on Da Jin Shan.

To put it mildly, the ancestors of Pan Shi Ling buried on Da Jin Shan outnumbered the current residents by several times.

On Qingming Festival, no one went to Da Jin Shan to pay respects?

How eerie is that?

How strange is that?

Thinking about it, Jiang Yue shivered.

"San Gou, let's go back to Xingcheng."

They left the leftover food behind, packed a few clothes into a backpack, and set off lightly.

The family photo was carefully placed in the backpack.

The old house, with its heavy old furniture, some pots and bowls, and a few hundred coal briquettes, had nothing worth stealing.

Returning to the city from Pan Shi Ling was not possible by direct bus; they had to walk six or seven miles to the west side of Da Jin Shan, where there was a two-lane mountain road with a bus stop.

The bus stop, in reality, only had one bus a day, which departed from a town twenty kilometers away at 2 PM and arrived at the bus stop on the west side of Da Jin Shan around 2:30 PM. Normally, it didn't pick up passengers along the way, but occasionally a few stragglers would board.

Jiang Yue and San Gou were such stragglers.

The bus would arrive at the bus stop on the west side of Da Jin Shan around 2:30 PM, and they had plenty of time to get there.

The two of them rushed to the bus stop, which was fifteen minutes before 2:30 PM.

The bus stop was very simple, with a road sign and a long stone bench for sitting. It offered no protection from the wind or rain. On a rainy day like this, it was naturally unusable.

Although it was a rural bus, it was punctual.

The bus driver, seeing someone waving, stopped and opened the door.

"To Xingcheng, twenty-five yuan per person."

The driver didn't even turn his head, maintaining a standard bus driver's expression.

Jiang Yue didn't expect any VIP or luxury experience on a rural bus, and the driver's expression didn't affect his decision to board. After the nightmare of the day, it was a relief to see a bus full of living people.

Jiang Yue didn't think much and was about to step onto the bus.

Just as he put one foot on the bus, San Gou held him back tightly.

"Second Brother, let's wait for another bus."

San Gou, who was usually wild, had a pale face and a look of fear in his eyes.

The bus driver, who hadn't even glanced at them, had sharp ears. Hearing San Gou say they would wait for another bus, he assumed they thought the fare was too high and became impatient.

He slammed the door and sped off, leaving the bus behind.

"Idiot! There's only one bus a day. Wait? You'll still be waiting for my bus tomorrow. See how long you can wait."

Jiang Yue hadn't expected the bus driver to be so arrogant and leave without a word.

"San Gou, didn't you know there's only one bus a day?"

San Gou mumbled, looking dazed.

"Feeling unwell?"

San Gou shook his head: "Second Brother, that bus is no good!"