Chapter 23: It Is Not Lost, It Has Become This Ash

Old Ye’s remains could not be left behind. To process the death certificate, Lin Jingyu went to the police station again to look for Lin Jingchun, only to be told that he had not yet returned.

He checked his watch. "It’s nearly four o'clock. Where could he have gone that he hasn't returned?"

Chen Fang shook her head and pointed at A-Mao. "Ask them. Team Leader Lin went out right after the morning meeting; they should know."

A-Mao, still feeling disdainful toward A-Yu, said lazily, "Team Leader Lin went to investigate a cold case in Longshan. It’s very far; you have to cross several mountains. A round trip normally takes four or five hours."

Thinking that A-Yu was, after all, the team leader’s cousin, he asked, "Do you have business with him? I’ll let him know when he gets back."

"It doesn't have to be him specifically. You’ll do, A-Mao."

A-Mao was stunned. "Me?"

The two had just stepped out of the Chunjiang Police Station when they ran into Lin Jingchun and A-Ming.

Lin Jingyu immediately noticed Lin Jingchun’s tattered jacket and the fact that he was missing a shoe. He exclaimed in disbelief, "Brother?"

A-Mao also noticed that A-Ming’s arm was in a sling. "What happened?"

"Let’s go inside first."

Lin Jingchun’s complexion was terrible, and both men’s lips were deathly pale. Once they sat down inside and drank some water, they finally began to recover.

"That place, Longshan, is cursed," A-Ming began, still shaken. "The team leader and I thought we were almost at Qingshan Village and decided to pick up the pace. And guess what? A wind suddenly started blowing—whoosh, whoosh—and as we walked, we found ourselves surrounded by fog. Later, the team leader realized we kept walking back to the same spot. It was too bizarre."

A-Mao stared at them suspiciously. "That shouldn't happen. I remember going to Longshan with you guys when I first joined the station. There’s only one road; how could you get lost?"

"What do you mean, 'lost'? If you ask me..." A-Ming looked left and right, signaled for A-Mao to lean in, and lowered his voice. "It was definitely a 'ghost wall' trapping us."

A-Mao chuckled. "Brother A-Ming, we’re police officers. You actually believe in that?"

"I’d say you two just have bad memories and took a wrong turn, ending up back where you started."

He added significantly, "Team Leader, you should have brought me this morning. I tell you, my sense of direction is impeccable."

Lin Jingchun was busy inspecting his ruined jacket, his heart aching at the sight of the several large tears. The jacket was a leather one his mother had bought him, costing several thousand yuan, and now it was ruined.

Seeing this, Lin Jingyu sighed, "Brother, don't worry about the clothes. As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters. It’s so cold—if you had been stuck in the mountains overnight, you might have frozen to death."

"That’s not necessarily true. Longshan is truly high, but the point is..." A-Ming said, arching an eyebrow at A-Mao.

Having been colleagues for years, A-Mao knew his habits well and asked impatiently, "What point? Spit it out!"

"The point is, a wild boar charged at us to bite us," A-Ming gestured exaggeratedly. "You know how big that boar was? Nearly two meters long, definitely four or five hundred jin, with tusks this long."

A-Mao’s eyes widened. "A boar that big?"

He immediately felt a wave of regret. "Ah, if I had known, I would have gone with the team leader. If we had killed a boar that size and dragged it back, we wouldn't have to buy meat for the New Year."

"You and your killing..." A-Ming scoffed. "The team leader and I were too busy running for our lives. It was too fast. You think that’s how our clothes got ruined? That happened while we were dodging it. I accidentally fell off the mountain back then and broke my arm. That boar was cunning, too—it came straight for me. To save me, the team leader took a direct hit from it."

Hearing this, Lin Jingyu immediately grabbed Lin Jingchun and turned him around anxiously.

"Brother, are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, just two holes in the back of the jacket." Lin Jingchun handed the leather jacket to Lin Jingyu to look at, then reached into his pocket to pull out his pager, cigarette case, and lighter. He paused, then reached for the protective charm near his chest.

That charm had been specially obtained for him by his younger brother; he couldn't lose it.

But the moment his hand went inside, he froze.

When he pulled his hand out, there was no charm—only a handful of dust.

Lin Jingchun, refusing to believe it, turned the pocket inside out.

Still just dust.

His actions made everyone very curious.

"Team Leader, did you lose something?" A-Ming asked nervously.

Lin Jingyu was nonchalant. "Hey, if it’s lost, it’s lost. I’ll go buy you another one later."

"The protective charm."

"What?"

"I mean, what I lost was the protective charm you gave me this morning," Lin Jingchun said, then waved his hand. "No, it shouldn't be lost. It must have turned into this dust."

As he spoke, he thoughtfully rubbed the two holes in the back of the leather jacket.

In fact, after protecting A-Ming on Longshan, he had been puzzled as to why he hadn't been injured. After reaching safety, he had even taken off his jacket to let A-Ming check his back. There wasn't even a scratch, let alone a wound.

But if a boar’s tusk could pierce such large holes in a leather jacket, and he was only wearing a thin shirt underneath, how could he not be hurt? They had been unable to figure it out on the way back.

Rubbing the dust on his fingertips again, Lin Jingchun had a bold guess.

Could it be that the charm had shielded him from disaster and turned to dust in the process?

As soon as he said this, A-Ming clapped his hands loudly.

"That must be it, Team Leader! Look, we walked back and forth on that mountain so many times and couldn't find our way out. The boar appeared, and we ran around—but after you protected me, poof, the boar ran off, and we successfully got down the mountain. It must have been the charm."

A-Mao dismissed it. "Brother A-Ming, don't be superstitious."

Lin Jingyu, however, grinned. "Well, my friend’s charm is quite effective, then. Brother, I’ll buy another one from him later."

Mentioning Su Chen reminded Lin Jingyu of his real business, and he pulled Lin Jingchun toward the door.

"Brother, something happened with Old Ye. I need your help."

Lin Jingchun was suspicious. "What is it?"

He knew his brother; he wouldn't bother him unless it was urgent. His expression darkened, thinking some thugs had come to cause trouble. Knowing that Old Ye was an elderly man in his sixties living alone while running his shop, he didn't even worry about his own hunger after a long day and quickened his pace.

When they stepped into Ye’s Noodle Shop, they saw yellow paper talismans plastered all over the walls.

Seeing Lin Jingchun staring at the talismans with a strange expression, Su Chen touched his nose, feeling a bit guilty.

He had only just begun his cultivation and wasn't yet capable of drawing Heavenly Thunder Talismans. He had barely managed to draw some Thunder-Attraction Talismans, and only low-grade ones at that. The key was that he had to rest for ten minutes after drawing every three, so after all this time, he had only managed to finish nine.

Still, it should be enough.

After all, Old Ye wasn't a fierce zombie from their world; he wouldn't fight back and was quite cooperative.

Old Ye had already gathered A-Wang’s remains into an urn and was stroking it affectionately. Hearing footsteps, he turned around. Seeing Lin Jingchun, he gave a forced greeting, "Ah-Chun is here."

He wasn't wearing his heavy coat, and the long hair on his face and hands was clearly visible to Lin Jingchun.

He was stunned. "Uncle Ye? How did you..."