Chapter Sixteen: The Escape

On the way to Kanglong Village, with the help of Elder Hai, although we encountered some restless spirits again, we were able to move forward without hindrance. They seemed as if they couldn’t see us, standing frozen in place.

It wasn’t until we reached the spot where Zhao Qian’s feng shui compass lay that we became fully alert—this was precisely where the ghost soldiers crossed.

“Hey, isn’t this Zhao Qian’s feng shui compass? How did it end up here?” Elder Hai chuckled, pointing at the compass in the distance.

Zhao Qian was instantly embarrassed and hurried over to pick it up. “The ghost soldiers crossed here; we barely made it out.”

“Heh, no worries. Those ghost soldiers aren’t actually targeting you. They’re just stationed here on orders. Though numerous, they’re still limited in number and pose no real problem for me,” Elder Hai said cheerfully. Then he pulled out a large stack of paper effigies from his hiking backpack—there were so many I lost count.

Elder Hai was very experienced and clever in dealing with these ghost soldiers. He carefully wrote a few words on each paper figure, and when satisfied, casually approached the ghost soldiers.

“Watch this. On my way here from Death Town, I’ve encountered countless groups of these ghost soldiers, and this is how I always get through,” he said. Though he concealed his yang energy, a group of ghost soldiers still tried to stop him, questioning why a ghost from the underworld was here.

Without hesitation, Elder Hai tossed the entire bundle of paper figures into the river by the cliff and began chanting spells.

The ghost soldiers immediately mistook it for a border crossing attempt. They all surged forward to chase after the paper figures in the river, letting Elder Hai pass.

Watching this mystical technique, I was filled with envy. I wondered if Elder Hai might teach me a few tricks—then whenever we encountered powerful vengeful spirits, we could just throw paper figures and escape. But I quickly realized that was impossible. After all, this was his livelihood and means of survival; he wouldn’t just teach it away.

“All right, let’s go quickly. This is the time when yin and yang intersect. The ghost soldiers’ minds are muddled and won’t pay attention to those of us who have concealed our yang energy,” Elder Hai beckoned us forward.

We dared not linger and started running at full speed. Zhao He, despite carrying Huo Dadong for so long, showed no sign of exhaustion and ran swiftly as well.

By the time we left Kanglong Village, night had already fallen.

“We thought this would be so difficult, but Uncle Hai sorted it out with just a few paper figures. Amazing! He’s way better than our dad!” Zhao He exclaimed, admiration shining on his face.

I felt deep respect for Elder Hai and also thought, if even such a formidable elder had to flee Death Town like a beaten dog, what would happen if I went in there to break the Blood Cloud Coffin? I’d probably die a hundred times even before reaching the town.

“Zhao He, Zhao Qian, are you heading home or what? By the way, I don’t think I asked what you were doing in Xiaoyi Village,” Elder Hai inquired.

“Back to the county. Our family asked us to invite Senior Zhou Xian, but then we ran into all these things…” Zhao Qian replied, then glanced at me and asked, “Brother Yitian, are you heading back to the county too, or do you have other plans? If you’re going back, why not ride with us?”

“Invited by the family?” Elder Hai frowned but, sensing it wasn’t convenient to ask further, let it go.

Zhao Qian then pointed to a car parked inside Kanglong Village.

It was an Audi Q7 SUV—quite a luxury vehicle to me, a hefty beast worth several hundred thousand.

Holding my grandmother’s leather suitcase and carrying a travel bag, standing in the darkness of Kanglong Village, I thought staying here overnight was cheaper but since we had to set off early for the county town and the mountain roads were winding and costly, catching a ride would be perfect.

Moreover, Yuxiaoxue’s eyes were already sparkling as she looked at the luxury car. She was just a student and had never had the chance to ride in such a vehicle; if I took her along, she probably wouldn’t want to leave.

So I said, “We’ll go to the county too. Xue is still in high school there. With the current situation in Xiaoyi Village, who knows how long it will be before anyone goes in to investigate.”

“Ha, they’ll probably just put up a sign at the entrance saying they’re building some waste treatment plant or nuclear power station and forbid anyone from entering,” Elder Hai said from experience.

“Xue’s father is unlikely to survive, and no one knows what happened to the bodies. Sigh, we’ll have to see what the county officials say,” I sighed, looking at Yuxiaoxue.

But she had already eagerly gone over to touch the SUV, not hearing our conversation at all.

I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking maybe that was good—people often say no news is good news.

If one day I could stand on my own, I would definitely bring her back to Xiaoyi Village to uncover the whereabouts of the bodies.

“That’s great, let’s go together then,” Zhao He said happily, trying to pull me into the car. After hearing Elder Hai’s story, he seemed to have a much better impression of me.

Zhao Qian quickly counted everyone and noticed an extra person, suggesting, “Brother, you drive Huo’s car. There’s no room for all of us in this one.”

Zhao He had been hoping to get closer to me in the car but had to send his sister to drive the police car instead. Though a bit reluctant, he had no choice but to toss Huo Dadong into the police car.

“I’ll ride in the police car too; it can run red lights and go fast, haha,” Elder Hai said with a smile, casting a meaningful glance at me and then at Zhao Qian. I didn’t understand, but he seemed young at heart; otherwise, he wouldn’t be running around the world with a hiking backpack like a youngster.

Once he got into the car, he pulled out a tablet computer, which immediately warmed my impression of him—he still kept up with the times.

That left only Zhao Qian, Yuxiaoxue, and me to ride in the Audi SUV.

“Brother Yitian, do you know how to drive? I’m not very used to mountain roads,” Zhao Qian politely said.

Compared to Yuxiaoxue’s carefree natural simplicity, Zhao Qian had a refined grace one usually finds in a large family. She tried to keep everything orderly—probably out of consideration for me. After all, a woman driving while a man lounges comfortably is a bit unusual.

I thought anyone lucky enough to marry such a woman would be much better off.

“Yes, I’ve driven a van in the city before,” I smiled, implying I’d never driven a luxury car.

“Oh, I see. But I think driving a van requires good skill. Why don’t you drive?” Zhao Qian smiled brightly, without a trace of mockery.

“My skills are average. This car is automatic, right? I might not know how to drive it well. You should drive,” I deferred. Joking aside, this car cost over a million; I wouldn’t dare mess around and risk scratching it.

Thinking it over, besides the fare for this trip home, I only had about 1,500 yuan left in my account. Yuxiaoxue’s family was poor too. I’d probably be broke after this trip, and as a neighbor helping her go to the county, I’d have to support her.

“Uh… okay, then I’ll drive,” Zhao Qian’s brows curved slightly in some hesitation. But seeing my insistence, she got in the car.

Yuxiaoxue immediately sat in the back and began touching the luxurious interior everywhere.

I had intended to sit with her in the back, but in the blink of an eye, she lay across the seat and fell fast asleep. After two days and nights of exhaustion, she was thoroughly worn out.

I took the front passenger seat and watched Zhao Qian drive.

On the winding mountain road, she almost scared me to death. Was that even driving?

Even the smallest stone on the road was crushed directly under the tires. The car bounced so high that my heart nearly leapt into my throat.

The roadside was all cliffs; if it weren’t an SUV, we might have plunged down the mountain for tea. No wonder Elder Hai had to run away so fast.

Finally, I hurriedly called Zhao Qian to the passenger seat.

She looked embarrassed, her cheeks flushed, patting her face before relaxing. “Actually… I bought my driver’s license… I don’t drive much; usually, my brother’s driver does.”

“I could tell,” I said, slapping my forehead in disbelief. Women could be terrifying—she dared to drive with a bought license and didn’t even blink.

But even more incredible was Yuxiaoxue, who managed to sleep soundly through all that bouncing.

“Brother Yitian, may I ask you something if you don’t mind?” After I drove steadily, Zhao Qian began to speak.

“Go ahead,” I said, curious why she had come to see my grandmother.

After all, my grandmother disliked meddling in others’ affairs and didn’t do these things for money. She wouldn’t easily get involved in the county town, where people with profound cultivation lived. Crossing boundaries would cause trouble.

“What do you do for work?” Zhao Qian asked.

“No need for formalities. I’m not much older than you. Just call me Brother Tian or Yitian—I don’t mind,” I smiled. This little girl was too polite; it made me uncomfortable.

“Oh, okay, Brother Tian,” Zhao Qian blushed again.

I was speechless. She actually called me that. But what she called me was her choice. Given her politeness, she seemed to have a good nature. I had thought children from big families were usually arrogant.

“Actually, I’m currently unemployed. I just got fired by my boss. I’m barely scraping by. After the funeral, I plan to find some menial job in the county like sweeping floors or serving food, and then try to investigate the situation in Xiaoyi Village,” I said self-mockingly.

“Ah? You just got fired? That’s great!”

Unexpectedly, Zhao Qian clapped her hands excitedly, which made me even more speechless. How could she be so clueless? Getting fired was good?

Had spending half a day with Yuxiaoxue infected her with this kind of naïve silliness?

Seeing my cold look, Zhao Qian realized she had misspoken: “No… I meant, being dismissed isn’t really… um… good…”

I decided not to bother replying and focused on driving.

“Hey Brother Tian, do you need money?” Zhao Qian asked again.

“Just say it straight. Why beat around the bush?” I thought she must be out of her mind asking such pointless questions. “Does your family want to hire a long-term worker?”

Zhao Qian was stunned for a moment, then nodded seriously as if understanding the meaning of ‘long-term worker.’

I raised an eyebrow and laughed, teasing, “So, if I go to your place, am I washing dishes or carrying bricks?”