Second Brother, That Car Can't Be Boarded!

The hunched-over old fisherman, wearing a patterned straw raincoat, drank two buckets of water, only raw water, not boiled, along with discarded fish baskets and straw sandals, as the old turtle swam away.

The answer was already self-evident.

Jiang Yue was a person who excelled at observing details. He had found the old fisherman's strangely patterned straw raincoat odd from the very beginning.

After clearly seeing the patterns on the old turtle's back as it swam, Jiang Yue immediately understood what was going on.

Those dozens of words were likely left by the old turtle using those two buckets of water, right?

Others offer flowers to the Buddha.

Was the old turtle offering words through water?

But--

The old turtle transforming and speaking human language, was this still the normal world they once knew? Even if today was Qingming Festival, this was too shocking.

Returning to the old house, nothing was missing or out of place inside. However, the water writing on the corridor, which had been very distinct, had mysteriously vanished.

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

Knowing how the words appeared, Jiang Yue no longer dwelled on how they disappeared.

After this back-and-forth, the food had gone cold. Fortunately, the brothers were already about seven-tenths full.

San Gou, eager to please Jiang Yue, diligently cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.

Before long, San Gou had tidied everything up perfectly, inside and out. It was clear that living under someone else's roof, even at his aunt's place, San Gou must have done plenty of chores. With such perceptiveness, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage anywhere.

Jiang Yue happily enjoyed the fruits of San Gou's labor, leaning back in his rattan chair, pondering the events of the day.

Ever since returning to Panshi Ridge yesterday, Jiang Yue had felt that something was off everywhere.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, though.

If one were to scrutinize the events of today, they could easily be compiled into a book of supernatural stories.

Mother entering dream, photo frame falling, Flowery Skirt Woman's Shadow, joss paper easily burns, soup head seeking head, dragon and tiger fighting, Vermilion Bird broken spine...

Now, add the old turtle offering words.

White Tiger fighting Azure Dragon, heaven and earth poke a hole. Vermilion Bird broken spine, human world has many troubles...

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

He really couldn't understand, in this bright and clear world, how could heaven and earth be poked with a hole? And what kind of troubles could arise from it?

A war?

An earthquake?

Or a plague, a disease, or some other natural disaster?

This was beyond Jiang Yue's imagination. After all, he hadn't written novels online; his imagination wasn't grand enough to make any logical deductions.

But--

Where there is trouble, there is more trouble; do not linger.

This sentence was very clear and straightforward, its meaning unmistakable. Was it a warning for the two brothers to leave this place? To leave Panshi Ridge?

But what was the reason?

This was what Jiang Yue felt was wrong!

There must be something wrong that hadn't been noticed yet, and this wrongness might be the reason the old turtle was warning him to leave?

Jiang Yue felt his sanity was about to snap.

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

"Second Brother, have you noticed anything strange about our village?" Jiang Yue was feeling troubled when San Gou brought over a chair and approached him mysteriously.

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

"What do you mean?" Jiang Yue's heart stirred.

Although San Gou was usually oblivious, his thought process was unusual, and his observation skills were far superior to those of his peers. Perhaps from his perspective, some clues could be found?

"There are especially few people in the village this year. Isn't that strange? On my way back this morning, I didn't see a single person from the entrance of the village. Every year around Qingming, even if it rains, on the way to Mount Dajin to sweep graves, you'd always run into a few groups of people. Today, all day, besides Second Brother, I only met that old fisherman, and he's from out of town."

Panshi Ridge was originally a small mountain village, remote and with only twenty to thirty households for decades. In the last twenty years, the original residents had gradually decreased, with most who could move having relocated.

Strictly speaking, even Jiang Yue wasn't a native; he was a city person returning to his hometown.

But even so, there were still some elderly residents left behind.

With the elderly residents, their children and grandchildren wouldn't possibly not come back for a visit on a day like Qingming Festival, right?

Panshi Ridge had always placed great importance on the tradition of Qingming ancestor worship, so there was no reason for not seeing a single person.

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

Recalling carefully, when he returned to Panshi Ridge yesterday evening, he hadn't actually seen a single person until now, not even a dog barking.

Panshi Ridge had branched out over generations. Even if they were scattered across different places, it was unlikely that not a single person would return for ancestor worship during Qingming Festival.

And that old fish seller, it was debatable whether he was even a person.

So...

Where are the people?

When he thought about the details, it was truly terrifying.

The road at the entrance to the yard, though not the main road in the village, was still a frequently traveled one. After this much of the day, besides San Gou and his footprints, there were absolutely no other fresh footprints!

And the mountain path from Nine Li Pavilion to Mount Dajin was overgrown with thorns, clearly showing no signs of being cleared. This meant that, at least before they went, no one from the village had gone up Mount Dajin to sweep their ancestors' graves!

This was clearly not normal!

You have to know, for generations in Panshi Ridge, anyone who passed away, except those who died away from home, or those who were so wicked they couldn't be buried in the ancestral graveyard, the rest were basically buried on Mount Dajin.

To put it without exaggeration, the ancestors of Panshi Ridge resting on Mount Dajin outnumbered the current population of Panshi Ridge by several times.

On Qingming Festival, no one went up Mount Dajin to sweep their graves?

Wasn't that strange?

Wasn't that bizarre?

Thinking of the chilling realization, Jiang Yue shivered.

"San Gou, let's go, we're heading back to Star City."

They didn't want the leftovers, just stuffed a few clothes into their backpacks, and traveled light.

Jiang Yue also carefully put the family photo into his backpack.

A sturdy lock guards the door, deterring gentlemen but not scoundrels.

Of course, besides some heavy old furniture, the old house also had some pots and bowls, and several hundred briquettes. There wasn't anything else worth stealing.

There were no direct buses from Panshi Ridge back to the city. They had to walk six or seven li to the west of Mount Dajin, where a two-lane mountain road had been built with a roadside stop.

It was called a stop, but there was only one bus a day. It departed from the town, more than twenty kilometers away, at 2 PM and passed this so-called bus stop on the west side of Mount Dajin around 2:30 PM. Normally, it wouldn't pick up passengers along the way, but occasionally there would be a few scattered individuals.

Like Jiang Yue and his brother, they were such scattered passengers.

The bus was scheduled to arrive at the stop on the west side of Mount Dajin around 2:30 PM. They had plenty of time to get there now.

The brothers hurried to the bus stop, still a quarter of an hour before 2:30 PM.

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

Although it was a rural bus, it was quite punctual.

The bus driver saw them wave and braked to a stop.

"To Star City, twenty-five each."

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

Jiang Yue didn't expect any VIP luxury experience from a rural bus, and the driver's expression didn't affect his ride. Moreover, after such a nightmarish day, seeing a bus full of living people finally made him feel a sense of familiarity.

Jiang Yue didn't think much of it and raised his foot to get on the bus.

Just as he put one foot on the step, San Gou behind him grabbed Jiang Yue tightly.

"Second Brother, how about we wait for another bus?"

San Gou, usually boisterous, looked a little pale, and there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

Even though the bus driver hadn't even looked at them, his ears were sharp. Hearing San Gou suggest waiting for another bus, he thought they were complaining about the price and immediately became impatient.

With a snap, he closed the door, stepped on the gas, and the bus drove away.

"Stupid bird! There's only one bus a day, you want to wait? You'll be waiting for my bus tomorrow. Let's see how many days you can wait."

Jiang Yue hadn't expected the bus driver to be so haughty, leaving at the slightest disagreement.

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

San Gou mumbled, his expression somewhat dazed.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

San Gou shook his head: "Second Brother, I can't get on that bus!"