Car Crash, the Delivery Guy Brings Paper Ash

After cursing into the phone, I shut it off.

But the tension made goosebumps rise across my skin in wave after wave.

I looked at the dim street, my heart in turmoil and full of unease.

I wandered forward without any real destination, walking for at least one or two hours.

I did not know where to go, much less who to ask for help...

But I knew that since Zhang Qiang had become a ghost, he would definitely be able to find me.

I had to do something. I could not just sit here and wait to die.

So, I even searched Baidu.

Sure enough, there were related searches, along with all sorts of bizarre answers.

There were also a few that seemed reliable, such as wearing a Buddha pendant.

Hang a Bagua Mirror over the front door, suspend a Peachwood Sword to ward the house.

Recite the Guanyin Sutra or the Dao De Jing.

Go to a martyrs' cemetery, head to Maoshan to seek out an old immortal master, and so on.

I had no idea whether those answers would work, but things had already come to this.

I could only treat a dead horse as though it were alive.

But given my current situation, reciting scriptures and seeking the protection of heroic spirits were the most practical options.

There was no martyrs' cemetery nearby, but there was a monument, with sacred statues of heroes inside. During holidays, people would bring flowers there.

As for anything else, I did not have the means.

So I specifically searched online for two scriptures.

I recited them as I walked, memorizing a few lines from each.

Whether they worked or not, it was better than doing nothing and standing there like an idiot.

But just as I was wholly focused on reciting the scriptures—

I heard a dull bang, followed by someone screaming.

"Ah..."

The sudden commotion instantly caught my attention.

I looked up and found a food delivery rider lying on the road not far away, wailing in pain. He looked seriously injured.

His motorcycle had skidded seven or eight meters away.

As a medical student, saving lives and treating the injured was our duty.

It was an ideal drilled into every medical student from the day we enrolled, and it was also our school motto.

I did not think much about it then and hurried over.

The delivery rider lay on the ground without a helmet.

He groaned on the ground, looking to be in great pain.

"Brother, don't move around. I study medicine. Let me take a look first!"

With that, I crouched down.

Based on what I had learned, I began examining the patient.

Other than some minor scrapes, redness, and swelling on his arms and thighs, I found no external injuries.

The guardrail had been smashed, and both he and his bike had flown seven or eight meters, yet he had only suffered abrasions.

He had really lucked out.

But his body temperature was clearly wrong. He was very cold.

Just as I was about to examine him further, he raised a hand to stop me.

"Brother, why don't you go to the hospital for a checkup? You'll feel more at ease that way."

I gave him my honest advice.

After all, I was only a student who had not even graduated yet. I could not guarantee one hundred percent that he had no internal injuries.

After I helped the delivery rider up, he recovered quickly.

He grinned at me.

"No need, I'm fine now.

But you're the only one who helped me. You're a good person. Thank you!"

His words sounded strange.

There was no one else around besides me.

Still, I smiled and helped him lift his scooter, whose front wheel was somewhat bent. "It's nothing, brother. Drive slower from now on. Safety comes first."

This time, the delivery rider did not speak. He merely smiled at me and nodded.

After getting onto his scooter, he did not leave immediately.

Instead, he suddenly pointed toward the roadside not far away.

"Friend, thank you for saving me. I'm leaving now.

There's a pile of paper ash over there. My mom burned it for me.

Rub it on your clothes, and take that bowl with you too.

Then the one trying to harm you won't be able to find you tonight."

After saying that, the delivery rider did not wait for me to respond.

Without looking back, he rode his scooter crookedly toward the end of the road.

The vehicle made no sound. It was utterly silent.

Before long, he disappeared into the darkness...

I stared in shock at the delivery rider disappearing down the road.

Then I turned toward the roadside. There was a pile of paper ash, several burned-out incense sticks, and a white porcelain bowl placed upside down on the ground.

Thinking of his abnormal body temperature, a chill instantly ran down my spine.

In the countryside, people burned paper and incense by the roadside.

That was done for the dead, to pray for blessings and send off the departed.

The delivery rider I had just helped said those things had been burned for him.

Then he was probably a ghost too.

But from the looks of it, he was a good ghost.

I stood there in horror and sucked in a sharp breath.

What had been going on with me these past two days?

First I ran into Zhang Qiang, and now I had encountered a delivery rider.

I took two deep, ragged breaths and swallowed before finally steadying myself.

For someone like me, with nowhere left to turn—

The delivery rider's words were no different from a lifeline.

No matter what, I had to try.

I hurried back to the roadside.

I looked at the pile of paper ash and the burned-out incense sticks.

Looking in the direction The Delivery Guy had gone, I answered solemnly, "Brother, once I get through this ordeal, I'll definitely come back and burn paper and incense for you."

I had never believed in gods or ghosts before, but now I had changed my mind.

I did not hesitate any longer. I grabbed a handful of incense ash and smeared it over my coat.

In the blink of an eye, my blue coat was streaked black with ash.

Finally, I picked up the white porcelain bowl that had been upside down on the ground.

There was food underneath it, but I did not touch it.

It was already very late. The surroundings had turned chilly, and the wind began to howl. It felt like it was about to rain.

I looked around and saw People's Park not far away. The Monument to the Fallen Heroes and the statues of heroes were inside, so I decided to take shelter there.

Thus, wearing a coat covered in incense ash and carrying a white porcelain bowl meant for the dead, I headed toward People's Park.

The park was deathly quiet, with only a few dim yellow streetlights still on.

A few drops of rain fell, forcing me to quicken my pace.

If my coat got soaked by the rain, the incense ash on it would be washed away.

Holding the white porcelain bowl, I hurried into the park.

I remembered there was a pavilion near the monument. It should provide some shelter from the rain.

After running for a few minutes, the raindrops grew heavier.

I could also see the pavilion in the park from afar.

I quickened my pace and ran toward it.

But when I reached the pavilion, I froze.

More than a dozen people were crammed into the small pavilion.

None of them spoke. They simply stared at me with wide eyes and blank expressions...