C7 The White Bone

My foster father remained silent this time, admitting he was unclear about the reason, but I had the nagging feeling he was keeping something from me.

As we reached the base of the mountain, my foster father and I left the village behind, carrying only a few blood-stained coins with us. I looked at his legs, still oozing blood, and worry crept over me. The small amount of money we had was hardly enough for medical treatment, let alone the bus fare to the city.

Glancing back at the village, anger surged within me. My foster father had always been there for others, helping out whenever there was a funeral or wedding, but now...

"A bunch of ingrates!" I cursed under my breath.

"It's all destiny, Changsheng. Let's head to West River Village," he suggested.

"Why there?" I asked, puzzled. I had intended to take him to a major hospital in the city, yet he insisted on traveling to a small, out-of-the-way village over a hundred kilometers away. Could there be some miraculous healer in West River Village?

Even if there were, the pressing issue was how we would get there. In this forsaken place, you couldn't even hail a taxi, and there was just one bus that left for the county seat each morning.

Surrounded by the bleak darkness, I sighed deeply. My foster father, however, offered a faint smile. "Just wait. Someone will be here to pick us up soon."

I nodded, though I didn't understand. Seeing his pallor and feeble state, I refrained from asking more questions. My foster father was a man of hidden depths, well-versed in esoteric arts and folk superstitions. I never doubted his words.

True to his word, before long, a mini van appeared on the mountain road. An elderly man hopped out and approached us. He seemed genuinely shocked to see the extent of my foster father's injuries. And when I caught sight of the old man, I was taken aback myself.

He was in his sixties or seventies, with just one arm and one eye remaining. Half of his face was so wrinkled and scarred, it looked as though a bear had mauled it—an intimidating sight to behold.

"Half Immortal Zhao, how... how did you manage that?" the old man exclaimed, his face etched with surprise.

My adoptive father gave a wry smile and shook his head. The old man didn't press further and instead helped me lift my adoptive father into the car.

The driver might have been a stranger, as neither my adoptive father nor the old man spoke during the journey. After roughly four hours, we finally reached the secluded West River Village.

The old man handed the driver two hundred yuan before leading us to his home. It turned out that his last name was Jiang, and many years ago, my adoptive father had done his family a great service, incurring a debt of gratitude.

Once we were settled, Old Master Jiang promptly summoned the village doctor who diagnosed that, although my adoptive father's life was not in danger, his legs were permanently disabled.

The doctor prescribed some medicine and left, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

After drinking a bowl of medicinal soup, my adoptive father gradually fell asleep. I, too, was worn out. Seeing Old Master Jiang's diligent care, I felt a profound sense of gratitude and thanked him sincerely.

Old Master Jiang, with his fearsome appearance, smiled and shook his head, "Little Changsheng, if it hadn't been for Half Immortal Zhao's prophecy, my entire family would have perished."

"But, your body..."

"Sigh, losing an arm and half a face is a small price to pay compared to the lives of my whole family. It's a sacrifice I would make a thousand times over."

"Grandpa Jiang, what exactly happened back then?" I inquired, my curiosity piqued.

"It's very late now. Get some rest. You'll be staying with me from now on, and there will be plenty of time to tell you the story," Old Master Jiang said, patting my head with a gentle gaze that made his face seem less frightening.

Since Old Master Jiang's wife had passed away a few years earlier and his children were all working in the city, many rooms in his house were vacant. I settled into a side room by myself.

Away from the village that had brought me so much sorrow and anger, I felt a sense of peace. I quickly fell asleep on the traditional heated brick bed.

I'm not sure how long I slept, but as dawn approached, I faintly heard some eerie noises outside the window, like the whistling of the wind or perhaps the sound of weeping...

Blinking away the grogginess of sleep, I glanced toward the window. The sight that met my eyes sent a shiver down my spine, jolting me fully awake.

A skeletal claw, ghastly and bone-white, was inching its way inside. Then, a woman shrouded in a red veil began to materialize before the window!