The white bones sat motionless on the stone bench, silent as statues. A layer of dust had settled on them, but they remained relatively intact, seated side by side. Uncle Jianguo stepped forward for a closer look and asked, “Master Xiao, do you have any way to confirm if these are my brothers?”
I replied, “There might still be some memories in their consciousness. Their souls could be lingering within their consciousness, which is to say, inside their skulls. I can try to communicate with them—that’s one way to confirm. Another method is for you to identify them based on the skeletal structure and see if it matches the five of them.”
After listening to me, Uncle Jianguo carefully examined the bones from front to back, then nodded and said, “The build roughly matches theirs. Master Xiao, could you double-check?”
I washed my hands with water from the cave and placed them on the first skull. Closing my eyes, I waited for a long time until I faintly sensed voices from the consciousness realm, murmuring their identities.
Overjoyed, I asked, “Are you Uncle Jianguo’s brothers? I’m here to take you back home.”
The skull responded, “I am Tian Fugui. We’ve been waiting for someone to bring us back to our homeland.” I withdrew my hand, opened my eyes, wiped the sweat beading on my forehead, and smiled at Uncle Jianguo. “It’s them.”
Uncle Jianguo was so moved he wept. His long-held wish had finally been fulfilled. He hugged me tightly, jumping up and down in excitement. After letting go of me, he embraced Lin Danan and said, “You two are my lucky stars. When we get back, I’ll treat you both to drinks.”
Lin Danan muttered, “Drinking is boring. How about taking me to meet some ladies instead?”
Lin Danan’s youthful heart had sunk into the mud, and only the company of gentle girls could pull it out.
Uncle Jianguo patted his chest and said, “No problem, I’ll cover everything.”
Uncle Jianguo took out the white cloth he had prepared from his bag, spread it on the ground, and carefully gathered the bones, identifying each of the five based on their skeletal structure. He wrote their names on the cloth before wrapping them up neatly.
Soon, there were five large bundles. It took us several hours to finish, and by the time we emerged, it was already noon. Uncle Jianguo said, “Let’s push through and walk back all the way. Once we reach China, everything will be fine.”
Uncle Jianguo carried one bundle himself. The jade corpse in green stepped forward, gestured a bit, then stuffed the remaining bundles into a large sack, hoisting it effortlessly over her shoulder.
She was incredibly strong.
As we exited the cave, we all felt a sense of relief. The past few days had been overwhelming, but now, with home in sight, everything seemed pleasant, every thought delightful.
The jade corpse glanced back at the cave with a hint of reluctance.
I said, “If you want, after helping us deliver these, you can come back here.” But she shook her head, indicating she would never return.
I sighed and looked at Xie Lingyu. “So your cousin is really sticking with us now?”
Xie Lingyu laughed. “Don’t get it wrong—she’s not following me, she’s following you.” I sighed again. “Still your cousin, though!”
Lin Danan shouted, “Hey, hey, hey! Don’t act like I don’t exist, okay?”
Our hearts were set on returning. The final stretch through the forest wasn’t too exhausting, especially with the jade corpse carrying the heaviest load. Still, Uncle Jianguo reminded us to stay as quiet as possible.
Just as we neared the border, we heard a commotion up ahead.
Uncle Jianguo signaled for us to lower our heads—we might have stumbled into trouble. Peering through binoculars, we spotted Ruan Sanjia’s youngest son, Ruan Nan.
Ruan Nan was alone, carrying a bag, seemingly negotiating with a group. The bag’s color and style looked familiar—likely the drugs Hu Sanmei had stolen and buried. Somehow, Ruan Nan had gotten his hands on them and was now trying to sell them. The argument seemed to be over price. Ruan Nan, outnumbered, was at a clear disadvantage.
A tattooed man with a buzz cut cursed, “You come alone, looking to die? Stop wasting our time—take the money and scram. You know how to scram, right?”
Ruan Nan smirked. “Don’t be rude. You think numbers matter? The snakes hidden around you could kill you all in seconds. Pay the full amount—not a penny less.”
The tattooed man’s eyelid twitched. “Are you threatening me?”
Ruan Nan grinned. “Want to test it?”
The tattooed man backed down, intimidated by Ruan Nan’s piercing gaze—especially with his black robe, the large iron rings dangling from his ears, and eyes that looked like they’d seen dozens of deaths.
The tattooed man tossed over a small woven bag. Ruan Nan glanced inside, then walked away without a word.
The tattooed man wiped sweat from his forehead, shaken. If he hadn’t paid up, he might’ve been bitten to death. His group picked up the drugs and headed toward China.
Lin Danan asked, “Should we go arrest them?”
Uncle Jianguo scoffed. “Don’t joke around. You go do it.” Lin Danan chuckled sheepishly. “Just thought I’d lend a hand, be a hero for once.”
Uncle Jianguo said, “Heroes need brains. I’ve memorized their faces. We’ll report this to Dengfeng when we get back—let the professionals handle it.”
Those drug dealers were ruthless killers, each with multiple lives on their hands. Best to leave it to the brave soldiers.
By nightfall, we finally reached the county town, a day earlier than planned.
Uncle Jianguo carefully stored the five bundles of remains and described the drug dealers’ facial and physical features to Geng Dengfeng. Sketches were quickly drawn, matching the men I’d seen almost perfectly.
Uncle Jianguo added, “The drugs they brought might weigh dozens of kilograms, and they could be heavily armed.”
Geng Dengfeng nodded and left to make arrangements.
Lin Danan, exhausted, went straight to bed. I was too tired to stay awake any longer and told Xie Lingyu to keep an eye on her cousin before collapsing into bed myself, not even bothering to shower. I was snoring the moment I hit the pillow.
I woke up the next afternoon.
Lin Danan was already sitting on his bed, staring blankly. “Feels like a dream. Haven’t slept this soundly in years. Woke up today feeling like my bones were brand new. Guess people only truly learn after facing life and death. From now on, I, Lin Danan, am a real man.”
I said, “You’re not wrong. Without going through this, you’d never realize how safe the city really is—or meet your demon sister. It’s just a shame…”
Lin Danan jumped off the bed. “Enough. Don’t bring that up—it’s too painful.”
After showering and changing, it was nearly dark. I’d slept for over twenty hours straight, and my stomach growled with hunger.
Uncle Jianguo had only slept a few hours before rising early to contact the families of the five heroes. He arranged for the remains to be transported back, coordinating with border units and local civil affairs departments. The plan was to return them to their homeland for burial, allowing their souls to rest and reincarnate peacefully.
At dinner, it was just Uncle Jianguo, Lin Danan, and me. Little Jian and the kitten joined too, of course. Xie Lingyu sat with her cousin.
Uncle Jianguo urged me to eat some rice first to fill my stomach before toasting me. He praised Lin Danan as a good comrade too, despite causing some trouble—his heart was in the right place.
After a good sleep, my appetite had returned. With a full stomach, my spirits lifted. Lin Danan looked much better than before, even handsomer.
Glancing at the jade corpse, Lin Danan forced a smile. “Let’s drink. Talking just brings tears.”
At midnight, we received good news—the drug dealers who’d traded with Ruan Nan had all been captured. The tattooed man turned out to be a notorious drug lord, mid-tier but notoriously violent and not too bright.
Rumor had it he’d been caught mid-bowel movement, a rifle pressed to his head. Strangely, the pressure seemed to cure his constipation on the spot. He was hauled away before he could clean up.
After dinner and drinks, Lin Danan approached me. “Time to get rid of this bug, right?” I patted his shoulder and told him to drink some vinegar and relieve himself in the restroom.
The next morning, Uncle Jianguo asked me, “What’s next? Heading back to Jiangcheng? What if we can’t find what we’re looking for?”
I turned to Xie Lingyu. “Where should we go?” She looked at me and said, “You’re asking me? Who should I ask?”
We fell silent, unsure what to say. The jade corpse, seeing us lost in thought, suddenly laughed. I glared at her. “What’s so funny? Shut it.”
She burst into tears. Lin Danan grabbed a stool, ready to fight me. “You dare make her cry? I’ll kill you!” I scoffed. “Oh, feeling tough now? Want to throw down?”
Lin Danan swung a punch, hitting me square in the left cheek. My tooth loosened. I kicked back. “You bastard! If I hadn’t gotten that bug out of you yesterday, you’d be bones by now!”
Lin Danan scrambled up from the ground, still defiant. “Just don’t talk to her like that! I’ll hit you again if I have to!”
Uncle Jianguo didn’t intervene, instead chatting with Xie Lingyu. “Staying in Yunnan?”
Geng Dengfeng’s footsteps soon approached. His face was grim as he quietly told Lin Danan, “Your brother Lin Dawei is in danger. A drug cartel attacked him. Two bullets hit his stomach—they’re still inside. He’s in critical condition at the hospital.”
Lin Danan’s ears rang as he stood up. “What happened?”
Turned out the tattooed man’s gang had retaliated against Lin Dawei, opening fire on him.
Geng Dengfeng looked troubled. Uncle Jianguo asked, “Lin Dawei and Lin Danan—they’re from the capital, right? Not ordinary folks.”
Geng Dengfeng nodded. “Here to gain experience. Lin Dawei’s got a bright future ahead.”
I helped Lin Danan up—our fight forgotten—and asked urgently, “Were the drug dealers caught?”
Geng Dengfeng shook his head.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage