Although it was nighttime, the moonlight was particularly bright tonight. The terrain of the grassland was mostly flat, so the car raced across it like a wild horse. Shui Miao wasn’t worried about getting lost—after all, all he needed to do was keep heading north.
About two hours later, as Shui Miao began to feel a little tired, the headlights suddenly illuminated a rock. With a loud “bang,” the car’s wheel bounced over a medium-sized stone. Due to the high speed, the car jolted violently, nearly flipping over. Startled, Shui Miao immediately snapped awake. He quickly pressed both the clutch and brake pedals with both feet. When the car finally stopped, he looked around and realized the car had become stuck in a pile of rocks. All around were boulders, and the front of the car had nearly crashed into a large stone.
That was close!
Shui Miao, who had only recently learned to drive, couldn’t help but sigh in relief, only then noticing that his palms were sweaty. He was well aware he wasn’t immortal—he was still just an ordinary human. If the car had crashed head-on into that big rock, he was sure he would have died.
“It seems I really need to be more careful from now on. After all, I no longer have supernatural powers to protect me.” Feeling a bit dazed and with a slight headache, Shui Miao sat in the car for a while until the discomfort eased a little. Then he opened the door. Instantly, a clear and refreshing spiritual energy rushed in, invigorating his mind and body. Looking ahead, he saw not only many rocks but also a lot of trees.
This was still the grassland, but this particular area had many large and small stones scattered around, and nearby there was a river and some trees. Between the trees stood a small, dark wooden cabin.
Could there actually be someone living here?
Shui Miao was very surprised. There were no signs of cattle, sheep, or any livestock nearby—how could there be a house?
With a creaking sound, the wooden door opened, and a man holding a flashlight stepped out.
“Who’s there?”
From the voice, it was clearly an elderly man’s, weak and lacking vigor, so he must have been quite old.
“Oh, hello, Grandpa. Nothing’s wrong. I was just passing by and accidentally drove the car onto some rocks. I’ll leave right away…”
Shui Miao hurried back into the car, trying to reverse it out.
But no matter how many times he tried, the car wouldn’t start.
“This is a problem. Looks like I’ll have to stay here for the night.”
As Shui Miao was feeling down, a knocking sound came from the car window. The old man tapped on the car door twice and said from outside, “Young man, why are you driving out here in the middle of the night? Where are you headed?”
“Oh, Grandpa, I just got drowsy and took a wrong turn. I won’t bother you—I’ll leave now. Please go back to sleep.” Shui Miao looked out the window at the old man. He was wearing Mongolian clothing, a military-green hat, and his face was full of wrinkles. He looked to be in his sixties, with a very kind expression.
“Bother me?”
“Haha, you’ve already disturbed me…”
The old man smiled faintly and began to circle around Shui Miao’s car, occasionally tapping on it with the cane he held in his hand, muttering something under his breath.
It seemed the old man was a bit angry. Shui Miao opened the car door and got out, intending to apologize again and explain. Before he could speak, the old man spoke first.
“Young man, do you know where you are? And do you know who I am?”
Shui Miao was slightly taken aback. “Grandpa, I really didn’t mean to. I’m truly sorry!”
The old man shook his head. “Go take a close look at what’s written on the stone in front of the car.”
Shui Miao hurried forward. Although the light was dim, upon closer inspection, he could see the words engraved on the stone: “Here lies my late father, Guo Sanyuan…”
In other words, Shui Miao had nearly crashed into someone else’s tombstone.
Suddenly, Shui Miao thought that maybe the car wouldn’t start because the spirit in the tomb was trying to stop him.
“Haha, young man, you’re very lucky. If you had hit the tombstone, you’d really be in trouble.” The old man had silently approached Shui Miao, speaking slowly and calmly, making the hairs on the back of Shui Miao’s neck stand on end.
This was clearly his own carelessness. Besides apologizing, Shui Miao didn’t know what else to do. “Grandpa, I really didn’t mean to. I’m sorry…”
The old man waved his hand, interrupting. “If you truly want to apologize, stay here and keep me company for a while. Just three days—only three days.”
Shui Miao suddenly sensed that this old man was no ordinary person. To verify his suspicion, Shui Miao deliberately said, “Grandpa, I have something urgent to attend to…”
“Forget it. Did you think disturbing the spirit of my ancestor isn’t important?” The old man suddenly raised his voice. “Young man, you must act according to your conscience. Everything in this world has its consequences. If you insist on leaving, I won’t stop you, but you will certainly pay a price. Don’t regret it later.”
The old man had quite a temper!
After saying this, he turned and walked toward his cabin.
Shui Miao was slightly surprised. Judging from the old man’s appearance, he seemed quite ordinary. He couldn’t imagine what the old man could possibly do to stop him if he insisted on leaving.
“Grandpa, what can I help you with?”
Since he wasn’t in a hurry, Shui Miao wanted to see exactly what the old man wanted him to do.
“Follow me…”
Without looking back, the old man walked into the cabin.
The cabin was small, containing only a bed, two cabinets, and a table. It was very simple and cluttered with items, yet the air inside was fresh, with no unpleasant smell. Shui Miao knew that normally, a place where an elderly person lived would have a strong odor, but there wasn’t even a hint of smell here. This made Shui Miao suspect that maybe the old man was actually a spirit from the tomb?
The old man took out a box of matches and lit the lantern on the table.
He couldn’t possibly be a ghost—how could a ghost light a lamp? That was absurd.
“Sit down.”
The old man sat on the edge of the bed. Following his gesture, Shui Miao noticed a small stool beneath the table. He pulled it out and sat down. Then he casually asked, “Grandpa Guo, do you live here alone?”
“Who told you my surname is Guo?”
The old man shook his head with a faint smile. “My surname is Chen. Just like you, I’m also a cultivator.”
“Grandpa, how do you know I cultivate?” Shui Miao felt even more that this old man was unfathomable.
The old man bent down and pulled out a smooth, empty bottle and a bowl from under the bed. Calmly, he said, “At this late hour, the words on that stone weren’t painted in black ink—they were just scratches. Under normal circumstances, even with the light, ordinary people would have difficulty recognizing them. Yet you saw them clearly at a glance. If you weren’t a cultivator, what else could you be?”
The bottle was empty.
Yet the old man poured from the empty bottle into the bowl, and with a clinking sound, filled the bowl completely with water!
“Grandpa, you’re a true master of the world!” Shui Miao exclaimed in amazement. “Incredible! Truly incredible! Grandpa, your cultivation is so profound that you can pour water from an empty bottle!”
“Water?”
The old man gently shook his head and smiled faintly. “That’s clearly wine!”
“What…?”
Shui Miao hadn’t smelled any alcohol at all, but after the old man said it, he suddenly caught a strong scent of wine.
Shui Miao was stunned. This old man was just too amazing!
“Are you brave enough to drink this wine?”
The old man narrowed his eyes, looking at Shui Miao strangely.
Shui Miao hesitated, feeling uncertain as he looked at the white wine in the bowl. As he stared, the liquid in the bowl suddenly turned a deep red, emitting a strong, pungent smell of blood that sent chills down his spine!
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