Grandfather forced a smile, and suddenly stopped coughing. He seemed to regain some vitality, speaking fluently: "Seeing how strong you are, I can rest easy. Lianfan, the truth is, I deceived you back then. Miss Zhao didn't die. When she was about to be killed by those female ghosts, I made a deal with them—at the cost of my own lifespan—to save her Yuanshen."
"Grandfather, so you're leaving this world now because you saved Zhao Yixian?" I asked sorrowfully.
Grandfather chuckled and said, "A physician cannot heal himself. I tell fortunes and read birth charts for others, yet I don't know my own fate. I had your Third Uncle calculate it for me—in truth, by next year, my time would have come anyway. It makes no difference to me. Miss Zhao's loyalty and righteousness are unmatched. To save her Yuanshen with one year of my lifespan is well worth it."
"Yuanshen?" I asked, puzzled.
Grandfather nodded and said, "Yes. When a person dies, their soul lingers; when a demon is destroyed, their Yuanshen remains. Miss Zhao's Yuanshen is currently within the jade ring on your chest. In fact, for these three years, she has been accompanying you all along—but her Yuanshen was poisoned by the Yinsha Poison of those female ghosts, so she could only reside within the jade ring."
"Then why has she never spoken to me?" I asked, confused.
Grandfather shook his head and said, "Though she never spoke to you, she saved you once. Three years ago, when you went to dig up that grave, the Gui Da Qiang you encountered was arranged by her through Bamboo's mother. If you had actually dug up that grave, the two of us wouldn't be alive today. She didn't speak to you—partly because she didn't want to worry you, and partly because she was too weak."
I hastily pulled the jade ring from my chest, clutching it tightly in my hand, and said to it, "Zhao Yixian, are you really there?" The moment I finished speaking, the normally cold jade emitted a wave of warmth—she was truly responding to me.
"Grandfather, she's really there." I forced a smile. At that moment, I was actually quite happy, but facing my departing grandfather, I couldn't bring myself to feel joy.
Grandfather smiled and nodded, saying, "Though you're only fifteen, your mind is already mature. Miss Zhao has shown our family great kindness—you must find a way to help her."
"Grandfather, what should I do?" I asked.
Grandfather replied, "Go to the city and find your Third Uncle. He should have a way."
"Third Uncle? I have a Third Uncle? Why have I never heard you mention him?" As far back as I could remember, I had no parents, no uncles or brothers in my memories—Grandfather was my only family. I had asked about these things before, but Grandfather said I was too young and would tell me when I grew up, so I never asked again.
Grandfather sighed and said, "Your grandmother bore me three sons. The eldest and second both tragically passed at age nine. I thought it was coincidence, but later I realized it was my fault—my fate is cursed with solitude. So I divorced your grandmother and sent her away. She was uneducated, and I didn't want your Third Uncle to burden her, so I secretly sent him to a friend's temple. Your Third Uncle learned some Xuanmen skills and went to the city. He tried to come back several times, but I scolded him away each time—I was afraid I'd bring death upon him too."
I listened silently without interrupting. Grandfather continued, "The person I've wronged most in this life is your grandmother. If you ever see her, tell her I'm sorry."
I hummed in acknowledgment, tears streaming uncontrollably, and forced myself to sound sincere: "Grandfather, I'm sorry. In the past, I was mischievous and caused you so much trouble."
Grandfather's hands trembled as he struggled to raise them, gently patting my head. "You've already grown up so well, and I'm deeply comforted. There's one more thing—about your origins. You're not actually my biological grandson."
"Grandfather, I am your grandson, Zhao Xin, and I always will be," I said firmly.
Grandfather managed a difficult smile. "Your surname is Zhao, that's true, but I found you. You were less than half a year old when I picked you up, with only a birth chart, a surname, and that jade ring on you. I carefully compared our birth charts and only dared to adopt you after confirming my Mingge wouldn't clash with yours. That jade ring on you is no ordinary thing. As for who your biological parents are, I searched for a long time but found nothing. Perhaps that's something only you can pursue on your own."
"Mm, Grandfather, I understand. Rest for a while—don't talk so much." I wiped my tears and choked back sobs, my heart aching sharply at the sight of his frail state.
"Heh heh, the time has come. Lianfan, remember to take good care of yourself. What's in the drawer is what I've left for you. The road ahead is long—you must be strong and keep a kind heart, and heaven will look after… you…" Those were Grandfather's final words. After speaking, he slowly closed his eyes, his hand falling naturally to his side, a faint smile still lingering on his face.
"Grandfather…" I could no longer bear the overwhelming grief, and tears burst forth in heart-wrenching cries. Within less than an hour of his passing, my voice was hoarse from crying—all my surface strength vanishing in an instant.
Grandpa Hu walked in carrying burial clothes. He looked at Grandfather's body on the bed, let out a deep sigh, and wiped his moist eyes with his sleeve. "Lianfan, I'll handle Old Zhao's funeral arrangements."
I looked at Grandpa Hu, my eyes red, and asked, "Grandpa Hu, what about the snake scales on my grandfather's hands and feet?"
Grandpa Hu sighed. "Those female ghosts wanted your grandfather's lifespan but didn't want to bear the crime of murder, so they used Miss Zhao's Sheqi to control the timing of your grandfather's death, creating the illusion that Miss Zhao killed him. But you know in your heart that this has nothing to do with Miss Zhao, right?"
"Mm, I know." I nodded silently, took the burial clothes from Grandpa Hu's hands, and helped Grandfather change into them…
Grandfather's funeral was held with great solemnity. He was buried on Fentou Mountain, and the ceremony lasted a full three days. Many people came from the surrounding villages—all of them had received Grandfather's help in the past, and none had forgotten their roots.
On the fifth day after Grandfather's passing—during those five days I'd only slept a few hours—I finally collapsed from exhaustion the previous evening and fell asleep. In my dream, Zhao Yixian was with me. She seemed to know what had happened and kept comforting me, though her form was blurry and I couldn't see her clearly.
When I woke up, I gradually began to accept the reality. These past few days, I'd been staying in Grandfather's bedroom. The drawer he'd mentioned, I'd never opened. Today, I knew it was time for me to leave. Grandfather was gone—the old man who had raised me, whom I'd always regarded as my only family, was gone. But Grandfather was right: the road ahead was still long, and inside the jade ring on my chest was my wife, Zhao Yixian. No matter what, I had to save her.
Because, right now, she was all I had. I opened that drawer. Inside the drawer were only three things: a letter, a stack of money, and a very old photograph. The photo was blurry—you couldn't even tell if it was a person or a landscape—but it had been laminated, so it wouldn't get any fuzzier. Slowly, I picked up the envelope and carefully tore it open. The letter was long, written by Grandfather in fountain pen, a full three pages. After reading it carefully, I let out a deep sigh. Grandfather first told me Uncle's address, then wrote some speculations about my origins. He said that every year, he would receive money from a stranger, left at the doorstep. He suspected the person sending the money was my biological parent, but he could never find them. The money in the drawer totaled over fifty thousand yuan, all of it from that stranger. Grandfather had kept it all along—even on the day of the Gui Xi performance, he would rather borrow money than touch that sum. I folded the letter and put it away. As for my biological parents, I felt nothing for them—if anything, a hint of resentment. If they had abandoned me and never shown up again, I wouldn't blame them. But if, as Grandfather said, they sent money every year yet refused to acknowledge me, that made me give up on them entirely from the bottom of my heart. As a child, I spent countless nights watching other kids' parents and secretly crying. Now I was used to it—I'd just pretend they never existed. I packed up a few things, cleaned the house spotless, closed all the doors and windows, and dragged a small suitcase out of the house. I didn't take Grandfather's memorial tablet with me—I had no time to tend to it—so Grandpa Hu took it to his home to enshrine it. In ancient times, when a parent passed away, one was required to observe three years of mourning. I wished I could do the same for Grandfather, but that wasn't what he would have wanted. And I was desperate to save Zhao Yixian, so all I could do was pray every day that Grandfather would rest in peace and ascend to paradise. Uncle lived in the city proper, far from home. I rode a long-distance bus for most of the day and arrived at the bus station after dark. I wasn't familiar with the city and didn't know how to take the bus, but since I still had some money on me, I decided to take a taxi to Uncle's place. "Where to, young man?" the driver asked eagerly. I said directly, "Driver, I'm going to 44 Qianhun Lu. Do you know if it's far from here?" "44 Qianhun Lu?? Young man, why are you going there this late at night?" the driver asked in surprise, his expression even turning somewhat alarmed. Seeing the driver's face, I asked with some confusion, "Driver, is there something wrong with that place?" The driver sighed and said, "Young man, you wouldn't know this, but Qianhun Lu is also called Qianhun Lu—the Road of a Thousand Souls. It used to be a small independent town. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Japanese devils killed over a thousand people and buried them all there. After that, the whole town was abandoned. After the founding of the nation, the government rebuilt it once, and a few dozen households moved in, but that place is cursed. Almost everyone who lived there went insane, and then all the houses on that road were abandoned—no one lives there anymore. You can't see a single person there even in broad daylight, let alone at night. Young man, you'd better get off. I won't do anything that harmful."