Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 36 Xiali in the Rain
Qi Yun's spirits lifted, and he immediately quickened his pace, passing through a wet pine forest, trudging down the gentle slope with uneven steps, and finally stepping onto the solid and flat road.

The cold rain hitting my face brought a sense of realism, like returning to the world.

He hadn't walked far along the edge of the road when a deep, powerful engine roar came from the other end of the mountain road.

A red Xiali sedan sped through the rain.

The boxy body lines bear a distinct mark of the era, and the red paint stands out against the gray, rainy sky.

The windshield wipers swung vigorously from side to side, clearing a fan-shaped field of vision.

Qi Yun felt a surge of joy, but then his heart sank again.

He looked utterly disheveled at that moment: he was soaking wet and carrying a huge, equally filthy snakeskin bag on his shoulder.

On this remote mountain road, with no village or shop in sight, would anyone dare to stop and give him a ride?
But he still gritted his teeth and raised his hand to wave it forcefully.

Unexpectedly, the red Xiali did not accelerate past him; instead, it began to slow down when it was more than ten meters away.

With a soft screech of tires rubbing against the wet pavement, the car came to a steady stop beside him.

The driver's side window was rolled down.

A young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six years old with a neat crew cut leaned forward, a half-burnt cigarette dangling from his mouth, smoke swirling around his face which held a mixture of scrutiny and curiosity.

He peered at Qi Yun through the passenger window, his eyes sharp.

"Hey buddy! What's going on here?"

The young man spoke in a loud voice with a slight northern accent, which drowned out the sound of the rain, "In this heavy rain, are you posing for photos in this desolate wilderness?"
Or...did the car break down?" His gaze swept over the snakeskin bag on Qi Yun's shoulder, his doubts deepening.

Qi Yun quickly put down the bag, wiped the rain off his face, and tried to make his tone sound sincere and harmless: "Master, I'm sorry to bother you! I am... a backpacker on a hiking trip. I got lost and have been stuck in the mountains overnight."

I just found the road, and then this rain started. I'm cold and wet, and I really can't walk anymore. Could you please do me a favor and give me a ride?
"You can go to any county or town up ahead! I'll pay the fare!"

"Hiking? Backpacking?" The crew-cut young man, a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked Qi Yun up and down several times, lingering on the huge snakeskin bag for a few seconds, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Wow! This is something else! I've seen it in newspapers and on TV, but I've actually run into a real one today?"

He smacked his lips and looked closely at Qi Yun's eyes. Although those eyes were tired, they were exceptionally clear and bright. There was no panic or greed in them, only an almost frank helplessness and pleading.

The young man hesitated for a few seconds, seemingly weighing his options.

Finally, he took a deep drag on his cigarette, flicked the butt out the window, and the sparks went out instantly on the wet pavement.

"Alright! You're lucky to have run into me! In this godforsaken place, who knows when you'll find another ride!"

The young man waved his hand readily, "Hurry up and stuff your 'backpack' into the trunk! Come on in and warm up! Look at you, all soaked to the bone!"

"Oh! Thank you so much! You saved my life!"

Qi Yun was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

He quickly opened the trunk and stuffed the heavy snakeskin bag inside.

The trunk contained several rolled-up newspapers, a toolbox, and several bottles of mineral water.

He closed the trunk, opened the passenger door, and a complex smell of leather, tobacco, and the warm air from the air conditioner hit him.

The interior of the car is cramped, but it's very warm.

Qi Yun, still damp and chilly, got into the car, closed the door, and temporarily shut out the wind and rain.

"Here, wipe it off." The young man casually pulled a slightly worn towel from under the windshield and tossed it to Qi Yun. He then expertly knocked out a Hongtashan cigarette from the cigarette case on the dashboard and handed it over. "Calm your nerves and ward off the cold?"

"Thank you, Master!" Qi Yun took the towel and wiped his hair and face haphazardly.

Looking at the cigarette offered to him, he instinctively wanted to politely decline.

The original owner of this body did not smoke. But the soul that had transmigrated into her body was a heavy smoker.

The craving for nicotine was instantly ignited after such a terrifying night.

He hesitated for a moment, then took it: "Thank you for your help."

The young man lit a lighter and approached.

Qi Yun lowered his head and took a drag. The long-lost pungent smoke suddenly rushed into his throat, choking him and causing him to cough violently, almost bringing tears to his eyes.

"Cough cough...cough...hiss..." He hunched over, his face turning red.

"Hey, newbie? Suck slower!"

The young man was amused, lit one for himself, took a leisurely puff, and skillfully exhaled a smoke ring.

Qi Yun coughed for a while before recovering, but his body seemed to adapt quickly.

He tried again, this time much more naturally, taking a deep breath, letting the smoke swirl in his lungs, and then slowly exhaling.

That familiar feeling of being slightly tipsy and a slight relaxation spread, and the nerves that had been tense all night seemed to finally find a way to release their tension.

He leaned back in the not-so-comfortable seat, his fingers holding the cigarette gradually relaxing, revealing a calm and experienced demeanor that was completely different from his earlier disheveled state.

"Phew...that feels much better." Qi Yun exhaled a long puff of smoke and said sincerely.

The car restarted and drove smoothly on the rainy mountain road.

The two chatted incessantly.

"Dude, where did you start hiking?"
They've come all the way to these remote mountains and forests in Yunnan Province; they're really going to cause trouble!

The young man asked casually.

Yunnan Province?!
Qi Yun's fingers, which were holding a cigarette, stiffened almost imperceptibly, and his heart sank suddenly!
It spans an entire province?! And the train accident happened on the railway from Guizhou Province towards Hangzhou, while Yunnan Province... is completely in the opposite direction!
The spacetime distortion power of this ghostly realm is terrifying beyond belief!
He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, kept a straight face, and vaguely replied, "Hey, just wandering around."

I originally wanted to experience the Yunnan-Tibet Highway, but... I got lost.

He quickly changed the subject, "Master, where are you going? Are you a businessman?"
Look at your car, and this… big brother, you're a real powerhouse!

He pointed to the Motorola 3200 phone that the young man had placed next to the handbrake; it was a black, brick-like device.

A hint of smugness flashed across the young man's face, clearly enjoying Qi Yun's "compliment": "Hey, just trying to make a living, doing some small business, dealing in some things."

I just went to the county below and picked up some goods.

He then changed the subject, his tone slightly boastful, "This thing is convenient, but it's incredibly heavy, and the signal is unreliable..."

Before the words were finished, the black "brick" suddenly emitted a piercing and monotonous "beep beep beep beep" sound, and the signal light on top began to flash rapidly.

"Hey, here's a call." The young man held the steering wheel with one hand, picked up the heavy phone with the other, clumsily pulled out the long antenna, pressed the answer button, and held it between his shoulder and ear.

"Hello?... Yes, it's me! Just past Eagle's Beak, it's raining heavily, but don't worry, it won't delay us, we'll be in the provincial capital before dark! What?!"

The young man's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief and astonishment, "They...they're all gone?! An entire carriage?! Damn! Was that person in there too?"

Are you sure?! Damn it! Could it be... could it be that he orchestrated this?!

The young man's words were like icicles, instantly piercing the previously relaxed atmosphere inside the car.

Qi Yun's heart clenched suddenly, and an ominous premonition overwhelmed him like an icy tide!
The train carriage? Missing?
"Okay, okay, I get it! Damn it... this is weird!"

The young man muttered angrily, "Newspaper? I'll buy it!"

Just bought it! It's in the car! Okay, I'll check it out now! (Hangs up)

The young man hurriedly hung up the phone, casually tossing the heavy "big brother" mobile phone back into its place, his face still showing shock and a hint of barely perceptible panic.

He turned to Qi Yun and forced a somewhat forced smile: "Well, it's just some work-related stuff, it's really upsetting."

Don't mind it, buddy.

We're almost at Baihua County. Can I drop you off at the county bus station?

"No problem, thank you so much. As long as I have a place to stay, that's fine."

Qi Yun nodded quickly.

"Oh, by the way," the young man gestured toward the back seat, "Could you do me a favor and hand me that copy of the Nanjiang Daily? I just bought it and haven't had a chance to read it yet."

It took me ages to find this newspaper in Yunnan province!

Qi Yun's heart sank to the bottom!
The Nanjiang Daily! This place name was like a red-hot branding iron, burning his pupils sharply!
He turned around stiffly. Several newspapers were scattered on the back seat, the top one bearing the familiar masthead of the Nanjiang Daily.

He picked up the newspaper and handed it to the driver. The instant the newspaper left his hand, his gaze, as if drawn by a magnet, was fixed on the bottom right corner of the page he had turned to!
A black and white one-inch photo, with the dullness of a student ID, and a glaring bold black title next to it.

At the same time, the crew-cut young man in the driver's seat also looked down, his gaze precisely sweeping over the key position in the newspaper that he had just been mentioned on the phone.

The social news section, bottom right corner!
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The young man, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, still wore a perfunctory smile, but his gaze was frozen, fixed intently on the black-and-white photograph in the newspaper, shifting inch by inch to the face of the young man in the passenger seat, soaking wet, covered in mud, yet with clear eyes.

His short, wet hair, his slightly thin face, and especially his eyes... instantly overlapped with the image in the newspaper photo in the young man's rapidly dilating pupils!

"Fuck you!!!"

A distorted roar, filled with extreme horror and disbelief, suddenly erupted like a thunderclap in the cramped carriage!

Almost at the same instant the roar was uttered, the young man's muscles tensed up as if he had been electrocuted!
He slammed the brakes down with all his might!

"Squeak—!!!!"

The deafening screeching of the tires locking up tore through the rain!

The slippery road surface instantly lost all grip!

The red Xiali sedan was like a startled horse whose reins were suddenly tightened, and the front of the car swung wildly to one side!
The powerful inertia slammed Qi Yun violently against the car door!

The seatbelt tightened instantly, digging firmly into Qi Yun's shoulder!

The mountain scenery outside the car window spun rapidly in my field of vision, blurring into a chaotic mass of colors!

(End of this chapter)