Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Wei Zhang’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice thick with confusion and rage.

“I don’t understand why I’m going through this. I’ve worked hard for half my life, and I finally managed to make a little money.

“I’ve done so many good things. I’ve donated blood countless times, given money to orphans, volunteered at nursing homes, and provided jobs for people with disabilities.

“I lost my parents when I was a kid, so I always thought that once I had the means, I’d help as many people as I could.”

Wei Zhang wiped away a tear, appearing to mock his own vulnerability. “But I just can’t wrap my head around it. Aren’t good people supposed to be rewarded?”

I didn’t know how to comfort him, so I simply waited for him to calm down.

“Later, my family found several masters for me,”

“Two of the more reliable ones said that someone had tampered with my fate. They told me to look for clues myself.”

Wei Zhang seemed just like I used to be-he didn’t really believe in this sort of thing.

“But where was I supposed to look? The only thing out of the ordinary is a recurring dream I have.”

“In the dream, I see a massive boulder. It seems to be on a mountain peak, and beneath the rock, there’s nothing but rubble and brick-red soil.”

“The stone is narrow at the top and wide at the base. It would take two people to wrap their arms around it. There’s a red cord tied around the top.”

“Every time I have that dream, I wake up unable to catch my breath for a long time.”

“A boulder, red soil…”

I thought about it. There weren’t many mountains near the city, and most of them were heavily forested. The only place with rubble and red soil was Dongling Peak.

“I know there’s a rock like that on Dongling Peak.”

Wei Zhang spoke listlessly. “I’ve been there many times. I’ve scoured the entire summit and found nothing. The master I consulted said I should find someone with a ‘hard’ Bazi-a strong fate-who might be able to break through the shroud and find that stone.”

Wei Zhang and I headed to Dongling Peak the next day.

Wei Zhang was silent the whole way, looking drained. He only managed to muster some energy when his family called, forcing himself to act as if nothing was wrong.

I also checked in with my family to let them know I was safe. I have a son and a daughter, and they’re currently being looked after by my mother-in-law.

My daughter worries about me the most; she needs to talk to me every day to feel at ease.

My son is still young, so he just sends me silly cartoons on WeChat whenever he feels like it.

Dongling Peak isn’t particularly high, but I was carrying a heavy load of tools.

Wei Zhang carried nothing, yet he nearly fainted halfway up the climb.

Though my home isn’t in this city, it’s not far away. During the years I spent driving trucks with my Master, I lived here for a while, so I’m quite familiar with the area around Dongling Peak.

I remembered that at the foot of Dongling Peak, there were many shops making coffins, shroud clothes, and paper offerings. Most of the city’s stock came from here.

For a long time, that led me to believe the trees on Dongling Peak were well-suited for coffin-making.

But looking at it now, Dongling Peak was mostly rock. The few scattered trees were barely as thick as a bowl-forget making coffins, you’d struggle to even make an urn out of them.

So why were there so many businesses dealing in the trade of the dead clustered at the base of Dongling Peak? I found it rather puzzling.