Ya She

Chapter 59 Blue Stone Tablet

The doctor instinctively sensed danger and took two quick steps back. He then watched helplessly as a car sped past him and crashed violently into the stone tablet with a deafening bang.

The bluestone tablet was instantly smashed into pieces, the stones scattered everywhere, and the front of the car was dented, with smoke billowing from the engine.

Witnesses across the street screamed in alarm, and the doctor, whose ears were ringing from the loud noise, also came to his senses.

Before he could even process what might have happened if he hadn't dodged, the doctor calmly placed the box of spicy crab on the ground and took out his phone to call the hospital's emergency department. While accurately reporting the location of the accident, he went around to the driver's side to check the situation.

There was only one driver in the car. The airbags had deployed, but the impact was so severe that the driver was unconscious. The car door was deformed from the impact, and with the help of two passersby, the doctor removed the door and then stopped them from trying to pull the driver out directly. Because whiplash injuries are most common in car accidents, cervical and lumbar vertebrae are prone to fractures, and moving the person rashly could easily cause secondary injuries.

The doctor bent down to examine the driver, and the strong smell of alcohol hitting him made him frown. Knowing full well that he was driving under the influence, treating both his own and others' lives as a joke, he deserved absolutely no sympathy.

The driver appeared to be in his early twenties, and unsurprisingly, his seatbelt was not fastened. Half of his face was covered in blood. The doctor found that his chest was not rising and falling, there was no pulse when touching the side of his neck, and there was no airflow from his mouth and nose.

It seemed urgent to remove the injured person from the driver's seat. The doctor quickly took off his coat and wrapped it around the injured person's neck to protect their cervical spine, then directed passersby to lift the injured person by their feet and remove them from the driver's seat. After checking that the person's mouth was not blocked by blood or vomit, the doctor began performing CPR.

Although indignant at the man's drunk driving, the doctor still diligently performed his duties to save the person. Finding no heartbeat under his hand, he surmised that the man had likely suffered a severe cervical spine injury in the high-speed collision and probably wouldn't survive. Nevertheless, he continued with standard CPR, performing fifteen chest compressions before attempting artificial respiration.

The moment he lowered his head, the injured man, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, his blood-stained eyes staring straight at the doctor who was standing right in front of him.

The unsuspecting doctor was so startled he almost jumped up. He hadn't had a heartbeat before... wait, now he does?
[wedge]
You damaged my body, so your body belongs to me...

[1]
This week, the doctor has passed by the neurology floor countless times.

Glancing at the patients queuing in the waiting area out of the corner of his eye, the doctor slowed his pace, his desire to have a brain scan growing stronger.

It's normal for people to have limited brain capacity and not be able to recall some past events, but his current situation can no longer be explained by that reason.

Even when he tries hard to recall events from the past few years, they remain very vague to him.

Putting everything else aside, surely he couldn't possibly forget when he bought the house? Besides, where did he get the money?!
So, shouldn't you get your head checked? Check if there's any injury or anything...?

Admitting to myself that I'm an idiot... that's a really tough decision.

The doctor adjusted his glasses with a troubled expression. He had originally intended to bite the bullet and go to the neurology department to ask an acquaintance for a check-up, but just as he was about to take a step towards the department, his pager beeped.

The doctor immediately turned around reflexively, subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the call button, glanced at the screen, and hurried downstairs.

By the time the emergency surgery was finished, it was already 11 p.m. The doctor washed his hands, took off his surgical gown, changed into his new clothes, and prepared to go home. Seeing the goodnight WeChat message Tang Yuan had sent at 9 p.m., the doctor knowingly sent a message asking if he needed any late-night snacks.

A reply was received in less than ten seconds. Little Tang Yuan confidently requested spicy crab, immediately revealing that he hadn't gone to sleep yet.

The doctor smiled. The spicy crab restaurant was on the commercial street he passed on his way home, and he had only eaten a piece of bread while taking turns with his colleagues during surgery. He was hungry now.

Even late at night, the commercial street was still bustling with people. The doctor bought some spicy crab and, after walking a short distance from the commercial street, waited for the traffic light at the intersection.

This is a T-junction. Although it's not far from the commercial street, the narrow streets mean few vehicles pass by, the streetlights are dim, and there are even fewer pedestrians late at night. People prefer to walk a few more steps to the main road nearby. The doctor is too lazy to take the detour; he's used to taking the shortcut, and getting home three minutes earlier is more important than anything else.

Where he waited at the traffic light, there was a dilapidated stone carving. Once, when the doctor and Tang Yuan passed by together, his knowledgeable son, Tangyuan, had taught him a lesson. He explained that "square things are called steles, round things are called tablets," and that this drum-shaped stone must be a tablet. This tablet was made of bluish-green stone, its base covered in moss. The inscriptions on the tablet were worn away and illegible, whether due to its age or neglect, it was unclear.

The city where the doctor works has a long history and countless historical sites, so this blue stone tablet, though not cleaned up during urban development, has not received much attention. It's covered in numerous small, unsightly advertisements, with painted lettering and stamps for document forgery plastered all over its surface. When the doctor is waiting at a red light, he habitually glances at them to pass the time.

But before he could even take a closer look at the newly posted lost dog notice and see what the lost husky looked like, a deafening engine roar, quite loud for the quiet street, came rushing in from afar.

There was no time for the doctor to think it over; the ambulance had already arrived with its siren blaring.

Make way for the professional paramedics. The doctor calmed down and realized he probably wouldn't be able to go home and would definitely have to go back to the hospital in the ambulance. He figured the police would come and take a statement. Seeing that someone had already called the police, he took a moment to send Tang Yuan a voice message, telling the child to come downstairs to Qing Shi Jie to pick up the packaged spicy crab. After all, food shouldn't be wasted.

When the doctor said "Qingshijie", he subconsciously looked at the broken stones scattered on the ground and felt an indescribable sense of regret.

[2]
"Bi Zhi, I'm going on a long trip tomorrow."

Before Fusu could even utter those words, the boss had already guessed what he was going to say.

Or rather, he had been waiting for Fusu to say those words for a long time.

Fusu often seemed to be hiding something, frequently going out for unknown reasons, which the shopkeeper didn't seem to care much about. Wasn't he just going to see his troublesome younger brother, Huhai? Besides, the other man's tone wasn't one of discussion, but rather an announcement. The shopkeeper paused in pouring tea, then casually said, "Very well, I also need to return to the Silent Shop. Although I don't know why, Zhao Gao is still alive; be careful."

"Don't worry," Fusu replied with a light laugh. He then didn't mention the matter again, turning instead to other trivial matters, just like many days before.

The next morning, Fusu had already left the courtyard. The owner didn't think much of it, packed up, and set off back to the Silent Shop. Since the owner would occasionally return to the Silent Shop during this time, Lu Zigang wasn't too surprised. Instead, he stood up from behind the counter and said with a serious expression, "Boss, something's happened."

"What is it?" The shopkeeper casually picked up a rag from the counter and began wiping the antiques in the display case. In fact, Lu Zigang had already cleaned them very thoroughly, but over the years he had developed this habit.

"Late last night, the last piece of bluestone was smashed by a car." Lu Zigang held up his phone and brought up the forum page, where someone had posted about the car accident that happened last night. Amidst the blood and stones on the ground, a familiar figure was trying to help the injured lying on the ground.

Lu Zigang tightened his grip on the phone, but ultimately did not show it to his boss.

"That bluestone tablet?" The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow.

“It’s that bluestone tablet.” Lu Zigang nodded.

The shop owner put the celadon plate back in its place and fell silent.

Lu Zigang had only recently come into contact with this field and was feeling uneasy.

Many ancient architectural features hold special significance. From the distant past, like Qin Shi Huang severing the dragon vein of Jinling, to the more recent example of the sleeping, dragon-swallowing beast on the roof of the Ya She (a famous ancient Chinese house), numerous phenomena have arisen from these historical events, defying scientific explanation. For instance, after the Leshan Giant Buddha was built, the once turbulent confluence of three rivers at its foot rarely saw ships being swallowed. In recent years, the erection of Guanyin statues and Zhenhai Towers along the coast is not merely for peace of mind; typhoons have indeed become less likely to make direct landfall thereafter.

Even with only a superficial understanding, modern technology can achieve this level of sophistication; it must have been even more remarkable in ancient times. Take West Lake, for example: the Bai Causeway, Su Causeway, and Yanggong Causeway were successively built, along with other surrounding scenic spots, ultimately forming the layout of "one mountain, two pagodas, three islands, three causeways, and five lakes"—none of which were constructed haphazardly. As for that bluestone tablet, the exact time it was erected is unknown, but it should be around the Tang Dynasty, around the same time as the Bai Causeway and Su Causeway, suggesting it was used for suppression.

The shopkeeper dared not underestimate that bluestone tablet, because tablets and steles were usually proposed simultaneously, but in the world, tablets were more commonly erected. As for the stone tablet, it was the very one used by Qin Shi Huang when he established the Qiankun Array…

After a long pause, the boss finally spoke and asked, "Is there anything unusual?"

"Perhaps it's too early to discover it yet." Lu Zigang scrolled through Weibo, keeping a close eye on the situation.

"Can we still find that fragment of the bluestone tablet?" The shopkeeper squinted his eyes.

"It should have been cleared out. I'll go ask around," Lu Zigang said, picking up his coat and walking out of the shop.

The shopkeeper picked up the rag again and began wiping the antiques on the display shelf. After some time, he vaguely sensed someone approaching noisily in the distance and instinctively turned his head.

The carved gate was tightly shut, and the sounds of people outside gradually faded into the distance.

The store was still empty; there was no one there.

After suffering a misfortune in a car accident last night, the doctor returned to the hospital to help out and even gave a statement to the traffic police who came to the hospital. The driver was driving under the influence of alcohol and had his license revoked on the spot. He also damaged public facilities, and once he recovers, he will first face detention and a fine. However, none of this concerned the doctor. When he rushed home, he found that the spicy crab had been reduced to a pile of shells, spread out on the table waiting for him to return.

I got up hungry in the morning and rushed to work. I ran to the commercial street at lightning speed. When I passed the T-junction, I glanced at the intersection and found that the broken blue stone tablet was gone. It must have been cleaned up and taken away by the cleaners. Where the blue stone tablet used to stand, there was a man wearing a hospital gown standing.

The doctor didn't think much of it, because this was an area near the hospital where hospital patients often strolled around in their hospital gowns, and the other person was probably just standing there waiting for the traffic light.

After a brief sigh of regret at never seeing that blue stone tablet again, the doctor's entire attention was occupied with what to eat for breakfast.

It was another uneventful day, but because the surgery that was supposed to be scheduled for today was moved to yesterday due to the patient's complications, the daytime was relatively leisurely. After the doctor finished his rounds and took a nap in the break room, he unconsciously wandered to the neurology floor and paced back and forth.

To go in or not to go in?

"Oh dear! I heard you almost got hit by a car yesterday. What a relief!" Chun Ge tapped the doctor's shoulder with his medical record folder from behind. "You came here for a checkup because you didn't get into a car accident yesterday, did you? You should have gone to the neurosurgery department."

"Just passing by, just passing by." The doctor quickly changed the subject. "You're here to deliver medical records, right? Hurry up, I just heard the head doctor inside calling."

Chun Ge immediately forgot what he was saying and quickly rolled inside, while the doctor patted his white coat, turned around and went downstairs. Anyway, Chun Ge didn't need anyone to wait for him and would catch up in no time.

Sure enough, less than a minute later, Chun Ge caught up from behind, hooked his arm around the doctor's shoulder, and gossiped, "Speaking of which, the driver who almost hit you ran away before dawn this morning."

"He escaped," the doctor stopped and asked incredulously. Even though he hadn't paid any more attention to the patient afterward, the patient's heart had stopped and his cervical and lumbar vertebrae must have been damaged by the impact. Logically, he should have had trouble getting out of bed and walking now. How could he have run away just a few hours later?

“Yeah, they ran off without even understanding what was going on,” Chun Ge shrugged and analyzed. “Maybe they were afraid of getting into trouble, but these days you can’t hide forever. Their driver’s license was revoked by the police, and all their information is in their files. How could they not find them?”

Suddenly, the doctor inexplicably recalled the figure he had seen at the T-junction that morning.

"But whether he runs away or not is none of our hospital's business. His family has already paid for the emergency treatment and medical expenses. The rest is up to the police. But... hey, why are you leaving? I haven't finished my gossip yet!" Chun Ge looked at the doctor in confusion as he sped away.

"I suddenly remembered something," the doctor said, "I'll be back soon." By the time he finished saying the last word, he had already run down several steps of the stairs.

"What? I haven't even gotten to the most exciting part yet!" Chun Ge said dejectedly, "The neurosurgery department said that the driver's cervical spine was completely broken, yet he's still alive. Let those neurosurgery guys keep making things up. A broken cervical spine, and he can still walk out of the hospital by himself? How is that possible!" Chun Ge muttered to himself, shook his head, and slipped back to the cardiothoracic surgery department.

Although he had a strange premonition, the doctor's running pace involuntarily slowed down when he saw a figure in a hospital gown standing at the T-junction in the distance.

The young man wore a neck brace, his hair was shaved off due to surgery and bandaged. His face, unlike last night when it was mostly covered in blood, now revealed a flawed, upright expression. He stood there like a pillar, his back straight, his eyes staring blankly ahead, unfocused.

The doctor examined the man several times before identifying him from the abrasions on his hands and face. He took out his phone to make a call; the man was still in critical condition, having stood by the roadside all day without eating or drinking, and something was bound to happen sooner or later. Yet, the man had been standing there like that for so many hours, and no one had noticed anything amiss.

Just as the doctor was about to make the call, the other person suddenly turned their gaze away.

"Who am I?" The young driver's voice was extremely hoarse, probably because he hadn't had water in a long time. But hearing it suddenly gave people an indescribable sense of dread.

The doctor almost dropped the already shattered phone again. After finally managing to hold it steady, he looked up and said, "It might be temporary amnesia caused by a head injury. You should go back to the hospital for a checkup."

"Who am I?" the young driver repeated, his tone much more solemn than before.

The doctor paused for a moment, then, seeing the serious expression on the other person's face, scratched his head and said apologetically, "I didn't look at your medical records yesterday and didn't notice your name..."

"I've forgotten who I am?" Unable to get the answer he wanted from the doctor, the young driver looked away and gazed at the street across the street.

"It's just temporary amnesia. You'll remember after a few tests and medication at the hospital and some rest." The doctor had seen many uncooperative patients, and while reassuring them, he observed their complexion: pale face, black lips, and swollen limbs... The more the doctor looked, the more uneasy he felt. He looked down to dial a number, but the young driver uttered a sentence in a hoarse voice that immediately stunned the doctor.

"Where is my body...?"

A chill ran through him like a venomous snake, instantly creeping from his feet to the back of his neck. The doctor shivered inexplicably, his hand holding the phone trembling slightly. "What...what are you saying!"
"Where is my body...?" The young driver's gaze returned, his head eerily still, only his dark pupils moving back and forth.

Just as the doctor was about to reply, "Isn't your body right in front of you?", the young driver slightly raised his hand.

He held a blood-stained blue stone in his palm.

At first, the doctor didn't even recognize what it was and was still trying to figure out if it was some kind of funny internet joke. The young driver repeated himself, this time emphasizing each word, "Where is my body?"

The doctor then noticed a piece of paper stuck to the palm-sized rock. On it was a picture of the husky he had glimpsed the night before; it was a lost dog notice that should have been posted on the stone tablet.

The doctor, who had been keeping his head down, felt a chill run through him and dared not look up at the young driver again. He quickly dialed the emergency room to bring the escaped patient back. The time he spent waiting for the ambulance felt like an eternity; every second felt like torture. He could only try to relieve the pressure by talking to himself.

"It's okay if you don't remember things, haha."

"I often forget things too, haha, I don't even know when I bought my house,"

"So it's really okay if you can't remember your own name... haha..."

In the end, even the doctor himself felt embarrassed. Fortunately, the young driver, seeing that he couldn't answer his question, didn't say anything more and just continued to stare silently at the street.

Upon hearing the ambulance siren, Eleven, like a liberated prisoner, did not choose to go back with them. He watched the ambulance pull the young driver up and drive away, while he slowly walked step by step towards the hospital, his back soaked with cold sweat. Only after leaving the T-junction and returning to the bustling commercial street did the doctor come to his senses.

"What?! You damaged my body, so your body belongs to me now..."

"Haha, how could it not be a horror novel?"

"Look, it's worth having a bowl of spicy hot pot to calm your nerves."

The delicious and fragrant spicy hot pot immediately made the doctor forget about the incident, but when he went to work the next day, the gossipy Chun Ge came over again.

"The driver who almost killed you died last night. They're currently consulting with his family about an autopsy because the X-ray showed his cervical spine was fractured the moment of impact in the accident. How he survived for a whole day is a complete mystery..."

The doctor was stunned and interrupted Chun Ge, asking directly, "What time was the cause of death?"

Chun Ge checked on the computer: "23:45".

The doctor checked the call records and found that when he was in the car accident the night before last, he called the hospital emergency services at 23:46 PM.

That means the driver survived for a full twenty-four hours after his cervical spine fracture. I could almost hear the young driver's hoarse voice, still asking questions...

"Hey? You look terrible. Have you caught a cold? The weather's been changing a lot lately, don't let yourself get chilled!"

"……fine"

Unable to contain his curiosity, the doctor went to examine the young driver's body and asked his family if they had seen a blue stone, to which they replied no.

That evening, as the doctor was walking home from get off work, he passed the T-junction and, under the dim streetlights, vaguely saw an elderly man in his sixties or seventies standing quietly where the blue stone tablet once stood.

The doctor felt a chill and didn't dare to look any longer, so he quickened his pace and walked past.

The next day, the doctor preferred to take a longer route rather than use that shortcut again.

However, since he began studying medicine on his own, he has encountered countless terrifying and inexplicable events, as well as cases of unnatural death that he has personally witnessed or heard about. Although the near-accident was thrilling, there was no time to panic; the heavy workload left him with no energy to think about it further.

The doctor was exhausted, passing by the neurology department twice but not having time to go in, unsure whether to relax or continue agonizing over the decision. Meanwhile, little Tang Yuan was unusually well-behaved today, actually bringing takeout to the hospital around dinnertime, surprising and touching the doctor.

"What kind of mischief are you up to, you brat?" The doctor took the lunchbox, opened it, and saw that it contained steaming dumplings. He happily rubbed Tang Yuan's head.

Tang Yuan tilted his head to avoid being rubbed, and snorted, "Isn't this just repaying you for the late-night snack? Anyway, it's not far, I'll pack it up for you after I finish eating."

"It's best not to flatter or fawn over someone before you've done something wrong." The doctor opened the disposable chopsticks and gestured vaguely with the soup bowl.

"Alright, I'm going back now," Tang Yuan coughed lightly, feeling guilty, and waved goodbye. "By the way, don't take that T-junction on your way back, take the main road!" the doctor hurriedly instructed. Then, feeling that one reason wasn't enough, he emphasized again that the small road was too secluded at night, and that one should be careful not to be abducted.

The only response was Tang Yuan's dashing back view and a wave of his arm. I wonder if the kid heard me.

The doctor was worried for a moment, but he didn't have much time to rest before he had to go back into the operating room. He could only suppress his worries, quickly eat a few dumplings, and then get back to work.

After leaving the hospital, Tang Yuan walked through the commercial street and passed by the Ya She shop. He habitually glanced inside, pouted in disappointment, and then quickened his pace to leave.

Small

The white snake coiled tightly around his wrist in dissatisfaction, and Tang Yuan immediately pleaded, "My little ancestor, it's not that I don't want to go in, but that shop is still being run by that random passerby. My senior brother hasn't come back at all! Are you sensing something wrong?"

The little white snake hissed and flicked its tongue.

"Although I've never met my senior brother, Master said that the one wearing the red dragon robe is him, right?" Tangyuan babbled to comfort the unhappy little white snake, then quickly turned into the T-junction.

He clearly didn't heed the doctor's words. Instead, he walked to where the stone tablet used to stand and began searching for something in the weeds.

As for the old man standing there silently, Tang Yuan assumed he was waiting for someone and didn't pay him any attention. Behind the T-junction was a city park. Tang Yuan searched for a while in the woods, and when he saw that it was almost time, he sent a WeChat message to the doctor to let him know that he had arrived home.

The doctor didn't reply; he must be busy. But as long as he sent a message, it proves he's been behaving himself.

Tang Yuan put his phone back in his pocket and continued searching. He continued until he reached the depths of the woods, where he found a fist-sized rock lying quietly in the grass. "Phew, found one! It flew so far. So, that's the last one!" Tang Yuan exclaimed softly, wiping the fine sweat from his forehead. "How about we stop here for today? If Uncle calls later, I won't be able to keep it a secret anymore."

The little white snake lazily flipped over on his wrist, looking completely indifferent.

"Then it's decided happily." Tang Yuan put away the stone, and as he got up, he grimaced and rubbed his lower back, while also pulling a bag of beef jerky from his pocket and stuffing it into his mouth to chew.

A dirty husky came running out of nowhere, its bright eyes fixed on the beef jerky in Tang Yuan's hand. However, just as it was about to pounce and snatch the jerky, it was startled when a small white snake suddenly sprang out from Tang Yuan's body, and it immediately took two steps back. But it didn't want to leave, pacing back and forth with drool dripping down its face.

Tang Yuan stared at the silly-looking husky. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. Could it be the dog in the lost dog poster that had been put up on Qing Shi Street before? But it was so dirty that he couldn't tell. It seemed he would have to call its owner to identify it.

Tangyuan's memory was as good as a camera; he quickly recalled the phone number and dialed it. The other party thanked him profusely and said he would be there right away. Tangyuan used half a bag of beef jerky to keep the husky from leaving, and its owner rushed over within 10 minutes. Upon seeing the husky, the owner didn't mind its dirtiness and immediately hugged its neck and started crying.

Tangyuan didn't want the large reward, so she quietly left after placing the half bag of beef jerky on the grass.

"If it weren't for this blue stone tablet, this dog probably would never have seen its owner again." Tangyuan touched the blue stone in her pocket, a complicated expression on her face. "Xiaobai, you know, even if this blue stone tablet is gone, someone will still remember it, right..."

The little white snake hissed and flicked its tongue.

The palace lanterns in the silent shop were still burning dimly. The shop owner, sitting behind the counter reading a book, glanced at the sky outside the window.

Lu Zigang had already reported to him the intelligence he had gathered over the past few days: there had been quite a few wrongful deaths recently. Although there were a certain number of people in this city who died from accidents, illnesses, suicides, or natural causes, what was strange was that for more than ten consecutive nights at 11:45 PM, someone would die. More than ten people had died, and almost all of them died at the spot where the blue stone tablet stood.

At first, no one noticed, but for five or six days in a row, every morning the cleaning workers would find a body at that T-junction. The causes of death were all strange and varied, as if the body had been dumped there from a crime scene, a hospital bed, or an accident site. However, when the surveillance footage was reviewed, it was shocking to discover that these victims had all walked there on their own, and some had even crawled there.

This incident also attracted the attention of the police, who then sent people to stake out the T-junction for several days. Whenever they saw a strange person approaching, they would approach and question them. Anyone who could not explain their origins would be arrested. As a result, it is said that one person died in the detention center every day, with the cause of death remaining unknown.

A rookie police officer who had just become a patrolman this year couldn't handle the pressure, and a reporter dug up this news. Although it couldn't be published in the newspaper, it had already caused a huge stir online. Fortunately, the reporter still had some professional ethics and didn't reveal which intersection it was so as not to interfere with the police investigation. Otherwise, that place would have been packed with onlookers long ago. But because there was no specific address and photos, most people treated this news as a horror story made up by a comedian and didn't take it seriously.

The police station was already overwhelmed by the deceased's family and didn't want to cause any more trouble for the time being. They simply set up a simple roadblock at the T-junction, ostensibly for construction, to prevent passage.

The shop owner's gaze fell on the corner of the shop, where the water level of the orchid-shaped water clock showed the midnight mark, meaning it was already 11 p.m.

Lu Zigang had already been sent to rest. The boss closed the book in his hand, got up, put on a coat, and pushed open the door of the Silent Shop.

The commercial street was as bustling and lively as ever, and the shop owner walked slowly through the crowd. After turning the corner and passing through the roadblocks, it was as if he had entered a quiet world isolated from the outside world.

The T-junction was as eerie and terrifying as ever, with a young woman in a plaid coat standing under the dim streetlights.

The boss stopped five steps away from her, stared at the woman's pale face, and sighed, "You should rest."

The young woman remained motionless upon hearing this. Only her eyes flickered towards the shopkeeper, and she murmured, "Who am I? I can't remember."

"What can you recall?" the boss coaxed patiently.

“I can remember, a long, long time ago, someone placed me here. My duty is to stand here and protect this land.” The young woman’s gaze was vacant, as if she were lost in distant memories.

"I stand here, through thousands of years, for a single day."
"The purpose of steles is to inscribe words on them so that future generations can remember a person or an event."

"But the wind and sun, the baptism of war... the words on the stele have long been blurred and unclear, and I have forgotten who I am and why I am standing here."

As the young woman was speaking, a stray dog ​​strolled over. Perhaps the young woman's scent was the same as the one on the old stone tablet, because the stray dog ​​habitually approached, sniffed her shoes, then turned around, raised its hind legs, and brazenly began to urinate to mark its territory.

The woman remained motionless, letting the stray dog ​​urinate on her trouser legs, without even changing her expression.

After marking its territory, the stray dog ​​strolled away. The young woman watched it disappear into the distance, then said calmly, "I'm used to it. Dogs peeing on me, birds dropping me, plastering flyers on my head, writing my phone number on my phone… I can tolerate all of that."

"But why did you smash my body?"

The young woman's voice suddenly turned cold, sending chills down one's spine.

"So you choose another body to replace me?" The boss frowned. "The bodies I possess are all dead or dying humans, young women... I should say that Qing Shijie defended himself, which is why he needs to change bodies every night at 11:45."

The boss stopped five steps away from her, stared at the woman's pale face, and sighed, "You should rest."

The young woman remained motionless upon hearing this. Only her eyes flickered towards the shopkeeper, and she murmured, "Who am I? I can't remember."

"What can you recall?" the boss coaxed patiently.

“I can remember, a long, long time ago, someone placed me here. My duty is to stand here and protect this land.” The young woman’s gaze was vacant, as if she were lost in distant memories.

"I stand here, through thousands of years, for a single day."
"The purpose of steles is to inscribe words on them so that future generations can remember a person or an event."

"But the wind and sun, the baptism of war... the words on the stele have long been blurred and unclear, and I have forgotten who I am and why I am standing here."

As the young woman was speaking, a stray dog ​​strolled over. Perhaps the young woman's scent was the same as the one on the old stone tablet, because the stray dog ​​habitually approached, sniffed her shoes, then turned around, raised its hind legs, and brazenly began to urinate to mark its territory.

The woman remained motionless, letting the stray dog ​​urinate on her trouser legs, without even changing her expression.

After marking its territory, the stray dog ​​strolled away. The young woman watched it disappear into the distance, then said calmly, "I'm used to it. Dogs peeing on me, birds dropping me, plastering flyers on my head, writing my phone number on my phone… I can tolerate all of that."

"But why did you smash my body?"

The young woman's voice suddenly turned cold, sending chills down one's spine.

"So you choose another body to replace me?" The boss frowned. "The bodies I possess are all dead or dying humans, young women... I should say that Qing Shijie defended himself, which is why he needs to change bodies every night at 11:45."

The boss looked up at the bright moon in the sky, his hands in his trench coat pockets, and continued to ask, "Since you have the ability to acquire human bodies, why do you keep standing here?" In truth, many people in this world die mysteriously. If this stone tablet hadn't been so foolish, standing here every day, no one would have noticed its existence. The stone tablet stretched out its hand, holding a blue stone in its palm. "I'm looking for my body. Although that body is no longer of any use, it still bears the imprint of my identity."

"I want to know who I am." The young woman's voice echoed clearly in the empty street. Compared to the young driver she had initially possessed, the body Qing Shijie had chosen now was much healthier and more vibrant.

The boss stared at the blood-stained blue stone, then looked up and examined the new body on the stone tablet. He shook his head and sighed, "I don't know how you got those previous bodies, but this girl is clearly not dead yet."

Qing Shijie's expression stiffened, then he retorted, "She was going to commit suicide anyway. Since she didn't want this body, wouldn't it be better for me to use it?"

"That's just sophistry," the boss said, his tone turning serious.

Dark clouds on the horizon obscured the bright moon, and a sudden night wind rose from the ground, swirling up scattered withered leaves, creating an atmosphere of desolation.

"Tsk, actually I didn't want it to be like this either." In the eerie darkness, a strange smile suddenly appeared on the young woman's face. "Actually, humans are very contradictory beings. Some people have strong wills, while others have weak wills. When faced with difficulties or accidents, they want to end their own lives."

"The thought of suicide? When it first appears in your mind, everyone will scoff and think it's nonsense."

"But after the first occurrence, the thought becomes increasingly easy to have, especially when difficulties keep arising." "And as the thought appears more and more frequently, you start to give yourself a mental suggestion, and eventually suicide becomes the only way to escape the predicament."

As the boss stood in the autumn wind, listening to the words spoken one by one on the blue stone tablet, for some reason, thoughts of Fusu's words and actions before his departure surfaced in his mind.

"You call them cowards, but they're not even afraid of death, yet they're afraid of other things." "They selfishly ended their own lives without ever thinking about others."

Qing Shijie said with exasperation, then turned his gaze to the pensive boss, his smile growing increasingly sinister. "Actually, I think you're in pretty good shape. Why don't you give yourself to me?"

After saying that, she started walking towards the boss. Her walking posture was particularly strange, and her body didn't bend, which made people feel uneasy just looking at her.

The boss remained unmoved, watching the blue stone tablet approach him step by step with a cold gaze.

"Wait! What are you doing?" a little boy's voice suddenly rang out.

The man on the blue stone tablet paused, looking at the little boy running towards him. His expression brightened: "Huh? It's you. It's you!" Tangyuan looked warily at the young woman who seemed to scream "I'm weird." He often went online to learn about the strange things happening at this T-junction. He knew more than the average person; he knew it was the broken blue stone tablet that was causing the trouble. Police had been on duty here for the past few days, and with the doctor keeping a close watch on things at night, he hadn't had a chance to sneak out. Tonight, he finally managed to escape, only to see this woman walking towards another person, and judging from what he'd just said, she seemed to have ill intentions.

“I recognize you,” Qing Shijie’s voice softened considerably. “You sometimes bring a rag and brush to clean the advertisements plastered on me. It’s so nice, I’m really grateful!”

Tang Yuan scratched his cheek sheepishly, then remembered why he had come. He quickly said, "Hey! I've put your body away for you! It's all pieced back together. Let's go to the last piece. I'm planning to look around some more. Let's not use someone else's body again, okay?"

The blue stone tablet was stunned upon hearing this; it never expected to regain its original body. It lowered its head, and gently lay a blue stone in its outstretched palm.

Tang Yuan followed her gaze and immediately cheered, "Oh! This is it! Great! Do you know how painful it is for someone with OCD to look at a puzzle piece that's missing a piece?!" As he spoke, he unceremoniously reached out and took the blue stone into his hand.

For a moment, Qing Shi Jie forgot to stop him, and watched helplessly as little Tang Yuan so easily took away a part of its body.

Just as the stone left his hand, a powerful suction suddenly came from the front. He cried out in alarm, but was powerless to resist and was plunged into darkness.

Tang Yuan was startled. Just as he took the blue stone, the woman in front of him suddenly became ferocious, looking like a vengeful ghost in the dim night. Fortunately, she returned to calm the next second, and when she opened her eyes again, her pupils became clear.

"Strange, why am I here?" The young woman looked at the handsome man and the cute boy in front of her with bewilderment; she clearly didn't recognize them. She took out her phone to check the time, exclaimed in surprise, and hurriedly left.

"Huh! They just let him go like that?" Tang Yuan hadn't heard the whole conversation, but he'd caught the gist. The young woman was going to commit suicide, and they just let her go like that? He turned to look at his senior brother and saw a small bamboo cage spinning rapidly in his hand. Clearly, the essence of the Green Stone Tablet had been forcibly extracted by the other party using some method and then imprisoned in this cage. The cage was finely crafted, with faint dark brown spots on the bamboo strips, likely from spotted bamboo.

The shopkeeper looked down at the bamboo cage in his hand and said calmly, "Everyone has their own destiny. Interfering too much goes against the natural order."

"Sigh, the blue stone tablet is actually quite pitiful," Tang Yuan said with emotion. This wasn't the first time he had seen such an antique in such a state, so whenever he saw it, he couldn't help but do what he could. "Its original purpose was to be remembered by others, but as time went by, the writing became blurred, and in the end, even it didn't remember itself."

The boss glanced at him and said calmly, "Actually, some memorable people and events don't need to be engraved on monuments to be remembered."

He didn't recognize Tang Yuan, nor did he want to. He had met several people with special abilities in this world over the long years. He was about to say goodbye when his gaze suddenly sharpened. A very familiar little white snake slowly crawled out from the young boy's collar and timidly stuck out its tongue.

Tang Yuan smiled adorably, even showing off his rarely seen dimples. Then, in a soft, cute boyish voice, he said, "Good evening, senior brother! Nice to meet you. My name is Tang Yuan, not the glutinous rice ball you eat, but the 'Yuan' as in 'far and near'!"

The boss was still surprised to find that he had gained a junior apprentice when he saw the cute little boy in front of him instantly change from an adorable smile to a horrified expression. Before he could even think about what this meant, a more familiar voice rang out from behind him in a fit of rage, "Tangyuan, you brat! What are you doing out here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Luckily, I put a tracking bracelet on you. Come home with me now!"

The shopkeeper was terrified. He loosened his grip on the bamboo cage, and a bluish light shot out from the cracks, instantly disappearing into the darkness. (The end)

(End of this chapter)