One hundred and eighty years old

  I closed my eyes tightly, a black figure, like a ghost, floated in from afar, accompanied by the voice that had just spoken, approaching me.

  "He also said, 'You are of royal blood, why fear me? Why fear me?'"

  I wrapped my hands around my head, trying to shake off the sound, but no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't go away. The pain grew stronger and stronger, until my head felt like it was about to explode.

  Suddenly, a force of gravity pushed me away, and my body left the ground. The pain disappeared instantly. I opened my eyes to look at everything in front of me, shocked into speechlessness.

  My body remained in the posture of holding Xiao Bai, even though Xiao Bai had already run to Uncle's feet. I looked at Uncle exerting force on my waist behind him, and time seemed to freeze at this moment.

  After a moment...

  A white light flashed before me. I looked at the white light emitted from my body, and Uncle raised his eyes to look at me, nodding at me. It turned out that my soul had left my body once again.

  The white light sucked me in, and when I opened my eyes again, the lantern seller was still introducing his lotus flower lantern to me. Uncle paid the money, I took a pink lotus flower lantern, and Xiao Bai jumped back into my arms.

  Uncle's footsteps were somewhat urgent, what happened?

  "Uncle, what just happened? Why did my soul leave my body again?" I followed Uncle's footsteps and whispered beside him.

  Uncle looked at me with his head down, wanting to speak but hesitating.

  "I asked, 'Why? In less than ten days, why did I have two out-of-body experiences? Could it be...' I didn't dare to continue thinking, had the fortune teller's words come true, was my life coming to an end?"

  Fear is spreading throughout my body, I don't want to die, I don't want to die for no reason.

  Uncle stopped in his tracks, his back somewhat desolate. He asked me, "Ah Li, how many more days until your birthday?"

  At this time, why did Uncle suddenly ask about my birthday?

  I had no choice but to answer Uncle's question, in his eyes, I am a person who always understands reason.

  "There's still more than two months left, almost eighty days."

  "Eighty days..." Uncle muttered to himself, "eighty days should be enough."

  I don't understand what Uncle Ah is saying, and even if I ask him, he won't tell me unless he wants to.

  This is like a riddle, a mystery that an uncle knows but doesn't let me know.

  Seeing that old woman again, the doubts in my heart grew heavier. It turned out that they were not as simple as people seemed.

  After wandering around for a whole morning, I felt a bit tired. My uncle and I casually had some food at a small restaurant. I kept studying the lotus flower in my hand to figure out how it was made.

  But this lotus lantern seems not so simple, looking at the wick, it seems to be pulling me in deeply, like a soul-catching sharp weapon.

  The uncle sat like this for about ten minutes without saying a word.

  "Uncle, what are you looking at?"

  "Wait for me." Two simple words floated out of Uncle Ah's mouth, like the gentle breeze in March, accompanied by sunlight.

  Uncle's profile is always so handsome.

  Xiao Bai was being very naughty in my arms, constantly trying to run out, I held him tightly but he scratched my clothes with his paws. Just as Xiao Bai and I were struggling, Uncle suddenly stood up.

  "Let Xiao Bai lead the way."

  Xiao Bai seemed to have heard some command, and without caring whether I was still holding him, he jumped down from my arms. Uncle grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, his pace was a bit fast, I had to jog to keep up with him.

  In the crowd, Uncle was like unimpeded, arbitrarily shuttling back and forth, grabbing my hand and making it hurt, so urgent, what did Uncle want to do?

  What's going on?

  It was the school, the only middle school in the town, which had already left the bustling market far behind. I followed Uncle's back and ran forward, Xiao Bai stopped ten meters away, and my uncle and I caught up.

  Xiao Bai saw Ah Shu had arrived, turned around and ran to my side to rub against me. Ah Shu let go of my hand without warning, leaving me feeling empty inside, as if the most important thing in life had been sucked out of me, making it hard for me to breathe.

  Xiao Bai rubbed its white fur against my face and I forced a smile at Xiao Bai.

  "You finally came."

  A gloomy voice came out from the corner, I walked up to Uncle's side, and the figure in the corner slowly turned around, I leaned towards Uncle's side.

  She slowly got up, and I saw clearly, it was her...

  That was the old woman that I and Ah Shu first saw when we came to town, an old beggar-like person, only her face had some grayish white color.

  Doesn't seem like a living person.

  Xiao Bai hummed and snuggled in my arms, I stroked his smooth fur, the old woman seemed to be staring at me, I looked up and met her smiling face, even though she was smiling, it sent shivers down my spine.

  She said, "Girl, why are you afraid of me now?"

  I didn't understand what was going on, seeing her appearance, I was indeed a little scared, Uncle took a step forward and blocked me behind him.

  "I'm not an untrustworthy person, what more do you want?"

  Uncle's tone was a bit off, he never spoke to me in such an icy tone before. Uncle has a good temper, it's the first time I've seen him speak to someone like that.

  I looked up at Uncle Ah, and his face no longer had a smile on it.

  "I'm an old woman, what else can I want? I've lived for one hundred and eighty years, but still feel that it's not enough."

  I saw Uncle's cheek twitching, and his mouth corner twitched immediately.

  The old lady is trading with Uncle?

  So who is the old lady and what does she want?