Poor Little Fatty couldn't speak, let alone explain. Seeing him crying like a pear blossom bathed in rain, Second Brother Liu scolded with clear irritation, "Come on, kid. Crying over a little scratch like this? Seriously? Hold still—I'll just apply some antiseptic and we'll be done."
I leaned in and explained, "Second Brother, that big rooster came back again—it pecked Little Fatty three more times just now."
Second Brother Liu looked around but saw no trace of the rooster. "What rooster? I don't see anything."
"It ran off," I said.
"Never mind that. Go feed the dog. I'll be done here in a minute."
With that, Second Brother Liu turned his full attention to applying the antiseptic on Little Fatty's wounds.
I sighed, glancing at Little Fatty. His eyes had already gone dim with despair.
I tossed a rock-hard steamed bun I'd found in the house over to the big yellow dog.
Clearly unimpressed, the dog sniffed it, then lay down with disinterest.
What I never expected was that damn rooster—it somehow snuck back again, darted over, snatched up the bun, and took off running.
The dog didn't want the bun before, but now that it was stolen, it wasn't having it. It bolted after the rooster at full speed.
Panicked, the rooster dashed blindly—straight toward Second Brother Liu—and dove between his legs.
The yellow dog was so focused on the chase, it didn't even notice Liu squatting there. It slammed into him at full force.
Second Brother Liu had been holding tweezers soaked in antiseptic, delicately tending to Little Fatty's wound.
The impact drove the tweezers deep into Little Fatty once again.
If ever there was a moment to describe as "flowers falling, buttocks weeping," this was it. The scene made me wince so hard, I audibly hissed through my teeth.
Already reeling from three consecutive pecks by the rooster, Little Fatty couldn't take any more. His vision went black—and he passed out cold.
For the first time in our village's history, an ambulance had to be called. It came to take Little Fatty away.
By sheer coincidence, I got to ride in an ambulance for the first time, accompanying Second Brother Liu to the county hospital.
After emergency treatment, Little Fatty was assigned a hospital bed. He looked weak, but he was conscious. I was relieved—despite the series of unfortunate events, he was alive. He clearly wasn't meant to be my fated tribulation.
Surprisingly, another patient in the same room was none other than Grandpa Wang—the one who had been thrown off the donkey cart after hearing Little Fatty's scream earlier.
The old man was badly injured. He lay motionless on the bed but was still conscious.
When I glanced at him, I saw that Grandpa Wang was staring right back at me.
For some reason, his gaze unsettled me. He smiled, but the smile felt... off. Eerie.
And then I noticed something else—a faint red mist swirling above his head.
I had no idea why I could see such a thing, but a deep sense of unease settled over me.
At that same moment, my parents and grandfather were scouring the village, desperately searching for me. When they heard I'd gone to the hospital in an ambulance with Second Brother Liu, they panicked, thinking something had happened to me.
Coincidentally, Granny Liu from San-shi-li Village had also come looking for me that day.
She had calculated that this was the day of my third life tribulation and came specifically to help me through it.
When she saw I was fine, and it was Little Fatty lying in the bed instead—clearly not in mortal danger—she finally relaxed a little.
Grandpa blamed himself for dozing off after a bit of rice wine, during which time I snuck out unnoticed.
Dad was furious. The moment he saw me, he was about to discipline me—but Granny Liu stopped him.
"No hitting, no hitting! Don't forget what happened to Old Zhang's fifth son and Ma's third daughter-in-law."
Dad backed off. He knew—everyone who'd laid a hand on me before had suffered terrible fates. Even a father had to think twice.
Then Granny Liu's eyes fell on Grandpa Wang, lying in the other bed. Her expression changed. She looked nervous. Clearly, she saw something too. She immediately urged my family to take me home—fast.
My parents and grandfather didn't understand, but they followed her instructions and brought me back.
Once we were home, Granny Liu explained: the old man sharing the hospital room was already at death's door. A heavy death aura clung to him—he wouldn't last much longer.
Only then did I realize: the faint red mist I'd seen above his head was that very death aura.
That day was the day of my third life tribulation. Granny Liu feared that if I stayed too long near death, I'd absorb some of its energy—and that would be dangerous.
Back home, everything seemed fine. We even had dinner with Granny Liu.
But not long after nightfall, bad news arrived: Grandpa Wang had died in the hospital.
No one knew the exact cause. People figured he was just old, and the fall from the donkey cart did him in.
But when Granny Liu heard, she became visibly distressed. She immediately instructed my father to find a piece of peachwood—at least ten years old—and to slaughter a rooster that had been raised for over three years.
She had the peachwood peeled and painted with strange symbols using the rooster's blood. My father placed it at our doorstep.
This blood-marked peachwood rod was called a Ghost-Blocking Stick. It served as a barrier to prevent wandering spirits from entering.
As for the rooster blood, it carried strong yang energy—perfect for repelling ghostly forces.
Thus, Granny Liu set up two layers of protection around our house.
That day was my ninth birthday—and the day I survived my third tribulation. Granny Liu had said the third tribulation would be the most dangerous. If I didn't survive it, I'd be gone for good.
She suspected that Grandpa Wang had been my destined tribulation bearer all along.
And what a coincidence it was—we'd barely returned home before the news of his death came.
Regardless, Granny Liu insisted on staying cautious.
I didn't dwell on it. After dinner, a wave of sleepiness overcame me. I crawled into bed and passed out quickly.
But not long after I fell asleep... I felt it.
There was someone else in my room.