Chapter 54: Guiding Talisman

"What do we do? What do we do?" Everyone in the bus was like ants on a hot pan, completely out of ideas. They were frantic, pacing around helplessly.

"Could this be some kind of ghostly trap?" Jianye, who had just lost a loved one, leaned against the window. The pregnant woman's corpse was still there, but his brother seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

Yuan Feng's face was dark as he suddenly pulled out a switchblade and pressed it against the driver's neck. "I don't believe in this crap! Tell me, are you the one behind all this?"

"Sir, how could it have anything to do with me? This is my first time driving Route 14." The driver didn't dare move, sweat dripping down his face. "Driving other buses only pays about 3,000 yuan a month, but this Route 14 night shift pays an extra 4,000 yuan for just four runs a month."

"I needed the money for my wedding, so I reluctantly took over from my mentor. If I'd known something like this would happen, I wouldn't have done it even if you beat me to death!" The driver's voice quivered, almost sobbing, and it didn't sound like he was lying.

"If you're pulling any tricks, don't blame me if this knife goes in white and comes out red!" Yuan Feng snarled before putting the blade away. He then turned to me. "Do you have any ideas? You look so calm—do you know something?"

"Do I look like a god? What can I do?" I held tightly onto Yiyi's hand. "We can't just stay here with the bus stalled. Tell the driver to start the engine and bypass the pregnant woman's body. Maybe we'll find a way out if we keep moving."

We had no other choice, so we tried. But half an hour later, everyone's faces looked like they'd been covered in ash.

"We're back here again?!"

The massive billboard outside stood beside the road. The desolate rose garden looked like an unearthed graveyard, waiting to bury the Route 14 bus.

"What now?"

"Is that all you can say—'What now?' Use your brains for once! I'm not the only one on this bus!" I couldn't suppress my anger anymore. How could this happen so close to the terminal?

Jianye still seemed lost in thoughts about his brother. Wang Chunfu clutched the Guanyin pendant around his neck, mumbling scriptures no one could understand. Only Yuan Feng stood at the front of the bus, his face shifting unpredictably.

"This bus doesn't only have you on it, but you're the one acting the most suspicious." Yuan Feng slipped his hand into his left pocket. I clearly remembered that his switchblade was in there.

"Me? Suspicious?" I couldn't help but find it ironic that Yuan Feng was now suspecting me.

"Exactly. From the moment you got on the bus, you've been unnaturally calm. Everything you've done has been purposeful. My suspicion isn't baseless." Yuan Feng kept his distance from me, no closer than two meters. His ability to stay under the radar despite being a fugitive was clearly due to his cautious nature.

Hearing his words, the others began to look at me strangely. Only Yiyi continued to stand firmly by my side.

"Have I done anything to harm you?" I asked, my gaze sweeping over the group of frightened, selfish individuals in the bus. "You've all driven yourselves into a corner."

"You may not have harmed them, but I think you might have intentions against me." Yuan Feng leaned against the front door of the bus. "You're a cop. During our earlier scuffle, even though you held back, some of your habitual moves gave you away. Those are standard disarming techniques for detectives."

I hadn't expected Yuan Feng to be so perceptive. "So what if I'm a cop? What does that have to do with you? I'm just here to help a friend take care of their kid. Getting this little girl to her mom is my priority."

Feigning ignorance was the best strategy for now. As long as Yuan Feng wanted to survive, he wouldn't openly confront me at this moment.

"Uncle, you're a police officer!" Yiyi was the most excited of everyone. It seemed the police held a high place in her heart.

"Officer, what should we do now?" The police identity worked wonders. Wang Chunfu's attitude took a complete turn for the better.

I touched the talisman paper I had kept close to my chest. There was a solution, but I wouldn't use it unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Let's go one more round. Everyone, pay close attention. Maybe we'll discover something unexpected."

"Another ten rounds won't make a difference." Yuan Feng walked to the back of the bus, grabbed Zhang Rong by the arm, and dragged her up. "I have a way to get us out of here."

"What way?" Even I was curious.

Yuan Feng's smile was chillingly ruthless. "It's simple. That pregnant woman outside died indirectly because of her. All we have to do is stop the bus near the corpse and throw her out."

"No! Don't! Please don't throw me out!" Zhang Rong clung desperately to Yuan Feng's leg, ignoring the pain of her hair being pulled. "There's a ghost out there! She's been outside the whole time. If I go out, I'll die!"

"You're a vile woman who deserves death." Yuan Feng kicked her away. "Doesn't Buddhism talk about karma? I believe if Zhang Rong dies, we'll all survive."

For someone like him who disregarded life, it didn't matter how many others died as long as he lived. "Raise your hand if you agree. Majority rules."

Counting the driver and the eerie little girl sitting silently at the back, there were nine people on the bus.

"Let's start the vote." Yuan Feng raised his hand first, followed by Wang Chunfu and Jianye.

"Think carefully. This is not the time for sympathy. This vote will determine life or death for us all."

Hearing this, the driver raised his hand as well. "I'm sorry, but my fiancée is waiting for me at home. I'm the pillar of my family. I can't die."

That made it four votes to three. Yuan Feng turned his gaze to me. "Are you really going to sacrifice everyone else to save her?"

I frowned, about to respond when the little girl at the back slowly raised her hand.

"Five to four. You two, come help. We'll open the door and throw her out together!"

Zhang Rong struggled desperately, but the three men showed no mercy. They pinned her down, lifting her off the ground.

"Get ready to open the door. On the count of three, we let go together!" The three men were consumed by madness. To save their own lives, they were truly ready to throw Zhang Rong off the bus.

"Stop!" It was a human life. I couldn't stay indifferent. "What you're doing is murder. Even if you survive tonight, you'll be breaking the law..."

"Spare me the lectures! If we don't kill her, we'll all die."

The bus approached the station. Seeing that the driver was about to open the rear door, I knew I couldn't wait any longer. "Let her go! I have a way to save us all!"

I took out my phone and walked to the front of the bus, pulling a yellow talisman with black inscriptions from my chest pocket—a Maoshan Guiding Talisman.

"Half-Immortal, are you there? We might be caught in a ghostly trap. Can this Maoshan Guiding Talisman break the barrier?" I sought help in the livestream. Master Liu from Qingcheng Mountain didn't disappoint.

"You always seem to have strange talismans on you. You must be blessed. That talisman was crafted by a Maoshan Heavenly Master; it's more than enough to break this ghostly trap."

"Thank you, Master. But how should I use this talisman? What's the incantation and the gestures?"

"You've stumped me there. Qingcheng Mountain and Maoshan are a thousand miles apart. I can only teach you the Qingcheng incantation for guiding talismans. Try it; the principles are the same."

"I'd appreciate it, Master." I bowed to the livestream audience. Without Master Liu, I'd truly be in trouble tonight.

"Listen carefully. I'll only say it once: 'By the will of the pure heart, open the path. Guiding spirit, heed the command. By law divine, obey!'"

"That's it? The Lightning Talisman incantation was much longer."

"Talismans are categorized as Lesser, Minor, Upper, and Greater. The Guiding Talisman is a common Lesser Talisman, so the incantation is naturally simpler."

After thanking Master Liu again, I held the talisman between two fingers at the front of the bus.

"Who's he talking to?"

"Did the cop suddenly become a Taoist? He's holding a talisman."

The three men stopped what they were doing. Zhang Rong, now safe, crawled to the back of the bus and hid under a seat.

Yuan Feng walked toward me. "What's your next trick?"

"Stand aside and watch quietly!" I shouted, focusing entirely as I cleared my mind. Like when I studied the Heavenly Eye Manual, I emptied my thoughts and visualized a single point between my brows. "By the will of the pure heart, open the path. Guiding spirit, heed the command. By law divine, obey!"

The talisman between my fingers ignited, and the night outside the window rewound rapidly, like a shattered glass mirror being pieced back together.

"It worked!"