Chapter 44: The Third Live Broadcast

Xiao Feng lay on the sofa, watching Luxing laugh maniacally. Childhood memories, like haunting nightmares, flooded her mind. She closed her eyes in anguish. "It's fate," she whispered, "an inescapable fate."

In the warehouse, everyone was lost in their thoughts. No one noticed a millipede gu worm crawling out of Xiao Feng's pocket and burrowing into the sofa's crevice.

By the time I learned that Xiao Feng had disappeared, it was already afternoon. The Gu Master stormed into the shop in a panic, saying that Xiao Feng had been taken by a gang of thugs.

At first, I didn't believe him. But after checking the market where it happened, I realized the situation was far worse than he'd described.

The scene of the kidnapping bore no signs of struggle. For someone to overpower the Gu Master so easily, their identity was unlikely to be ordinary.

"Why would they abduct Xiao Feng? For money? For lust?" Shaking my head, I ruled out those possibilities. Picking up the basket that had fallen to the ground, I noticed something.

"The vegetables inside are still neatly packed, not scattered around. This means the basket wasn't flung during a struggle—it was dropped deliberately by Xiao Feng herself."

"But why would she let go of the basket? Did she see something terrifying? A ghost wreaking havoc in broad daylight? Impossible. Xiao Feng was already haunted by a malicious spirit. Even a ghost wouldn't scare her that much."

My mind hit a deadlock. "Who is the person Xiao Feng fears the most?"

The landlord couple had already been detained. Besides them, there was likely only one person who could terrify Xiao Feng to this extent.

"Her fugitive brother—Luxing." My eyes lit up as I called the Gu Master over to ask if he had seen a suspicious young man.

The Gu Master stammered, unable to describe him clearly, but he did recall a man in a baseball cap standing behind him before he lost consciousness.

"That's enough. Call the police immediately. That man is likely the fugitive."

Half an hour later, the first thing I said to Tie Ningxiang was, "Xiao Feng has been kidnapped, and it's likely Luxing who did it."

A citywide search was launched in secret. Though I was worried about Xiao Feng's safety, I knew there was little I could do to help.

Back on Ting Tang Road, the Gu Master, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "That girl's disappearance is partly my fault. I'll do my part to find her."

"Fate is unavoidable," I said, placing two instant noodle cups on the table. Lighting a cigarette, I took a deep drag.

"There's something I need to tell you," the Gu Master admitted hesitantly. "One of my Gu worms is missing."

"Missing?"

"The millipede Gu—a centipede about half a foot long. It's drawn to extremely cold and dark places. When I lost consciousness, it escaped from its jar." The Gu Master then confessed to everything he had done the night before.

"So, you're saying this missing Gu worm is likely with Xiao Feng now?"

"Yes. I feed it with my essence blood. As long as it's within a hundred meters, I can sense its presence."

"Jiangcheng is enormous. Are you planning to comb it step by step? Just wait for the police. I'm more anxious than you are, but your method is too slow."

"Don't worry. I'll find her and give you an answer," the Gu Master said, then left the shop with a swirl of his black robe.

Hours earlier, the shop had been bustling with life. Now, it felt eerily quiet, as if time had reverted to long ago.

"If only I had said that one sentence by the riverside yesterday..."

A whole day passed with no news of Xiao Feng. I even asked Er Gouzi to search and begged Liu the Blind to divine her fate, but it was all in vain. According to Liu, this was a calamity in Xiao Feng's destiny—unavoidable.

With nothing else to do, I waited until 8 p.m. The dim shop was suddenly illuminated by a cold, eerie light. Someone had dialed the Hell Show's massive phone screen.

The inevitable had arrived. Taking a deep breath, I picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Ding-dong! You've arrived at Miyun Mansion. Please gather your belongings and exit through the rear door. Watch your step as you disembark."

"The vehicle is pulling into the station. Attention, all pedestrians and vehicles. This is Route 14, a driverless bus. Please board through the front door and insert one yuan into the fare box. Change is not provided."

"The vehicle is departing. Please hold on tightly. Welcome aboard Route 14, a driverless bus. Passengers, please move toward the rear door. Next stop: No. 3 Bridge Crematorium."

After what sounded like a bus announcement, a woman's voice broke through: "Promise me, don't let my daughter board the bus! Promise me!"

The call abruptly ended, leaving a beeping busy signal echoing through the shop.

Shortly after, a text message arrived in my inbox.

"In the stillness of midnight, do not board a delayed last bus. It may very well be a ghostly hearse filled with the dead."

Live Broadcast Task:

Arrive at Miyun Mansion by midnight and board Route 14. Survive until the final stop. (Note: The task must be completed without any living companions; failure to comply will result in task failure.)

Optional Task: Protect the passengers on the bus. Each life saved earns one point.

Staring blankly at the text message, I felt the familiar, jarring sensation that every live broadcast brought.

"No living companions allowed? This is clearly aimed at Bai Qi. How does the Hell Show know about Bai Qi? Could they have been observing me all along?"

With four hours left until the broadcast, my only trump card, Bai Qi, couldn't join me this time.

"The Hell Show tasks are getting more dangerous each time. I was lucky to survive last time, thanks to Xiao Feng. I can't count on miracles every time. Improvising would be too risky."

After much deliberation, I decided to use my Hell Show points to exchange for protective talismans.

Leaving Bai Qi to guard the shop, I called Liu the Blind to come over and then took a cab to Jiangcheng's largest bank.

Using the Hell Show phone, I sent a message: "Point exchange. I want six random lesser-grade talismans."

"Points deducted. Remaining points: four. Your items have been placed in your personal safety deposit box and are ready for collection." The Hell Show's reply was swift. When I arrived at the bank, it was oddly lit despite being closed. A curvaceous lobby manager stood waiting at the entrance.

"Mr. Gao, we've been expecting you. Please follow me."

"Have my items arrived? Did you see who delivered them?"

"Apologies. We only received a call informing us you would collect them."

I was perplexed but reminded myself of the Hell Show's omnipotence. If they could summon ghosts and conjure objects like the Plum Blossom Gu, slipping items into a bank undetected would be child's play.

In the bank's underground vault, I swiped my black card and retrieved a black package from my safety deposit box.

Without opening it immediately, I returned to Ting Tang Road, where Liu the Blind was already waiting for me.

Carefully locking the shop door, I invited Liu inside.

"Gao Jian, your celestial gate is obscured, and dark clouds loom overhead. A great disaster is imminent," Liu warned as he began divining. "Stay home tonight. Stay close to your dog—it may save your life."

I chuckled bitterly. "You're very accurate, but I have no choice. I have to go out tonight."

"To do what? Seek death?" Liu's beard quivered in anger.

"There's no choice. Leaving gives me a slim chance; staying guarantees death," I explained, unwrapping the package. A faint scent of incense filled the room. "I called you here to help me identify the effects of these talismans."

Exchanging five points had earned me six random lesser-grade talismans. Being an amateur, I had no idea what their effects were and needed Liu's expertise.

Peering closely at the talismans laid out flat with no creases, Liu's expression turned serious.

"Where did you get these?" he asked, astonished. "Some of these techniques were thought to be lost to time."

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was already 9 p.m. Urging him, I said, "Forget that for now. Just tell me what they do."

"The first talisman, black characters on a yellow background, is a Mao Mountain Guiding Talisman—the most basic of the six. It can dispel illusions and break through ghostly barriers."

"The second talisman, exuding intense hostility, has red characters on a yellow background. It's drawn with blood and cinnabar. If I'm not mistaken, it's a Mao Mountain Seven Stars Talisman."

"The third talisman is even rarer—white characters on a yellow background, written with ink mixed with glutinous rice. It's likely crafted by a reclusive rural mystic and is a Baby Crying Talisman. Its purpose is to stop infants from crying at night."

"As for the fourth and fifth talismans, I can't decipher them. They seem to be a pair—a parent and child set. My skills aren't deep enough to discern their purpose."

"Finally, the sixth talisman, written on red paper, is a Talisman of Great Omen—extremely dangerous."