Chapter 11: The Celestial Thunder Talisman

"Is anyone here? Can someone tell me what happened after I fell asleep?"The livestream chatroom was eerily quiet. It was close to 3 a.m., and most viewers had gone to bed."Celestial Thunder Talisman!"After a long pause, a single lonely comment appeared in the chatroom. The sender was none other than Liu Banxian from the Mount Qingcheng.Seeing that ID felt like clutching a lifeline. "Banxian, save me!""Kid, I don't know what kind of good karma you built up in your past life to come across such a Thunder Talisman embryo. If it wasn't a benefactor's aid, then it's Heaven's will. Your destiny isn't to end here!""Half-Immortal (same mean with Banxian), can we skip the cryptic talk? I need something I can understand—fast!" I clutched the talisman paper tightly, feeling unsafe no matter which direction I looked."You are an ordinary mortal, burdened by mundane distractions. Entering a cursed house at the witching hour spells calamity. Yet, Heaven leaves a sliver of hope. That hope lies in the Thunder Talisman embryo you hold.""Is this talisman really that extraordinary?"Having used it a few times, I noticed its glow had dimmed significantly. Its energy now felt restrained and subdued."Before I joined Mount Qingcheng, I spent years finding a 500-year-old lightning-struck peach tree. I devoted half my life to crafting a talisman coffin just to cultivate a single Thunder Talisman," Liu the Half-Immortal gloated with a pride I couldn't comprehend. "Alas, after joining the sect, I left the talisman coffin behind to suppress the family's fate. If I were to open that coffin now, it might rival the embryo in your hand.""Half-Immortal, can you stop flexing and help me? I just saw my shadow move!""Do not panic. 'Darkness beneath the lamp, ghosts in the shadow.' What moved wasn't your shadow. Sharing a room with yin spirits invites grievances. Though the Thunder Talisman protects you, its resentment cannot be quelled. It will surely target that girl instead.""What should I do? Should I just jump out the window and call the police...?""Useless blockhead! Fine, saving a life is worth a seven-tiered pagoda of merit. I'll teach you the Thunder Talisman chant!"I was already halfway out the window, one foot on the ledge."Listen carefully. This house is a place of great misfortune, haunted by yin spirits. If you wish to survive the night, keep your mind pure and resolute. Be firm and fearless. Let no selfishness or fear sway your heart, or the spirits will ensnare your mind.""Alright, I'll do exactly as you say."That made sense—I couldn't just leave Xiaofeng here alone. Oddly, despite the earlier commotion, she still lay sound asleep, which was unsettling in its own right."The yin spirit is possessing her! Kid, follow my instructions quickly! Clear your mind, visualize the Celestial North Star God in the center, inhale through your nose, swallow to the solar plexus, and exhale a breath of primal qi.""Can you speak like a human?! Who is this North Star—Princess Ziwei from My Fair Princess? And how do I even visualize?!"On the bed, Xiaofeng's body trembled violently. Her eyelids fluttered as she slowly sat upright."Stay focused! Lighthearted jokes will bring disaster!""Disaster? She just sat up! How much worse can it get?!"Xiaofeng's figure rose from the bed like a puppet. Her eyes were wide open, filled almost entirely with whites."Xiaofeng, we have no bad blood, do we?""Stop babbling! Form the Thunder Talisman seal and do as I say!""Index, middle, ring, and pinky fingers together, bent inward toward the palm without touching it. Thumb's inner side pressing down tightly over the other nails. No gaps!"Liu's messages were rapid and frantic. Xiaofeng, now possessed, had stopped trembling. She stood on the bed like a hanging ghost, staring coldly at me."Clear your thoughts! Chant the incantation with me!"I didn't have time to read Liu's next messages because Xiaofeng had suddenly lunged at me with a pair of scissors.Dodging the sharp blade, I grabbed her wrist, trying to subdue her with a grappling move. To my surprise, she was unnaturally strong.As we struggled, her free hand reached for the Thunder Talisman in my palm."This thing is my lifeline!"Shoving her away, I leaped onto the bed, aiming for the door, but she tackled me to the ground before I could make it."Chant the spell now!"Liu had already posted the incantation in the chat. Wrestling against the scissors aimed at my chest, I shouted the words with all my might:"By the mandate of thunder, swift as the stars, the Eight Directional Deities empower me! By the decree of the Lingbao Talisman, I summon the Heavens! Qianluo Dana, Master of Mystical Realms, slay the demons and vanquish a thousand ghosts! Let all malevolence dissolve, and the righteous prevail!"The chant echoed like a ringing bell. Xiaofeng's movements faltered."Now's your chance!""Celestial Thunder Talisman!"Hurling the talisman, the thin paper transformed into a radiant golden blade, streaking lightning as it pierced her chest.With the talisman's might, the malevolent spirit fled. Xiaofeng collapsed limply, her shadow tearing apart before darting into the bathroom."Next time, I won't show mercy! The Thunder Talisman will obliterate you!"I collapsed onto the floor, trembling with exhaustion and relief. Even as I mouthed threats, my legs felt like jelly."Kid, don't rest just yet! While it's weak, go after it!""Chase it? Isn't there a saying: 'Cornered prey should not be pursued'?""Suit yourself, but remember, you've now forged a karmic bond. That spirit will haunt you relentlessly!""Relentless haunting? Are all ghosts this stubborn?!"Taking the talisman with me, I staggered into the bathroom. The events of the night had revealed a darker, horrifying world that left no room for disbelief.Holding a camera in one hand and clutching a talisman and phone in the other, I pushed open the bathroom door. "That thing seemed to have fled in here."I had suspected this earlier—the bathroom had been intentionally renovated, and the landlord was likely hiding something.Something sinister, buried by time, and possibly connected to other murders.I pieced together the clues in my head. The Peaceful Inn was never a place where one could find peace. The balding driver had mentioned that people had gone missing in the area years ago.The exact reasons were unclear, but all the evidence pointed to this rundown motel.Flipping through my phone messages, I recalled the mysterious woman's call at the start of this job. She had claimed to be hidden within the walls, beneath the floors, or behind the bathtub.The thought sent a chill down my spine. Could that call have come from a ghost?Looking at the bathtub, semi-embedded in the wall, I mustered my courage and grabbed scissors from my room. Carefully, I pried the tiles loose, one by one, along the seams."This place is damp, shadowy, and filled with filth—it's the most yin-heavy spot in the entire building. It's no surprise that spirits would flee here," said Liu Bànxiān, the Taoist master assisting me remotely. His voice came through the phone, warning me not to let my guard down.With the tiles completely removed, the area beneath the bathtub was a pitch-black void, propped up by bricks at the corners, with nothing in the middle."Master Liu, could the ghost call for reinforcements? As an amateur, I'm not sure I can handle this," I said hesitantly, hands on the bathtub's edge. "The talisman is fading in color—it might not work much longer. If I get swarmed by vengeful spirits, the consequences could be disastrous.""Don't worry. The talisman is forged from pure Yang energy and is imbued with the power of heaven's lightning. As long as you keep it close, you'll be safe."Reassured by his words, I stopped hesitating and lifted the bathtub with growing force."What... is this?"Beneath the tub wasn't the corpse I had feared, but a dark, untraceable hole.About one and a half feet wide and a foot long—just enough for an adult to crawl through. "Where does it lead?" The Peaceful Inn's layout was bizarre, with room numbers in no discernible order. The first floor was unoccupied, and the second and third housed the guest rooms. I was staying in Room 203, but I couldn't be sure if the space below me corresponded to Room 103.I shone my phone's light into the hole. The shaft extended deep into darkness. Its walls bore long-dried, earth-colored strips of fabric. "Synthetic fibers—probably someone's clothes were torn," I noted grimly.This wasn't just an abandoned shaft; it was one deliberately concealed. But who had dug it, and why?The buried truth might lie inside. Standing at the precipice, I decided to venture in.The camera was too bulky to bring along, so I set it aside. "Listen, everyone, this isn't some prank or scripted show. If I don't come back within an hour, note this location and call the police immediately."There was no telling if I'd have a signal down there, or what dangers I'd encounter. The unknown loomed large, leaving me no choice but to rely on my viewers for help."Go on, streamer! I've got 911 on speed dial.""Just woke up—has the ghost shown up yet? Say something, tough guy!""Your acting is top-notch. Ever considered joining our 'King of Trash Cinema' crew?""Bro, whether you're acting or not, streaming ghost-hunts is messed up. I reported you half an hour ago!""Cut it out! This place is definitely haunted. We saw it—a female ghost! No face, but definitely a woman."Despite the banter, one viewer's claim of having already called the police offered me a strange sense of relief. "If someone's already reported this, then I've got nothing to lose."Equipped and ready, I braced myself against the walls of the hole and slid in cautiously...