The monk got off the bus and left. At first, the driver didn't pay much attention, but what happened next became increasingly bizarre.
The passengers on the bus began to go mad for no reason. A cry drifted in from outside the window, drawing everyone's attention as they looked out.
The moment everyone's gaze turned outward, a white light shone in.
Everyone's eyes became glazed over, their lips curved into eerie smiles. Blood began to flow from their eyes, then their noses, then their mouths, and finally their ears. One by one, they became vacant, like statues.
And the bus itself vanished into the mountains, never to be seen again.
Legend has it that on the fourth, fourteenth, and twenty-fourth of every month, at four in the morning, one will encounter bus number 444 on the road.
The place where bus 444 disappeared is precisely the stretch of road the current bus is traveling on.
After Brother Li finished his story, everyone was still engrossed. A few curious individuals immediately asked,
"Is it true?"
"Yeah, yeah, is it really that strange?"
Yu Daochen listened from the back and shook his head helplessly. Everyone in this line of work knew that the more these folk legends were told, the less one knew what was true and what was false.
Since they were all men and had nothing to do on the bus the next day, they chatted incessantly. Yu Daochen, feeling sleepy, was about to close his eyes for a moment when an old-fashioned bus pulled up behind them.
Yu Daochen looked at the bus through the glass. Everyone inside had a mournful expression. The bus was moving very fast. As it was about to pass out of Yu Daochen's line of sight, a face looked at him through the car window.
Yu Daochen's heart tightened, and he instinctively gripped the Kanglong Mace at his waist.
The bus quickly drove ahead. Yu Daochen turned to look at the people still chatting in front, but they seemed not to have noticed the bus. "Did you see a bus pass by just now?"
A few people turned and looked at Yu Daochen with confusion.
"Was there a car?"
"Xiao Yu, were you dreaming?"
"Yeah, did any car pass by?"
Yu Daochen touched his head and chuckled, "I must have been dreaming."
After a few teasing remarks, they resumed their conversation.
Yu Daochen felt helpless. Could he really encounter such strange things on a single bus ride?
He took out his phone and saw that it was exactly four in the morning. He watched every movement outside the window.
After more than an hour passed, Yu Daochen finally breathed a sigh of relief. As he closed his eyes, he glanced out the window.
The moment his gaze fell on a road sign, his expression suddenly turned grim. At the same time, the bus came to a halt.
Seeing the bus stop, everyone looked at the driver, a middle-aged man in his forties.
The driver looked at the road ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel trembling slightly. His face was solemn. "Haven't we already driven through this section?"
At this, everyone looked out the window. Brother Li, however, was much calmer. He looked at the driver and said, "Driver, just keep driving forward and see."
Hearing Brother Li's words, the driver stepped on the accelerator, and the bus started moving again. This time, everyone was intently watching the situation outside.
Yu Daochen, in the back, watched the window, one hand in his pocket clutching a yellow talisman, the other hand gripping the Kanglong Mace tightly.
Before the bus had traveled five meters, everyone saw an old-fashioned bus approaching. Brother Li squinted and saw the old-fashioned bus with three blood-red numbers on its front: 444.
"It's bus 444, it's bus 444!" Brother Li shouted.
Everyone stared at the bus. The driver slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the ground.
The passengers on the bus trembled. The bus lurched forward more than a meter, leaving two black tire marks.
When everyone regained their balance and looked ahead, the bus had already vanished from the road.
Before everyone could recover from the shock, a white mist drifted out from the forest.
The white mist quickly enveloped the entire forest and the road.
The driver slowly started the bus. When he stepped on the accelerator, only the roar of the engine could be heard, but the bus remained motionless, as if something was pulling it from behind.
Everyone on the bus began to panic, and the driver's brow furrowed even deeper.
Seeing the situation, everyone started to discuss.
One person suggested, "Why doesn't someone go down and take a look?"
A portion of them looked at the driver. Seeing that the situation was not right, Brother Li shook his head and said, "He's the only driver on the bus. If something happens to him, none of us can leave."
Hearing Brother Li's words, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Brother Li is right. He's the only driver on the bus. What will we do if he dies?"
"Then who will go? We can't just wait here forever."
A few people looked at Brother Li with mocking expressions.
"Why don't you go take a look, Brother Li?"
"That's right, since you said the driver can't go."
"Yeah, Brother Li."
Yu Daochen watched the situation in front, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. He stood up and walked towards the door, saying, "I'll go."
The driver opened the door. Just as Yu Daochen was about to step out, a hand grabbed him.
Yu Daochen turned to see Brother Li shaking his head. "Alright, with your small frame, you shouldn't go."
Before Yu Daochen could speak, Brother Li strode out and reached the ground. Brother Li nodded at Yu Daochen in the bus and walked towards the back of the bus.
With a bang, the door closed. Yu Daochen glanced at the driver.
A scream made Yu Daochen's already tense nerves snap.
Immediately after, a bloody smell wafted into Yu Daochen's nostrils.
"Open the door!" Yu Daochen shouted.
Seeing that the driver did not respond, Yu Daochen's eyes turned cold. He glared at the driver, gripped the Kanglong Mace, and smashed it at the car window.
The glass shattered. Yu Daochen grabbed a seat, kicked off, and flipped out.
As soon as he stood firm, he saw Brother Li limping towards him, leaning on the bus.
His right arm looked like it had been clawed by some animal, blood streaming down his entire arm, dripping onto the ground. His left foot was torn open, the bone exposed.
Seeing Yu Daochen jump out of the window, Brother Li said urgently, "Get up, hurry and get up!"
Brother Li was about to say more when a sharp claw lunged towards his head. Yu Daochen condensed his palm and took a step forward, striking directly at the claw.
The moment his palm, imbued with golden energy, touched the claw, a scream erupted. Brother Li looked at Yu Daochen in astonishment.
Yu Daochen waved his left hand, striking Brother Li's neck.
Brother Li fell unconscious from the blow.
Yu Daochen caught him, bit his finger, and dripped a drop of his own blood onto Brother Li's wound.
Strangely, this drop of blood emitted a red glow in the darkness.
The moment the blood touched the wound, it began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Yu Daochen put Brother Li down and looked at his own palm. The three runes that were originally there had now become two.
In the white mist, figures were approaching Yu Daochen.
Author's Note:
If you have any folk ghost stories, feel free to comment them for the author.