Chapter 3

The newly deceased ghost hesitated for two seconds.

Whether it was twenty bundles of gold ingots or ten strikes of heavenly lightning punishment, the former was meant for a freshly dead spirit whose family had yet to perform any rites, and the latter was clearly a punishment that could scare a ghost’s soul away!

A person can become a ghost after death, but once a ghost dies, that is when the soul is utterly dispersed!

He glared resentfully at the forbidding signs, his muddled mind unable to comprehend. He just didn’t understand why, when one was alive, they had to obey laws and rules, but even in the underworld, there were so many regulations to follow.

So, disregarding the prohibitions, he did everything he was told not to. The newly deceased ghost saw his own demise approaching and decided to go all out. Scanning the living people present, he opened his mouth like a black hole, emitting a sinister, eerie laugh.

“Hmph! I’ll feast on you all, become a vengeful ghost, and let the heavenly lightning punishment come—what harm will it do me then!”

With that, he lunged toward the young man in the wheelchair closest to him.

To be honest, among these few people, he had long disliked the one in the wheelchair. Not only had he disrupted his plans in the hospital, but now he was the reason he had to become a vengeful ghost, losing his right to reincarnation!

With old grievances and new hatreds piling up, the newly deceased ghost suddenly leapt, splitting his mouth to his ears and shouting ominously, “I’ll start by eating you!”

Chu Mingming, seeing this, was furious and shouted, “Evil ghost! If you want to eat someone, eat me first! Let go of my brother!”

The female student, seeing the ghost truly about to go on a killing spree, trembled twice before fainting on the spot out of fear.

The newly deceased ghost, momentarily fueled by the negative energy born from their terror, grew even more hostile. His form suddenly doubled in size, and the head flying in mid-air swelled from a rubber ball to the size of a yoga ball, the stench of rot intensifying from his mouth.

“Hahaha, kid, are you scared? Can you feel the fear?”

He was exceedingly proud, especially pleased with the power coursing through him, determined to give the young man a satisfying bite.

Chu Ning remained expressionless, pushing his wheelchair backward, covering his mouth and nose with disdain.

Seeing this, the ghost felt deeply insulted and howled in rage, “What do you mean by that? Am I not scary enough? Why aren’t you afraid of me?!”

Chu Ning replied calmly, “Not scary, but definitely ugly.”

The newly deceased ghost was deeply provoked and flew into a rage.

Gathering a fierce gust of cold wind, he charged straight at Chu Ning’s face. Yet, just an arm’s length away, Chu Ning suddenly pulled a coin from his pocket and tossed it casually, silently reciting:

“Mount Tai’s auspicious aura towers high,
Purple streets sweep yellow dust by,
The Emperor of Heaven’s bright sun and moon shine,
No evil invades, protecting me divine.”

Invoking the gods’ protection—

The coin suddenly collided with the ghost in mid-air, emitting a warm, gentle white light that illuminated the entire bus. At the same moment, the ghost screamed in agony as his body and head fell to the ground, writhing like noodles boiled to mush.

“Hot! Hot! I’m burning to death!”

“My soul hurts so much!”

The newly deceased ghost screamed wildly, emitting the scent of burning flesh. His soul flickered in and out, his expression filled with unbearable pain.

“I was wrong! I know I was wrong!”

His hostility dissipated as he covered his head, pleading bitterly, “I didn’t recognize the greatness before me, the flood has destroyed the Dragon King’s temple—please, sir, spare me, I won’t dare do it again!”

Seeing his miserable state, the ghost passengers bathed in the white light showed frightened expressions. The burning sensation in their souls made them scramble from their seats, crowding the back seats and shouting as they pushed each other away.

“Run! Run! That light is roasting ghosts!”

“Hot, hot! I feel like I’m being roasted too, wahh!”

“That guy’s scary! My soul’s sweating from his heat!”

“Honestly, that light’s hotter than the sun when I vacationed in Hawaii!”

“Wow, you’ve been to Hawaii? I’ve only been to Sanya, I envy you!”

“You chat amongst yourselves, can someone let me pass first!”

…

Sitting in the back seat, accidentally witnessing the entire scene, Chu Mingming was speechless.

For some reason, he found this terrifying spectacle strangely absurd.

Meanwhile, the female student, who had just regained consciousness, opened her eyes in confusion to see a crowd of ghosts pressing eagerly around her.

One ghost, panicked, passed right through her.

The female student gasped, eyes rolling back: “...Goodbye, Mom. Tonight, I sail far away.”

She whimpered twice, then fainted again.

Chu Mingming tenderly supported her back into her seat. Then, unable to resist, he glanced back to see dozens of ghosts huddled behind him and the girl, trembling like frightened quails. A faint crack appeared in his expression.

So ghosts could feel fear too?

Cowards prey on the weak—even in the underworld, it’s true.

On the number 4 bus, the entire front row was now empty of ghosts.

Ignoring the newly deceased ghost’s writhing pleas, Chu Ning bent down to pick up the coin from the floor, casually dusting it off before pocketing it again.

Then he looked toward the crowded back seats filled with ghosts and beckoned with a finger.

The ghosts froze. Damn, they were terrified.

Chu Mingming’s eyes lit up. He perked up and loudly asked, “Brother, are you calling me?”

…

Chu Mingming was mortal, and though he didn’t understand the magic behind his brother’s coin, seeing him subdue the most terrifying ghost in the bus and frighten the rest so thoroughly gave him a surge of pride!

He never expected that his brother, his own flesh and blood, was a master of the arcane arts, capable of subduing demons and spirits!

Truly, the Chu family’s genes were exceptional!

Carrying the fainted girl on his back, Chu Mingming eagerly ran to his brother’s side amid the watching ghosts and asked excitedly, “Brother, what do we do next?”

Chu Ning glanced at his foolish younger brother and said, “Wait to get off.”

He pushed the wheelchair, turning toward the front door, with Chu Mingming following closely behind. Before Chu Ning could ask, his brother spilled his experience, worriedly saying, “Every time I reach the door, some force pulls me back.”

Chu Ning explained, “The ghosts ride this bus to the Yellow Springs. It’s a one-way trip.”

As he spoke, he pushed the wheelchair to the driver’s seat, facing the driver—who remained calm despite the chaos in the bus, his pale face unmoved as he drove.

Noticing Chu Ning’s gaze, the driver turned stiffly, “Anything?”

Chu Ning studied his eyes and sighed, “There are no living passengers here. You’ve got the wrong people on your bus.”

The driver paused, eyes widening, but shook his head firmly, “No, no mistake.”

Chu Ning: …

He shook his head, pulled out the coin, muttered “Sorry,” and tossed it upward.

A flash of pale green flame flickered. The driver, touched by the coin, instantly transformed into a palm-sized paper figure, drifting onto the driver’s seat.

Chu Mingming rubbed his eyes, amazed, “Whoa! Brother, you even know dimensional reduction magic!”

Chu Ning looked at him with affectionate exasperation and asked him to pick up the paper figure.

Chu Mingming did so, flipping it over. The paper figure was intricately folded, except for the eyes, which were covered by a layer of dust for some unknown reason, blocking its vision.

Staring at the dust, Chu Mingming felt an inexplicable discomfort.

At that moment, a loud “thud” echoed from the front row. The newly deceased ghost screamed as iron chains suddenly locked his feet in place.

“Who dares cause trouble here?”

A thick mist spread.

From the fog, two figures slowly emerged.

One wore the typical garb of a ghost official—a tattered patrol uniform with a rusted bronze knife at his waist. His pale eyes were sunken with deep bags, as if he hadn’t slept for lifetimes.

The other exuded a gentle aura, clad in simple dark robes, carrying a book under his arm, strolling leisurely.

Upon their appearance, all the ghosts aboard buried their faces in their necks, fearful of being noticed by the ghost official.

The lead ghost official surveyed the bus, glanced at the living passengers, then approached the chained ghost without hesitation, poking it with the back of his bronze knife.

“Well, well, causing trouble within an hour of death—bold, aren’t you!”

Despite the shackles, the newly deceased ghost clung to the officer’s leg like a newborn, humbly pleading, “Sir, I know I was wrong, really wrong! Please take me to receive those ten heavenly punishments! Waaah!”

The ghost official was surprised. “Really? Such a good attitude?”

In all his years patrolling, he had never seen a ghost begging to be struck by lightning.

The ghost cried blood tears, nodding frantically. “Really, really! Please take me back to the underworld! I’m willing to suffer! Gold, silver, food, heavenly punishment—I don’t care!”

Though ten strikes of heavenly lightning could cause the soul to dissipate, the pain lasted only a while. But the burning his soul suffered from the man’s spell was a death repeated every second.

The ghost official stroked his chin silently.

Then, catching the scent of burning from the ghost, he sneered coldly: “No wonder you’re so obedient—it seems you offended a powerful mortal who burned your soul.”

The ghost wailed, “I won’t dare anymore, I really won’t!”

The officer snorted, knowing he meant it, then flicked his soul-binding whip, mercilessly capturing the ghost into his sleeve.

Having dealt with the troublemaker, he turned his gaze to Chu Ning and the others, his eyes sharp. Finally, they landed on the paper figure in Chu Mingming’s hand.

He uttered a soft “hmm,” raised his hand, and the paper figure floated into his palm.

“The paper figure’s eyes were covered, no wonder a living person mistakenly boarded the underworld bus,” he muttered, ignoring the newly captured ghost. Then he glanced at the few living people present and said, “This is no place for you to stay long. Get off and go home. Consider tonight’s events a mere dream.”

With that, he waved his sleeve, and the bus doors opened.

Chu Mingming marveled at the ghostly powers and looked outside to find the bus stopped at the bustling Tongcheng Food Street. The street was brightly lit, teeming with people, with vendors shouting and filling the entire lively avenue.

“Let’s go.” Chu Ning pushed him gently and instructed, “First, take your classmate on your back out.”

Chu Mingming hesitated, scratched his head, and said, “I’ll bring her back right after.”

Chu Ning nodded quietly and waited at the door.

Unexpectedly, the dark-robed ghost official, who had been silent until now, moved a finger to lower the wheelchair-access ramp.

Chu Ning was surprised and nodded in thanks, “Much appreciated, sir.”

The ghost official stood with hands behind his back, his features calm and handsome.

“No need,” he replied.

Chu Ning exchanged a polite nod and pushed the wheelchair away at a steady pace.

…

The dark-robed ghost official watched the young man’s departing figure, a faint sense of familiarity stirring within him, though he couldn’t place it.

Beside him, the other ghost official stroked his chin, puzzled. “When did the mortal world produce such a young master? His merit and virtue shine so brightly, even I, Cui, feel dazzled.”

The dark-robed official lowered his gaze silently, casually summoning the coin left behind when sealing the young man’s paper figure into his palm.

The other official leaned closer and asked, “Master, is there anything unusual about this coin?”

“None,” came the calm reply.

The dark-robed official lightly erased the remaining aura of merit from the coin.

The other official, uninterested in this ordinary coin, withdrew his gaze and adopted a serious tone.

“By the way, Master, how do you plan to deal with that newly deceased ghost who caused trouble? That ghost has many crimes. Ten strikes of heavenly lightning might not teach it a lasting lesson.”

The dark-robed official replied casually, “That brat tried to possess a baby’s soul, then scared the living and caused chaos on the spirit bus. I’ll punish him with thirty-three strikes of heavenly lightning and send him to the Hound’s Ridge, where he’ll never leave before reincarnation.”

Hound’s Ridge—a notorious place in the underworld known for brutal ghosts preying upon other ghosts.

For the newly deceased ghost, the future suffering there would far surpass the burning pain of his scorched soul.

The ghost official shook his bronze knife at his waist and laughed heartily, praising, “Master is truly formidable.”

…

When Chu Ning wheeled off the bus, Chu Mingming had just settled the female student by a roadside flowerbed. He nearly sprinted back and saw Chu Ning already waiting by the roadside. The “Route 4” bus was nowhere to be seen, and only then did the reality of returning to the living world sink in.

Still shaken, he hurriedly asked Chu Ning how he had gotten off the bus.

Chu Ning replied cheerfully, “I met a kind ghost.”

Chu Mingming: “Okay then.”

After the night’s ordeal, Chu Mingming’s nearly twenty-year-old worldview had been repeatedly shattered and rebuilt. Not only had he encountered the legendary ghost bus of urban legend and nearly lost his life, but he also discovered that his recently reunited older brother was secretly a master of the arcane arts, invincible against a hundred ghosts!

Chu Mingming: Life is truly full of ups and downs.

Across the lively night market, the two brothers exchanged a knowing glance, each understanding something unspoken.

After the fainted girl regained consciousness, Chu Mingming comforted her briefly and called her family. Only then did they return together to their rented apartment.

That night.

Chu Ning thought Chu Mingming would have trouble sleeping after such a fright, but when the clock struck midnight, the next room suddenly echoed with a murmured rap.

Chu Mingming: “Let’s just call it a dream, still too scared to move even long after waking.”

Chu Ning: …