Getting off work late at night, I had just boarded the bus when an announcement sounded in my ear: "Welcome aboard. This bus's destination is — Heaven!"

I froze, wondering if bus announcements had started doing dark humor these days?

Two minutes later, the bus reached its first stop. A tall girl stood up to get off.

The announcement rang again: "Passengers are strictly forbidden from alighting from this bus. Violators — will die!"

The tall girl frowned, muttered something under her breath, and got off anyway.

The next second, I and the other seven passengers on board heard a scream. We all looked down together.

The tall girl lay on the cold ground, her head separated from her body. She was dead.

I'm an office worker. This Friday I had quite a lot of tasks, so I worked until eleven o'clock at night before getting off work.

Walking out of the company building, I boarded Bus Route 18 as usual.

Just as I got on, I heard an announcement: "Welcome aboard. This bus's destination is — Heaven!"

I froze, wondering if bus announcements had started doing dark humor these days?

There weren't too many people on the bus at this hour.

I sat in the back row and counted — there were eight passengers in total.

I closed my eyes for a quick nap, and before I knew it, the bus had reached the next stop. A tall girl stood up to get off.

Suddenly, the announcement blared: "Passengers are strictly forbidden from alighting from this bus. Violators — will die!"

I scoffed and looked at the driver, clearly annoyed: "Driver, there's a limit to dark humor, okay?"

The tall girl also frowned, muttering something dissatisfied, and got off anyway.

The next second, I and the other seven passengers heard a scream. We all looked down together.

The tall girl lay on the cold ground, her head separated from her body. She was dead.

My heart began pounding wildly.

The bus continued forward.

The other six passengers sat in silence. For a moment, the atmosphere inside the bus was stifling.

The next stop was far away — about five minutes away.

We all sat in our seats, an unspoken understanding between us.

Suddenly, the announcement sounded again: "Please remain seated and hold on tight. The bus is about to travel on a mountain road. Those who do not grasp the handrails do so at their own peril."

There was a pair of twin brothers on the bus. When the tall girl was decapitated at the last stop, they'd been wearing headphones playing games, just glancing outside and not paying much attention.

Now they took off their headphones. After hearing the announcement, the older brother exploded: "What the hell is this bus? I've been riding it for three years and never heard of it going through mountains. We're right in the city — where would a mountain even come from?"

The younger brother also glared angrily in the direction of the announcement: "Fucking joke around with some sense, why don't you!"

With that, they stood up and walked toward the driver.

Suddenly, the bus made a sharp turn, slammed on the brakes, then accelerated again.

Both brothers were thrown out of the window. The glass shattered from the impact.

I and the other five passengers were stunned.

Strangely, the window the twins had just shattered quickly repaired itself right after they were thrown out.

Cold sweat broke out all over my body.

The other five passengers began moving seats — we all ended up sitting together as if by instinct.

Even more eerie, rolling mountains began appearing outside the windows.

This clearly wasn't my usual commute home!

"We have to do something!" said a passenger who called himself Uncle Liu. "This bus is too strange. It might be the legendary ghost bus from five years ago."

I looked at him, confused: "Uncle Liu, what do you mean — ghost bus?"

Uncle Liu cleared his throat: "Five years ago, a Bus Route 44 carrying eight passengers mysteriously disappeared at midnight. The eight passengers and the driver were never heard from again. The police assumed everyone on board had met with misfortune, but the wreckage of the bus was never found, and neither were the bodies."

I wiped cold sweat from my forehead: "But Uncle Liu, we're on Bus Route 18, not Route 44."

At my words, everyone looked up toward the front of the bus.

The sign at the front had somehow been replaced with "Bus Route 44."

I was shocked: "Tonight — we're also on Route 44. And there are also eight passengers on board!"

Saying this, I felt a sharp pang in my chest.

The driver of that ghost bus Uncle Liu spoke of — was my grandfather. The man who loved me, who doted on me, who was honest, selfless, and warm-hearted his whole life.

Ever since he mysteriously disappeared five years ago, my heart had been aching.

Uncle Liu's expression remained calm: "I think our priority right now is figuring out how to get off this bus."

At that, everyone looked toward the driver.

A question rose in my mind.

Since I got on, the driver hadn't said a single word.

Whether it was the tall girl getting decapitated, the twin brothers flying out the window, or the strange announcements — it was as if none of it had anything to do with him.

I stood up and looked at the other four: "How about we go check if the driver is acting strange?"

Just then, the announcement sounded again: "Do not approach the driver or disturb the driver. Violators — will die!"

A burly man with a full beard sitting to Uncle Liu's left got angry: "Fucking problem's obviously with the driver! Can't do this, can't do that — I've had it! We're gonna die anyway, might as well die knowing what's going on!"

With that, he strode toward the driver. Uncle Liu and I tried to hold him back but couldn't.

But before he even reached the driver, he suddenly lifted off the ground, suspended in midair.

It was as if someone had him by the throat, lifting him up by the neck. His eyes rolled back, and in an instant, he was dead.

Even more terrifying, after he died, his body floated to the door on its own. The doors opened automatically, and the burly man's body drifted out into the endless night.

Soon, chewing sounds came from outside the window.

The sound was vivid and bloody. The girl sitting next to me — Xiao Li — was so scared she started crying.

Now there were only four passengers left on the bus: me, Uncle Liu, Xiao Li, and Xiao Li's boyfriend Da Li.

Uncle Liu sighed: "Young people these days just won't listen to reason!"

He was lamenting the burly man's tragic fate.

Xiao Li's boyfriend Da Li grabbed my arm tightly: "Sis, are we gonna make it home? My mom's still waiting for me and Xiao Li. Tomorrow's our birthday!"

I patted Da Li's hand helplessly: "Don't worry. There's always a way!"

With that, I looked out the window — and suddenly spotted a glimmer of hope.

Outside the window, there were no more rolling mountains. Instead, there were streetlights and cars.

"We're back on a normal road!" I exclaimed.

Uncle Liu, Xiao Li, and the others followed my gaze outward.

But my joy was short-lived.

Because although the scenery outside had returned to normal, it was desolate.

Just then, the bus stopped suddenly and the doors opened.

The announcement sounded again: "All passengers must alight immediately. Violators — will die!"

The four of us, feeling as though we'd been granted amnesty, quickly rushed off the bus.

No sooner had we stepped off than the announcement rang again: "Do not wander far. We will now play a game of hide and seek. The bus will drive away and hide. You have thirty minutes. Within thirty minutes, you must find the boarding point and get back on the bus. Fail to board in time — and you die!"

After the announcement finished, the bus drove away.

Fuck!

I cursed fiercely at the back of the bus.

That announcement voice was both domineering and shameless, going on about death every other sentence!

I pulled out my phone from my pocket, intending to call the police immediately.

But no matter how many times I dialed, all that came from the phone was: "Sorry, the number you have dialed is out of service area."

I tried calling my dad, but the same message played.

No matter what I tried, the result was always the same.

Uncle Liu patted my shoulder: "Girl, stop calling. Let's think of another way. The most important thing right now is finding the bus."

While the four of us were staring at each other, I saw a group of people walking across the street. I hurried over to greet them: "Excuse me! Where is this place? How do I get to Baiyun Road?"

Uncle Liu, Xiao Li, and Da Li did the same, running up to passersby to ask for directions.

But no matter how hard we tried, those people didn't look at us or acknowledge us — it was as if the four of us didn't exist.

Even more terrifying, we watched helplessly as the crowd walked straight through our bodies.

Xiao Li broke down crying, Da Li howled helplessly, and Uncle Liu laughed bitterly in his anger.

But the crowd just kept talking and laughing, completely oblivious to our joy and sorrow.

I squatted on the ground, holding my head. So what if we were back in the real world? The four of us — we'd already been abandoned by this world!

Just then, I saw my boyfriend Zhang Hanhan walk past me, his arm around a girl with a smoking-hot body.

My rage instantly boiled over.

Zhang Hanhan held the hot girl close, reeking of alcohol: "Yunyun, this place is the suburbs. The scenery might be desolate, but at least it's quiet and free! Most importantly, that bitch Zhao Manman will never find us here."

Yunyun smiled coyly: "Hanhan-ge, sounds like you still care about Sister Manman, huh?"

"Care? Hahahaha!" Zhang Hanhan laughed wildly and arrogantly. "What I really care about is her family's money. Her dad said that after graduation, he'd give her two years to go out and find a job and gain experience. Once those two years are up, he'll hand the company over to her. We just need to be careful these two years — don't let her find out!"

"When are you gonna propose to her?" Yunyun's tone was impatient. "A big fish like that — can't let someone else get her!"

Zhang Hanhan sneered: "Next week's her birthday. I've prepared a romantic proposal scene. A brainless woman like Zhao Manman — I show her a little affection and she'll cling to me like a dog! Once we're married, she'll be completely obedient. After she takes over the company, you and I will have the good life!"

Yunyun smiled sweetly: "Are you still giving her the infertility medicine? Make sure she can never have kids!"

"Relax!" Zhang Hanhan looked smug. "I make her breakfast every day — put in plenty. Once we're married and she can't have kids, I'll trick her into adopting one. And that adopted kid? It'll be mine and yours! Just think about it — her raising our kid for us — I get so happy thinking about it! Then I'll keep putting stuff in her food until one day she suddenly falls gravely ill, and the whole company falls into my hands. Hahahahaha!"

I ran up to Zhang Hanhan and slapped him hard across the face.

He was completely unharmed, just looking confused: "What the hell! Where'd this wind come from?"

Then he squeezed Yunyun's waist tighter: "I just love how wild you are in bed! When we get to the hotel, you take good care of me — there'll be rewards!"

I collapsed weakly to the ground, tears streaming down my face despite myself.

Uncle Liu sighed: "Manman, there's no point crying over someone who doesn't cherish you."

With that, he helped me up.

Da Li also helped Uncle Liu pull me to my feet.

I don't know if it was my imagination,

but I felt like when Da Li was pulling me up, his hand deliberately squeezed a sensitive spot on my body.

And there was a fleeting, sinister grin in his eyes.

But that eerie smile disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and I shivered.

The four of us discussed it and decided to go look for the bus together.

After all, we only had thirty minutes.

If we couldn't find the bus, we might really die — just like that evil announcement said.

Just then, the scenery around us suddenly began to shift.

No longer city streets — but tall, jagged mountains clawing at the sky.

There was no cell service, no internet. The four of us stayed huddled together, afraid to get separated.

But we still got lost in a dense forest.

When I turned around, Uncle Liu, Da Li, and Xiao Li were gone.

In an instant, fear consumed me.

I patted my backpack — good, it was still there!

I took out some bread and water from inside and sat down to replenish my strength.

As I was eating, I saw a cloud of white mist drifting toward me.

Soon, I was enveloped in fog.

A familiar voice sounded: "Manman, you've come."

I was startled and quickly stood up: "Grandpa? Grandpa, where are you? Do you know how much I've missed you these five years?"

"Manman, Grandpa has missed you too."

I was overjoyed: "Grandpa, you're alive?"

"Mm!"

The fog was too thick — I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, let alone tell where Grandpa's voice was coming from.

"Manman, after your mother passed away, your father married your stepmother. He loves you so much he never had another child with her. And in two years, your father will pass the company inheritance to you. But he also feels guilty toward your stepmother — that's why whenever she makes things difficult for you, he always takes her side. Living with them hasn't been easy, has it?"

I nodded: "Grandpa, if you know all this, why don't you come back? Do you know — from the moment you disappeared five years ago, I've thought about you day and night."

Grandpa sighed: "You caused your mother to die in childbirth the moment you were born, and you've made your father struggle to mediate between you and your stepmother, wearing him down. Now your boyfriend has betrayed you too. Grandpa's heart aches for you!"

My heart trembled, and sorrow washed over me.

Back when Mom was giving birth to me, the doctor asked whether to save the mother or the child. Mom didn't hesitate — she chose to save me. And while Dad usually sided with my stepmother, he was kind to me in private — though he also said this life was wearing him out.

And my boyfriend — we'd been together since our third year of college. I always thought our love was stronger than gold. But it turned out everything was just my wishful thinking.

Heh! How ironic!

For a moment, my heart was filled with grief, and tears streamed down my face.

The fog grew heavier.

I suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Grandpa's voice sounded again: "Manman, five years ago, when the Grandpa who loved you suddenly disappeared, you were so heartbroken you almost got hit by a train. Luckily, that monk saved you in the end."

I gasped for breath: "Grandpa, stop — stop talking!"

But Grandpa only talked more intensely: "Too bad he pulled you away from the tracks in time — but he lost his own life doing it!"

The fog thickened even more. It was as if it had grown hands, and they were squeezing my neck hard.

I struggled to breathe: "Grandpa, I — I want to hug you!"

Hanging on by my last thread of consciousness, I saw the thickest cloud of white mist — shaped like a person — drifting toward me.

Now! I pulled twelve talismans from my backpack and slammed them all onto the left shoulder of the human-shaped white fog.

A scream rang out. Soon after, the fog dispersed and the dense forest vanished.

I found myself on a desolate street with not even a streetlight.

I collapsed on the ground. That battle with the evil white fog had drained half my strength.

The one controlling the fog knew exactly how to play with people's hearts. He kept imitating Grandpa's voice, making me relive one sad memory after another.

Each time I felt sorrow, I fed more power into the white fog.

Good thing my resolve was strong — I almost fell for his trick!

Now I was certain I was back in the real world, but just like before, the people here couldn't see me or sense me.

I couldn't establish any connection with this world.

After all, this started with the bus, so I had to find it.

As I was searching anxiously, I heard a woman's cry of pleasure coming from an alley ahead.

I quietly walked over and peeked in — I saw Xiao Li lying naked on the ground, making love with Da Li.

I don't know if it was my imagination, but for a moment I saw twelve tentacles growing out of Da Li's back. But when I blinked, they were gone.

A car drove by on the road, heading straight toward Xiao Li and Da Li.

I shouted a warning and ran over to stop them, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit me and I passed out.

I woke up on a grassy field. Uncle Liu, Xiao Li, and Da Li were sitting around me, looking worried: "Manman, you're awake!"

Xiao Li saw my eyes open and grabbed my hand, on the verge of tears: "Sister Manman, thank goodness you're okay. I was so scared!"

I looked at Xiao Li and Da Li: "Earlier I saw you two... you were being intimate in that alley, and a car was coming. I was going to save you..."

Uncle Liu patted my shoulder: "Manman, you inhaled damp poison from the dense forest and started hallucinating. The four of us have been together since we got off the bus. While we were looking for the bus, you had a hallucination — yelling at a tree, calling it Grandpa, and saying you had to rush over to save Xiao Li and Da Li. I had to knock you out."

Hmph, I snorted inwardly. Uncle Liu was quite the actor!

As someone who's been practicing spiritual arts with my grandpa since childhood, I knew that white fog in the dense forest was no hallucination!

Just as we were talking, the screech of brakes cut through the air. Bus Route 44 appeared right in front of us, right on time.

Uncle Liu pulled my hand: "Manman, hurry — get on!"

I suddenly slapped my palm against Uncle Liu's left shoulder. He screamed and his face went pale.

"Uncle Liu, your act is full of holes. How much longer do you plan to keep it up?" My tone was light and calm.

Xiao Li gently tugged at my sleeve: "Sister Manman, this is a crisis. I think we need to stick together, not suspect each other."

Uncle Liu looked at me in confusion: "Manman, are you hallucinating again? That damp poison from the forest must be really strong! Let's get on the bus quickly."

Uncle Liu reached for my arm again, but I shook him off quickly. I glanced at my watch — thirty-five minutes until midnight.

Five years ago, that ghost bus disappeared at exactly midnight.

I snorted coldly: "Liu Huaidan, how long are you going to play dumb? Five years ago — if it weren't for you, how would my grandpa have died? You inhuman monster — your life ends today!"

Uncle Liu dodged my peachwood sword with a single leap. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a middle-aged man — this was Liu Huaidan's true face.

"Hmph!" Liu Huaidan's voice was icy. "Speak — how did you see through me?"

"That doesn't matter!" My anger was at its peak. "Tell me — where are my grandfather's remains?"

Liu Huaidan smiled evilly: "Don't be in such a rush. Our game isn't over yet!"

With that, he waved his hand, and a cloud of black fog spread before my eyes. When it cleared, Liu Huaidan was gone.

Xiao Li pulled at me: "Sister Manman, let's just get on the bus quickly."

I snorted, slung my backpack on, and boarded.

The familiar announcement sounded again: "Welcome, three passengers. There are ten stops and thirty minutes remaining until our destination — Heaven. During this time, no one is allowed to alight. Violators — will die!"

Xiao Li suddenly burst into tears after hearing this.

I quickly handed her a tissue.

Xiao Li cried as she spoke: "Sister Manman, why did Uncle Liu suddenly turn into a middle-aged man? And — did we get on this cursed bus because of him?"

Da Li also looked at me in terror.

I nodded.

Da Li looked like he'd found a savior: "Sister Manman, you seem like you know what you're doing. Is there any way out for us? That Uncle Liu — is he human or a ghost?"

My tone was gentle: "Uncle Liu is an evil cultivator — something far more terrifying than a ghost. Five years ago, on a night of the blood moon, he used dark arts to control eight girls born in the midnight hour to board Bus Route 44, heading to Black Water Pool to worship the moon in a bid for immortality. Back then, my dad's company had just started up, and my grandpa still worked for the bus company."

Saying this, my anger flared: "That night, Uncle Liu took those eight girls and boarded the last bus my grandpa was driving. The final stop was Black Water Pool. The next day, my grandpa didn't come home. I heard on the news that Bus Route 44 had mysteriously disappeared."

Xiao Li was even more frightened: "But I thought they never even found the wreckage? And the eight passengers and the driver were never seen, alive or dead. Did the bus hide itself?"

"Silly girl." I patted Xiao Li's hand. "That bus didn't mysteriously disappear — it was dismantled by Liu Huaidan's disciples and taken to a repair shop run by his followers, where it was melted down."

Xiao Li trembled: "Then... what about the eight people and the driver?"

My grief welled up: "Those eight girls were controlled by Liu Huaidan's dark arts and pushed into Black Water Pool as sacrifices. The driver — an old man who knew some spiritual arts — tried to save them, but his arts couldn't stand against Liu Huaidan's evil magic. He was killed by Liu Huaidan too!"

Da Li suddenly stepped closer to me, his expression hostile: "Sister Manman, you sure know a lot. But these are secrets — not something an outsider should know!"

I looked up and saw Da Li's eyes had turned red, and his whole body was trembling.

Xiao Li went pale: "Sister Manman, Da Li... is he possessed by an evil spirit?"

With that, Xiao Li's eyes rolled back and she fainted from fright.

I gripped my peachwood sword tightly.

The bus announcement blared: "Punishment of the wicked — the game begins. Whoever knows the most secrets dies first!"

I snorted and pointed the peachwood sword at Da Li: "Liu Huaidan, stop playing ghost. Possessing other people — you look ridiculous!"

Saying this, while Liu Huaidan was off guard, I suddenly drove the sword into Xiao Li: "Xiao Li — for five years you've helped Liu Huaidan kill nine innocent people. Pay for your crimes!"

Xiao Li suddenly opened her eyes. They were red too. Clutching her wound in pain, she smiled coldly: "Zhao Manman — how did you see through me?"

I snorted: "Before I even got on this bus, I already planned how to deal with you and your master Liu Huaidan! You kept acting — so I acted right along with you. That announcement on the bus — you've been making it with ventriloquism using dark arts, haven't you?"

With that, I didn't give Xiao Li a chance. I slammed twelve yellow talismans at her, and she transformed into a cloud of black gas, slowly dispersing.

From where the black gas faded, Xiao Li's triumphant voice echoed: "Zhao Manman, you can't win! There are only twenty minutes until midnight. That's when yin energy is at its strongest — and my master's power will reach its peak. Just wait until you lose your dignity and your life! Hahahahaha!"

I ignored her and quickly pulled a handful of yellow talismans from my backpack, scattering them all over Da Li. He screamed and soon fell to the ground.

I took out my water bottle and splashed half of the cold water on his face.

Da Li woke up quickly: "Sister Manman... when I was possessed, I was still conscious the whole time. It was terrifying! I saw what Xiao Li really was too — she... she was working with Uncle Liu all along. Why did she trick me!"

Da Li sat down, holding his head in his hands, tears streaming from his eyes.

I comforted him: "Don't be too upset. You saw what happened to my boyfriend too, right? Maybe there's a better girl waiting for you ahead!"

"Really, Sister Manman?" Da Li looked up, gripping my hand in surprise. "There's really a better girl waiting for me?"

I pulled my hand out of his grasp — what a hopeless romantic.

Da Li stared at me shyly for a long time: "Actually, if we're talking about better girls... someone like you, Sister Manman — that's... that's pretty great!"

I gave him a disgusted look and said nothing.

But Da Li leaned in closer, his face near mine: "Sister Manman, the bus will reach the final stop in twenty minutes. We can't get out anyway — we're doomed to die. So before we die... why don't you and I have some fun? I've had my eye on you since the moment you got on the bus! Dying under the petals of a flower — I'd die a happy man!"

With that, Da Li started touching me.

I slapped him hard across the face, and he froze in place.

Wiping his face, Da Li's expression turned ferocious: "That bitch Xiao Li betrayed me — you can make up for it. Since you won't take the polite offer, you can take the rough one!"

Da Li threw a cloud of powder at me. My body went limp and I collapsed in his arms.

Only then did Da Li show his true colors. His face shifted — first into Uncle Liu, then into Xiao Li, then into the burly man, finally settling on Liu Huaidan's real appearance.

That's right. From the moment I got on the bus, I knew the other six passengers were all Liu Huaidan's disciples — and also his avatars.

Back in the day, Liu Huaidan took six disciples.

Five years ago, to advance his dark arts even further, he discussed with his six disciples and they all practiced the high-level evil technique "Seven Devils Union."

The essence of Seven Devils Union was merging seven people into one, sharing a single body.

The condition was that the other six had to willingly reside within the seventh person's body and obey their commands.

All six of Liu Huaidan's disciples had merged into his body, willing to follow his orders.

When I got on the bus earlier, Liu Huaidan had separated the other six disciples from his body. Actually, back then I already knew it was the seven of them — master and disciples — working together to create this horror.

Seeing me limp in his arms,

Liu Huaidan grinned and tore off my outer garment, his voice vicious: "Zhao Manman — five years. You're the most stubborn sacrifice I've ever seen. But now, you can't escape! Come on — serve me well, and then I'll send you to the bottom of Black Water Pool to meet your meddlesome grandfather!"

Taking advantage of Liu Huaidan letting his guard down, I threw a handful of pepper powder at him: "Uncle Liu, stop daydreaming!"

Liu Huaidan couldn't open his eyes for a moment and started coughing violently: "You... cough... did you deliberately walk into my trap from the very beginning?"

I gave him a contemptuous look: "Liu Huaidan, you used illusion on me back in the dense forest. You pretended to be my grandpa to trick me. That white demon fog — you created it, didn't you? You knew I knew some spiritual arts, so you wanted to test me. I slammed twelve yellow talismans on your left shoulder back then — you were injured."

Liu Huaidan glared at me venomously but said nothing.

My voice was cold: "After being injured, you needed to heal. So you transformed into Da Li and made love to Xiao Li, absorbing her essence to recover."

Liu Huaidan snorted: "I underestimated you!"

I cleared my throat: "Afraid I'd catch on, you used illusion to make me see a car rushing toward Da Li and Xiao Li, then used another avatar to attack me from behind and knock me out. After I woke up and saw through you, you vanished. Your avatars Xiao Li and Da Li urged me to get back on the bus. Actually, from the moment we entered the dense forest, the bus had already been driven away by your people. Everything after that was an illusion."

"Xiao Li, Da Li, and I never actually got back on the bus. I'm still in that dense forest — just like I am now. If I'm not mistaken, right now you and I are standing in the same forest where we first got off."

As soon as I finished speaking, the bus disappeared.

Before me was a dense forest.

"What a clumsy deception!" I said, quietly gripping a short knife from my sleeve. "Now — you can die!"

I took out the knife dipped in talisman water and, catching Liu Huaidan off guard, stabbed him.

Liu Huaidan clutched his wound: "You're wounding an innocent person — that's a capital crime!"

I smiled slightly: "Is that so? But weren't you already dead — having disappeared on Bus Route 44 five years ago? What crime is there in killing a dead man?"

Liu Huaidan sneered: "A worthy opponent — finally someone who can give me a run for my money! Good thing I found a backup sacrifice. Otherwise, my grand plan for immortality would have been ruined by you!"

With that, Liu Huaidan threw a cloud of white powder at me and turned to run.

I dodged the powder, and when I opened my eyes again, he was gone.

I hurried after him, only to find the forest was vast with several branching paths.

I checked my watch — fifteen minutes until midnight.

At midnight, Liu Huaidan would push that girl he called the "backup sacrifice" into Black Water Pool.

Absolutely not! I had to save her!

Otherwise, once the sacrifice was complete, Liu Huaidan's power would grow even stronger, and defeating him would become even harder.

Back then, Grandpa had also died trying to save people — pushed into Black Water Pool by Liu Huaidan out of vengeance.

I took out a compass and wound my way through the dense forest, quickly locating Black Water Pool.

The place was cold, damp, and eerie winds came howling through.

I crouched down in tall grass, planning to wait and ambush him.

About three minutes later, I saw Liu Huaidan dragging a girl with vacant eyes and an expressionless face toward the pool.

I knew she was the "backup sacrifice" he'd mentioned — currently controlled by his dark arts.

I chanted a spell and set up a formation. Soon enough, at the edge of Black Water Pool, Liu Huaidan stepped precisely onto the formation's eye.

He let out a howl of pain.

I seized the chance to grab the girl's hand and wake her: "Go! Run in the opposite direction from Black Water Pool!"

The girl glanced at Liu Huaidan, who was screaming and struggling in pain, then suddenly threw herself into my arms: "Sister, I'm scared!"

I patted her shoulder gently: "Don't be scared! There's no time — run!"

But instead of running, the girl suddenly pushed hard, shoving me into Black Water Pool.

A vicious grin spread across her face, her tone casual: "For Uncle Liu and my immortality — you die! I'm not some backup sacrifice. I'm Chen Juanjuan — Uncle Liu's lover of three years, and the one sending you to your grave!"

Liu Huaidan also stopped screaming and stood up, looking at me smugly: "A mere demon-slaying array, and you thought you could trap me? Zhao Manman, what you did tonight — you remind me so much of your stupid grandfather from five years ago. What a pity — such a beauty. You didn't get to taste my lips before you died, unlike those eight other sacrifices. What a waste!"

With a splash, I fell into the icy Black Water Pool.

Black Water Pool was eerie — no matter the season, its water was freezing cold, and it was bottomless.

A wave of cold enveloped me.

I opened my eyes. In the darkness, I saw my grandfather and eight strange but beautiful girls.

Grandpa said kindly: "Manman, you shouldn't have come here. Go — quickly!"

The eight girls, their hair disheveled, also looked at me sadly: "Little sister, go — don't end up like us, trapped at the bottom of this pool forever! If you die tonight, that demon will fully complete his demonic arts. We can't let him succeed!"

Grandpa glanced at the eight girls, and in unison they raised their hands.

I saw white orbs of light appear in their palms.

With a jolt, I came to my senses.

Back when Grandpa disappeared, I stood by the railroad tracks, my heart broken.

When Grandpa was alive, whenever I was sad, he'd take me to watch the trains: "Manman, the train of life has no return ticket. Even if you pass through dark tunnels along the way, as long as you keep moving steadfastly in the right direction, you'll always reach the bright light of dawn."

Back then, I'd been so lost in grief I didn't notice the speeding train.

It was that monk — I called him Master Jiyun. He was a researcher of spiritual arts.

He was my mother's former lover. After Mom married Dad, he became a monk.

That day, he pushed me away from the tracks and saved my life.

On his deathbed, looking at my tear-streaked face, Master Jiyun smiled serenely: "Manman, I calculated that you would have a calamity today, so I came voluntarily to save you. Don't feel guilty — this was my choice, and my destiny. When I was seven, your mother saved my life."

I cried my heart out back then. Master Jiyun's trembling hand pulled a book from his robes — "Secret Arts" — filled with all kinds of demon-slaying techniques and formations: "Your grandpa must have taught you quite a bit too. Take this book and study it well. Five years from now, you'll face another trial of fate."

What Liu Huaidan didn't know was that falling into Black Water Pool according to his plan was also part of my plan.

How could I not have seen that Chen Juanjuan was suspicious?

Back then, Master Jiyun taught me the Myriad Demon Annihilation Array — and the caster must walk through freezing water to awaken its primordial power.

Liu Huaidan had already stepped on the eye of the Myriad Demon Annihilation Array, but at that time I hadn't fallen into Black Water Pool yet, so I couldn't channel the cold energy into the formation.

Any demon who steps on the array's eye — no matter where they flee — as soon as I cast the spell, they will be pulled back into the formation.

I swam out of Black Water Pool, shivering all over from the cold.

I pressed my palms together and closed my eyes, beginning to chant the incantation.

Soon, ice started forming on my hair and eyebrows.

I steadied my mind and continued chanting.

The Myriad Demon Annihilation Array emitted waves of red light, and the roars of divine beasts — phoenixes, qilin, and more — could be heard.

Liu Huaidan was tightly bound by twelve beams of red light, unable to move.

I opened my eyes: "Demon — today is the day you die!"

Liu Huaidan sneered: "Myriad Demon Annihilation? Zhao Manman, you really are ruthless — you'd even give up your own life just to kill me!"

I ignored Liu Huaidan and continued chanting.

The ice on my eyebrows and hair grew thicker.

I knew — the heavier the cold on my body, the fiercer the Myriad Demon Annihilation's Samadhi True Fire would be.

Liu Huaidan's face began shifting — one moment it was the twin brothers screaming, the next the burly man, then Xiao Li, Da Li, or the tall girl who got off first.

These were his six disciples — the ones who'd voluntarily merged with him to practice the Seven Devils Union demonic art.

Once Seven Devils Union was mastered, as long as one of them was alive, the other six would quickly revive even if killed.

Tonight, if I — a woman born in the midnight hour with a fire destiny — were pushed into Black Water Pool and successfully sacrificed, the seven of them would achieve immortality through the Seven Devils Union's power.

Liu Huaidan knew I'd practiced spiritual arts with my grandpa, which was why he'd gone to such lengths to deal with me.

But what he didn't know was that back then, Master Jiyun had given me a "Heart-Hearing Stone." Keeping it close — when near someone practicing dark arts — you could hear their inner thoughts.

With it, I learned the truth of Grandpa's death, and all of Liu Huaidan's schemes for tonight.

Liu Huaidan had one eye burned blind by the Samadhi True Fire, yet he still shouted from within the array: "Zhao Manman, is that all you've got? Think back to how I tortured your grandfather before killing him — what a joy it was!"

I pressed my palms together, intensifying the power of the formation.

At the same time, as Liu Huaidan grew weaker, his dark arts gradually failed. The souls trapped in Black Water Pool broke through his barrier and flew out together.

They all cried out: "Give us back our lives!"

Then Grandpa and the eight girls together reached their hands toward my back, channeling more cold energy into me.

I felt even colder — and at the same time, the fire of the Myriad Demon Annihilation Array burned even hotter.

Liu Huaidan collapsed in the formation, barely breathing: "Zhao Manman — how about a deal?"

He was begging me.

My voice was ice-cold: "I never make deals with devils."

Liu Huaidan spoke in gasps: "You... let me out of the array, and I... I'll give you this Immortality Pearl. How... how about it? You... like me — sacrifice women born in the midnight hour with a fire destiny at Black Water Pool. Sacrifice nine, and you gain immortality. Would... would you like that?"

Hearing Liu Huaidan's words made me even angrier: "I would not! Trading other people's deaths for my own immortality — that kind of immortality is worse than death! Demon — meet your end!"

I pressed harder with my fingertips. The cold on my body grew heavier, and blood spilled from my lips.

Liu Huaidan's screams gradually faded and disappeared.

In the end, he turned into a cloud of black smoke and was completely annihilated.

I fell to the ground, barely alive.

Grandpa floated to where Liu Huaidan had dissipated and picked up the Immortality Pearl.

Without another word, he used his arts to push the pearl into my mouth and made me swallow it: "Manman, the Myriad Demon Annihilation Array has a terrible backlash. Eat this pearl — it will keep you safe for the rest of your life. The Immortality Pearl was originally meant to save people. It was just... twisted by Liu Huaidan before."

My breathing gradually steadied. I watched Grandpa and the eight girls slowly fade away.

They'd expended too much of their spirit essence helping me stabilize the cold energy in my body.

I also collapsed on the ground and fell unconscious.

I woke up in a hospital.

Dad looked at me with concern: "Manman, what happened? Why did you go to a cursed place like Black Water Pool all by yourself? And you fainted — what did you encounter?"

I shook my head and said nothing.

I went to the police station and reported it. I told the police there were nine sets of remains at the bottom of Black Water Pool.

We all sat in silence.

Then, using the contact information the nine girls had given me, I reached out to each of their families. Their families were frantic and flew over immediately to ask me for details.

Two of the girls' families worked in journalism — they immediately posted the information I'd given them online, and soon the story was trending everywhere.

With the persistence of me, the families, and netizens, the police brought in ten large pumps to drain Black Water Pool.

Strangely enough, every time they tried to pump water before, the pumps would break — that was because Liu Huaidan had cast a dark barrier on the pool.

Now that he was dead, the barrier was broken.

Today, everything went surprisingly smoothly.

After the water was drained, there really were nine sets of remains in the mud at the bottom.

One of the skeletons had on its arm the prayer beads I'd bought for Grandpa five years ago.

My heart ached. I knew those remains were Grandpa's.

The police asked me how I knew all nine people's information. I said that besides my grandpa, I'd learned the other eight's information from a dream.

Dad brought Grandpa's remains home for burial. That night, I dreamed of Grandpa.

He was smiling brightly, in a warm and clear place, planting flowers with the eight girls.

I broke up with my boyfriend. He looked shocked and asked why. I didn't even glance at him: "You put infertility medicine in my breakfast, and you wanted me to raise your child with your mistress. And once I take over the company, you'd slowly poison me to death and seize it. Nice plan!"

My boyfriend knelt on the ground: "That's... that's... who told you such nonsense! Manman, my feelings for you are as true as heaven and earth!"

I slapped him: "You already went to a hotel in the suburbs with Yunyun — stop pretending to be innocent! Get out of my sight — now!"

My boyfriend clung to my legs begging for forgiveness, saying he'd been foolish before and would only love me from now on.

He even swore a venomous oath right then and there.

I called for the bodyguards: "Drag this mad dog away. For the rest of his life — if he so much as comes near me, beat him every single time!"

On the way home that night, the Heart-Hearing Stone in my pocket vibrated several times.

I stopped and heard a gentle inner voice from behind: "That girl in front is so beautiful. If she'd be my girlfriend, I'd give up the path of dark cultivation for her."

I turned around and, by the moonlight, saw a tall, handsome, slightly bashful-looking young man.

I smiled faintly: "Hello, future boyfriend."

（The End）