“Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “Where do I come from?” are all questions that the great philosopher Socrates asked.
Lu Yibei herself thought that she was similar to the philosopher, finding herself in the taxi. She eyed the rising taxi metre, was shocked, and made a decision.
“G-go to the bridge!” she said.
In her current state, she could only think of Gu Qianqian’s nest under the bridge.
“Alright,” Zhang Shan replied, but he complained mercilessly in his heart.
‘It was a 20-minute drive from the University to the bridge! And you made me drive around for over an hour! My oil isn’t free! I have to charge her this time—I must!’
As if doubling down on his decision, he switched gears and stepped on the gas, driving towards the bridge.
As he drove, he observed the girl through the rearview mirror.
He could see her leaning on the car door, looking out the window as if she were deep in thought.
‘Strange. Why is she so quiet today? No pressure, but I would love it if you told me a story to tell my fans!’
Sure enough, her stories were of high quality and brought a lot of engagement to his streams.
However, those stories seemed too real, which caused a chill to run down his spine almost constantly.
Soon, they reached the bridge, and he was struck with another question.
‘D-do I ask her for the fare?’
“Ah, Shan, wait here for a while. I don’t have any cash on hand, so I have to go and get it.”
She planned to rummage through Gu Qianqian’s piggy bank to pay the fare since she could just return it later. It’s hard finding work late at night.
Hearing that she was going to pay the fare, Zhang Shan started to shake in his seat and clenched the steering wheel as tightly as he could.
Outside the window, the road was wet after the rain, shimmering under the light of the street lamps. Farther away, the mountains and waters were hazy.
It’s desolate. This is no place for anybody to live.
“D-do you live here?”
“Yeah! Under the bridge!”
Hearing this, a cold drop of sweat appeared on his forehead.
‘Bridge? That same bridge where they fished out a corpse? That means… no! I must accept her fare! I don’t care! I’ll be operating at a loss if this continues!’
She had already gotten out of the car and disappeared into the bushes leading to the bridge.
Soon, Zhang Shan was left alone, and the quiet, damp Linjiang Avenue was silent. The cold wind caressed his arm through the open door, and he trembled with fear as he got out to close the door.
When he got back in his seat, he could hear the sound of the door opening and being closed again, and the temperature of the taxi seemed to drop rapidly.
He could feel a hand being placed on his shoulder and a cool wind being blown into his ears, and the wind carried words that he never wanted to know at all.
Gulp!
Zhang Shan didn’t dare look through the rearview mirror; there must be something back there!
Is this what happens when you ask an urban legend for a fare?
This time, he heard rustling coming from the bushes, and he couldn’t handle it anymore.
Releasing the handbrake and stepping on the gas, his taxi sped down the roads of Linjiang Avenue.
Yibei took out two hundred yuan from Gu Qianqian’s piggy bank and returned to the taxi.
From a distance, she could see that the back seat of the taxi was crowded with figures.
These figures were pale and seemed to shift in and out of reality. Their bodies violently twisted as they caressed Zhang Shan, looking at him with malicious eyes.
Yibei frowned upon seeing this. This must be those urban legends who haven’t been fully formed, according to the Night Division’s Records.
These urban legends were like ghosts with no fixed form. If they don’t become an urban legend, they will fade away when morning comes and cease to exist.
Thinking about it, she hurriedly returned to the taxi.
Although these figures won’t cause Zhang Shan any harm, they might have a big enough effect on reality, seeing that their weight was pushing the taxi down.
Those strange figures could sense something powerful approaching and froze upon seeing her.
She paused and folded her arms around her chest, casting a menacing look at the figures in the car.
However, something unexpected happened. She thought the figures would simply leave and scatter in fear, but…
Sparks appeared on their bodies, and like paper, they were burnt to shreds almost instantly as they vanished.
In the air, she could hear their screams drifting away with the breeze.
She shook her head lightly, ‘They must be dead, I guess…’ and came through the bushes, only for Zhang Shan to step on the gas and speed forward.
However, it was as if something clicked in Zhang Shan’s mind, and he stopped the car and looked out the window, realising it was Lu Yibei, and reversed back towards her.
“I got you the fare.”
He rolled down the windows, and after receiving a large amount of change from her, he stuffed it in his pockets without counting and was prepared to leave.
“Wait, Zhang Shan, I have something for you.”
She put her guitar bag down and opened a slit through the zipper, and with a swipe, she took out a kitchen knife.
Sweat dripped down his forehead like a flood, and he swore he peed his pants a little.
“Oh, sorry, wrong thing.”
Stuffing the knife back into the bag, she fumbled through the bag, grabbed a few charms, and handed them to Zhang Shan.
“It’s dangerous to be driving late at night. These charms will help you out, so please keep them!”
Staring at the charms, he hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Thank you!” before speeding down Linjiang Avenue once again.
“Tsk, why is he always so impatient?”
Half past one in the morning, in an old apartment.
After returning home, Zhang Shan did not turn on his broadcast but lit up all the lights in his living room and counted the change that Lu Yibei paid him.
He sat on the sofa and stared at the pile of small changes, worried that they would vanish or become something worse.
However, the banknotes seemed benign, and he was temporarily relieved.
‘She actually gave me money… and she made it up for the previous two times.’
“No, no, maybe it will disappear tomorrow morning. Urban legends hate the morning, right? So, I’ll just…”
He stuffed all the money into a jar and screwed it tightly, placing the jar by the window where sunlight would flood in in the morning.
Lu Yibei lay on the sofa at Gu Qianqian’s place, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. She didn’t know if it was because of the strange noises coming from outside the house, or if she was worried about Gu Qianqian, or both.
She sighed as she got up and turned on the lights.
She took out the bamboo scrolls from the box and unfolded them. However, nothing seemed to happen.
As if in just a few days, the mysterious power within the scrolls had disappeared.
“Ah…”
She sighed and tossed the bamboo scrolls aside, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
The girl in her dreams told her to find a way to get into the bamboo scrolls’ domain, but how?
Now that the bamboo scrolls seem passive… Maybe it was because they were full after swallowing Gu Qianqian whole.
‘Gu Qianqian, you must stay alive! Otherwise, I’m not paying you back!’
“Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “Where do I come from?” are all questions that the great philosopher Socrates asked.
Lu Yibei herself thought that she was similar to the philosopher, finding herself in the taxi. She eyed the rising taxi metre, was shocked, and made a decision.
“G-go to the bridge!” she said.
In her current state, she could only think of Gu Qianqian’s nest under the bridge.
“Alright,” Zhang Shan replied, but he complained mercilessly in his heart.
‘It was a 20-minute drive from the University to the bridge! And you made me drive around for over an hour! My oil isn’t free! I have to charge her this time—I must!’
As if doubling down on his decision, he switched gears and stepped on the gas, driving towards the bridge.
As he drove, he observed the girl through the rearview mirror.
He could see her leaning on the car door, looking out the window as if she were deep in thought.
‘Strange. Why is she so quiet today? No pressure, but I would love it if you told me a story to tell my fans!’
Sure enough, her stories were of high quality and brought a lot of engagement to his streams.
However, those stories seemed too real, which caused a chill to run down his spine almost constantly.
Soon, they reached the bridge, and he was struck with another question.
‘D-do I ask her for the fare?’
“Ah, Shan, wait here for a while. I don’t have any cash on hand, so I have to go and get it.”
She planned to rummage through Gu Qianqian’s piggy bank to pay the fare since she could just return it later. It’s hard finding work late at night.
Hearing that she was going to pay the fare, Zhang Shan started to shake in his seat and clenched the steering wheel as tightly as he could.
Outside the window, the road was wet after the rain, shimmering under the light of the street lamps. Farther away, the mountains and waters were hazy.
It’s desolate. This is no place for anybody to live.
“D-do you live here?”
“Yeah! Under the bridge!”
Hearing this, a cold drop of sweat appeared on his forehead.
‘Bridge? That same bridge where they fished out a corpse? That means… no! I must accept her fare! I don’t care! I’ll be operating at a loss if this continues!’
She had already gotten out of the car and disappeared into the bushes leading to the bridge.
Soon, Zhang Shan was left alone, and the quiet, damp Linjiang Avenue was silent. The cold wind caressed his arm through the open door, and he trembled with fear as he got out to close the door.
When he got back in his seat, he could hear the sound of the door opening and being closed again, and the temperature of the taxi seemed to drop rapidly.
He could feel a hand being placed on his shoulder and a cool wind being blown into his ears, and the wind carried words that he never wanted to know at all.
Gulp!
Zhang Shan didn’t dare look through the rearview mirror; there must be something back there!
Is this what happens when you ask an urban legend for a fare?
This time, he heard rustling coming from the bushes, and he couldn’t handle it anymore.
Releasing the handbrake and stepping on the gas, his taxi sped down the roads of Linjiang Avenue.
Yibei took out two hundred yuan from Gu Qianqian’s piggy bank and returned to the taxi.
From a distance, she could see that the back seat of the taxi was crowded with figures.
These figures were pale and seemed to shift in and out of reality. Their bodies violently twisted as they caressed Zhang Shan, looking at him with malicious eyes.
Yibei frowned upon seeing this. This must be those urban legends who haven’t been fully formed, according to the Night Division’s Records.
These urban legends were like ghosts with no fixed form. If they don’t become an urban legend, they will fade away when morning comes and cease to exist.
Thinking about it, she hurriedly returned to the taxi.
Although these figures won’t cause Zhang Shan any harm, they might have a big enough effect on reality, seeing that their weight was pushing the taxi down.
Those strange figures could sense something powerful approaching and froze upon seeing her.
She paused and folded her arms around her chest, casting a menacing look at the figures in the car.
However, something unexpected happened. She thought the figures would simply leave and scatter in fear, but…
Sparks appeared on their bodies, and like paper, they were burnt to shreds almost instantly as they vanished.
In the air, she could hear their screams drifting away with the breeze.
She shook her head lightly, ‘They must be dead, I guess…’ and came through the bushes, only for Zhang Shan to step on the gas and speed forward.
However, it was as if something clicked in Zhang Shan’s mind, and he stopped the car and looked out the window, realising it was Lu Yibei, and reversed back towards her.
“I got you the fare.”
He rolled down the windows, and after receiving a large amount of change from her, he stuffed it in his pockets without counting and was prepared to leave.
“Wait, Zhang Shan, I have something for you.”
She put her guitar bag down and opened a slit through the zipper, and with a swipe, she took out a kitchen knife.
Sweat dripped down his forehead like a flood, and he swore he peed his pants a little.
“Oh, sorry, wrong thing.”
Stuffing the knife back into the bag, she fumbled through the bag, grabbed a few charms, and handed them to Zhang Shan.
“It’s dangerous to be driving late at night. These charms will help you out, so please keep them!”
Staring at the charms, he hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Thank you!” before speeding down Linjiang Avenue once again.
“Tsk, why is he always so impatient?”
Half past one in the morning, in an old apartment.
After returning home, Zhang Shan did not turn on his broadcast but lit up all the lights in his living room and counted the change that Lu Yibei paid him.
He sat on the sofa and stared at the pile of small changes, worried that they would vanish or become something worse.
However, the banknotes seemed benign, and he was temporarily relieved.
‘She actually gave me money… and she made it up for the previous two times.’
“No, no, maybe it will disappear tomorrow morning. Urban legends hate the morning, right? So, I’ll just…”
He stuffed all the money into a jar and screwed it tightly, placing the jar by the window where sunlight would flood in in the morning.
Lu Yibei lay on the sofa at Gu Qianqian’s place, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. She didn’t know if it was because of the strange noises coming from outside the house, or if she was worried about Gu Qianqian, or both.
She sighed as she got up and turned on the lights.
She took out the bamboo scrolls from the box and unfolded them. However, nothing seemed to happen.
As if in just a few days, the mysterious power within the scrolls had disappeared.
“Ah…”
She sighed and tossed the bamboo scrolls aside, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
The girl in her dreams told her to find a way to get into the bamboo scrolls’ domain, but how?
Now that the bamboo scrolls seem passive… Maybe it was because they were full after swallowing Gu Qianqian whole.
‘Gu Qianqian, you must stay alive! Otherwise, I’m not paying you back!’
