Chapter 47: The Triangular Debate

"A handle-bar mustache?"

I jerked my head up to stare at him.

The driver immediately chimed in, "Yes, a handle-bar mustache!"

"Are you certain?" I asked with a frown.

I needed to be triple-sure because if it really was a handle-bar mustache, it implied a much deeper plot.

I remembered the very first Taoist priest I had ever laid eyes on. It was right when I was feeding the coffin fungus to the female corpse—that was the Taoist who had suddenly jumped out. That fellow had a handle-bar mustache and seemed to be performing a soul-calling ritual for Granny Er.

His identity had always been shrouded in mystery. If you said he was in cahoots with Daoist Priest Lianhua—meaning the Maoshan Sect—then why hadn't this handle-bar mustache shown up when they went to the ancestral hall to force a coup?

If he was one of Elder Qi's men, his attire was all wrong. Elder Qi's followers all wore pristine white robes and carried swords, looking every bit like immortals. But that handle-bar mustache priest wore tattered, ragged clothes; he looked for all the world like a wandering charlatan.

Besides, our town wasn't that big. It was impossible for two different Taoist priests with handle-bar mustaches to appear in the same area within such a short span of time.

Therefore, if the person who gave the driver the copper coin was indeed that handle-bar mustache priest, then...

The other party might not have been targeting the driver at all. They were coming after me and the female corpse...

The driver immediately insisted, "I'm sure, one hundred percent sure. That mustache was too distinct, and I've got a great memory!"

The rest of the passengers had no idea why I was asking this and began to point fingers and scold the driver.

"Look at you, greedy for a petty bargain and suffering a huge loss now. Is that kind of thing something you can just accept?"

"Exactly! Because of your greed, the rest of us nearly lost our lives. If this young man hadn't known what he was doing, you would've hauled straight into the netherworld!"

"Ain't that the truth? Turn around and drive us back right now, and give that money back!"

Not a single kind word was thrown the driver's way.

Human nature was just like this. When someone else's blunder threatened one's own safety, survival naturally took precedence above all else—and God forbid one should suffer any personal loss.

Yet, I didn't dare to make a sound.

Er Pang seemed to want to say something too. As soon as he raised his hand, I grabbed him firmly by the arm.

Er Pang looked at me in bewilderment.

"What are you doing, Tiangang? This guy almost got us killed, and I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. I am so mad..."

I hurriedly dragged him off to the side. Making sure there was no one else around, I lowered my voice and said, "What are you getting mad for? That Taoist priest is coming after us."

"Ah?!" Er Pang let out a loud gasp.

The surrounding people immediately turned to look at him, clueless as to what had gotten into the chubby kid.

"Coming after..."

I lunged forward and clamped a hand over his mouth. Turning to the bewildered crowd, I explained, "Well... he didn't wipe properly, got an itch, and asked me to scratch it for him. Carry on, everyone, carry on..."

Hearing this, the crowd shot a disgusted glance at Er Pang's plump backside and went right back to bickering over the fare.

I muttered under my breath to Er Pang, "Are you an idiot? If you tell them now, the crowd will turn on us instead!"

Er Pang finally shut his mouth. He glanced back at the crowd and whispered, "There are only two fools in the whole village, and you're looking at both of them!"

Faced with this label, I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

"Well, can you at least keep your trap shut?"

Seeing me like this, Er Pang stopped fooling around and asked in a low voice, "What do we do now then? Are we turning back?"

I glanced at the female corpse in the vehicle. Turn around my foot.

If we went back, I'd have to carry the female corpse around for another full cycle tomorrow. There wasn't even a single inn in the county seat. Other county towns might have them, but our neck of the woods was a wasteland where even birds refused to crap. People from all the surrounding villages just came to buy things and went straight home afterwards. Who on earth would waste money staying at an inn? Even if one opened, it would be a losing business.

If I had to carry that female corpse again, I'd drop dead of sheer exhaustion in the prime of my youth.

I glanced back at the crowd not far away. After a brief moment of thought, I turned to Er Pang and asked, "Do you know how to talk big?"

Er Pang immediately puffed out his chest. "Sure do! My old man bluffs all day long, and I've picked up quite a bit. Why?"

I quickly instructed, "In a minute, I'll propose a solution and try to persuade them to head into the city today. But even if they believe what I say now, they'll still be terrified of something going wrong. My word alone isn't heavy enough to give them peace of mind. If you want them to feel safe enough to come with us, you've got to play wingman!"

"Got it!" Er Pang nodded instantly.

With our strategy locked in, I released Er Pang's shoulder and led him back toward the crowd.

You have to hand it to village aunties; they were truly formidable. They were still chewing the driver out.

"You took that copper coin, didn't you? There are so many of us here, and not a single one of us touched a single cent, yet we almost had to pay with our lives, and in the end, we still have to pay you for the ride? How do you sleep at night?!"

Hearing the auntie's tirade, the driver awkwardly replied, "I'm not saying we must go to the city today, Big Sister. It's just that I've already burned the gas. If you all want to turn back, fine, but you should at least chip in a bit for the fuel. I'm not asking for the full fare, just five bucks a person. I'm not making a profit."

Another auntie nearby snapped.

"Five bucks?! You have the nerve to ask for five bucks? You nearly got us killed, and I haven't even demanded compensation from you yet!"

The short-haired female student chimed in immediately as well, "I'm not giving you money, but you have to drive us into the city for the original fare. We cannot miss this art exam!"

A group of people, three different opinions. The argument was reaching a fever pitch.

Helpless, I raised my voice to the crowd, "Everyone, please quiet down for a moment. I have a suggestion..."

"Blah blah blah... murmur murmur..."

Not a single person listened. They just kept shrieking over each other.

I had no choice but to raise my voice even louder. "Quiet down, please! I've thought of a way out for you all!"

"Yadda yadda yadda... chatter chatter..."

Two attempts, still no results.

Er Pang stepped up. "Let me do it, my voice is louder..."

I held Er Pang back, reached into my backpack, and pulled out a handbell.

Then, I hoisted it high above my head and shook it fiercely!

*Jingle-ling-ling—!*

A crisp, urgent chime rang out, piercing the air and echoing in everyone's ears.

All eyes instantly converged on the copper bell held high above my head.

Finally, silence fell.

Seeing my opening, I immediately addressed the crowd, "Arguing amongst yourselves isn't going to solve anything. It's almost midnight. If we stay deadlocked like this, we're going to end up spending the night right here in the middle of nowhere."

Upon hearing this, the auntie who had been screaming for five bucks a moment ago lowered her aggressive posture.

She turned to me and said, "Young man, it's just that I'm boiling with anger. We didn't go looking for trouble on purpose, but you see..."

Seeing that she was about to launch into another complaint, I swiftly cut her off. "Here's the thing. Dwelling on whose fault it is right now isn't going to help, is it? We're already stranded halfway."

"Boiling it down, the situation is simply this: the aunties feel cheated and don't want to pay, right?"

The two aunties immediately chimed in, "Right!"

I turned my gaze to the driver. "You're heartbroken over the cost of the gas, right?"

The driver managed a bitter smile. "Gas prices are through the roof these days, and with a distance this far, it's really..."

"Alright!" I gestured with a wide sweep of my hand, cutting off the rest of his excuse.

Then I looked toward the third faction—the two art school students.

"You girls need to make it to the city on time for your morning interview tomorrow, right?"

The two girls nodded.

I let out a long sigh and said, "So everyone has their own reasons, which is why opinions are divided. But I have a solution that everyone can live with. Do you want to hear it?"