Qian Shi Hill is a peculiar place name, and it carries a slightly eerie connotation.

It is said that in the past, Qian Shi Hill was highly contested due to its strategic location and treacherous terrain. Numerous battles, large and small, have taken place on this hill, leaving behind countless corpses. Flocks of crows hover low in the sky, and even in broad daylight, the hill is shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere, devoid of sunlight.

Due to the abundance of ** on the hill, over time, it came to be known as Qian Shi Hill.

As we passed by Qian Shi Hill, we looked out the window and saw darkness everywhere. Thick black fog enveloped the area, occasionally accompanied by the hooting of owls, adding a sense of creepiness to Qian Shi Hill.

In such a terrifying environment, to my surprise, Xie Lao Ba parked the minivan by the roadside and opened the car door, signaling for us to get out.

A chilling aura rushed over us, and Fatso shivered, hugging his arms, asking Xie Lao Ba why he stopped the car.

Xie Lao Ba took out a black bag from under his seat, and I thought he was going to distribute breakfast to us. I inwardly rejoiced at his thoughtfulness. Being a seasoned driver who had been hunting wild boars for over a decade, he knew that passengers on the early morning bus would get hungry during their late-night journey. So, he specially prepared breakfast for the passengers.

However, having breakfast in a place like Qian Shi Hill seemed a bit strange. We could have held on and eaten after crossing the hill.

Xie Lao Ba opened the black bag, and I thought he was going to distribute bread, so I eagerly reached out my hand.

To my surprise, Xie Lao Ba took out a stack of paper money from the bag and handed it to me. I stared blankly at the paper money in my hand, my mind going blank. I didn't understand what Xie Lao Ba meant by this.

Soon, each passenger received a stack of paper money.

We were riding in his car, and he gave us paper money. The more I thought about it, the stranger it felt. I asked Xie Lao Ba what he was doing.

Xie Lao Ba told me, "Is this your first time taking the early morning bus? This is the custom of the early morning bus. Every vehicle passing through Qian Shi Hill at midnight has to stop and burn paper money!"

Stop and burn paper money?!

Fatso and I looked at each other, wondering who made this rule for vehicles passing through Qian Shi Hill at midnight to stop and burn paper money. It was truly bewildering.

I was very puzzled, so I asked Xie Lao Ba why there was such a custom of stopping and burning paper money.

Xie Lao Ba said, "Well, it's for good luck! There are many lost souls and wandering spirits on Qian Shi Hill. Burning some paper money is like paying a toll, so that these lost souls and wandering spirits will let us pass safely. If they don't receive the toll and get upset, who knows what might happen!"

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

After hearing Xie Lao Ba's explanation, I finally understood that this paper money was intended as tolls for the lost souls and wandering spirits.

I asked Xie Lao Ba who established this rule, and he told me that it had been around for a long time. It was impossible to trace its exact origins. It was said that there was an old truck driver who used to deliver goods. One night, when he passed through Qian Shi Hill, he felt that something was off. Eerie fog started swirling around him, obscuring his vision of the road. The truck driver had no choice but to stop the truck and wait for the fog to dissipate.

He lit a cigarette and rested in the car. Just as the cigarette burned out, the fog dissipated almost completely. Ready to start the car and leave, he noticed that the surroundings seemed to have changed. He remembered very clearly that he was originally driving on a mountain road, but now, he found himself in a chaotic graveyard!

Looking around, there were graves and weeds everywhere. Countless ghostly fires flickered above the graveyard like fireflies. Broken tombstones, decaying coffins, scattered human bones, and several wild dogs were digging up graves, pulling out leg bones with a crunching sound. A group of crows stood densely on the tree branches, emitting eerie and hoarse cries.

The sight frightened the truck driver, but luckily, having traveled far and wide, he had encountered many strange things. Although terrified, his mental resilience was strong.

He thought about it and happened to have a bag of ceremonial paper money under his seat. Because he often drove at night for deliveries, guided by a wise person, he always kept a bag of ceremonial paper money under his seat. Whenever the truck passed through particularly dangerous or remote places, he would take out the paper money and burn it as an offering.

At this moment, the truck driver remembered this matter and quickly took out the ceremonial paper money from under his seat.

After getting off the truck, he ignited the paper money by the roadside, burning a stack of it.

As he burned the paper money, he distinctly felt a strange cold breeze gathering from all directions, blowing away the ashes of the burnt paper money in front of him, spiraling them into the sky.

The truck driver knew that the lost souls and wandering spirits were coming out to collect the toll.

After burning the paper money, the truck driver also said some words, requesting the protection and safe passage from the spirits.

After doing all this, the truck driver returned to his truck and restarted the engine.

Not long after driving forward, the surrounding graveyard gradually disappeared, and the truck driver found himself back on the mountain road. Everything was empty, with nothing around.

Later, during a drinking session, the truck driver shared this experience. Some other drivers who heard the story also mentioned encountering similar situations.

From then on, any driver running night shifts and passing through Qian Shi Hill would carry some paper money, treating it as tolls for the lost souls and wandering spirits, in order to ensure a safe journey.

At this point, Xie Lao Ba proudly informed us that since he started using this method as an old driver, he had been driving the early morning bus smoothly for many years without encountering any strange incidents.

Chen Dong added, "Yes, every time I go back to the county for work and need to take the early morning bus, I always follow the driver and burn paper money when passing through Qian Shi Hill!"

"Don't just stand there! Hurry up!"

Xie Lao Ba urged us to quickly burn the paper money so that we could continue our journey.

After all, the car was stopped at Qian Shi Hill, and everyone felt a bit uneasy. We all wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

Since this was the custom of driving at night, Fatso and I had no choice but to comply with it.

We followed Xie Lao Ba to the roadside, where we saw numerous burned incense candles placed around. They were left behind by those who traveled at night.

Fatso and I rarely ventured outside. We had only been to the county a few times before, but it was always during daylight. This was our first time traveling at night, so we had never heard of this peculiar custom of stopping and burning paper money.

Xie Lao Ba squatted down and lit two incense candles. Flames flickered, casting a eerie pallor on our faces.

After burning for a while, we could clearly feel a chill running down our spines, as if there were Yin energy gathering around us.