Taboo Mage - Chapter 104 - Competitive Relations

When watching TV dramas before, whenever there was such a conflict among the younger generation, it was always the elders who stepped in to stop it.

Sure enough, with a command from Great-Grandfather Chi, Chi Hong and Chi Rui immediately quieted down. The eyes of everyone at the table focused on Great-Grandfather Chi as they awaited his next move.

“Master Duoren, if you are to heal my eyes, how long will it take and how confident are you?” Great-Grandfather Chi gazed in the direction of Lama Duoren.

Lama Duoren stood up and said, “In one week, I can guarantee that Great-Grandfather’s eyes will see the light again.”

After hearing this, Great-Grandfather Chi didn’t speak but merely nodded. He then turned his gaze towards me and asked, “And what about you, Master Gu?”

I opened my mouth, about to speak, when Chi Rui, sitting across from me, suddenly cleared his throat and shot me a deep, intense glare.

I knew what his look meant. Looking at Great-Grandfather Chi’s eyes, even though he couldn’t see me, I could still clearly feel the hope on his face.

The greater his hope, the less I could afford to let him be disappointed. For someone of such an age, any disappointment would undoubtedly be a devastating blow.

“Great-Grandfather, I’m sorry. Although I am the only successor of the Gu Family yin-yang life amulet master, due to family circumstances, my skills in making amulets aren’t as advanced as my elders’. So, if you insist on asking, all I can say is that amulet healing is a long-term process, which must be combined with modern medical techniques. As for confidence… I can’t promise much…”

I spoke solemnly, my eyes never leaving Great-Grandfather Chi sitting across from me. I wasn’t sure if he was satisfied with what I’d said, but I could only offer as much strength as I had.

As soon as I finished speaking, Chi Rui shot a fierce look at me, as if his eyeballs were about to fly out.

I gave a helpless, bitter smile and suddenly realized that my trip to Shenyang this time might end in failure.

After hearing my words, Great-Grandfather Chi suddenly curved his lips into a slight smile and said, “Very well, if that’s the case, then I will have both of you treat my eyes simultaneously. Master Duoren’s timeframe is one week, and Master Gu, you can take your time.”

My eyes widened immediately; no one could guess what great-grandfather was thinking, but since he said that, it seemed he still had significant hope in me…

After the meal, I took Jue Chi to prepare the life amulet. Chi Rui was pulled aside by his uncle, and I had no idea what they were discussing. Seeing Chi Rui still engaged, I decided to leave first.

As we exited the archway, Jue Chi suddenly stopped. Turning my head, I saw that Lama Duoren had somehow followed us without us noticing.

“Master Gu, where are you heading?” Lama Duoren asked with a smile as soon as he saw me.

I took a step back, making room for Master Duoren. “Nothing much, just finding a place to soak up some sun.”

“I’ve heard about the Gu Family’s life amulet craftsmanship even in distant Tibet. Meeting a Gu Family successor this time makes the trip worthwhile.”

Lama Duoren’s face was all smiles, but even though both were monks, I felt Jue Chi’s smile was like a refreshing breeze, whereas Lama Duoren’s smile was like a fishbone stuck in one’s throat.

As a monk, I hadn’t seen any of his other skills, but Lama Duoren’s small talk talents were on full display.

Listening to him chat away, I endured with patience for a while. Eventually, I couldn’t help but say, “Master Duoren, do you need something? Otherwise, I’m leaving.”

“No, nothing. This is…?”

Lama Duoren looked a bit embarrassed as his gaze shifted to Jue Chi. Jue Chi didn’t speak; he merely stepped back and looked at me.

I cleared my throat. “This is my assistant.”

“An assistant… and yet, an eminent monk?” Lama Duoren chuckled, a curious glint in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes impatiently. “Master, what my assistant does has nothing to do with you, does it?”

Without waiting for Lama Duoren to reply, I pulled Jue Chi along and walked away.

Back in the room, Jue Chi sat on the bed in silence. After pacing around for a while, I couldn’t resist asking, “Monk, do you know that lama?”

“Don’t know him. Why do you ask?” Jue Chi gave me a puzzled look.

I shook my head. “Just a feeling, I guess. Can’t really explain why.”

After a nap at noon, I took Jue Chi out to search for materials needed to make the life amulet.

Great-grandfather Chi had congenital blindness. I hadn’t dealt much with such conditions before, so I specifically went through the ancient books I brought along.

The section on treatment in those ancient books wasn’t extensive. I combed through them carefully and didn’t find a suitable life amulet until I stumbled upon something on the last page.

It was a note my grandfather had made, documenting a life amulet he had previously crafted. Though it wasn’t for treating vision, its principles were similar.

In the early days of the new China, Grandfather was invited to make a life amulet for the family of a county magistrate. The magistrate had a daughter who was congenitally disabled in her right leg. She was quite attractive, but her limp made it difficult for her to find a husband even in her thirties.

In his notes, Grandfather wrote that to discover the method for making the life amulet, he searched through two mountain ranges in just two days, and it was on the last day that he found a spirit.

To counteract a congenital defect, the life amulet needed a spirit with inherent supernatural abilities, not one developed through training.

Such spirits were hard to come by, and it was also necessary to find trees that could harmonize with those spirits.

As Jue Chi and I left the manor, I pondered Grandfather’s notes and contemplated where to find a naturally occurring spirit that would also be compatible with Grandfather’s eight characters.

Chi Rui suddenly appeared from nowhere and asked what I was up to. I told him I was searching for something important and explained the requirements for the spirit we needed.

After hearing this, Chi Rui frowned deeply. “That’s going to be quite difficult to find nowadays.”

“I know, which is why I need your help in finding it. As long as we can find the right spirit, we’ll be more than halfway to success.”

Chi Rui nodded, agreeing to make every effort to help.

The entire afternoon, Jue Chi and I combed through the hills surrounding the village, searching for a suitable spirit. Although the village had a long history, it hadn’t successfully nurtured any spirits, let alone one with naturally inherited abilities.