Taboo Mage - Chapter 105 - Soul Summoning

Returning from the last hill in the afternoon, I happened to encounter Lama Duoren and Chi Hong setting up a grand ceremony at the village entrance.

I’m not well-versed in Buddhist practices, so I turned to ask Jue Chi.

Jue Chi squeezed through the crowd, glanced briefly, and said, “This is a soul summoning ceremony.”

“Soul summoning? Isn’t that usually done at midnight? I’ve never heard of such a thing being done in broad daylight and in front of so many people.”

Jue Chi smiled and said, “That’s because this soul summoning ceremony is meant to be a spectacle for others.”

“What do you mean?”

“Soul summoning is a somewhat forbidden ceremony for Buddhist disciples, so it’s not typically performed in public. Additionally, soul summoning must take place at the time of day when the Yin Energy is at its peak, which is, as you said, at midnight,” Jue Chi explained softly.

I nodded. “But why on earth is he performing a fake ceremony?”

“Because he needs to gather more people. Did you notice the bottle in Duoren’s hand?” Jue Chi said, discreetly pointing in Duoren’s direction.

I looked at the bottle in Duoren’s hand. “I see it, but what is it?”

“Your soul-capturing bottle is used to imprison departed spirits, while the glass bottle in Duoren’s hand is used to absorb human energy. Most ghosts like to be near humans because they can absorb their aura, making it easier for them to move more freely in the world. However, if there’s too much energy, some ghosts can’t handle it and might dissipate,” Jue Chi explained.

“So you’re saying that the more powerful the ghost, the more energy it desires. With all this energy that Duoren has gathered, what kind of powerful entity is he trying to summon?” I wondered, looking at the bottle in Duoren’s hand. Although it wasn’t very large, it was significantly bigger than my soul-capturing bottle.

Over there, Lama Duoren had already begun the ritual. Holding a prayer wheel in his hand, he muttered incantations as he stood before an altar table with offerings of three sacrificial animals.

I was a bit curious about what Lama Duoren was up to, so I pulled Jue Chi to stand and watch from where we were.

We saw Lama Duoren take out a knife and cut his palm. Blood flowed along the sharp blade into the glass bottle, quickly filling half of it.

The scene was somewhat gory, with some villagers around either watching in amusement or expressing fear.

Curious, I asked Jue Chi what the lama was doing.

Jue Chi shook his head, indicating that he didn’t understand either. I observed Jue Chi, who was frowning and staring intently in Lama Duoren’s direction, seemingly pondering something.

Lama Duoren placed the bowl on the table, then took out a piece of yellow talisman paper covered with runes and attached it to the glass bottle. After that, he sat down on a meditation cushion and began meditating.

I thought there would be more action, but Lama Duoren remained motionless. People around waited for more than ten minutes; some even stood there for an hour, expecting the lama to perform further.

However, he didn’t move again, and the crowd gradually dispersed. I stood with Jue Chi for a while, until I couldn’t stand the discomfort in my stomach from standing too long. I asked Jue Chi how much longer the lama would take.

Jue Chi shook his head, saying he didn’t know either, as he had never done soul summoning himself.

I sighed, realizing there wouldn’t be anything interesting to see for now. However, since Jue Chi mentioned that Lama Duoren had set up such a big scene, there would definitely be a formal soul summoning at night.

Since the real spectacle would be later, I decided to go back and get some rest, then come back in the evening.

With that in mind, I dragged Jue Chi back to the room. After dinner, we headed to the village entrance, only to find the lama still sitting as before.

I asked a nearby villager, also there to watch the spectacle, if the lama had sneaked away for dinner when no one was looking. The villager told me they had left someone to watch specifically and assured that Lama Duoren hadn’t moved at all.

I marveled at the villagers’ curiosity, that they had actually arranged for someone to keep watch.

As the clock hand slowly passed midnight, I was dozing off against a nearby tree when Jue Chi, standing beside me, nudged me.

I quickly opened my eyes. At the same time, Lama Duoren, who had been seated on the meditation cushion, suddenly jumped up and opened his eyes wide, staring unblinkingly at a spot in front of the altar table.

“Is the soul summoning about to start?” I asked eagerly, my curiosity mingling with excitement.

Jue Chi nodded and then took a bottle from his pocket and handed it to me. I recognized it as the ox tears bottle; once applied to my eyelids, it would allow me to see spirits.

I hesitated for a moment before taking the bottle. But considering my rival was already starting the soul summoning while I hadn’t even found the essential spirit needed to create a life amulet, I knew I had to act.

“Know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated.” Even if I couldn’t fully understand the opponent’s intentions, knowing what he summoned could be advantageous.

So, I steeled myself and applied the ox tears to my eyelids.

When I opened my eyes again, everything seemed as usual, with no abnormalities. I looked toward Lama Duoren.

The lama was holding the bowl containing his blood, chanting under his breath, then suddenly smashed the bowl onto the ground. The blood seeped slowly into the earth.

I could clearly see the blood spreading like a river beneath the surface, eventually forming a beautiful Lotus flower out of the ground.

“Jue… Jue Chi… do you see that? What is it?”

I was astonished by the Lotus flower that inexplicably emerged, unsure of what to say.

Jue Chi leaned close to my lips and whispered, “A Lotus used to summon spirits.”

I nodded and kept my gaze on the Lotus. After it bloomed, a red figure emerged from it. She had long hair that reached her waist, her head lowered, and her arms hanging down.

I knew it was a ghost. I’d seen many ghosts in white clothing before, but this was the first time seeing one in red attire.

However, I recalled Jue Chi once mentioning that people who died wearing red harbored intense resentment and lingered in the mortal realm due to being unable to enter reincarnation.

Could it be that this female ghost was the one Lama Duoren had summoned?