Taboo Mage - Chapter 106 - Confrontation

Lama Duoren opened his eyes and picked up a handful of joss paper, scattering it over the female ghost. I frowned. Isn’t he an eminent monk from Tibet? Why is he using methods that originate from the Central Plains?

I shared my doubts with Jue Chi. He didn’t speak, but his eyes were fixed on Lama Duoren in the distance, his brows furrowed deeply, as if pondering something.

I knew that when Jue Chi had this expression, he wouldn’t talk to anyone. So, I turned around, grabbed Chi Rui, who was catching up with us, and asked, “Do you know what this lama your uncle invited is actually doing?”

“A lama… isn’t he just a lama? What else could he possibly be doing?” Chi Rui asked in confusion, not understanding what I meant.

I shook my head. “Though I’m not very familiar with Tibetan lamas, I’m quite knowledgeable about our own practices. Besides his robes and the prayer wheel in his hand, there’s nothing about him related to Tibet. In fact, some of his exorcism techniques are quite similar to Jue Chi’s.”

“Really?” Chi Rui’s eyes widened as he looked at Lama Duoren with an indescribable expression, seemingly beginning to believe what I was saying.

Meanwhile, Lama Duoren had already trapped the female ghost into a paper effigy. What was once an ordinary paper figure suddenly seemed eerie.

As the soul summoning ceremony concluded, people began to disperse, and Chi Rui disappeared to who knows where. After watching for a while, I was ready to call Jue Chi to return with me.

However, Jue Chi remained standing there. After everyone else had left, he walked over to Lama Duoren, who was packing up his things. I quickly followed, worried that Jue Chi might lose his temper and start a confrontation with the lama.

Although the likelihood of such an occurrence was slim, if it did happen, we’d be embarrassed from Jiangnan to Shenyang.

Lama Duoren had already packed up the altar table and was holding the paper effigy in one hand, ready to leave. Seeing us approaching, he stopped, smiled, and asked, “Master Gu, is there something you need?”

I shook my head, about to speak, when Jue Chi suddenly stepped forward and whispered, “Female ghosts are hard to tame. Aren’t you afraid of a backlash?”

Lama Duoren paused for a moment, then replied with a smile, “It seems you are also from the sects, though I do not know which one. Which sect do you belong to?”

“Master Duoren, do you think this is some martial arts drama? Which sect, indeed! We were just passing by to grab a meal; we certainly can’t compare to you.”

I chuckled and waved my hand, pulling Jue Chi, ready to leave.

Unexpectedly, Lama Duoren followed us and continued, “Since you’ve figured it out, I won’t hide it. Indeed, the female ghost is very difficult to capture, so, I might need your help eventually.”

I froze on the spot. What was this, a competitor asking for my help? But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a trap.

“Master Duoren, we are not really good at…”

“Okay.”

I had barely started to refuse when Jue Chi nodded in agreement beside me.

I glared at Jue Chi, “Sorry, my assistant doesn’t know much, just likes to show off. We can’t be of much help here; you’re on your own!”

I finished in one breath and, without waiting for Jue Chi to interject, I quickly dragged him away.

I had anticipated everything, but I had completely overlooked Jue Chi, the bald monk, who was always thinking about being compassionate. If it weren’t for me, he would be sold and still help count the money for his buyer.

Sure enough, just a few steps after pulling Jue Chi away, he said with a stern face, “Why won’t you let me help him?”

“Bro! That lama is clearly no good. He’s asking for your help now, but what if he sets a trap later? You might be naive enough to fall for it, but don’t drag me into it too!” I stopped abruptly and growled.

Jue Chi frowned, “But the ghost he mentioned does have issues; he wasn’t wrong about that.”

“What now? Are you actually starting to doubt me because of that lama?”

I scoffed coldly. I had never seen anyone so ungrateful. I had been protecting him all along out of good will, and just when we encounter this lousy lama, he’s ready to throw me away?

Truly a heartless bald monk!

After being yelled at by me, Jue Chi didn’t speak again. He just remained silent, his face expressionless, lost in thought.

Because of this incident, I ignored him for several days, going out alone to find a suitable spirit. Without Jue Chi’s help, I searched many places by myself but still found nothing, and the week’s deadline was quickly approaching.

Although great-grandfather Chi hadn’t set a strict deadline for me, if Lama Duoren succeeded in curing his eyes while I couldn’t even find a single spirit, it wouldn’t just be my reputation on the line.

On the morning of the sixth day, I sat on a hillside, my mind blank, unsure of what steps to take next.

Suddenly, footsteps approached from behind. I turned to see Chi Rui rushing over with two others. As soon as he saw me, he said, “Gu Qingshu, you were right. That Lama Duoren isn’t an eminent monk from Tibet at all.”

“What happened?” I stood up from the grass immediately, puzzled by his words.

Chi Rui waved off the two people behind him, then leaned in closer to me and spoke in a low voice, “After you mentioned it, I had someone investigate. Guess what? Lama Duoren isn’t from Tibet at all. He was brought in by my uncle from Beijing. He knows a bit about ghost catching but isn’t anywhere near being an eminent monk.”

“Aren’t you worried someone will find out? After all, great-grandfather Chi isn’t an ordinary man.” I frowned, asking.

Chi Rui gave a sly smile, “Everyone has their weaknesses. Great-grandfather’s only weakness is his obsession with his eyesight, so he’ll try any method. My uncle realized this, which is why he dared to bring in such a person to fool him.”

This news was incredibly positive for me. I quickly asked Chi Rui to explain more about this fake lama’s identity.

It turned out that the lama was an imposter hired by Chi Hong to enhance Duoren’s credibility. While he did have some ghost-catching skills, they were enough only to deceive people.