Taboo Mage - Chapter 108 - Unexpected Developments

Chi Rui was struggling to find a topic for conversation. Noticing Lama Duoren’s futile efforts over a long duration, Chi Rui chuckled and said, “Uncle, it seems your eminent Tibetan monk isn’t that remarkable, performing like a monkey show.”

Chi Hong wasn’t offended by Chi Rui’s words. Instead, he smiled and said, “Clearly, you have little experience. Since he’s called an eminent monk, it’s natural that you wouldn’t understand everything he does.”

“Well, soon we’ll see if he’s an eminent monk or not,” Chi Rui retorted with a cold laugh, glancing towards his great-grandfather. “Great-grandfather, it seems this Tibetan monk will take a while to finish. How about you go back and rest?”

I gave a slight cough to remind Chi Rui not to get too complacent.

As expected, his great-grandfather simply snorted without saying a word, reaching his hand out to Bai Jie, who immediately picked up a teacup from the side and handed it to him.

Chi Rui’s attempt to please didn’t work out, so he reluctantly withdrew his gaze and shot a glare at Lama Duoren.

I found it amusing. Clearly, compared to Chi Hong, the great-grandfather favored Chi Rui, the eldest grandson. However, Chi Rui seemed a bit too eager for success, perhaps because victory seemed so close at hand.

Meanwhile, just like that evening, Lama Duoren sat motionless on the meditation cushion for an entire day. From previous experience, I knew he wouldn’t start in earnest until later in the night.

As mealtime approached, I decisively took Chi Rui and Jue Chi to fill our stomachs before returning to watch the show.

As expected, when we came back after dinner, Lama Duoren was still sitting immobile on the meditation cushion. The only ones who hadn’t moved either were the great-grandfather and Bai Jie.

When we arrived, Bai Jie was tidying up the leftovers on the table. Seeing Chi Rui, she glanced up briefly before quickly lowering her head again.

At exactly midnight, Lama Duoren rose from the meditation cushion. Despite sitting for so long, he moved swiftly as if he hadn’t been seated at all, unlike me, who was numb-legged after sitting on a chair for just two hours.

The moment Lama Duoren stood up, everyone’s attention was immediately captured.

He first scattered a handful of joss paper into the air and then cut his finger, quickly writing with his blood on the yellow talisman paper before removing it from the paper effigy.

A gust of eerie wind swept through, causing the lanterns in the Siheyuan to sway. I blinked, and when I opened my eyes again, a female ghost in red suddenly appeared beside me.

“Damn!”

Startled, I jumped up from the stone chair, drawing surprised looks from those around me.

I realized that, except for a few, no one else could see the female ghost. Steadying myself, I moved my gaze away from the ghost and forced a smile, saying, “There… there was a bug.”

Laughter erupted from the group, but I didn’t dare sit back down. Jue Chi, frowning, gestured for me to stand beside him.

I quickly moved over, instinctively grabbing a part of Jue Chi’s sleeve. My eyes involuntarily swept over to where I had been sitting; the female ghost still stood there, motionless.

Reaching into my bag, I retrieved two protective life amulets. I hung one around my neck and placed the other on Jue Chi.

Chi Rui, observing my actions, asked quizzically, “What are you doing?”

I cleared my throat and turned to look at Chi Rui. To my surprise, the female ghost had moved beside him, with her long hair obscuring her face, facing me. I swallowed hard, subtly signaling him to move away from that spot.

Chi Rui, seeing me gesturing wildly, chuckled and said, “Gu Qingshu, what are you doing?”

“There’s a female ghost standing next to you.”

As I was wondering how Chi Rui could suddenly be so oblivious, Jue Chi glanced at him and directly said.

Chi Rui was momentarily stunned, instinctively glancing around before he jumped up from his seat. “Where is it?”

Jue Chi didn’t say a word; he simply removed the protective life amulet from his neck, intending to pass it to Chi Rui. I thought to myself that if anything happened, Jue Chi would need to be on the front line, while I could make a quick exit if necessary. So, I patted Jue Chi on the shoulder and tossed my amulet to Chi Rui. “Wear it; it’ll protect you.”

Hearing this, Chi Rui quickly hung the amulet around his neck and moved closer to Jue Chi.

Those originally seated around the table were startled by Jue Chi’s words and promptly crowded beside him as well.

I felt relieved that I had moved quickly; otherwise, I might not have secured a spot near Jue Chi in time.

Meanwhile, Lama Duoren was turning a prayer wheel, chanting under his breath, yet the female ghost remained seated, completely motionless.

Minutes passed, and Lama Duoren still hadn’t succeeded in driving the ghost away. Beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead, and my uncle, standing nearby, frowned deeply, his eyes fixed intently on Lama Duoren.

“What’s happening? Why is there no response?”

Suddenly, the great-grandfather, who had been silently presiding from the highest seat, spoke in a deep voice.

Bai Jie, standing beside him, murmured something, causing the great-grandfather’s expression to darken instantly.

Lama Duoren began rotating the prayer wheel faster and faster until, with a loud crack, it split into two halves, one falling to the ground and the other flying out.

Simultaneously, the ghost, previously stationary, swiftly appeared beside the great-grandfather.

“This isn’t good!”

I shouted, instinctively rushing toward the great-grandfather. Jue Chi was even quicker, reaching him almost instantly.

The ghost extended her sharp nails toward the great-grandfather’s neck. I yelled out, and the great-grandfather seemed to sense the danger, quickly rolling to the side.

Bai Jie stepped forward, grabbing the great-grandfather’s arm and pulling him into the crowd.

The ghost turned, relentlessly pursuing the great-grandfather! People screamed and scattered. The great-grandfather, due to his limited mobility, couldn’t run very fast.

Before long, the ghost caught up, gripping the great-grandfather’s shoulders with her hands.

At the same time, Jue Chi turned and hurled his prayer beads at the ghost.

The beads struck her, causing her to let out a piercing scream directed at the sky!