Taboo Mage - Chapter 110 - Caught in a Scheme

I sat there blankly, looking at the people in front of me. My mind churned for a long time, but it felt like I was lost in a fog, with no sense of direction.

Jue Chi and I spent the entire night capturing ghosts, yet somehow, my great-grandfather’s eyes were inexplicably healed. From what he implied, all our hard work was just in vain effort-a wedding dress made for someone else…

A string of facts left me momentarily stunned. I turned to Chi Rui sitting next to me, noticing his sullen face and lowered head. It was uncertain what he was pondering.

In the end, it was Chi Hong who revealed the truth to us with a smile.

It turned out that the loss of control over the female ghost in red last night was just an orchestrated act by Lama Duoren and my great-grandfather. Their goal was to find the blood of an eminent monk to use as a remedy, and then inject this collected blood into the paper effigy where the female ghost resided.

In this way, the ghost was enlightened by the eminent monk, breaking free from its ghostly form and becoming a spirit. Such a spirit could be used to treat my great-grandfather’s eyes.

As for the method, Lama Duoren naturally couldn’t create a life amulet, so he thought of a daring yet effective way: to have the spirit of the female ghost in red possess my great-grandfather directly.

This method was extremely risky, yet it was the most effective one.

They went to such lengths and even released a distracting female ghost just for a few drops of Jue Chi’s blood.

Their scheming was indeed elaborate.

After hearing Chi Hong’s explanation, I felt no emotional upheaval. I merely turned to glance at Jue Chi.

I wondered what Jue Chi was feeling at that moment, knowing he had been used. Had his long-held belief in saving the world been shaken at all?

Lama Duoren couldn’t suppress a satisfied smile as he said to Jue Chi, “Master Jue Chi, I recognized you from the first day you appeared. So when I asked for your help back then, it was all premeditated.”

I frowned, glaring at Lama Duoren and angrily retorted, “Shut your mouth! Can’t anything block that foul mouth of yours?”

“Mr. Gu, please don’t be upset. Chi Rui and I invited you here to cure great-grandfather Chi’s eyes. Now that his eyes are healed, our goal is achieved. This was a perfect collaboration. I believe that when people talk about the three of you in the future, they will definitely feel proud,” Chi Hong said smoothly. His words made me want to shove a chopstick down his throat.

Throughout it all, Jue Chi maintained a gentle smile. After listening to Chi Rui, he stood up and pressed his palms together, saying, “If my blood can truly bring someone back to life, then even if it means falling into the Netherworld, I’m willing to offer my flesh and blood.”

After speaking, Jue Chi glanced at great-grandfather Chi and left without another word.

I quickly got up to follow him. This was not a place to linger. If they made such an effort just for a few drops of Jue Chi’s blood, who’s to say they wouldn’t kill him for great-grandfather Chi’s immortality? He might not be the Tang monk¹, but he is an eminent monk. What if great-grandfather Chi believes in such superstitions?

Back in the room with Jue Chi, I insisted we pack up quickly. We couldn’t stay here another second or we really might end up dead.

Jue Chi sat on the sofa, his hands resting on his crossed knees, and said in a deep voice, “We can’t leave yet.”

“Why?” I glared at him, tossing several of his clothes into his backpack.

Jue Chi shook his head, “This matter isn’t over. We must stay.”

“But great-grandfather Chi’s eyes are healed; we don’t need to make a life amulet anymore. Why not leave now?”

After finishing Jue Chi’s packing, I turned to sort my things, only to see Jue Chi stand up from the sofa and toss his neatly packed backpack back into the cabinet.

“You bald monk, what are you doing?”

“Great-grandfather Chi’s eyes aren’t truly healed, and the Chi Family will eventually face trouble.” Jue Chi furrowed his brows tightly and stared intently at me as he spoke.

I was stunned for a moment, “What… what does that have to do with us…”

“Qingshu, think about your purpose for coming to Shenyang. Are you willing to just leave like this?” Jue Chi suddenly smiled and sat down on the bed.

I pursed my lips. Since when did this monk learn to hit my soft spots? He knew how important my goals were for coming all the way to Shenyang, yet he had to bring it up now…

“Fine! I’ll stay for a couple more days. But if nothing happens in those two days, you have to come back with me!”

I offered a compromise for both Jue Chi and myself, and he agreed readily.

Great-grandfather Chi’s eyes, blind for over ninety years, were finally treated, and he was in great spirits. He set up a feast in the village, with bright red lanterns lining the way from one end of the village to the other.

Hundreds of descendants and extended relatives of the Chi Family rushed to the village in one day. The limited inns in the village were packed with people, and even the two large courtyards of the Siheyuan had makeshift beds arranged by Chi Zhong.

Watching the grand and bustling scene, I wasn’t sure what to feel. Part of me hoped Jue Chi’s words would ring true, so the Chi Family could see that only the right path could truly save people, while shortcuts through dubious means were just illusions.

The village was livelier than during the New Year. I joined the villagers in several happy feasts, and by the last day, I was so full that I couldn’t eat another bite. I finally asked Bai Jie to cook me a bowl of porridge to soothe my throat.

That evening marked the last day of the Chi Family’s feast. Great-grandfather Chi, in high spirits, donned a brand-new Chinese tunic suit and sat in the top armchair, his deeply wrinkled face practically blooming with joy.

Jue Chi and I weaved through the crowd, indulging in plenty of delicious food and drinks.

Chi Zhong had prepared a special table of vegetarian dishes for Jue Chi and Lama Duoren, with not a trace of meat. Having grown tired of rich meats over the past few days, I joined Jue Chi in enjoying the vegetarian fare.

Jue Chi was typically reserved, but Lama Duoren was quite the opposite. Ever since great-grandfather Chi’s eyes were cured, he’d been talking non-stop, as if he had a speaker attached to his mouth, eager for everyone to know he was the hero who healed great-grandfather Chi’s eyes.

Footnote:

1. Tang Monk(唐僧): A character from “Journey to the West,” based on the monk Xuanzang. It’s believed that eating his flesh grants immortality, making him a target for demons.