Taboo Mage - Chapter 111 - Catching the Turtle in the Jar

So, as I ate, I listened to Lama Duoren subtly recount his glorious deeds once again, and found myself faintly expecting that what Jue Chi had said might come true.

Amitabha, it’s not that I purposely wanted to curse my great-grandfather; it’s just that this lama is so obnoxious that I can hardly swallow my food.

The banquet continued well past one in the morning. Seeing that the day was almost over, I said to Jue Chi, “How about it? You lost the bet, right? Let’s go back, get some sleep, and as soon as we open our eyes tomorrow, we’ll head straight home.”

“What bet did you make?” Lama Duoren came over, asking curiously.

I shot him a glare, “The bet that you’d meet a terrible end tonight.”

“Such things shouldn’t be said lightly, Master Gu,” Lama Duoren shook his head and stopped talking to me.

Though I was seated in a corner, my eyes were constantly on my great-grandfather. According to Jue Chi, the female ghost in red was parasitizing him. Although my great-grandfather was robust for his age, he couldn’t possibly withstand the resentful spirit’s malevolence.

And though his blood could indeed purify these spirits, there were certain conditions.

I believed this because if Jue Chi’s blood could easily cleanse any spirit, he would have long since slashed his own arm and poured out a bowl of blood at the sight of any spirit.

I asked Jue Chi what the conditions were for using his blood to purify spirits.

Jue Chi mentioned two conditions. “First is using the authentic Buddhist technique to seal the spirit’s resentment before using the blood to purify it. The second condition is… the spirit in question must have some connection with me from when it was alive.”

“A connection? That’s a wide scope,” I shook my head. It’s indeed hard to define. What counts as a connection? Being neighbors is a connection, marriage is a connection, and enmity is also a connection…

Jue Chi shook his head again and said, “Heaven’s secrets must not be divulged.”

That’s the line I hate the most; it’s like asking him what’s for dinner and getting “whatever” as an answer.

As I was chatting happily with Jue Chi, a commotion suddenly arose in front of us. Alert, I looked towards great-grandfather Chi’s direction, only to find that the great-grandfather who had been sitting steadily in the armchair had suddenly disappeared.

Bai Jie, who was always with him, was also missing.

I frowned in confusion, not thinking much of it. Maybe great-grandfather felt unwell, and Bai Jie helped him to his room.

But even as I reassured myself, my heart continued to pound, and a foreboding feeling surged to the forefront of my mind.

“Jue Chi, do you think great-grandfather might really be in trouble?” I thought for a moment and then turned to Jue Chi.

Jue Chi shook his head without speaking. I thought about how the old man was at such an advanced age, he couldn’t handle any turmoil. If the female ghost really backlashed against great-grandfather Chi, he wouldn’t survive it.

Thinking of this, I quickly got up to look for Chi Rui, hoping he could check on great-grandfather to make sure he was truly safe.

Being the eldest grandson, Chi Rui naturally sat at the same table as great-grandfather. I weaved through the crowd, and when I finally found Chi Rui, he was chatting with a relative beside him.

I patted his shoulder and shared my concerns. Chi Rui waved dismissively and said, “Don’t worry, great-grandfather is fine. He was just tired, so he went to sleep early. It’s perfectly normal for the elderly to sleep more.”

Hearing Chi Rui’s words did not put me at ease; instead, it made my heart race faster, sensing that something was about to happen.

Just as I was considering whether to check on great-grandfather myself, a blood-curdling scream suddenly emerged from a room not far away. Everyone turned towards the source, which was indeed great-grandfather’s room.

Chi Rui froze for a moment, then leapt out of his chair and rushed toward great-grandfather’s room. I followed closely, yelling for Jue Chi as I quickened my pace.

When we reached the doorway, the room was eerily quiet, with no signs of movement. Chi Rui hesitated at the door, knocked, and asked, “Great-grandfather, are you asleep?”

There was no response. Chi Rui asked a few more times, but the room remained silent. Everyone whispered among themselves, not knowing what had happened.

I glanced at Chi Rui, who frowned before raising his hand to push the door open.

With a creak, the door swung open, revealing the eerily silent room of great-grandfather. I followed Chi Rui inside, and by the dim moonlight, I saw a figure sitting on the bed at the far end of the room.

“Great-grandfather?” Chi Rui called out tentatively.

The person on the bed didn’t respond, and just as everyone began to panic, uncertain about what was happening, a sinister laugh suddenly echoed from within the room.

I swallowed, goosebumps rising all over my body.

If I wasn’t mistaken, that laugh came from a woman.

Chi Rui immediately halted, waving a hand behind him and whispering, “There’s something wrong with the room. Everyone, get out quietly. Don’t make any noise.”

The few people behind him shivered and, upon hearing Chi Rui’s words, turned and hurried out.

I quietly took a few steps back, standing beside Jue Chi. “Do you know what’s happening?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but if I had to guess, it seems that the female ghost in red has already possessed great-grandfather’s body. The person in there now is the real female ghost in red.”

I swallowed hard and quietly unzipped my backpack, pulling out a peachwood sword and gripping it in my hand.

The other night, it was already difficult enough dealing with a ghost conjured by Lama Duoren and great-grandfather. Now, facing the real spirit, we would likely have to exert even more effort.

Jue Chi also retrieved some prayer beads and an alms bowl from his bag, chanting under his breath while slowly retreating toward the doorway.

Chi Rui stood his ground and called out again, “Great-grandfather?”

The shadow on the bed remained unresponsive, and I wondered if the female ghost had fallen asleep. If she had, it would be the perfect opportunity to catch her in her slumber.

To my dismay, just as I stepped one foot toward the door, with Jue Chi and Chi Rui still standing in the shadowy part of the room, the door, which had been ajar, suddenly slammed shut.

“Damn it!” I cursed under my breath, glancing around to see if there was any other exit.

But the entire room was completely sealed off. Apart from the tightly closed door behind us, even the windows were shut, trapping us inside as if in a jar.

Indeed, it had turned into a game of catching turtles in a jar-but now, we were the turtles trapped inside.