Taboo Mage - Chapter 15 - Fatty Ling Smashes the Shop

I snorted, “Sorry, I’m in charge here. What do you need?”

The man took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of piercing eagle-like eyes, staring straight at me.

I couldn’t help but shiver. Those eyes… it was the first time I’d seen such a perfect blend of allure and malice in someone’s gaze.

Anything unusual must be harboring evil.

I remembered when I was a child, there was a neighbor living next to our old family house. The wife gave birth to a chubby boy, who was exceptionally handsome but had two differently colored eyeballs. One was brown, and the other was red.

As soon as the boy was born, Grandfather said something was wrong with him, but he didn’t specify what exactly. He merely shook his head and sighed whenever he saw the child.

Later, Grandfather decided to move our entire family. I once heard the adults say that after growing up, the boy “opened his heavenly eye” and became someone who specialized in Feng Shui¹ and could invite a Ghost to possess people.

In two years, he made quite a fortune and even built an asphalt road for the hometown people.

Just a few years later, the boy started having nightmares, dreaming that something was trying to come out of that red eyeball. He then consulted a master, who said the problem lay within that eyeball. To save his life, he had surgery to remove it.

Yet he still didn’t live long and died a tragic death.

When I grew up, I once asked Grandfather about it. He sighed and said that the child was simply a vessel for a soul exchange from the moment he was born.

The reason that eyeball could see things others couldn’t was merely because the Ghost using him threw him a small reward.

For some reason, this story suddenly popped into my mind.

Startled, I looked back at that man, finding him increasingly eerie the more I looked. I hurriedly shook my head. No matter how much Fatty Ling shouted, I firmly demanded that he leave.

Fatty Ling got anxious and slapped the top of my head, yelling, “I’m telling you, Gu Qingshu, Mr. Du is not someone you can afford to offend. He’s just asking for a favor! It’s not like he’s asking for your life!”

I cursed inwardly, thinking, might as well just take my life right now…

Behind me, Li Mi chimed in, probably bewitched by the man’s good looks.

I swallowed hard, sat down on the sofa, and indicated that I would just listen casually but firmly refused to get involved in any dealings.

The man seemed to understand and took off his suit jacket, draping it over the back of the sofa before beginning to tell his story.

It turned out that this man was the son of a local business tycoon. Being a second-generation rich kid, he had difficulty controlling his impulses. About a month ago, after leaving the club, he ran into an incredibly stunning woman. With the pleasant thought of a one-night stand, he took the beauty to a hotel.

Unexpectedly, while the night was enjoyable, within a week his face started becoming more and more feminine, gradually resembling that woman from that night. In the past few days, he had even been experiencing impotence.

I clicked my tongue in amazement. This was just like encountering a fox spirit and having one’s soul sucked out-a modern version, no less.

I asked him, since he was so wealthy, why not seek the help of a high-ranking monk? In this society, while there are plenty of fake monks, there are still genuine ones with real abilities.

The man explained that he was an illegitimate child in his family. His father had another son, and the two were fiercely competing for the family inheritance. If this matter were discovered, he would definitely be stripped of his inheritance rights.

I sighed after hearing this and looked up to find Mr. Du staring at me with an eager expression.

I swallowed hard, quickly shook my head, and firmly stated that I was not competent enough to help.

After listening to my words, Mr. Du didn’t persist. He just said, “Sorry to trouble you,” and then got up to leave.

After Mr. Du left, Fatty Ling cursed me for a while with a big grin on his face before rubbing his cheek and leaving too.

I thought this matter was over until two days later, Fatty Ling charged into my shop again.

This time, he wasn’t alone; he brought a group of people.

At that moment, I was hunched over, dusting the ancestral tablet for my Father. Hearing Li Mi’s shout from outside, I tossed the cloth aside and ran out, only to see Fatty Ling hugging Li Mi’s waist and repeatedly slobbering on her face.

“What are you doing?!”

I roared in anger. The once relatively tidy shop now looked like a disaster zone. The only antique display stand had been knocked over, fake antiquities scattered and shattered across the floor. The sofa was askew, and the coffee table was reduced to splinters.

Fatty Ling had brought along a group of young men dressed in garish clothes, each wielding a baton and gleefully smashing up my shop.

Hearing my voice, Fatty Ling let go of Li Mi and glared at me viciously. “How many times have I helped you? And now you repay me like this?”

“What is going on? If there’s something to say, say it clearly!”

Li Mi clung to me, sobbing her heart out. The sight tugged at my heartstrings, and I fumbled awkwardly, unsure how to comfort her. I could only yell at Fatty Ling in anger.

Fatty Ling sneered and pulled out his wallet, flinging it at my feet.

“I introduced you to Mr. Du so you could make some money! You turned him down and left me to deal with the fallout. I took a deposit from Mr. Du, and now I’m being forced to pay back ten times the amount because you broke the deal! Ten times! Everything I’ve earned in these past years, gone just like that!”

Each word from Fatty Ling grew louder and more furious. I responded with a cold laugh.

He had taken the deposit without my consent, and now he wanted to pin the blame on me?

Fatty Ling had been wheeling and dealing these past few years, making a fortune in the millions. If he had lost everything, it meant he had taken a deposit of at least a hundred thousand.

No wonder he was so insistent that day on getting me to agree to Mr. Du’s request.

After more cursing and ranting, Fatty Ling finally spat out one last threat before leaving with his goons.

“Tonight, you’ll pay for this!”

I snorted derisively. I lived in my shop; where else could I go at night? If need be, I’d just lock the door and set up something at the entrance to scare him off!

After a few comforting words to Li Mi, I sent her home early.

Once Li Mi had left, I barricaded the shop door and set up a dharma array using a red string at the entrance. I placed a peach blossom spirit that I had stored a few days earlier into a doll and set it by the door.

With everything in place, I went to bed, ready for a good night’s sleep.

In the middle of the night, I was suddenly roused by the ringing of my phone. Annoyed, I answered it, only to hear a strange woman’s voice informing me that someone named Li Mi had been forcibly taken to a hotel by a fat man.

The shock jolted me wide awake.

Fatty Ling’s parting words echoed in my mind.

Footnote:

Feng Shui(风水): Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that focuses on harmonizing individuals with their surrounding environment. The term translates to “wind” (风, fēng) and “water” (水, shuǐ), symbolizing the flow and movement of energy, or “chi” (气, qì), through the natural world. Feng Shui aims to balance these energies to promote health, prosperity, and well-being.