Taboo Mage - Chapter 165 - On the Brink of Life and Death

I couldn’t stop pondering in my heart about where I went wrong to provoke Du Jun to take actions against me personally. Could it be because I knew too much, and he wanted to silence me?

But my lips are indeed sealed. If it was such a simple reason that would cause me to lose my life for no reason, it was something I couldn’t accept.

Bang!

I originally thought that the sound of falling into the river should be a splash, like when I used to stand on the bank as a child and leap into the water to swim.

But then I realized, right, I’m not jumping into a small creek now, but a river that can churn up waves.

Du Jun, on his way out, had specifically opened the driver’s side window for me, so when the car submerged, the ice-cold river water rushed in, quickly submerging even my head.

Soon, my consciousness began to fade with the cold river water, my eyes feeling extremely heavy. I wanted to close them and take a rest, but in my half-conscious state, I seemed to hear a familiar voice by my ear.

“Qingshu… hang in there…”

I could vaguely recognize the voice as my long-deceased Grandfather.

I couldn’t help but think sarcastically, if it were a living person, that would be fine. But what the hell, a dead person, are you going to fish me out of the water or what…

Perhaps it’s a little comforting to hear a voice before dying.

My chest must have already filled with water, feeling suffocated, barely able to breathe. Except for my handcuffed wrists, my whole body floated up in the passenger seat.

The last coherent thought before blacking out was that being a water ghost might not be so bad. If I ever needed a scapegoat, I’d drag Du Jun down with me!

I always thought that if I were to die, it would be at the hands of a ghost, but I never expected to die by a human’s hand.

In the days that followed, my consciousness remained in a haze. I seemed to hear someone calling my name, but all around me was a blinding white, unable to see any path.

Or perhaps, there was never any path.

I died.

This was my first thought as the calling voice grew louder by the second. Finally, amidst a crisp bell sound, I suddenly opened my eyes.

The world before me was still a blur of white, but at least there was something new, like the blue flame flickering in the distance.

“Damn! Could that be the Ox-Head and Horse-Face¹ coming to take me? But since when did they become ghostly flames?”

I muttered to myself, yet subconsciously followed the flame with my steps.

The further I walked, the wider the view became, and the surrounding scenery gradually came into focus.

Contrary to my expectations, the path to the Netherworld was becoming increasingly spacious, with the few humanoid figures transforming into a bustling crowd in merely ten minutes.

Seeing more and more… ghosts around me, a line from Tao Yuanming suddenly popped into my head: “The road was initially narrow, allowing only one person to pass; after a few dozen steps, it opened up widely.”

“Heh…” Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Why does it feel like I’m not going to the Netherworld but to heaven instead?

“Hey! You brat!”

Suddenly, a loud shout came from behind, startling me as I quickly turned to look. Standing a few meters away was an old man with a white beard, leaning on a cane.

“Grand… Grandfather?”

I stared, wide-eyed at the person so close to me, my mind buzzing.

Grandfather, however, approached energetically, glaring at me as if he wanted to eat me alive, “You silly boy, if someone leads you, you just follow? You’re so grown up now, yet as a dead person, I still have to worry about you every day!”

“The way you put it, it’s my first time dying, no experience, so of course, I followed,” I scratched my head, suddenly realizing.

So, it turns out I really was dead.

Any small hope I had was utterly shattered when I saw our old man, leaving me with indescribable feelings, making me sigh deeply.

Grandfather quickly took a few steps forward and jabbed my leg with his cane, making me jump off the ground in pain.

“Does it hurt? Does it hurt?”

“It hurts, ah!” I shouted angrily. Isn’t the old man supposed to be dead? How has he become so unreasonable and even violent?

Grandfather blew his beard and roared, “And you still feel pain! Feeling pain means you’re not dead yet! Have you ever seen a dead ghost feel pain after getting hit?”

I was stunned for a moment, ignoring the pain as I quickly touched myself all over. It seemed… it really was my own body…

Suddenly, my right hand, which had reached into my pocket, felt something. I quickly pulled it out to see it was a talisman.

My head buzzed with thoughts of using a rune meant for ghosts on myself. If it didn’t work, wouldn’t that prove I wasn’t really dead?

As I thought about it, I took the talisman out, didn’t hesitate to bite my finger, smeared the blood on the talisman, and stuck it on my forehead.

“You rascal! Is this how you waste something from the Gu Family?” The old man’s voice thundered, and my hand shook, nearly throwing the talisman straight at his face.

Sure enough, Grandfather leapt ten meters away, brandishing his cane with such vigor that it seemed like it would be hurled at me at any moment.

I quickly hid the rune behind my back, and seeing me put it away, the old man’s expression finally softened a bit.

He rolled his eyes and asked, “Do you want to go back?”

“Yes!” I replied resolutely. Wasn’t it obvious? My great years were just beginning, so why should I stay in this bizarre place?

I haven’t even gotten married yet!

Maybe Grandfather thought the same thing, as he rummaged through his clothes for a while before pulling out a crumpled item. Extending his hand to show me, it turned out to be a square handkerchief.

“What’s this…”

“Never mind what it is. Just cover your eyes with it and walk forward. Remember, do not turn back, and don’t take it off!”

With that, he threw aside his cane and draped the handkerchief over my eyes.

As I was about to speak, the handkerchief seemed to come to life, clinging tightly to my face like a palm.

Footnote:

1. Ox-Head and Horse-Face(牛头马面):“Ox-Head and Horse-Face” (牛头马面) are two mythical creatures that serve as guardians or escorts at this gate. They are responsible for capturing and guiding the souls of the dead to the underworld, ensuring that they do not escape back to the world of the living.