Taboo Mage - Chapter 167 - The Compass

When Suzhen saw me returning, she was startled and immediately asked if I was feeling unwell.

Her attentiveness made me a bit embarrassed, and I quickly assured her that I was just tired.

Before long, the Village Chief came in with a young man dressed in a police officer’s uniform. I was sitting in the courtyard, helping Suzhen sort green beans.

Upon seeing them, I quickly stood up. After all, I needed the police officer’s help to find Jue Chi and the others, and couldn’t just sit around waiting.

The young officer from the police station, likely accustomed to dealing with missing persons like myself, asked a few questions skillfully before closing his notebook and telling me to wait here.

I nodded. It was my fault for not remembering phone numbers, as I stored them all in my phone. Now that the phone was lost, I couldn’t recall any of Jue Chi’s numbers, so for the time being, I had to stay at the Village Chief’s house.

I’ll take it one step at a time and just wait for now.

After dinner, the Village Chief’s wife packed up and went to stay at her mother’s house, leaving just the Village Chief and me in the courtyard. The Village Chief chatted with me, asking how I ended up falling into the water.

I clearly remembered being pushed by Du Jun, but who would believe such a thing if I said it out loud?

So, I chose to evade the question.

While talking, I suddenly remembered that Zhou Qifang was still in the hospital. I didn’t know how he was doing or if they had realized that I was missing.

According to the Village Chief, he had brought me back three days ago, which meant I had been missing for at least three days, possibly even longer.

During such an extended period, I wondered if everyone had discovered Du Jun’s true nature. If not, they could end up being harmed by him, just like I was…

“Uncle Li, can I borrow your phone?”

Uncle Li, the Village Chief, was sitting on a wicker chair with a cigarette. When he heard my request, he handed me an old-fashioned smartphone. I quickly took it, found the network, and amazingly, it connected.

This filled me with joy. From my observations, the village seemed rather remote, but the Village Chief’s home was relatively well-equipped, at least with internet access.

The moment I got online, I searched for recent news about Du Jun.

Du Jun was a popular superstar. Even though he recently announced his exit from the entertainment industry, he had gained significant attention. I entered Du Jun’s name into the search bar.

The webpage flickered for a while before finally loading. The top result was Du Jun’s Wikipedia entry, followed by several pieces speculating about his sudden departure from stardom at the height of his career.

These weren’t the details I was looking for, so I quickly scrolled down the page. On the third page, I paused on a particular news article before clicking on it.

It was a gossip piece from a minor media outlet, reporting that a year ago, a journalist in Thailand had a chance encounter with Du Jun seeking an audience with the renowned local Buddha amulet master, Taka, which unexpectedly brought him fame. The article carried a dismissive tone toward Du Jun.

I frowned and focused on the journalist’s name at the bottom-Fang Yang.

“Young man, I… I have a favor to ask of you…” Suddenly, the usually lively and straightforward Village Chief spoke to me in a quiet tone.

I had just closed the webpage and cleared the browsing history before returning the phone to the Village Chief. Hearing his request, I looked up, puzzled, and asked, “What is it?”

The Village Chief cleared his throat, seeming to struggle with expressing himself, and after a moment’s hesitation, he slowly said, “Young man, I know you’re not just an ordinary person. If you were, you would have drowned in the water long ago. Dr. Liu mentioned that you had been submerged for at least two days…”

“Oh…” I laughed awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

But it seemed the Village Chief didn’t expect an answer. He continued, “When I pulled you out, there was a compass in your backpack. Are you a master?”

I frowned as the Village Chief put out his cigarette, then walked straight into the room. A short while later, he returned, holding a backpack in his hand.

I quickly took the backpack from his hands. It was the same one I had on when Du Jun pushed me into the river. Thanks to Chi Rui’s attention to detail, he chose water-resistant material when he bought it.

I was relieved to find that, as expected, quality matters. I unzipped the backpack, and to my surprise, it was completely dry inside.

“Young man, I opened your backpack earlier to try and figure out where you were from,” the Village Chief said apologetically.

I waved it off, “It’s okay, I understand.”

Even though I said that, having someone rummage through my belongings wasn’t exactly pleasant, but I didn’t show any displeasure. After all, he probably meant no harm.

Inside the backpack were some common items and not much else, just a compass and a red string. Having the compass gave me some peace of mind.

It was better than being defenseless.

Perhaps it was seeing the compass that made the Village Chief test the waters earlier. I was pondering that while also wondering what favor he might ask of me. If it was within my power, I wouldn’t refuse.

Otherwise, I’d be left feeling uneasy owing someone a favor.

Seeing me go through the contents of my backpack, the Village Chief grinned and crouched beside me, asking in a low voice, “Brother Gu, what do you use this compass for?”

“Oh, this? It’s used to track down spirits and such,” I replied, squinting my eyes and speaking in a similar low tone.

The Village Chief responded with an “oh” and continued to ask, “What about the spirits of those who died unjustly? Can it find them?”

“Unjustly? How did they die unjustly?” I asked, looking up at the Village Chief, sensing he might be hiding something from me. But given his carefree demeanor, I couldn’t be sure if it was my imagination or if he was just good at hiding it.

The Village Chief shook his head and said, “Don’t worry about how they died unjustly; just tell me if you can find them.”

I pondered his words, guessing perhaps a family member had encountered some misfortune, which was why he was seeking my help.

I nodded, “Yes, I can!”

As soon as I said it, the Village Chief suddenly knelt down in front of me with a loud thud. Before I could react, he started to cry and implored, “Master Gu! For my sake, you must help!”