Taboo Mage - Chapter 168 - Departed Loved Ones

I was startled by his crying and tugged at the Village Chief’s sleeve, asking him to stand up first.

Not to mention that the Village Chief is my lifesaver, he’s old enough to be my father. Receiving such a bow from him feels like it would shorten my lifespan.

The Village Chief, a man nearly sixty, held onto me and sobbed while telling me his story.

Originally, I only knew that his son worked in another city, married Suzhen, who managed the household and their few acres of farmland. A few years ago, when the government initiated land exchange, all the farmlands, including theirs and a large neighboring area, were converted to cash and flattened for a supposed development zone.

With no land, the Village Chief’s family lost their source of income. His son then went to the city to find work, sending money back home every month and returning only once a year, during the New Year.

However, last year, his son neither came back for the New Year nor sent any money. Worried, the Village Chief had his nephew go to the city to search for him.

Upon reaching the previous address, the Boss only said that his son had resigned long ago and didn’t know where he went. Other coworkers testified to this, leaving the Village Chief with no choice but to stop pursuing the factory. Since then, his son’s whereabouts have been lost.

“If he’s just missing, why didn’t you report it to the Public Security Bureau? Why are you so certain your son has died?” I asked, puzzled.

I had encountered similar situations before, but the bereaved families typically chose to believe their loved ones were merely missing. Even when bodies were found, they often remained in denial.

Seeing the Village Chief believe his son had died without even finding a body was something I had never encountered.

The Village Chief wiped away his tears with his coarse hand and slowly said, “Brother Gu, to be honest, I’ve dreamt of my son recently.”

Is it a visitation in a dream? I straightened up, sensing that what the Village Chief was about to say might be very important.

“Every time I close my eyes, for several days now, I see our Zhiqiang lying on the ground, covered in blood. I don’t know what happened; his two Eyeballs are wide open, just calling out to me, ‘Father… Father…'”

“And then? What else did you see?” I prompted him.

The Village Chief sniffled, “I didn’t see much else, just him lying on the ground. I couldn’t tell where it was. There was steel around, like an unfinished building, but on closer look, it didn’t quite seem right.”

As he spoke, the Village Chief drifted into his memories.

I crossed my arms and leaned back in the wicker chair, pondering the Village Chief’s words carefully.

A visitation in a dream often occurs to one’s closest kin or dear friends, and can sometimes convey important information from the deceased.

The Village Chief is Li Zhiqiang’s Father, and there’s a natural bond. If Li Zhiqiang had indeed passed away, it would make sense for him to appear in his Father’s dreams.

“Brother Gu, you must help our Zhiqiang! He said he was in so much pain! I don’t even know where it hurts…”

The Village Chief broke into tears again as he spoke.

I helped him up, assuring him repeatedly that if there was anything I could do, I would do it without hesitation. Only then did the Village Chief retire to his room for rest.

Maybe because I had been unconscious for several days, I was unusually alert that night. I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, staring at the dark yard outside the window.

It felt as though a pair of eyes were staring back at me from the darkness. A sudden sense of unease washed over me, and I sat up, pacing the room aimlessly.

Suddenly, my gaze was drawn to the wardrobe, an old-fashioned one with a row of hangers inside. There were only two pieces of clothing-a shirt and a pair of dress pants.

I rubbed my chin and sat down on the stool opposite the wardrobe.

This courtyard was originally where the Village Chief, his son, and daughter-in-law lived. After Li Zhiqiang left for work, to avoid village gossip, the Village Chief moved back to the old house on his own.

I visited that house today; though not as new as this courtyard, it has all the necessary living utensils at least.

Currently, Suzhen resides here alone. Because this courtyard couldn’t accommodate me, the Village Chief arranged for me to stay here.

Suzhen went back to her parents’ home to avoid suspicion, only returning during the day to cook for me and the Village Chief and clean the rooms.

The courtyard has three rooms. I once asked the Village Chief, and he told me the front room opposite is where Suzhen and Li Zhiqiang lived. The room on the left used to be the Village Chief’s but has remained empty, sometimes used for storage.

The left room was originally prepared for a child, but the child goes to school in the county and usually doesn’t come back.

I’m now staying in the room that belongs to the Village Chief’s eldest grandson. But how could there be adult shirts and dress pants in a middle school child’s room?

Could someone else be living here, or perhaps Li Zhiqiang and his wife have been living separately, with him staying in this room during the New Year?

Whatever the reason, unless Suzhen is having an affair, the clothes in this room could only belong to Li Zhiqiang.

With this thought, I decided to try soul summoning in this room.

The next morning, I shared this news with the Village Chief. He excitedly asked if he needed to prepare anything. I told him to keep it low-key; the fewer people who know about the soul summoning ritual, the higher the chances of success.

In reality, I just didn’t want to attract too much attention in this small village.

The Village Chief wiped his tears with joy, took the list I gave him, and left on his tricycle.

I pulled up a stool and sat beside Suzhen, intending to ask her a few questions while I had the chance.

Suzhen arrived early and, after cooking, took out the dirty clothes to wash. Under the bright sun in the courtyard, sweat soon appeared on her forehead.

I handed her a piece of tissue from the bathroom, curious about why her face remained expressionless. When I mentioned the soul summoning earlier, I deliberately raised my voice, yet Suzhen showed no reaction.

She neither seemed nervous nor particularly pleased.

“Suzhen, you’ve been washing clothes for two days and still aren’t finished?” I pondered for a moment before deciding to probe further.