Taboo Mage - Chapter 172 - Escape from Death

Having a dead person want you to stay and accompany them is definitely not a good sign.

Especially when this dead person is currently strangling me by the neck, trying to kill me. I struggle desperately, but there is absolutely no way to break free from Li Zhiqiang’s grip.

Just as I feel myself slipping into unconsciousness, I suddenly sense a powerful force at my wrist. With all my might, I manage to open my eyes and glance at the mirror.

Standing outside the mirror is Jue Chi!

When did this monk arrive?

Seeing Jue Chi feels like encountering the Virgin Mary, Jesus, God, or Guanyin!

Determined not to let Jue Chi’s long journey to save me go to waste, I focus hard and control my mind.

Outside the mirror, Jue Chi is turning his Buddhist prayer beads with one hand while holding the red string with the other, pulling me with all his strength.

The red string is the only connection between reality and the Illusion. As long as someone in reality holds onto the red string, no force in the Illusion can resist it.

The force from the red string grows stronger, and I concentrate all my energy on my hands, desperately trying to pry open Li Zhiqiang’s grip. Suddenly, an idea strikes me, and without knowing where it came from, I slam my forehead against Li Zhiqiang.

Li Zhiqiang staggers back several steps. Seizing the opportunity, I shout, “Stinking monk! Pull me!”

The red string tugs hard, and half of my body is yanked out of the mirror. On the other side, Li Zhiqiang realizes what’s happening and charges at me again. Seeing that I am nearly free, there’s no way I’m going to let you pull me back in now!

With a quick thought, I notice the ashes burnt in the fire basin beneath me. Resolute, I bend down, grab the basin, and smash it towards Li Zhiqiang.

Li Zhiqiang lets out a howl and retreats several steps. I quickly pull on the red string, dragging the other half of my body out of the mirror.

On the other side, Jue Chi sees me emerge and pulls me behind him. With his other hand, he throws the Buddhist prayer beads into the mirror just in time.

As the beads hit the surface, the mirror glows with a brilliant buddha’s light. Li Zhiqiang gapes with his mouth open, his blood-red eyes widening in shock as he tries to break free, but the mirror, now infused with buddha’s light, acts like an impenetrable barrier, sealing his soul within.

Watching Li Zhiqiang gradually disappear within the mirror, I can’t help but spit, “That’s what you get for wanting to drag me down with you!”

Jue Chi shakes his head. “Qingshu, don’t act like a shrew.”

“What’s wrong with being a shrew? Does a monk also look down on shrews?”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. The person in the mirror had completely disappeared, and the room returned to silence. I reached up and turned on the overhead light, the warm incandescent glow finally calming my racing heart a little.

“By the way, how did you get here?”

Jue Chi poured himself a glass of water and replied, “The police station called my temple. I didn’t have time to notify Lin Huan and the others, so I rushed over.”

“Notify you? Why would the police station contact you?” I furrowed my brow, feeling an unsettling vibe about the situation.

Jue Chi shook his head and said nothing, instead asking me what exactly had happened in that moment.

I briefly explained the events to him. After I finished, Jue Chi didn’t respond immediately; he simply stared at the mirror for a long time. Then he pulled out a new set of Buddhist prayer beads from his backpack, held them in his hands, and silently recited a Sutra.

I listened with my ear tilted towards him, growing sleepier with each passing moment, entirely unsure of what the Sutra was meant to do.

I don’t even know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up the next day, I found myself lying in bed. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to vividly recall what had happened the previous night, which felt like a dream.

I couldn’t help but sigh, realizing that perhaps fate had been kind to me after all.

After stretching lazily, I sat up and decided to go find Jue Chi, intending to discuss Li Zhiqiang’s situation with the Village Chief as well.

I found Jue Chi sitting in the yard chatting with the Village Chief. Dressed casually, the Village Chief didn’t recognize Jue Chi’s true identity and mistakenly thought he was a collector of antiques, believing the prayer beads in his hand were merely a necklace made from walnuts.

I chuckled to myself, grabbed a small stool, and sat down next to Jue Chi. When the Village Chief saw me come out, he quickly stood up, his face flushed with guilt.

I understood his guilt stemmed from the events of last night; if Jue Chi hadn’t arrived in time, I could have easily been harmed.

However, since I was now standing here just fine, I didn’t want to bring up the incident too much-it would only make me seem petty.

Seeing that I wasn’t pursuing the matter, the Village Chief repeatedly expressed his thanks before finally sitting back down. He then asked me why he hadn’t seen his son the night before.

I told him that I had seen his son, but it was a close call. I then recounted the scene from last night.

As soon as I finished speaking, the Village Chief lowered his head, listening to the suppressed sobs that echoed in the air. My heart couldn’t help but ache in response.

“Is there… is there any way to save him?” The Village Chief looked up, his eyes swollen with tears, making my heart ache for him.

I opened my mouth, but the words I had prepared held back in my throat, so I turned to Jue Chi for guidance.

Jue Chi lowered his head and slowly said, “According to Qingshu, your son has undoubtedly met with a fatal incident. So, whether or not he can be saved is no longer the issue. What do you wish to do now? Retrieve his body? It has already been encased in that building, and it cannot be found.”

The Village Chief opened his mouth but struggled to find words. After a long pause, he murmured in confusion, “Then… then…”

“Well, there must be some substitute, right? At least when we make offerings later on, we’ll have a place to go,” a woman’s voice chimed in from behind.

I turned to see Suzhen standing there, her eyes puffy from crying.

Perhaps she had overheard our conversation just now and realized that it was her words that had pressured Li Zhiqiang into going out for money just before the holidays, ultimately leading to his tragic end, his body now lost.

I glanced at Suzhen, trying to comprehend her implication, and then asked, “How about this? Li Zhiqiang is gone now, and we won’t be able to bring back his body. That’s beyond our capability. However, we can find his soul and help him move on to reincarnation.”

“Are you saying that Zhiqiang cannot reincarnate?” The Village Chief asked in disbelief, his eyes widening.

I nodded, “His body is sealed within the cement walls. Cement is a modern material that doesn’t allow any airflow; it completely isolates the body from the air.”