Taboo Mage - Chapter 18 - Capturing a Living Soul

After pondering for a long time, I realized that the only viable alternative to a living soul was an animal with a common ancestor to humans-a monkey.

Although extracting the spirit of a monkey is not exactly ethical, it is still better than capturing a living human soul.

Early the next morning, I headed to the Zoo alone with the soul-capturing bottle, seeking the right monkey for the spirit extraction. However, I spent the entire morning in the monkey enclosure without finding a suitable monkey.

I recalled the ugly woman I encountered that night. She seemed to be a recently deceased corpse. Despite her terrifying face, her body was still well-preserved.

Even though her spiritual power wasn’t that strong, it would still take some effort to find something capable of resisting her living soul.

By noon, I was extremely hungry. I bought a loaf of bread from a small shop near the monkey enclosure and sat under a large tree to eat.

Suddenly, a thin, bony arm reached down from the tree, and before I noticed, grabbed the bread from my hand!

Luckily, I reacted quickly and snatched it back.

I looked up and saw a monkey perched on the nearest branch, staring at me with its lively eyes. Its furry paws still clutched half the loaf it had snagged from me.

I was overjoyed. Encountering such a spirited monkey was indeed Du Qiu’s good fortune.

After cautiously glancing around to make sure no one was watching, I tore the remaining half loaf into small pieces, scattering them on the ground in a trail leading behind an artificial rock.

As expected, the monkey jumped down, following the bread crumbs to the back of the rock. Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed its arms. Before it could screech, I quickly stuck a yellow talisman paper inscribed with runes onto its forehead.

The monkey rolled its eyes and bared its teeth at me. I took out the soul-capturing bottle from my backpack, recited the incantation, and placed the bottle against its chest.

Within a minute, the brightness in the monkey’s eyes faded. I put away the captured living soul and removed the yellow talisman paper from its forehead.

The monkey took a few steps and then turned back to grin at me.

A wave of guilt washed over me, and in my heart, I vowed to have Du Qiu buy this monkey so it could live out its days in peace.

With the living soul found, crafting the life amulet became much simpler. I carved a figure from the Chinese scholar tree wood, just as Du Qiu had demonstrated. Then, using yellow talisman paper and glutinous rice, I sealed the monkey’s living soul into it.

After the life amulet was complete, Du Qiu also handed me two hundred thousand yuan.

Later, Du Qiu sought me out again, hoping I could get rid of that ugly woman once and for all. I told him I was just a yin-yang life amulet master, not a ghost catcher.

Du Qiu nodded in understanding. As he left, he mysteriously slipped an envelope into my hand, instructing me to open it only after he had gone.

Once Du Qiu left, I locked the door behind him and curiously opened the envelope. Inside lay a USB flash drive and a note.

The note explained that this USB contained the original video of Li Mi, without any copies made. Du Qiu assured me that he would no longer be involved with Fatty Ling, leaving me to handle the situation as I saw fit.

I smiled as I read the note. Instantly, I dialed 911 and anonymously reported Fatty Ling for human trafficking.

Within days, Fatty Ling was investigated and found guilty. This time, he was sentenced to over ten years in prison.

With Fatty Ling behind bars, Li Mi’s spirits lifted, especially after receiving her acceptance letter from the city’s top university. She was overjoyed, preparing for college every day.

As for me, I spent my days sitting outside the shop. When not visiting my mother in the hospital, I soaked up the sun, pondering what kind of work I could do to support myself and my mother now that I was no longer making life amulets.

One day, I had just returned from the hospital and was walking home, thinking about what to have for dinner, when a sharp pain struck the back of my head. Clutching my head, I lost consciousness.

When I awoke, I couldn’t see anything; it seemed my eyes were covered. I could only hear footsteps moving back and forth.

I struggled, causing my wrists to ache from being tightly bound.

Suddenly, the footsteps grew closer, and someone yanked the blindfold off my eyes. The sudden burst of light took me by surprise, leaving me momentarily disoriented.

I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them once I had adjusted to the light.

Standing before me was a burly man I recognized-Ah Biao. Seated in the chair behind him was a familiar face, Liu Yineng.

However, Liu Yineng looked much different this time. His forehead was wrapped in bandages, and his right arm was in a cast, slung around his neck.

Seeing him injured from head to toe, I was at a loss, not knowing what had happened.

Liu Yineng’s condition suggested he had been beaten up badly. But what did his getting into a fight have to do with me?

Ah Biao spoke up, “Brother Gu, we didn’t bring you here for any other reason. We just want to ask if you did anything you shouldn’t have while making the life amulet.”

I was taken aback and instinctively glanced at the life amulet hanging around Liu Yineng’s neck. It was intact but faintly shrouded in dark energy.

So, the female ghost was already beginning to awaken?

“No, I didn’t. Liu Yineng watched me make the life amulet very closely. If you don’t believe me, you can ask other experts if I tampered with anything,” I said firmly. At this moment, my only hope for survival was to deny everything vehemently.

Ah Biao, conflicted by our acquaintance, scratched his head in frustration after hearing my response.

Liu Yineng stood up, and I noticed that his legs were also casted, hidden earlier under a thin blanket.

“If you didn’t tamper with it, then why was I fine wearing the life amulet until it left your hands? After that, I was chased by enemies and lost a leg!”

Liu Yineng glared at me fiercely, exuding a threatening aura.

I shook my head, asserting that it truly had nothing to do with me.

After hearing my response, Liu Yineng surprisingly had me untied, signaling a desire to have a more earnest conversation.

I sat down on a chair, feeling uneasy, my mind racing to come up with a way to handle this situation.