Taboo Mage - Chapter 19 - Kidnapped

Liu Yineng waved, signaling his men to leave, leaving only Ah Biao behind.

Once everyone else had left, Liu Yineng removed his life amulet and said, “I don’t care if you’re behind this, but now that I’m in trouble, you have to take responsibility.”

“What do you want me to do?” I frowned, a bad feeling creeping up my spine.

“I’m risking my life on the front lines. The last thing I need is someone sabotaging me from behind. I need you to make me a new life amulet, ensuring that everything goes smoothly for me next month.”

Liu Yineng spoke nonchalantly, but the swiss army knife he was toying with gleamed ominously.

I shook my head, indicating that it was impossible. Creating a life amulet not only requires a corresponding spirit aligned with the eight characters but also the individual’s own spiritual energy to sustain the amulet.

A person’s body can only sustain one life amulet at most. If one continually adds more amulets in pursuit of benefits, the amulets will eventually drain the host’s spiritual energy.

And the host would become what the legends describe as… a vegetative state…

After hearing my explanation, Liu Yineng hesitated. He spread his hands and asked if I had any possible solutions. I insisted that what I had said was the truth.

After listening, Liu Yineng nodded and didn’t say much else, only telling me to go home for now. If he needed anything, he said he’d call on me at any time.

I gave a forced smile and agreed before quickly leaving that troublesome place.

After leaving Liu Yineng’s territory, I headed straight to the hospital. This time, no matter how much it cost, I had to arrange a transfer for my Mother.

Liu Yineng had already grown suspicious of me. If I stayed here, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t threaten me by targeting my Mother.

Arriving at the ward, I took a deep breath, calmed myself, and then pushed open the door.

The moment I saw who was sitting inside the ward, my fists clenched tightly.

In the ward, a man in a white short-sleeved shirt was sitting by my Mother’s bedside, chatting with her.

Mother was smiling happily, but I felt an overwhelming urge to drag that man out.

I recognized him; he was the bodyguard who often followed Liu Yineng around.

Liu Yineng, as expected, had already extended his reach to my Mother.

Seeing me standing at the door, Mother smiled and said, “Qing Shu is here. Come in, come in. Is this your friend? He’s been waiting here for quite a while.”

I forced a smile and walked over, “Yes, he’s my friend. He happened to be nearby and came to check on you.”

The man nodded at me and said goodbye to Mother before getting up to leave. I followed him into the hallway and grabbed him, quietly demanding to know his intentions.

The man told me that Liu Yineng had sent him to monitor my Mother because he was worried that his enemies might come to seek my help.

I knew there was no use in making assurances now. Liu Yineng was already suspicious of me, and given his character, he would rather kill the wrong person than let anyone go.

I returned to the ward and chatted with Mother for a while. She asked me about the life amulet again, and I swore for a long time before finally calming her down.

Back at home, I started to ponder the recent events. The problem with Liu Yineng’s life amulet, although intentionally caused by me, had escalated much faster than I anticipated.

The Cause and Effect cycles that Father and Grandfather had constantly reiterated to me resurfaced in my mind.

I had planted the cause in the life amulet, and such a swift effect on Liu Yineng was ultimately due to his own malevolence; his spiritual energy was no longer sufficient to sustain the amulet.

Liu Yineng’s situation had made me more cautious; I would never touch a life amulet again. Otherwise, such a cruel backlash would eventually fall on me.

Since being kidnapped by Liu Yineng, I had distinctly felt the presence of many prying eyes around me. It was clear Liu Yineng had assigned people to monitor me.

But what about the other eyes? Where exactly did they come from?

One day, Xu-Jie and Li Mi invited me out for a meal to celebrate Li Mi starting university. After enjoying a meal with the two beautiful ladies, Xu-Jie drove me home.

Xu-Jie initially planned to drop me off directly at the store, but halfway there, she received a call from her Husband. She hurriedly left me at the entrance to the alley and rushed home.

I was feeling a bit tipsy, just perfect for a walk to clear my head.

Rounding the entrance to the alley, I suddenly noticed that there were lights on inside my house. Leaning against the wall, I tried to think; I was sure I had turned off the lights before leaving today.

But the bright glow was unmistakable. I patted my head, still fuzzy from the hangover, convincing myself that I must have simply forgotten.

Feeling more at ease, I fumbled for my keys and walked toward my house.

As I stepped inside, the moment I crossed the threshold and looked up, I was instantly jolted awake, the drunken fog dissipating completely.

In the middle of the living room, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. His polished shoes gleamed, and a pair of glasses perched on his nose. His meticulously groomed, graying hair gave him a distinguished appearance.

“Sorry, I must have the wrong place.”

I froze for a moment and turned to leave immediately.

Suddenly, two burly men emerged from nowhere, blocking my path at the door.

“Mr. Gu, you’re not in the wrong place. I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while,” said the man behind me, his voice cultured and pleasant.

I sniffed and turned around, “Do you know me, sir?”

“Gu Qingshu, the last remaining yin-yang life amulet master of the Gu family, capable of crafting life amulets according to individual needs to achieve various desired effects.” The middle-aged man stood up, hands clasped behind his back, his voice cold.

My heart sank. He knew so much about me. It seemed he was here to commission another life amulet.

“Sorry, I no longer make life amulets,” I said flatly.

“Don’t worry; we won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. My name is Qin Hao, and I am the Boss of the Regal Grandeur Nightclub. I came to ask a small favor of you next month,” he said.

Regal Grandeur Nightclub? I was taken aback. Another person from organized crime. Yet, unlike my past impressions of people like Fatty Ling and Liu Yineng, this Qin Hao spoke politely, dressed impeccably, and didn’t resemble a gangster at all. He seemed more like a successful businessman.

Admittedly, my impression of him was much better than that of Liu Yineng.

“I’m just a small shop owner making a living. How can I be of any help to someone like you?” I mumbled, despite my slightly improved impression. After all, I didn’t want any further involvement with organized crime. Dealing with Liu Yineng was already more than enough.

Moreover, Qin Hao was an even more formidable figure compared to Liu Yineng, being the hidden Boss behind Regal Grandeur.