Taboo Mage - A journey of fairy tale stories

ad he offended that they would go to such lengths to pull him out of Chan Guang Monastery and then commit murder to silence him in a small village?

Zhou Qifang beside me had already begun to speak confidently, “Alright, stop overthinking it. What’s crucial now is to find Jue Chi as quickly as possible, whether he’s alive or dead; we need accurate information.”

I rolled my eyes, “You’re the one who’s dead!”

“Enough! What good is arguing with me now?” Zhou Qifang suddenly glared at me with a burst of frustration. He then turned to the backseat and retrieved his backpack.

He bent down and rummaged through it for a while, finally pulling out a set of Buddhist prayer beads and a copper coin.

“Let’s find a more discreet place to stay hidden until tonight.”

I contemplated for a moment, realizing that Zhou Qifang intended to use soul summoning later on to see if we could locate Jue Chi.

This method was specifically for the deceased.

If we were successful in summoning him, it would mean Jue Chi was indeed dead. But if it failed, it would likely indicate that he was still alive.

I nodded, turned the car around, and drove toward the outskirts of the village.

According to the call from earlier, the person hiding in the shadows might be monitoring us right now. The enemy was concealed while we were exposed; it wouldn’t be wise to confront them head-on.

I drove for about half an hour and eventually stopped near the expressway, finding a nearby hotel to stay in while we waited for nightfall.

Expressways are generally located in sparsely populated areas, so the hotel was far from ideal.

While waiting for night to fall, I lay in my room for a bit, then stepped out to a nearby service station’s supermarket to buy something to eat.

The supermarket was open twenty-four hours, and as soon as I entered, I sensed an unusual atmosphere-a strong, bloody smell.

I instinctively took a step back, regretting why I hadn’t called Zhou Qifang to come with me.

At most, I could manage a life amulet, but Zhou Qifang had real skills. Although he might not measure up to Jue Chi, he should still be able to protect himself and keep me safe in the process.

I wanted to leave the supermarket, but as I reached the door, my stomach growled loudly, reminding me that since deciding to go hiking this morning, I hadn’t eaten a single meal yet.

During the day, I had been too tense and anxious to feel hungry. Now that I had taken a nap and relaxed, my stomach finally expressed its dissatisfaction.

I gritted my teeth and made my way back into the supermarket.

It was still early, and the store was fairly crowded, especially since it was located near the expressway, drawing in a good amount of traffic from the nearby gas station and toll station.

I quickly grabbed two tubs of instant noodles from the shelves and hurried to the checkout.

“That’ll be ten yuan,” the cashier, a young girl, said with a hint of indifference in her tone.

Eager to leave, I fished out some cash from my pocket and tossed it onto the counter, then hurriedly stepped back.

Suddenly, the cashier called out from behind me, “Sir, you forgot your item.”

I froze for a moment, feeling the gazes of the people around me. Only then did I realize her words were directed at me.

I turned around and walked back to the counter, where I saw a small bottle sitting there. My eyes widened in surprise.

That… that was my soul-capturing bottle!

Inside the soul-capturing bottle, a soft blue glow floated. A curious child approached, pointing at the bottle and asking, “Uncle, what is this? It’s glowing!”

“I’m sorry, that’s mine,” I stammered, quickly grabbing the soul-capturing bottle and turning to leave. Just as I did, I noticed a strange smile flash across the cashier’s face.

I slipped on the floor and nearly stumbled down the steps.

“What’s wrong?”

Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out from the side, grabbing my wavering body before I could fall. I turned to see Zhou Qifang standing next to me, though I hadn’t noticed when he arrived.

I shot him a glance and opened my palm, saying, “The soul-capturing bottle- the cashier gave it to me.”

Zhou Qifang immediately frowned and glanced around the supermarket. For some reason, people passing by were looking at us with curious expressions.

I looked back in confusion and suddenly realized that Zhou Qifang still had his hand on my arm.

Damn! No wonder people were staring; they must think I’m gay!

I abruptly shook off Zhou Qifang’s hand, stashed the soul-capturing bottle in my pocket, and headed toward the hotel.

Back in my room, I took out the soul-capturing bottle and examined it closely.

Could that blue light be a spirit? But what kind of spirit would emit a blue glow?

I extended my hand, resting it on the soul-capturing bottle, and began to recite the incantation.

Suddenly, a warm current surged from my fingertips, quickly spreading across my palm.

I shot my eyes open, staring in disbelief at the contents of the soul-capturing bottle. The blue entity inside wasn’t merely a spirit; it was a spirit body!

If it contained a resentful spirit, the temperature I felt on my palm would be bone-chilling cold.

But now, the warmth I felt was scorching hot, indicating that what was inside wasn’t just a soul-it was a spirit body!

What exactly is this spirit body…

Who put this spirit body in the supermarket…

As I pondered, I sensed that something clear and distinct was about to emerge right before me, yet there was an obstruction preventing me from breaking through in my mind.

Knock, knock, knock-

There was a knock at the door. I rubbed my cheeks to compose myself and got up to answer it.

At the door stood Zhou Qifang, holding a bag filled with food. Upon seeing me, he frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong with you? Why do you look so pale?”

I pulled him inside and slammed the door shut behind us.

“What? It’s a spirit body?”

When I shared what I had just discovered with Zhou Qifang, he nearly jumped off the bed.

This was the first time I had seen Zhou Qifang so flustered since returning to China. I suddenly realized that despite being a Buddha amulet master for so long, he had probably never encountered a spirit body before!

Feeling curious, I voiced my thoughts, but Zhou Qifang had already regained his composure. He sat down on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the soul-capturing bottle on the table without wavering.