Taboo Mage - Chapter 194 - Jue Chi Got Married

Stunned for a moment, I suddenly widened my eyes and let out a stream of curses.

The Mummy behind me slowly extended its hand, its right hand, dry as firewood, reached out. I suppressed the nausea rising within me as I watched that hand gently wave in front of me.

“Why don’t you want to hold my hand anymore?” The Mummy’s voice was still as melodious as before, but paired with that body…

Damn it! I’m not crazy! Who the hell wants to hold hands with a Mummy?!

Thinking back to just now, I had actually been holding such a repulsive hand and felt a strange sense of delight. It made me feel sick; I wished I could chop off the hand she had held.

Suddenly, my vision went dark, as if someone had blocked my sight.

After a minute or two, that hand was finally removed. I blinked, trying to suppress my feelings of disgust, and took a few steps back to look at the Mummy.

To my surprise, the Mummy had vanished, replaced by that beautiful woman from before.

“What is this…”

I looked at her in confusion, then glanced at my own hand, feeling as if I were dreaming. I just couldn’t tell which one was the dream.

Was it the Mummy? Or this beautiful woman in front of me… Which one of them was real, and which was a dream…

I suddenly turned around. Jue Chi was still sitting there; the teacup in his hand had been set down. He got up from the corridor, and the woman behind him playfully called out, slowly walking over, while I stood there with emotions I could barely process, watching as her jade-like arms wrapped around Jue Chi’s waist.

“Monk… you…” I stood frozen, unable to believe what I was witnessing.

Jue Chi smiled brightly as he patted the back of the woman’s hand resting in his embrace, then gently said, “Qingshu, this is Yuzhi, my wife.”

Wife? That word exploded in my mind like an atomic bomb, then shattered into a flurry of snowflakes.

I pinched my arm hard, it stung!

Was this not a dream? I closed my eyes, carefully reflecting on what I had just experienced. What exactly was I here for? What was I really doing? What was…

That’s right! I came to find that spirit! I came to this village because Jue Chi had gone missing!

I suddenly opened my eyes, looking excitedly at Jue Chi. Even though he was wearing a long robe from the Republic of China, that familiar face was something I could never forget!

I rushed forward a few steps and grabbed Jue Chi by the collar, dragging him out.

“You monk! While you’re here enjoying yourself, we’ve been searching everywhere for you! And that old lady too, how could she say you were dead? I told you, how could you possibly be dead? You’re a monk after all…”

“Qingshu!”

The people behind me sped up a few steps, then stopped. I turned around, looking at Jue Chi with a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to come with me?”

“Qingshu, I’ve gotten married…”

“Married, my foot!” Before Jue Chi could finish, I shouted angrily, “You’re a monk, what do you mean ‘married’? Don’t think that just because you’re wearing a long robe, you’re suddenly a person of the Republic of China! Let me tell you, you’re a monk, what kind of marriage is this! Aren’t you afraid the Buddha will knock on your bald head in the middle of the night?”

I ranted out of anger and continued to drag Jue Chi forward without looking back.

Just as we were about to leave the courtyard, suddenly, a mournful voice called out from behind.

“Xiang Gong¹…”

Damn! Those two words pierced through me like needles, raising goosebumps all over my skin. “Xiang Gong”? Wearing clothes like a person from the Republic of China but speaking like someone from ancient times?

If she really were from the Republic of China, she should be calling him “husband”! Not “Xiang Gong”…

Behind me, Jue Chi stopped again. I cursed under my breath in frustration and turned around.

The woman had somehow appeared in front of Jue Chi, holding a handkerchief in her hands, tears streaming down her beautiful face. Her eyes sparkled with tears, looking as pitiful as ever.

No man can resist a woman’s tears.

But I knew full well that this woman in front of me was a Mummy. If I pitied her, I would be a fool!

“Alright, alright! You’re dead, and we monks are living people! He’s still a monk, so stop trying to hold him back! I’ll burn some joss paper for you; just rest in peace!”

As I said this, I rolled my eyes at the woman and dragged Jue Chi forward again.

But this time, I couldn’t pull him along any longer.

Jue Chi held the woman’s hand, their eyes locking together, looking pitifully heart-wrenching.

Looking at myself, holding onto Jue Chi’s arm, I couldn’t help but feel like I was the monk Fahai² from “The Legend of the White Snake,” who was determined to imprison Bai Suzhen in Leifeng Pagoda!

I slapped my forehead, shaking off those chaotic thoughts. The most important thing right now was to get Jue Chi out of here.

He had fallen under the spell of that Mummy, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch this eminent monk get ruined by a Mummy!

And a hideous one at that!

“Yuzhi…” Jue Chi murmured, his lips barely moving.

The woman opposite him, teary-eyed, dashed forward and embraced Jue Chi, crying bitterly. I realized that this was not good; Jue Chi was already enchanted by the Mummy, and the more he saw her looking so pitiful, the less likely he would be to leave with me.

I released my grip on him, allowing this sad pair of mandarin ducks a moment to share their sorrow.

I searched through all my pockets but found nothing-not even a piece of yellow talisman paper! I cursed silently, wishing I hadn’t been so ill-prepared at a critical moment.

I stole a glance into the courtyard, and there was Jue Chi, wrapped around that beautiful lady under the corridor. They were holding hands, looking as if they were ready to face life and death together, which made me feel nauseated.

“This wretched place… Could it be a barrier?”

I took a look around-there were houses, smoke, trees, but no people. It seemed to be a barrier created by that Mummy. But how was I supposed to break it?

I didn’t have any tools on me; breaking a barrier was nearly impossible in this situation.

But I couldn’t just watch as Jue Chi was deceived by a Mummy and lost his purity!

Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea.

If the Mummy was infatuated with Jue Chi, it was probably because this handsome monk had a bit of charm and some higher Taoist cultivation. What if another person with even greater skills than Jue Chi were to appear…?

That Mummy might just lose interest!

Footnote:

1. Xiang Gong(相公): This term is a respectful way for a woman to address her husband in ancient China. It is often used in classical Chinese literature and historical contexts.
2. Fahai(法海):A monk character from the Chinese legend “The Legend of the White Snake,” who is known for his strict adherence to Buddhist principles and his role in the story as an antagonist who opposes the love between a human and a snake spirit.