Taboo Mage - Chapter 20 - Mother Was Harmed

Qin Hao frowned, clearly dissatisfied with my response. However, he didn’t say much more, just waved his hand. A burly man blocking my path immediately stepped forward, grabbed my arm, and pulled me towards the door.

I had no idea what would happen if I was taken away, so I braced myself and made some bold statements, implying that Liu Yineng had my back and that he shouldn’t mess with me lightly.

Before I could finish, Qin Hao burst into laughter, signaled his men to release me, and said, “I know the life amulet around Liu Yineng’s neck is made by you. Just as well, no matter whose side you’re on, as long as you help us get rid of Liu Yineng, I’ll give you anything you want.”

“I want to be a governor. Can you make me one?”

I retorted without hesitation. I’m not a highly temperamental person; my principle is to respect those who respect me. But if someone is against me, I won’t grovel and suck up to them.

Even Liu Yineng spoke politely when he approached me for help. I didn’t expect this man, who looked refined on the outside, to act so brutally.

Qin Hao smiled and shook his head, aware that I was angry, and didn’t argue further. He then sat down and explained the conflict between him and Liu Yineng.

It turned out that Qin Hao had a relative who was hit by a car while on vacation abroad and ended up in a vegetative state. The person behind the incident was Liu Yineng.

Recently, their paths crossed due to some circumstances, so Qin Hao was determined to make Liu Yineng pay, no matter the cost.

I understood. Although I wasn’t deeply involved in organized crime, I had heard a few things from Fatty Ling. Regal Grandeur was initially more powerful than Liu Yineng, but after acquiring the life amulet from my Father and with his ruthless methods, Liu Yineng quickly caught up to Regal Grandeur within a few years.

Even so, I couldn’t help him. Because my Mother was still in Liu Yineng’s hands.

I explained the reason to Qin Hao, and he understood. This time, he didn’t resort to force but told me that if things changed and I needed them, I could call him directly.

After seeing Qin Hao off, I held the business card in my hand, intending to toss it into the trash can. But then I thought, what if I actually needed it one day? So, I slipped it into one of the ancient books I carried with me.

Early the next morning, Ah Biao, one of Liu Yineng’s men, came to my shop again and asked about the life amulet stacking.

I told him with a cold expression that it was best to give up on that idea. Stacking life amulets not only severely harms the host but also poses significant dangers to the yin-yang life amulet master. I definitely couldn’t risk my life to do it.

Ah Biao looked troubled but finally shook his head and told me to take care of myself.

For several days, I felt more and more eyes watching me. Counting the days, it was getting closer to the end of the month, the time both Liu Yineng and Qin Hao had mentioned. It seemed they were heading towards a deadly showdown.

Li Mi got busier after starting University. Although she still occasionally dropped by my shop, she mainly came on weekends, evidently having become fully engrossed in her studies.

Xu-Jie, on the other hand, often brought friends to introduce to me. After being turned down several times, she stopped introducing customers and instead invited me out to eat from time to time.

One day, I went to the hospital as usual to visit Mother. The doctor had told me last time that she was recovering well and could start eating other foods. So, I bought some of her favorite snacks along the way, singing a little tune, thinking how happy she would be to see them.

Just as I walked into the hospital, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw it was Dr. Liu, Mother’s primary doctor. My heart sank.

When I answered, the doctor told me that Mother was in the operating room and in critical condition.

I dashed towards the operating room. As soon as I arrived, I saw a body covered with a white sheet being wheeled out. Dr. Liu stood next to it, looking apologetic, and told me that Mother had not made it.

I screamed hysterically, unable to comprehend why someone who was fine just yesterday was now lying in the morgue.

How could it be that the doctor had told me her recovery chances were very high, yet now she had become a cold, lifeless body?

Dr. Liu pulled me up from the ground. My mind was in complete chaos, and I instinctively bit down on his arm.

He called for the nearby nurses, who soon surrounded me. I don’t know who did it, but someone injected something into my arm. My vision gradually blurred, and I finally passed out.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a ward. A young nurse saw I was awake and quickly ran out to get someone. Shortly after, Dr. Liu returned and explained that my earlier emotional outburst had worried him, so he had administered a sedative to calm me down.

Weakly, I thanked him and closed my eyes, hoping to rest. My mind was a mess after the shock I had just experienced, and I couldn’t quite get my thoughts straight.

Suddenly, Dr. Liu leaned in close to my ear and whispered, “I don’t know if you’ve upset anyone, but your Mother’s sudden passing wasn’t due to her illness.”

“What do you mean?” I sat up in bed, staring at him in surprise.

“When I was operating on your Mother, I found white residue in her nasal cavity. I quietly sent a sample to the lab, and the result showed it was polyester. Your Mother’s immediate cause of death was asphyxiation. I had Xiao Min check and she told me there was a missing pillow from your Mother’s ward.”

Dr. Liu was speaking very cautiously, but I understood. My Mother had been suffocated with a pillow.

Hearing this, my mind buzzed, and my fists clenched tightly.

I asked Dr. Liu to keep this information confidential for the time being and then contacted Uncle Li from the hospital’s security department. His son had once suffered from nightmares and illness, and my Father had made a life amulet that saved his son’s life.

Uncle Li had always remembered this favor. When he heard what happened, he didn’t hesitate to pull up the surveillance footage from outside Mother’s ward.

Through the small screen, I clearly saw the man who had pretended to be my friend entering my Mother’s room in the morning. He stayed for more than ten minutes before coming out. A minute later, a nurse entered the room and then ran out, terrified, to get help.

It was almost beyond doubt-Liu Yineng was the one who killed my Mother!