Taboo Mage - Chapter 207 - The Secret of the Kun Xuan Mirror

I observed that the situation had eased a bit, so I took out the Kun Xuan Mirror and pushed it in front of Zhou Qifang.

“The most important thing now is for you to help me figure out what this mirror is actually useful for.”

As soon as Zhou Qifang saw the Kun Xuan Mirror, his eyes widened in surprise, and he began to trace the patterns on the mirror with his fingers. After a moment, he asked, “Where did you steal this from?”

“You’re the one who stole it! It was a gift! Pan Yuzhi gave it to me!” I could have punched Zhou Qifang in the head for that comment.

Zhou Qifang shot me a sideways glance. “So, that’s why you left me alone that night to go see Pan Yuzhi?”

I scoffed, “Not exactly. At that time, I had no idea Pan Yuzhi had something like this. I was actually worried about you. I thought, even if I were to die, I wouldn’t drag you down with me.”

Zhou Qifang scoffed lightly and gripped the handle of the Kun Xuan Mirror. He closed his eyes and murmured a few incantations. I fixed my gaze intently on the surface of the mirror.

However, when Zhou Qifang opened his eyes, the Kun Xuan Mirror showed no change at all.

He shook his head and handed the mirror back to me, saying, “It’s useless if you can’t use it. This mirror is less effective than an ordinary one; at least you can use a regular mirror for makeup.”

“You’re the one who needs makeup!”

I cursed under my breath, frustrated with Zhou Qifang’s insolence today. But as I thought about what he had just said, he did have a point.

If I couldn’t use the Kun Xuan Mirror, it really was less useful than a regular mirror.

I wiped the surface of the mirror and then tucked it into my pocket. Having it was better than not having it at all.

With the Kun Xuan Mirror in hand, at least I would have something to rely on in critical moments.

After finishing dinner, I planned to head back and continue studying the ancient books my grandfather had left behind, hoping to find some information about the Kun Xuan Mirror.

Lin Huan and Zhou Qifang stayed behind to clean up. Zhou Qifang transferred a monthly allowance into my account, but we still had to do daily chores; our family didn’t tolerate slackers.

As I was about to head upstairs while holding the Kun Xuan Mirror, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the door. I glanced towards the door. Lin Huan had already walked over, peering through the peephole before saying, “It’s Xu Benzhang.”

“Xu Benzhang? What’s that bastard doing here?” I squinted, speaking with annoyance.

“What else could he want? He’s obviously here to buy the little fox,” Lin Huan said with a cold laugh, ignoring the person outside and returning to clear the table.

The knocking at the door continued for about ten minutes before it quieted down. I thought he had left, but to my surprise, just a few seconds after the knocking stopped, it started again.

And this time, it was more urgent and louder.

I impatiently walked out and opened the door, finding a weary Xu Benzhang standing outside. “What do you want? I told you I’m not selling!”

“Sorry, Mr. Gu, I’m not here to buy a dog this time.” As soon as Xu Benzhang saw me, he excitedly grabbed my arm.

I jumped back in surprise and shook him off, asking warily, “Then what are you here for? We’re not selling any of our other things either!”

“Mr. Gu, I was wrong before; I made a mistake. I’m here to ask for your help!”

I frowned and looked Xu Benzhang up and down. In just two days, he seemed to have aged ten years overnight.

His once neatly pressed suit was wrinkled and hung loosely on him. His cheeks were sunken, and his hair was turning gray. He looked like a man in his sixties.

I stared at him in shock and then thought for a moment before opening the door wider for him to come in.

Once in the living room, Xu Benzhang covered his face with his hands and wailed for a while before saying, “It’s my mother. Today at the sanatorium, she was acting like a madwoman, pounding on the window and screaming. It looked like… like a dog…”

I was taken aback, not fully grasping what he meant.

“What did you say?”

“My mother has turned into a dog… I found someone who said that Mr. Gu can save her, so I came to find you. I hope that no matter what, you will help my mother. I’ll agree to any conditions if you can save her!”

As Xu Benzhang spoke, tears flowed from his murky eyes.

I frowned. How could a person suddenly turn into a dog?

Zhou Qifang, who was sitting nearby, reached out and rubbed Xu Benzhang’s head. Watching him do so, I suddenly remembered seeing many Lamas in a promotional video about Tibet.

They would often pat the heads of devotees when they faced them.

Zhou Qifang placed his hand on Xu Benzhang’s head, and Xu Benzhang quickly calmed down. He said in a low voice, “This morning, I went to the sanatorium to visit my mother. To my shock, as soon as I walked in, I saw several nurses pinning her down on the bed. They had her hands and feet tied to the bed frame with cloth strips.”

“I confronted them, telling them that I paid so much money to ensure my mother received proper care, not to be mistreated. After venting my anger, I ignored the nurses’ objections and untied the strips from my mother. Just as I had barely loosened them all, she jumped up, dropped to all fours, and started running wildly across the floor. I rushed over to try and hold her, but she bit down on my hand hard enough to leave deep teeth marks. The nurses told me that my mother had been like this for many days, and even the doctors didn’t know what was going on.”

I clenched my jaw. From Xu Benzhang’s description, his mother didn’t sound like she was possessed; she more closely resembled someone with rabies.

I shared this suspicion with Zhou Qifang, who nodded, indicating he was thinking along similar lines.

Xu Benzhang shook his head. “I already had the doctors check, but they are certain my mother doesn’t have rabies.”

“Not rabies?” I furrowed my brow. If it wasn’t rabies, then this was going to be difficult.

Xu Benzhang continued to ramble on, expressing his frustration that his mother had always been fine until this sudden change. He had overheard some nurses suggest that maybe his mother was possessed, which led him to seek connections everywhere, culminating in finding me.

I felt a bit overwhelmed; I really wasn’t skilled in exorcism at all. I turned to Zhou Qifang, looking for his opinion.