Taboo Mage - Chapter 227 - Capturing the Spirit

The living room was engulfed in silence, with only Old Lady Xu’s piercing laughter echoing through the space.

I glanced at Jue Chi, who remained silent, his eyes never opening from the start. Turning to Zhou Qifang, I noticed his furrowed brow. When he caught my gaze, he shook his head slightly.

I gritted my teeth. These two were unreliable at crucial moments!

“What… what do you want?” I asked, keeping my composure and speaking in a low voice.

Xu Benzhang was right; animals are always animals. As a human who has evolved over billions of years, why should I fear it?

“Mr. Gu, you’re quite perceptive. Haven’t you already guessed what I want?” The voice came from the Old Lady, or rather, the dog controlling her. Her right hand moved to her neck, fingers curling as if ready to pierce her throat.

“You’re already dead. Even if you get revenge, you won’t come back to life,” I said, glancing at the little fox beside me.

The little fox’s furry face betrayed no emotion, but its restless paws revealed a hint of its thoughts.

I raised my hand, pressing it gently on the little fox’s head, signaling it to stay calm, then continued, “I understand your resentment towards the Xu family mother and son, but think about it. By holding onto this resentment, you’re depleting the blessings you had in life, preventing yourself from reincarnating. Is this really worth it?”

“Don’t lecture me; I won’t listen!” The Old Lady’s voice suddenly shrieked.

I shook my head, “I’m trying to help you. If you’re willing, I can dissolve your resentment and allow you to reincarnate.”

“Reincarnate? For what? To be a dog again? Or a cat? A pig? In the end, aren’t we all destined to be slaughtered by you humans?” The Old Lady’s face twisted into a bizarre smile as she licked her rough hands.

A chill ran down my spine. I glanced at Jue Chi, who swiftly moved behind the Old Lady, pulling out an alms bowl from somewhere.

Standing behind her, Jue Chi held the alms bowl, chanting Buddhist scriptures. Instantly, golden light radiated from the bowl.

The Old Lady’s eyes widened in terror, screaming as she tried to escape the confines of the red string array.

The bells attached to the strings began to ring violently, their sound causing the Old Lady’s face to contort grotesquely.

Behind her, Zhou Qifang started chanting a dharma formula, the sound of the wind chime gradually overpowering the bells, enveloping the room in a cacophony.

I watched the expression on Old Lady Xu’s face. She glared at me with venom, desperate to escape but finding no way out, only able to spin in circles in frustration.

“Amitabha.”

With a single Buddhist chant from Jue Chi, it was as if a switch had been flipped. All sounds abruptly ceased, leaving the Old Lady kneeling on the ground, her hair disheveled, obscuring her face.

Jue Chi slowly approached her, placing his hand on her head, eyes closed, murmuring something. I watched as her body went limp, a black light entering the alms bowl.

I chuckled. Despite the hiccup, things went smoothly overall.

I instructed Xu Benzhang and Lin Huan to help the Old Lady to the sofa to rest, then turned to find Jue Chi.

With the successful progress, my confidence in the subsequent tasks grew. Since we had started, I didn’t want to delay any longer, deciding to finish everything today.

I asked Jue Chi how long the spirit captured in the alms bowl could last.

Jue Chi explained that since the spirit wasn’t human, its time in this world was inherently short. Now that it had forcibly occupied a human body, its spiritual energy would deplete even faster.

The alms bowl, being a Buddhist artifact, could only hold the spirit for a maximum of three hours.

I calculated the time; it should be enough.

I rushed to the storage room, retrieving an unfinished life amulet and a completed puppet.

Returning to the living room, I placed the life amulet on the table. Zhou Qifang, who had been sitting motionless on the sofa, suddenly showed interest, leaning over to take a closer look. He asked, “What are you planning to do with this?”

As I fiddled with the life amulet, I replied, “This is for the dead dog. I remember my Grandfather saying that if you want an animal to reincarnate smoothly, you can place its spirit in a puppet and create a corresponding life amulet to purify it continuously. Just like some primates can cultivate in life.”

I spoke vaguely, deliberately concealing the true origin of the life amulet.

I wasn’t sure if Zhou Qifang knew about the ancient books containing our family secrets, but I instinctively chose not to tell him.

Perhaps I still harbored some distrust towards him.

Zhou Qifang seemed aware of my concealment, refraining from further questioning. He turned back, giving me a look filled with an unreadable expression.

I swallowed nervously, perhaps out of guilt, and focused on the life amulet in my hands.

According to the ancient books, the life amulet suitable for the dead dog was the “soul-repairing amulet,” primarily used to help incomplete spirits reincarnate quickly.

This was part of the “Deceased Spirit Chapter” in the ancient books, and it was my first time making such an amulet. Previously, all the amulets I crafted were for humans.

Making an amulet for a spirit, especially for a dog’s spirit, shook my confidence.

Zhou Qifang remained silent on the sofa, watching my actions without speaking.

Being watched while working was unsettling, but given the urgency, I couldn’t afford to be distracted.

According to the ancient books, creating this amulet required the blood of a similar species, which was why I had summoned the little fox.

My craftsmanship was always quick. In less than half an hour, I had carved a lifelike representation of a dog. I held the amulet up, examining it closely, growing more satisfied with each glance.

Then, I beckoned to the little fox. It wagged its tail, looking at me but refusing to approach. It seemed it was unwilling to help Old Lady Xu.

I chuckled, “Come on, little fox, Benben is waiting for your help.”