Taboo Mage - Chapter 3 - Xu-Jie Went Crazy

After Xu-Jie left, it was already night. I made a bowl of instant noodles for dinner and went to bed, but when I woke up, I was covered in cold sweat. I felt a faint backlash from some unseen Cause and Effect.

How could this be? I only made a life amulet for Xu-Jie. It wasn’t meant to harm anyone, nor was it a major life amulet. Why would there be an adverse effect?

I was momentarily confused, but then I remembered the scene from yesterday when Xu-Jie’s temptation clouded my judgment. Large beads of sweat immediately dripped from my forehead.

There was definitely something wrong. Could it be that Xu-Jie used the life amulet for something bad? I started to feel uneasy.

Suppressing my doubts, I got out of bed and opened the shop for business.

Around noon, a beautiful woman with sunglasses and a low-cut dress walked into the shop.

She was tall with skin as smooth as jade, and her ample chest was especially noticeable. If I could just squeeze it, the sensation would surely keep me excited all night.

Just as I was about to ask what brought this beauty here, she suddenly took off her sunglasses and said to me, “Boss Gu, good morning.”

It’s already noon, how is it morning? I pursed my lips. Isn’t this Xu-Jie? How did she change so much in one day?

“Xu-Jie, is that you? So early?”

Realizing it was Xu-Jie, my heart immediately jumped.

“Boss Gu, oh, thank you so much.” Hearing this, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Did it work?”

“Yes, it was amazing. Thank you so much. When I went to see him, he looked like he was spellbound by me. Last night…” she said, blushing.

Clearly, from her expression, she was just like a girl in love for the first time. The peach blossom amulet really worked wonders.

“Here, take this money. I’m not sure if it’s enough.”

I took the wad of money she handed me. Judging by its thickness, it had to be at least eight to ten thousand.

“More than enough.” I replied with a beaming smile. Initially, I had hoped for around five thousand; this was almost double that amount.

I didn’t bother counting it. I lifted my head to thank Xu-Jie, but unexpectedly, our eyes met directly. In that moment, I felt the enchanting charm emanating from her gaze, making my heart skip a beat.

At this moment, Xu-Jie’s face was glowing with a touch of red on her cheeks. She seemed a bit embarrassed by my gaze, turning her face to the side slightly, her rosy lips parting slightly as she shyly said, “Boss Gu, did you know you are the most handsome man I’ve seen in years?”

I was taken aback, unable to believe Xu-Jie would say something like that. I wanted to correct her, but for some reason, the air seemed filled with a confusing aura that made me feel a strange attachment to Xu-Jie as I looked at her.

Meanwhile, Xu-Jie held my hand, her eyes fixed on mine, and said, “This favor is too great. I feel that money can’t repay it, so…are you willing?”

There was a seductive hint in Xu-Jie’s eyes, and I understood what she meant.

I swallowed hard, my heart beating faster. The scent of her perfume wafted into my nose, and my hand unconsciously moved to her chest.

Just as I was about to take the next step, my phone rang, interrupting us.

I snapped back to reality, quickly pulling away from Xu-Jie’s hand and awkwardly looking at her. “Xu-Jie, I still have to run the business. It’s getting late; your family must be worried.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Xu-Jie seemed to realize what she had said, and her face turned even redder. She apologized in embarrassment and then left.

After she left, I breathed a sigh of relief, leaned against the door, and started counting the money Xu-Jie had given me.

Eight thousand eight hundred! If anyone saw me now, they’d see the joy written all over my face. Just one more deal like this, and my mother’s chemotherapy costs will be covered.

Keep it up, Gu Qingshu!

I decided not to take any more customers for the rest of the day and went to give Fatty Ling his share of the profit. Without his help, I couldn’t have closed this deal.

I took 2,000 to Fatty Ling, and he was visibly surprised to get such a generous cut. I told him this was just the beginning. With more clients, there would be more money, and soon we’d be able to buy houses and marry beautiful women.

He seemed eager, and I reminded him to spread the word and bring in more customers to make more money.

Since we had already made our name known, someone had to stay at the shop like waiting for a rabbit to hit the stump.

But I realized that for the next two days, not a single customer came in to inquire, let alone make any money.

Sigh, the joy from earning money on the first deal was starting to fade.

“Brother Gu¹, quick, run! Xu-Jie has gone crazy…”

While I was daydreaming, Fatty Ling burst into the shop in a panic and tripped over the threshold, falling flat on his face. His stammering made it hard to understand what he was trying to say.

I helped him up, but Fatty Ling, surprisingly strong, yanked my hand and started dragging me outside before he even found his balance.

“What happened?”

“Xu-Jie has gone crazy and wants to kill someone…”

He hadn’t even finished his sentence when my eyes widened in alarm. I quickly got the direction to Xu-Jie’s house-it wasn’t far from my place. Without wasting a second, I left Fatty Ling and sprinted towards her house.

If Xu-Jie was trying to kill someone for some other reason, it might not have concerned me. But if it was because of the life amulet, I would be facing unimaginable consequences from the Cause and Effect.

When I reached Xu-Jie’s house, there wasn’t time to knock. I slammed the door open, and the terrifying scene inside immediately unfolded before my eyes.

Xu-Jie was holding a kitchen knife, about to slash herself. A man was desperately trying to restrain her, the blade dangerously close to his neck.

Frozen in shock, I rushed forward, grabbed Xu-Jie’s wrist, punched her in the chest, and seized the kitchen knife from her, shouting, “What’s going on here?”

No one answered me. Xu-Jie was glaring at me with a sinister expression. Her eyes were like deep, dark pools, emanating a chilling aura-she was completely a different person.

“I’m going to kill you…”

Xu-Jie lunged at me, aiming to bite my neck.

In a panic, I dodged, bewildered by her transformation. Her disheveled hair and ghostly pale face made her look like a specter, exuding an eerie vibe that sent shivers down my spine.

Sweat trickled down my forehead as my pores tightened. I felt a cold dread rising from the depths of my heart-I was actually scared.

Desperate, I tore the red string holding the life amulet from Xu-Jie’s neck, grasping the amulet in my hand. Using the glass bottle from before, I trapped the Tree Spirit that was controlling her inside the bottle.

Crash…

The bottle nearly shattered, frightening me so much that I collapsed onto the floor. If this couldn’t contain the spirit, I would truly have no other options.

Crack…

The bottle finally shattered into pieces, glass shards scattering everywhere, some even cutting my skin.

“You slut, scumbag, I will kill you all.”

Footnote:

Brother Gu(顾哥): In Chinese culture, using terms like ‘Brother’ (哥, ge) or ‘Sister’ (姐, jie) along with someone’s surname or given name is a way to express friendliness and respect.   It is similar to how English speakers might use ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ but with a more personal and informal touch.