Taboo Mage - Chapter 33 - Something Strange

Limei cried for almost an hour before finally calming down. I seized the opportunity to analyze the situation with her.

“Your Old Flame is now very happy with his wife, and their baby is about to be born. How about we just let this go? I won’t take the money either.”

I droned for a while, but Limei angrily knocked everything off the coffee table and yelled at me.

Lin Huan coaxed her like she was an ancestor, finally managing to calm her down.

I was getting a bit impatient. Throughout my life, I had met many kinds of women. Some were gentle and virtuous like my mother, others were sexy and charming like Xu-Jie, and some were pure and sweet like Li Mi.

But Limei, who was so demanding and dramatic, was something I had never encountered before.

Lin Huan noticed my irritation and pulled me into the bathroom, lecturing me until I agreed not to take Limei’s behavior personally. Only then did he let me out.

Limei reiterated her demand: she wanted to break up her Old Flame and his wife.

I thought for a moment and said, “Alright, let me first make a reunion amulet for you to try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.”

“How long will it take to work? A day? Two days?” Limei grabbed my hand, asking excitedly.

I pulled my hand back and couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Life amulets require the nurturing of one’s own spiritual energy, which takes time. It’s not like surgery where you can cut out a tumor in a day or two.

After sending Limei away, I prepared the materials needed for the reunion amulet. The process was the same as always, except for selecting the spirit for the amulet, which required special attention.

I pored over ancient books and finally decided to use a mandarin duck as the amulet spirit for the reunion amulet. That afternoon, I drove with Lin Huan to a local wild Zoo.

We scoured most of the Zoo and finally found the mandarin ducks gathered by a small creek.

Lin Huan excitedly took out his phone to take photos, while I drew out yellow talisman paper and tested each mandarin duck. However, I found that none of these mandarin ducks had yet developed a spirit.

Just when I was losing hope, I heard Lin Huan calling for help. I turned and saw him. He had fallen into the creek while chasing a mandarin duck.

Even though Lin Huan was tall and strong, he was a terrible swimmer. I took off my shirt and jumped into the creek to rescue him. As I did, I inadvertently discovered a wild cave downstream.

I immediately dragged Lin Huan to the cave entrance, and we both climbed inside.

The cave wasn’t deep, only about three or four meters. But at the far end, I was delighted to find a pair of wild mandarin ducks.

I had Lin Huan keep watch, then quickly pulled out the yellow talisman paper and the soul-capturing bottle. I swiftly captured the spirits of the mandarin ducks.

Back at the shop, Limei was already waiting in the lobby, holding a bag with her Old Flame’s hair in it.

I tied her Old Flame’s hair and her own hair into a knot, lit it with the yellow paper, and sprinkled it into the glutinous rice water. I then soaked the wooden amulet, which held the sealed mandarin duck spirits, in the mixture for an hour.

Limei excitedly hung the new reunion amulet around her neck. To my astonishment, her appearance, which had been dazzlingly beautiful, began to transform into a remarkably pure and innocent look. Even her eyes, previously clouded with desire, became clear again.

I realized that the man she loved most likely adored this version of Limei-the one who was pure and angelic.

As long as she reverted to her former self and had the reunion amulet’s influence, it was only a matter of time before the man returned to her.

After Limei left, I asked Lin Huan to close the shop, and we took a week off.

During our break, Lin Huan and I visited a scenic spot in a neighboring province and had a great time. However, when we returned, everything had changed drastically.

On my first day back in the city, I received a call from Yang Shuo. Her Boss had been sentenced to thirty years in prison for tax evasion, embezzlement, and several other crimes combined.

We had barely had time to celebrate when another piece of shocking news appeared on TV at noon.

Yang Shuo was arrested on charges of major economic crimes. If convicted, she could face up to twenty years in prison.

I sat at the dining table, watching the TV where Yang Shuo’s face, now seemingly aged by ten years, was displayed. A strong sense of unease began to creep over me.

Lin Huan noticed my unease and tried to comfort me with a smile. “That woman brought it upon herself. It has nothing to do with us. Don’t overthink it.”

“I’m not overthinking. I just feel like something is happening beyond my control,” I said, shaking my head and putting down my chopsticks, having lost my appetite.

Lin Huan took a few more bites of his food but was interrupted by the sudden ringing of the phone.

I gestured for him to continue eating and quickly walked to the living room to answer the call.

Wu Qian’s familiar voice came through the line. “Gu Qingshu! Hurry over! My Husband is in trouble!”

I hung up, grabbed Lin Huan, and rushed to Wu Qian’s villa.

When we arrived, Wu Qian sat on the couch, her face flushed with anger. Uncle Qin stood at the bedroom door as if guarding something, and there was the sound of a man shouting and things being smashed from inside the room.

“What’s going on?” I asked, glancing at the shattered antiques on the floor in confusion.

Wu Qian looked up at me, her cold gaze cutting through me like a knife. Suddenly, she swiftly pulled out a gun, its black barrel pointed directly at me!

“What do you think you’re doing?” I stammered, startled.

Wu Qian stood up with a sneer and demanded harshly, “What exactly did you do to my Husband? Why did he wake up like this?”

I was speechless. I hadn’t even seen her Husband; how was I supposed to know what he had turned into?

Yang Shuo’s face flashed through my mind, and I swallowed hard. “I truly don’t know what happened, but I promise I didn’t tamper with the life amulet!”

The gun barrel moved closer to my head, and I didn’t dare to breathe. Wu Qian stared at me for a moment before finally putting the handgun away.

“I trust Uncle Qin. He wouldn’t have brought me to someone who would cause problems. But since my Husband has turned into whatever he is now, I need your help to figure out exactly what went wrong.”