Taboo Mage - Chapter 42 - Encounter with the Female Ghost Again

Lin Huan watched me as if I were treasure hunting, layer by layer peeling open the box, and finally, he pulled out an antiquated and valuable-looking small box.

He sighed in amazement, reaching out to touch it.

I swatted his hand away and opened the box, which, apart from an envelope, was empty.

I couldn’t hide my disappointment and was about to close the box when Lin Huan was quicker. He took the envelope, weighed it in his hand, and told me, “There’s something inside!”

What could be inside? Such a thin envelope couldn’t even hold a single banknote.

Seeing my disinterest in the envelope, Lin Huan asked once and then tore it open. He shook it, and a jade object fell out.

Curious, I picked it up and held it in my hand. It warmed to the touch-such fine jade! Examining it more closely, the jade was arc-shaped, and I instinctively felt it must be part of something.

But in my memory, my family had been poor farmers for three generations; we had never seen jade of such quality.

Disappointed, I sighed and put the jade in my pocket, then stood up to go outside and find Xu-Jie.

Xu-Jie was still seated where she had been, but she looked much better than before and was even sipping tea from a cup.

I asked her about recent events, and Xu-Jie told me that her Husband had contracted a disease after visiting a prostitute. He had been in the hospital for several days, and the doctors couldn’t diagnose his illness, but he grew thinner by the day and colder towards her with each passing day.

Although Xu-Jie was disheartened and had no expectations of forgiveness from her Husband, she still held some hope and cared for him daily in the hospital.

A week ago, her Husband suddenly took an interest in her, and naturally, Xu-Jie was happy. They made love in the hospital bed.

The next morning, Xu-Jie discovered that half of her hair had turned white. She aged rapidly, continuing until she looked as she does now.

After hearing Xu-Jie’s story, I speculated that the backlash from the peach blossom amulet might be one reason for her current condition, but there must be other, more significant reasons as well.

I suggested visiting Xu-Jie’s husband in the hospital, but Xu-Jie shook her head. Understanding that she didn’t want her husband to see her in her current state, I asked Lin Huan to stay at the store with her while I went to the hospital alone.

Xu-Jie’s husband was staying at a pricey private hospital, which was easy to locate. The taxi master dropped me off at the hospital entrance in less than half an hour.

Following the address Xu-Jie had given me, I easily found her husband’s ward.

When I opened the door, her husband was lying in bed asleep. I sprinkled yellow talisman paper and glutinous rice water over him, but there was no reaction.

Had I made a mistake? I frowned, puzzled, and was just about to leave.

Suddenly, the man in the bed stirred and turned his head to look at me with a smile.

“Boss Gu, long time no see.”

The man’s smile twisted eerily, and I stared as he sat up and waved at me.

I jumped back, startled. Even as a naive young man filled with wondrous thoughts about the female body, I wasn’t desperate enough to sleep with a man!

Besides, I was the one who was sick now-it was hard to say who would be “sleeping” with whom!

Without thinking, I pulled out a peachwood sword from my bag and held it in front of me, glaring coldly at the man in the bed.

The man chuckled and reached under his pillow, pulling out something and handing it to me.

I took a look-it was Xu-Jie’s peach blossom amulet!

The peach blossom amulet was always carried by Xu-Jie; how had it ended up in his hands?

I looked at the man, confused. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Using such tricks to harm me? Luckily, I found out early,” said the man, smiling.

A shiver ran down my spine, and my hairs stood on end as a long-lost sense of fear spread rapidly through my body.

“What have you done to Xu-Jie?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang in my ear, “Of course, to make this cheating couple’s life worse than death! She thinks she’s beautiful? I’ll make her so ugly that every man in the world will find her disgusting!”

I suddenly widened my eyes, that voice… wasn’t it the childhood sweetheart of Xu-Jie’s husband that I had heard at her place? But I had clearly seen her soul scatter to the winds!

What on earth was going on?

“And you… you actually helped them to harm me?”

The man rose from the bed and approached slowly. I brandished the peachwood sword in my hand, warning that if he took one more step, I would strike him down with it.

The female ghost sneered coldly at me and reached out to grasp my throat.

I thrust the peachwood sword into the man’s chest, the smell of rotting flesh burning filled the air. He closed his eyes in pain, but the grip on my throat did not weaken.

She wanted us both to perish together!

Realizing this, I frowned. Could it be that I was going to die here today?

I could feel my strength slowly fading away, and suddenly, I remembered what Jue Chi had said to me this morning before I left.

I turned to look out the window; the sun was setting over the mountains-it was already dusk.

Yin energy was rapidly gathering on my body, my legs went weak, and a choking sensation spread throughout my body. Resigned, I closed my eyes.

“Evil creature!”

A familiar angry shout rang in my ears, and I turned to see Jue Chi standing at the door, holding Buddhist prayer beads. He must have been in such a hurry to come down from the mountain that he hadn’t even changed his clothes, and he hadn’t even bothered to put on shoes.

It was like seeing a family member. I struggled to raise my hand and waved towards Jue Chi.

“If you hadn’t come… I really would have… been done for…”

A hint of a smile appeared on Jue Chi’s usually impassive face. He sat down cross-legged right there, brought his hands together, and started chanting sutras. A golden light flashed within the ward, and the sutras turned into invisible threads, winding around the female ghost.

She covered her ears, screaming shrilly.

I slid down against the wall to sit on the floor, wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, and gave Jue Chi a thumbs up.

The female ghost slowly detached herself from the man amidst the sound of the chanting. It was the first time I had seen a ghost visible to the naked eye, and I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

The female ghost didn’t look as terrifying as I had imagined, resembling a young girl just woken from sleep, clean and pure. If not for the hatred in her eyes, I might have mistaken her for a pretty young woman out to buy groceries.

The female ghost glared at me and slowly turned into a wisp of blue smoke.