Taboo Mage - Chapter 45 - The Truth

In the afternoon, Lin Huan pulled me aside and said we should visit Li Mi. He mentioned that after regaining consciousness, the first person she wanted to see was me, and that she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since.

For some reason, now whenever I hear the name Li Mi, I break out in a cold sweat. I originally planned to refuse; her not eating or drinking surely had nothing to do with me. Why should I shamelessly go to see her?

I had just begun to voice my refusal when I felt Chen Qi’s foot step on mine under the table. I looked up at him, puzzled, and he shook his head at me.

I grimaced but agreed to Lin Huan’s request.

Li Mi was still in the hospital. Having visited her ward twice before, I knew the way well. As Lin Huan and I reached the doorway, he sneakily turned and left.

I kicked at his retreating figure, contemplating whether to just sneak away, but before I could take a step, the door to the ward suddenly opened. Xu-Jie stood there with a kettle in her hands.

Her face lit up with a smile when she saw me, pulling on my arm, saying she had something to tell me.

Recalling the confusing words Chen Qi had once mentioned, I looked up at Xu-Jie and felt an inexplicable eeriness.

I pulled my arm from her grasp, smiling and telling her I was there to see Li Mi and that we could chat another time.

Xu-Jie nodded understandingly and after telling me to have a good talk with Li Mi, she left with the kettle.

I sighed softly, watching Xu-Jie’s departing figure and felt a twinge of guilt. There were indeed many unanswerable questions surrounding her.

Undeniably, Xu-Jie had helped me a lot, even pulling me through some of my toughest times.

But still…

Standing at the doorway of the ward, I pondered for a while, and finally shook my head with a sigh, pushing open the door in front of me.

Li Mi looked the same, albeit weakened from her illness. The moment she saw me, she sat up in bed, her face unable to hide her surprise.

“Brother Gu, you… you came to see me.”

I even saw a hint of discomfort in Li Mi’s eyes. Had it been in the past, I might have been pleased by the girl’s innocence and shyness.

But now, I merely curled the corner of my lips and told her I was just there to check on the life amulet.

A flash of disappointment crossed Li Mi’s eyes, but obediently, she took off the life amulet hanging around her neck and handed it to me.

Holding the amulet, I felt the Flower Spirit inside, which was indeed nearly depleted. I tucked the amulet inside my clothes, telling her I would make a new one for her as a sort of after-sales service.

After that, I observed the expression on her face-the backlash from the amulet was mostly repaired. After giving her a few precautions, I prepared to leave.

Li Mi held onto me, saying a lot, though it was mostly useless chatter.

I pulled my sleeve away and told her to focus on her studies before leaving without looking back. The moment I closed the door, I heard crying behind me, and suddenly, my heart felt inexplicably light.

After leaving the hospital, I went back to my shop to pack some luggage briefly, then took a taxi to the mountains.

Having stayed at Chan Guang Monastery for over a month, I found myself surprisingly fond of the life there.

Although I was only accompanied by Jue Chi and Chen Qi, two incredibly boring individuals, this long-missed peace made me reluctant to leave.

Upon arriving at Chan Guang Monastery, I threw my luggage into my meditation room and went to the Buddha hall, where only Jue Chi was sitting on a meditation cushion.

As usual, I knelt on another cushion, respectfully bowed three times, then sat down cross-legged and asked Jue Chi where Chen Qi had gone.

I was feeling inspired today and wanted to discuss some profound life matters with him.

Jue Chi put down the wooden mallet he was holding and said, “He has already left the mountain.”

“Left the mountain? He left on his own? Without waiting for me!”

I sprang to my feet, ready to rush down the mountain to find him.

Jue Chi grabbed me and shook his head, saying, “He’s gone.”

“Where did he go?”

“I don’t know.”

I don’t know? I scoffed, thinking to myself that these two were probably teaming up to play a trick on me again!

I quickly walked to the meditation room in the backyard, searching each room, but found no trace of Chen Qi.

Jue Chi stood at the entrance to the backyard, watching me as I sat in the middle of the yard like a jumping clown, then slowly walked over and handed me an envelope.

I hastily opened it and skimmed through the letter, then, somewhat trembling, tore it into pieces.

Chen Qi told me that he had known about my existence and that of my family a long time ago, and his sudden appearance was because he had calculated that I would face this calamity.

He owed my family a promise, and now, by fulfilling it on my behalf, we were even.

I blankly stared at the scattered pieces of paper on the ground, memories flashing through my mind intermittently, yet I couldn’t grasp their significance.

Jue Chi sat down next to me on a stone chair, chanted a Buddhist chant, and asked, “Do you remember what I told you about the legend of the Hanging Temple?”

“I remember.”

“Do you want to hear what happened later?”

I looked up at Jue Chi.

He had already started telling the story on his own, “After the female ghost was captured by the Yin-Yang master, the Itinerant Monk still couldn’t find peace day or night. His soul had spent years together with the female ghost, and even after his soul returned to his body, the feelings also returned. The monk had to admit that he had developed feelings for the woman. A Buddhist should not harbor delusions; the ropes of desire can crush everything. Knowing this, the monk renounced his holy orders and left.”

“Is that so?” I suddenly felt amused but couldn’t laugh out loud.

Jue Chi placed his Buddhist prayer beads into my palm and stood up, “Do you know what the Itinerant Monk’s secular family name was?”

“I don’t know.”

“His surname is Chen.”

“Do you know the surname of the Yin-Yang master who greatly favored the Itinerant Monk?”

“I don’t know.”

“His surname is Gu.”

Jue Chi said this and then stood up to leave.

I sat there, carefully pondering Jue Chi’s words, feeling a warm flow emanating from the prayer beads in my hand, spreading from my fingertips to all my limbs.

It was as if someone had instantly opened my meridian channels; I chuckled softly.

So that’s how it is… that’s how it is…

After having the last vegetarian meal with Jue Chi in the evening, I packed my bags and descended the mountain.

Back at the store, Lin Huan was happily engrossed in his computer, and he nearly fell off the bed in shock when he saw me.