Taboo Mage - Chapter 63 - The Nightmare Reveals the Truth

Hearing Jue Chi’s words left me with indescribable feelings.

People always say that Resentful Spirits are the embodiment of sin, but by the Cycle of Cause and Effect, isn’t it also true that without people sowing the seeds, there would be no Resentful Spirits?

Wrapped in the Kasaya, the Resentful Spirit resembled a sleeping baby, its eyelashes trembling occasionally. Jue Chi raised his hand, and with the Kasaya, he cradled the spirit in his arms.

Thanks to the Buddha’s light imbued in the Kasaya, the spirit’s malice was temporarily suppressed, rendering it virtually harmless.

“I remember there’s a way for spirits that can’t reincarnate to have another chance at reincarnation, right?”

Sitting on the bed, I casually lit a cigarette, and a chapter from the ancient books flashed through my mind.

In that chapter, I saw a method for giving Resentful Spirits who lost their eligibility for reincarnation another chance.

Jue Chi turned around, “Are you talking about trading one life for another?”

“Yes! You know about it? That makes things much easier!”

Since Jue Chi was aware of this method, it must be credible. Trading one life for another, as the name suggests, means if one is willing to forego their own reincarnation to exchange for a spirit’s chance at reincarnation.

However, this method is seldom chosen, as being forever unable to reincarnate is no trivial matter.

As expected, I turned to see Jue Chi furrowing his brows tightly, his grip on the Resentful Spirit tightening slightly.

I knew he must be conflicted inside. The method of trading lives, although feasible, ultimately meant sacrificing a person’s spirit.

For someone like Jue Chi, who had been raised with the orthodox Buddhist ideology of universally saving all beings, this method was hard to accept.

“Should we… give it a try?” I ventured to ask.

Jue Chi remained silent for a long time, just sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes quietly gazing at the now sleeping spirit in his arms. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I knew that he must understand that aside from this method, there was no other way forward.

The Cycle of Cause and Effect dictates that if Du Qiang and Li Meng sowed such seeds, then they must also bear the consequences today.

I believed that Jue Chi would understand this principle.

A while later, Jue Chi’s lips curled into a wry smile. “Alright, let’s give it a try.”

I nearly leapt out of bed in surprise and joy, rushing over to hug Jue Chi around the neck, laughing heartily.

Having made the decision, to prevent Jue Chi from changing his mind at the last minute, I immediately started discussing with him how we should handle the matter.

We talked for most of the night, only falling asleep after six in the morning.

The next morning, I thought I heard someone opening the door. I lazily turned over, planning to continue sleeping.

“Qingshu, time to get up.”

Jue Chi briskly pulled off my blanket and patted me awake.

Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and glanced at the clock-it was already past ten. I could hear soft noises outside the bedroom. Jue Chi told me that Du Qiang had already arrived back with Li Meng and Auntie.

No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a knock on the door. Du Qiang stood at the entrance, asking if we were awake.

I rolled out of bed, opened the door, and sure enough, there stood Du Qiang, looking refreshed and clear-headed, a stark contrast to his gloomy demeanor from the day before. It seemed that after yesterday’s events, he was convinced we had captured the Resentful Spirit, and he could now rest easy.

Li Meng sat on the couch, her gaze vacant. Hearing the door, she turned her head to glance at me, her eyes suddenly widening with a look of terror.

Following her gaze, I turned and saw Jue Chi standing right behind me, his eyes intensely fixed on Li Meng.

Realizing the awkwardness of the situation, I coughed lightly and asked Du Qiang how he was discharged from the hospital so quickly, wondering if Li Meng didn’t need to stay a few more days.

While tidying up the things he had brought back, Du Qiang laughed and said that the hospital expenses were too high, and they really couldn’t afford to stay longer. Moreover, they had already consulted the doctor, who said that recuperating at home would be fine.

I nodded, then turned to glance at Jue Chi. Understanding the cue, he stepped forward and brought out some food he had prepared early in the morning from the refrigerator.

“Knowing you were coming back, I figured you’d be hungry. Jue Chi got up early today to cook some food. Master’s cooking-you guys should really try it. This isn’t something just anyone gets to enjoy.”

I called Du Qiang and Auntie over to sit down. After yesterday’s events, Du Qiang and Auntie were completely compliant with us, especially Jue Chi. In their eyes, he might as well have been the reincarnation of Tathagata Buddha¹.

Before I could finish speaking, Auntie pulled Li Meng down to sit. Du Qiang also put down what he was holding and came over to eat first.

Midway through the meal, Du Qiang suddenly clutched his head and fainted, followed quickly by Li Meng and Auntie collapsing onto the table.

“Done!”

I snapped my fingers and then turned to go to the bedroom, where I retrieved my backpack and pulled out three wooden amulets, carved in the shape of babies, and hung them on each of the three.

These were prepared last night from the wooden amulets I had carved. I hadn’t expected to need them so soon, but as soon as we left the house, we encountered this situation.

After the life amulets were hung, Jue Chi released the departed spirit from within his Kasaya. Having listened to the chants of the Sutra all night, the spirit was now much calmer and grinned at me upon seeing me.

If it weren’t for those sharp teeth, I might have happily embraced him to console him.

I sat down cross-legged on the floor, took out some yellow talisman paper, and lit it in a wooden basin on the floor. The flames shot up immediately, and the ashes that remained flew towards Du Qiang and the others.

The departed spirit seemed to respond to a summons, crawling towards them. I chanted the Incantation, my eyes unblinking as I watched the spirit’s movements.

When the spirit reached Li Meng’s feet, I shouted, “Capture!”

The spirit was suddenly immobilized, and from its open mouth, three streams of dark energy emerged, instantly entering the life amulets. The amulets, which had been hanging quietly around their necks, began to tremble violently.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, chanting the Incantation, until the amulets calmed down.

The Dream Recollection Amulet, using the life amulet as a medium, bridges the communication between the spirits and the living, manifesting in the form of dreams.

I intend to use the Dream Recollection Amulet to make Du Qiang and the others remember what they had done, if they still have even a bit of conscience left.

I believe they will know what choice to make.

We gave them another chance to choose, but what they decide this time, no one can make that choice for them.

Footnote:

1. Tathagata Buddha(如来佛祖):Tathagata Buddha is one of the highest titles in Buddhism, referring to Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha.