Taboo Mage - Chapter 80 - Loyal and Selfless

A Resentful Spirit is a type of wandering soul with lethal capabilities, typically targeting those who wronged them in life. However, if someone intentionally provokes them seeking death, they wouldn’t mind dragging another soul down to the Netherworld.

Yet, daring to provoke over fifty Resentful Spirits at once, we must be the first in history to do so.

Running faster than usual, my legs gradually became powerless, as if a thousand-Jin¹ weight was tied to them. Looking up at Mr. Cao, he had sprinted hundreds of meters ahead; I couldn’t even make out his trousers.

As for Jue Chi, I had no idea where he had gone, and I certainly didn’t have the courage to look back at what was behind me.

When my legs could no longer lift, I shook my head weakly and collapsed on the ground, feeling as if all my strength had been drained.

I felt a powerful surge of resentful energy approaching, and I waved my hand weakly, lacking the strength and unable to think of any way to counter them.

A chilling sensation quickly swirled around me, and I began to struggle with my breathing. The suffocating feeling was like being strangled.

Breathing heavily, in the thick black smoke, I thought I saw something rushing back from not far away. I lifted the corners of my lips; that monk, Jue Chi, indeed hadn’t abandoned me.

“Gu Qingshu! Are you alright? Ah?”

The noisy voice pierced through the thick fog into my ears, and I struggled to open my eyes. A group of people in dark blue uniforms surrounded me, their badges on their shoulders, and wide-brimmed hats covering most of their faces.

The police had arrived.

Mr. Cao helped me up from the ground and twisted open a bottle of mineral water. I took several gulps, finally feeling a bit revived.

“Why did you come back?” I asked, frowning, looking at the dozens of police officers around me, and Mr. Cao squatting next to me with a worried look.

“Nonsense, did you think I’d actually leave you behind?” Mr. Cao punched me lightly on the shoulder and said with a laugh.

Rubbing my temples, I surveyed the environment around me. The area was still shrouded in thick, black fog, and anything beyond three steps was completely obscured.

“Where is Monk Jue Chi? Is he alright?”

We were still trapped in the Yin Energy created by the Resentful Spirit, but we were temporarily safe thanks to dozens of police officers in uniform acting as a human shield.

I looked around but couldn’t find Jue Chi. I was worried that something might have happened to the monk.

Mr. Cao sighed, shifted slightly, and only then did I notice Jue Chi leaning against the wall behind him. His eyes were closed, his hands hanging by his sides, and his face was so pale it was devoid of any color.

“Damn! What happened to him?”

Seeing Jue Chi looking more like a corpse than a living person, I struggled to sit up and, using the wall for support, crawled over to him and placed my finger under his nose.

After a few seconds, I felt a faint breath on my finger and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“When we arrived, you were already lying on the ground unconscious, and those disgusting creatures were reaching out their claws, probably intending to rip you open. Master Jue Chi was guarding you like a knight. After that, you were fine, but Master Jue Chi had sustained serious injuries, and now he looks like this.”

I felt a pang of guilt. When I first opened my eyes and saw Mr. Cao, I thought Jue Chi had abandoned me and I cursed him in my heart.

I hadn’t expected the monk to be so loyal and selfless, using his own body as a shield to protect me.

“Qingshu, what do we do now? Master Jue Chi is unconscious, and whether we can survive or not depends on you.”

Mr. Cao helped me sit up and asked worriedly. His eyelids had been smeared with Ox tears, allowing him to see the hellish scene around us, and thus understand the true nature of our environment.

Meanwhile, the dozens of police officers still thought we were just lost in the fog. I was considering whether to have them apply Ox tears too, to prevent any attacks by Evil Spirits.

However, when I saw Mr. Cao’s hands trembling uncontrollably, I abandoned the idea.

“Did you notice the buildings around us when you came in? Where are we now?”

I sat cross-legged on the ground and, while reaching for our bags, asked in a deep voice.

Mr. Cao helped empty the contents of the bag. “We’re still at the entrance of the fast food restaurant. We didn’t actually run very far.”

I nodded in understanding; it was a normal occurrence. If we had actually run out of the fast food restaurant, we would have been nearly beyond the Resentful Spirit’s reach and wouldn’t be enveloped in this thick fog.

I quickly organized the tools at hand. There were two peachwood swords left; I kept one for myself and handed the other to Mr. Cao. The copper coin sword was a last resort and not to be used lightly.

In Jue Chi’s bag, there was only a Kasaya, several scriptures, and a few prayer beads. I distributed the scriptures and prayer beads to the surrounding police officers for protection and draped the only Kasaya over Jue Chi.

After handing out the last few pieces of talisman paper to everyone, I began to calculate how to quickly break through our current predicament using what we had.

Time was running out, and with so many lives depending on me, I couldn’t afford any hesitation or lack of resolve.

“How about it? Do you have a plan?” Mr. Cao, clutching the peachwood sword tightly, asked anxiously.

I shook my head. “No way out, we’ll have to force our way through.”

“Force our way? Are you joking? How can we get through, just with these clothes?” Mr. Cao turned pale and shook his head after hearing my words.

I raised my eyebrows. “Either follow me or stay here and die; the choice is yours.”

Mr. Cao fell silent for a moment. The other police officers around us were already getting restless, urging him not to hesitate. I knew his personality well; if it were something completely unknown, perhaps he wouldn’t be afraid.

But now, here, apart from myself, he was the only one who could see the several Resentful Spirits around us. The terrifying scene was like a roadblock, preventing him from making a firm decision.

“Or, you can stay here with Jue Chi, and I’ll go alone. But let me make it clear, I’m just a yin-yang life amulet master, not a ghost-catching master. I’m not good at exorcism and can’t guarantee I’ll make it back alive.”

Footnote:

1. Jin(斤):Jin is a traditional Chinese unit of weight. One Jin is equivalent to approximately 500 grams or half a kilogram.