Taboo Mage - Chapter 81 - Breaking the Deadlock

tection, the terrifying spirits actually appeared somewhat cute.

Driven by a surge of adrenaline, I wielded the copper coin sword, slashing left and right, as if I were clearing a path through a mountain. Before long, I had carved out a path for us.

However, thanks to these dozen or so “meat shields”, otherwise I really wouldn’t have been able to manage it.

I charged forward, and as my eyes swept ahead, I spotted a flicker of golden light. I felt a surge of joy and dashed towards that spot.

Suddenly, just a few steps away from the exit, I found myself unable to move. Reflexively, I looked down. A Resentful Spirit with one leg missing was clinging to my legs, grinning at me with torn lips.

Cursing under my breath, I stabbed at it with the copper coin sword, but another spirit suddenly sprang out from the side, impaling itself on my blade. The spirit let out a piercing scream and vanished before me.

I hadn’t expected these spirits to be so united, willing to sacrifice themselves to protect each other.

“We can’t hold on much longer! Gu Qingshu, you have to think of something!”

I was busy trying to shake off the spirit clutching my legs when Mr. Cao’s anxious shout came from behind. I turned to see several police officers, who were sandwiched in the middle, had already fallen to the ground.

The spirits were tightly entangled with them, and their uniforms had been torn open in several places.

This wasn’t working. The spirits wouldn’t let us break through the thick fog, and any further delay would just be a futile effort.

Mr. Cao’s peachwood sword had developed cracks, a result of the overwhelming resentment. I glanced at Jue Chi, still unconscious behind us, and made a swift decision, calling the police officer carrying Jue Chi over.

Ghost catching was Jue Chi’s specialty. If he didn’t wake up soon, we’d all be doomed here. Looking at Jue Chi’s tightly shut eyes, I gritted my teeth and slapped him hard across the face.

Under the astonished gaze of the officer, I slapped Jue Chi three or four more times, but he showed no sign of waking up.

“You useless bald monk! Stop sleeping! Wake up now!”

I roared, stabbing at Jue Chi with the copper coin sword.

Suddenly, Jue Chi’s eyelids twitched slightly. I looked on in surprise. Although it was only a matter of seconds, that small movement seemed like an enormous relief to me.

I poked his arm again with the copper coin sword, and sure enough, black smoke suddenly began to seep from his nose.

I understood then that Jue Chi must have been overwhelmed by Yin Energy, causing him to pass out.

Though uncertain if it would succeed, I had at least found a method. I continued to slap Jue Chi’s body with the copper coin sword.

The copper coin sword wasn’t sharp. It was the best weapon for dealing with ghosts, but it wouldn’t leave any wounds on a human body.

After more than a dozen strikes, Jue Chi’s eyelids finally began to open slowly, although he was still weak. He glanced at me feebly, lifting his right hand slightly and extending a finger.

“What do you mean? You should tell me clearly!”

I looked at his finger, unable to figure out what he wanted me to do. Seeing Mr. Cao struggling behind, my patience was quickly running out.

“Go… go there…”

Jue Chi mouthed. I hurriedly leaned in to hear him, and following the direction of his finger, I realized that hazy spot looked somewhat familiar.

Without thinking much, I called out to Mr. Cao, and after slicing through a few Resentful Spirits charging toward us, I led everyone in the direction Jue Chi had indicated.

Bang!

Halfway there, I felt a dull pain on my forehead-I had run into a wall. The wall was stark white and perfectly blended with the dense fog, so I hadn’t noticed it at first.

“What is this place, Jue Chi?”

I rubbed my head and turned to Jue Chi. The monk had closed his eyes again, and though he barely lifted his eyelids in response to my shout, it was clear he didn’t have the strength to answer.

Taking a few deep breaths, I reasoned that if Jue Chi had directed me here, he must have had his reasons. Allowing my nerves to relax slightly, I reached out to feel the wall in front of me and slowly crouched down.

When my fingers touched the floor, I suddenly realized where we were. No wonder it looked familiar-this was the place where Jue Chi and I had encountered the nightmare ghost the other night!

Recalling that ghastly face, I quickly pulled my hand back. The police officers around us had already set Jue Chi down, leaning him against the wall. Though fully conscious now, Jue Chi still couldn’t move freely.

He instructed me to take a piece of talisman paper from his backpack and stick it on the wall. Instantly, a golden light began to spread from the talisman, dispersing the thick fog in front of us.

I could finally see the scene clearly: it was indeed the dining area of the fast food restaurant. But why hadn’t we just rushed out the front door instead of hiding in this corner?

Curious, I asked Jue Chi. He didn’t speak but motioned for us to step back a little. Pulling a few police officers with me, we moved back a few steps. With effort, Jue Chi raised his hand to his lips, bit down hard, and fresh blood oozed from his fingertip.

He smeared the blood on the talisman paper and then asked me to take out a puppet prepared earlier, wrap it with a red string, and place it on one of the tables in front of us.

Once everything was set, Jue Chi closed his eyes again. I looked around, confused about what he intended to do.

The puppet had been carved in advance but hadn’t been soaked with Liu Hong’s blood. Just in case, I had drenched it in black dog blood.

We crouched together in the corner, unsure of what was going to happen next.

Suddenly, an inexplicable stench of decay wafted in from all directions. I wrinkled my nose and covered it with my hand, glancing at the people beside me. They, too, were covering their noses, looking at me with puzzled expressions.