Taboo Mage - Chapter 87 - Fertility Amulet

The camaraderie among men can develop so quickly. Early the next morning, I rubbed my temples and crawled off the hotel sofa. Next to me lay the half-naked glasses-wearing man, while Jue Chi, fully dressed, lay on the bed.

After a hangover, my head felt a bit foggy. I propped myself up on the sofa, trying to recall events from the night before.

Just then, Jue Chi turned over and sat up, handing me a glass of water before turning to wake the glasses-wearing man.

Suddenly, a phone thrown onto the coffee table began to ring. The glasses-wearing man glanced at it, quickly grabbed the phone, and ran barefoot into the bathroom.

I couldn’t help but chuckle and shake my head. It seemed like his wife’s call caught up with him. It made sense-a married man out having fun with his family but not coming home overnight would raise anyone’s suspicions.

That afternoon, to prove that the glasses-wearing man hadn’t been unfaithful the previous night, Jue Chi and I accompanied him to apologize to his wife.

Upon seeing the two of us, the woman immediately stood up. Though she didn’t lose her temper in front of us, her expression had turned cold.

Recalling the conversation with the glasses-wearing man from the day before, I paid special attention to Bai Wei sitting nearby. The young girl seemed lively and adorable, not at all like someone with autism.

When she noticed me looking at her, the little girl even flashed me an adorable smile.

After the meal, the woman signaled to the glasses-wearing man with a look and left with Bai Wei.

Feeling curious, I urged the glasses-wearing man to hurry and apologize to his wife. He shook his head, appearing as if he had more to say.

“What’s wrong? Your wife didn’t seem that angry. Why are you still worried?” I frowned, thinking that this glasses-wearing man was being quite timid, which irked me a bit.

The glasses-wearing man shook his head, “Brother Gu, I… I have something I want to tell you…”

“Tell me? About what?”

The hesitant expression on the glasses-wearing man’s face made me a bit wary. Something about these past few days felt off, yet looking at him, he seemed too mild-mannered to be someone with deep schemes.

“You want Qingshu to help you have another child, don’t you?” Suddenly, Jue Chi, sitting next to us, slowly lifted his head and spoke to the glasses-wearing man.

The man’s face was instantly filled with embarrassment. I glanced around, and it was clear from his expression that Jue Chi had hit the nail on the head.

But, how did he know that I could craft life amulets?

I furrowed my brows, staring intently at the glasses-wearing man. Under my gaze, he lowered his head and, after mumbling for a bit, finally explained what had happened.

It turned out that at the service area where we captured the Resentful Spirit, the glasses-wearing man was also among the drivers who got stranded. Except for Li Jianjun, all of the stranded drivers were temporarily detained at a nearby toll station.

During the commotion, he escaped with his wife and child, intending to quietly drive away while the police were distracted. Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon our operation of capturing the Resentful Spirit.

He guessed that Jue Chi and I might possess supernatural abilities, and upon hearing we were headed to Shenyang, he decided to offer us a ride.

After the glasses-wearing man shared this, I was curious. If he had such thoughts from the start, why hadn’t he mentioned it during the long trip? Why bring it up now?

Even if he was concerned about Bai Wei’s presence, avoiding the attention of a seven-year-old is not difficult. Yet neither he nor his wife had said anything.

I skeptically looked at him, and the glasses-wearing man sighed before continuing. Apparently, they hesitated for a long time on the road due to their hopes for Bai Wei’s condition. They didn’t want to spend effort on something with almost no chance of success.

However, once they arrived in Shenyang, they took Bai Wei to see a doctor right away. The doctor told them that Bai Wei’s autism was congenital and not developed later, so the chances of recovery were slim.

The couple felt desperate and thought of me again, but by then Jue Chi and I had already left. In such a big city like Shenyang, finding two people was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Unexpectedly, while drinking away his sorrows in the snack street, the glasses-wearing man ran into us again. That’s why his wife kept signaling him to seek our help.

After hearing the story, I couldn’t help but laugh. Honestly, if he had asked for my help from the beginning, I might have considered it. But now, given that Bai Wei is ill, their desire to have another child isn’t necessarily wrong.

I glanced over at Jue Chi, who remained silent, merely rotating the bracelet in his hand with his eyes closed, lost in thought.

“Mr. Gu! Please help us! We really want to have another child!”

Seeing my hesitation, the glasses-wearing man suddenly knelt down with a thud, drawing the attention of everyone around us. The looks on their faces made it seem like I had been caught doing something scandalous.

“Alright, get up. Aren’t you embarrassed, a grown man like you?”

I nudged him with my foot. He stood up, wiping his tears, looking at me expectantly.

Creating a fertility amulet for him wasn’t difficult and could be seen as accumulating some good karma for myself. After thinking it over, I nodded and told him to wait for my message.

After sending the glasses-wearing man away, I sat in the chair, my heart racing, yet unable to pinpoint what was bothering me.

“Hey, monk, why do I feel so uneasy?”

I asked Jue Chi as I rubbed my chest.

Jue Chi glanced at me and coolly replied, “Maybe you ate too much and you’re feeling stuffed.”

I kicked the table leg in frustration, wincing in pain. This damn bald monk-didn’t learn much else on this trip, but his sarcasm skills have certainly improved.

Back at the hotel, I started preparing the fertility amulet. Last time I made one, I crafted a couple of extras, just in case I needed them on the road.

However, to activate the amulet, it still required a drop of blood from the person involved.

I took the remaining fertility amulet from my backpack and pressed my hand on it, reciting the Incantation. A cool sensation traveled from my palm through my body, confirming that the spirit within was still present.

Placing the fertility amulet on the coffee table, I covered it with yellow talisman paper and sat on the sofa, waiting for the glasses-wearing man to bring his wife’s blood.

Since returning to the hotel, Jue Chi had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, a scriptures book spread open on his lap.