Taboo Mage - Chapter 99 - Great-grandfather of the Chi Family

I turned my head and happened to see through the rearview mirror a man completely wrapped in black clothing walking towards us, holding an axe in his hand.

The man’s entire body was enveloped in black attire, even his face covered by a black mask, making it impossible for me to see his face.

However, the aura of death emanating from him and the chilling blade of the axe he held made me shiver in fear, my legs trembling uncontrollably.

“Fa… Fatty, if you can move, do it quickly, or we’ll both die here…” I said anxiously, pushing him.

Fatty seemed to have seen the man. He yelled, pulled his legs out from between the seats, and despite the pain, stamped on the gas pedal, sending the car shooting forward like an arrow from a bow.

The inertia flung me back against the seat. Watching the man in black behind us, he was momentarily stunned, then appeared to realize he couldn’t catch us. Enraged, he swung his axe at a tree by the roadside, splitting it in half.

My heart raced with fear at the sight, thinking how horrific it would be if the axe had struck a person. I was immensely grateful to have escaped with my life.

But soon, Fatty started losing too much blood and slumped weakly in the driver’s seat. I kept an eye on him and noticed his eyes were glazing over.

To be safe, I had him park in a secluded spot. Using Fatty’s phone, I sent our location to Jue Chi, and then hid in the car, quietly awaiting the arrival of rescue.

Time always feels long and unbearable while waiting, so to pass the time, I began questioning Fatty about some matters of the Chi Family.

Even though Fatty was on the brink of fainting from blood loss, he remained tight-lipped, not letting a single word slip.

I couldn’t help but be impressed by the strictness of the Chi Family’s control.

After more than an hour of waiting, Chi Rui and Jue Chi finally found us.

When a few strong men dragged me out of the car and I saw Jue Chi standing in front of me, covered in blood and dirt, I felt for the first time how endearing this bald monk was.

Even more so than my own Grandfather!

Afterwards, Fatty and I were taken to the hospital. I only suffered minor external injuries and was fine after some bandaging, but Fatty had a broken leg and would need to stay in the hospital for over a month.

Once I was bandaged up, I sat on a bench in the hospital corridor and asked Jue Chi why he had gone to that village with Chi Rui and if he was hiding something from me.

Jue Chi told me that Chi Rui had sobered up earlier than I did and knocked on our door early in the morning, saying that an elder from his family in the village had an incident and wanted us to go see.

Jue Chi initially excused me by saying I wasn’t awake yet, but Chi Rui started crying, claiming that the elder was an important figure in the Chi Family and was indeed very ill. Feeling sympathetic, Jue Chi agreed to go.

I thought carefully about this. If what Chi Rui said was true, it was very likely related to the deal he wanted to make with me.

Even if it wasn’t, Chi Rui wasn’t likely to make a move against me for the time being.

Therefore, it seemed that the person who tried to run me over today wasn’t working for Chi Rui. But looking from another perspective, I’ve only been in Shenyang for a few days, so it’s impossible for me to have enemies here.

In the past, I might have been a bit of a jerk, but I never held serious grudges. Some petty arguments were just with neighbors or market vendors arguing over a few cents.

Such trivial disputes wouldn’t warrant traveling so far or hiring a hitman to come after me.

“Is it possible that the target of the hitman wasn’t actually me? Maybe he just identified the car I was in, and his real target… was that bastard Chi Rui?”

Suddenly, a thought buzzed in my mind. I turned to Jue Chi, and after hearing my words, he pondered for a moment and then nodded.

This possibility seemed to be the most plausible deduction we could come up with at the moment.

Just then, Chi Rui finished visiting Fatty and pushed open the door of the ward. I shared my hypothesis with him, and after some thought, he turned to make a phone call.

He accepted my theory, and I figured that now Chi Rui must realize how dangerous his situation was and would need to enhance his security. But this might mean our deal would have to be postponed.

After his call, Chi Rui returned and said, “I apologize, I didn’t handle today’s situation as thoroughly as I should have.”

I was a bit taken aback. Was Chi Rui actually apologizing to me? It was like seeing the sun rise in the west.

Sure enough, in the next second, Chi Rui continued, “However, things at my home can’t wait, so I still hope Mr. Gu and Master Jue Chi can come with me right away.”

Damn it! Because of him, I almost got murdered, and here I was with an arm in a sling, yet he still expected me to do his work!

Looking at Chi Rui, I scoffed and placed a hand on Jue Chi’s shoulder, smiling as I said, “Mr. Chi, you’re quite the businessman. We agreed on a deal, but I haven’t even had the chance to state my terms, and you’re already rushing me to act, without caring if we live or die.”

Chi Rui’s expression shifted slightly. He took a deep breath and continued to smile, “Didn’t we clearly establish the terms of our deal?”

“Yes, it was clear, but shouldn’t it be a give-and-take? I haven’t even seen what I want yet. Why should I lift a finger for you?” I rolled my eyes, finding it amusing how sharp Chi Rui was in business, but he had met his match with me, Gu Qingshu.

Besides, the bargaining chip was in my hands now. Even if I raised the price, there was nothing he could do.

Suddenly, Chi Rui’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, then looked up, anxiety on his face. “Gu Qingshu, as long as you cure the person in my family, I promise you’ll get what you want!”

“What guarantee do you have?” I asked with a smirk.

“As the eldest grandson of the Chi Family, I swear that if I break my promise, I’ll be cast out!” Chi Rui raised his right hand to his ear, glaring at me.

I snorted, “What’s the use of an oath? Even if you’re thrown out of the family, I get nothing out of it. Why don’t we make it practical? Write me a check, seven figures. If I don’t get what I want, the check is mine. Otherwise, I’ll return it unchanged.”