Chapter 0005 The Dead Bride
I was baffled and asked him what was going on. Frank Fang told me to explain everything clearly. It seemed he had been too drunk last night and had completely forgotten our previous call. So, I had to describe the situation again. Frank Fang asked, "Do you know what kind of amulet is in those two photos you sent?"
I said, "What kind? I don't know, but that bride's picture looks creepy. By the way, what was that about a Yin Spirit you mentioned yesterday?"
Frank Fang shouted, "A Yin Spirit is the ghost of a dead person! That bride was a young woman from north of Bangkok who was killed in a car accident on her wedding day. After she died, her soul was bound by an Arjan master, and her remains and related materials were used to create those amulets. Because the materials were scarce, only a dozen or so were made. Every single one of them is extremely effective, but the Amulet is brimming with resentment. Unless you have the specific Katha (incantation) provided by the Arjan, anyone who touches it will get hit with bad luck!"
I immediately turned pale. "Th-That's also an amulet? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I touched it last night! Is it going to cling to me?"
Frank Fang explained, "The kid picked it up off the street, and it was wrapped in red cloth. That means someone already got cursed and dumped it to get rid of it. The red cloth is for warding off evil—that person was afraid the Yin Spirit would follow them. But the boy picked it up and even wore it around his neck. Men are naturally of pure Yang essence, but a boy under twelve has weak Yang energy, making him the perfect magnet for a Yin Spirit. That's why the Yin Spirit in the amulet possessed him. This is tough to deal with."
I quickly asked, "But how did I get haunted last night too? Yet the boy's father slept soundly through the night?"
Frank Fang laughed crudely. "You'd have to ask yourself that, kid. Maybe ghosts just like picking on new faces!"
He actually found that funny! I was nearly in tears and quickly asked how to fix it. Frank Fang said, "The only way is to find the Arjan master who made this Negative-energy Amulet and ask him to provide the Spirit-releasing Incantation. That's the only way to free the Yin Spirit."
Having a goal made it easier. I urged Frank Fang to contact the master for me. He asked how much the customer could pay. I said, "This customer is my cousin's good friend, but they're very poor and don't have much money."
Frank Fang scoffed, "If I recall correctly, your cousin, Boss Wu, runs a silver factory and a fruit processing plant—he's a big businessman. How come all his friends are penniless? You can take the no-money jobs. I'm not interested."
I got anxious and quickly said that my cousin would pay the cost if we could resolve the problem completely. Frank Fang's attitude changed instantly. "Why didn't you say so? I don't care who pays, as long as the money's there. Wait for my call." It seemed my cousin was right: Frank Fang truly only cared about money. I figured his regard for cash far outweighed his regard for his own mother.
I went home and explained the situation to my cousin. He sighed. "It's like the saying goes: if you don't look for trouble, trouble finds you. The kid brings a ghost home just by playing! So, how do we handle this?"
"I'm waiting for Frank Fang's reply. He said it can be done as long as the money is there," I said. My cousin looked displeased. "Frank Fang is a shifty character. All he cares about is money, not people. Be very careful not to get swindled by him."
The next afternoon, Frank Fang called. He said he had contacted the Arjan master and the issue could be resolved, but the process was complicated. Due to the unique nature of that batch of amulets, someone had to act as a medium. Using a special Katha (incantation), the Yin Spirit would be lured out of the person, transferred back into the amulet, and then the amulet would be handed back to the Arjan master. Only the original Arjan who made the amulet could safely contain the new bride Yin Spirit inside. The total cost would be around 70,000 Thai Baht.
70,000 Baht is less than 15,000 RMB. I didn't even need to ask; Old Li definitely couldn't afford that, or he'd have to sell everything he owned. Frank Fang asked, "How much are you planning to make on this deal?"
I said I wasn't going to make any money. Frank Fang sounded surprised. "That won't do. Why aren't you making a profit?"
I laughed. "Mr. Fang, my cousin is paying for this. I can't possibly profit from his money, can I? My cousin is covering my food, drink, and lodging in Thailand. He's been so good to me; how can I feel right about earning money off him?"
Frank Fang roared with laughter. "You don't understand business, kid. You can't run a loss. One loss leads to a hundred losses. Even if you take the money you earn and give it back to your cousin in a red envelope later, you have to make a profit. Get it?" Honestly, I didn't understand that logic at all. Frank Fang told me to quote 100,000 Baht and promised to treat me to a huge seafood dinner afterward. I was annoyed, thinking, Seafood is cheap as dirt in Thailand, I don't need you to treat me.
I called Old Li. Sure enough, he sounded troubled. He said all the money he'd saved was sent back home to his parents for medicine, and he genuinely couldn't afford it. He subtly asked if he could pay 30,000 Baht upfront and have Boss Wu cover the remaining 70,000, which he would repay as soon as possible.
During lunch, I brought it up with my cousin. My cousin said, "As long as the problem is permanently solved, I can lend the money to Old Li, and he can pay me back slowly. But be careful not to let Frank Fang cheat you."
After lunch, my cousin gave me 80,000 Baht. 70,000 was for Old Li's loan, and the remaining 10,000 Baht was my consultation fee. That evening, I drove to Old Li's house again. When I told them my cousin had covered the 70,000 Baht for them, both Old Li and his wife broke down in tears. Xiaoyong stood timidly behind his parents, not knowing what was happening.
I called Frank Fang and told him the money was secured. Frank Fang praised me. "Nice work, young man. You're efficient. Unlike the low-lifes I usually deal with, always haggling. Wire the money tomorrow, and I'll get straight to work."
The next day, I wired the money to Frank Fang. That afternoon, Frank Fang sent me an email containing a string of phonetic Chinese characters and an audio file. The email clearly stated that the Chinese characters were the pronunciation of the Katha (incantation), and the audio file was the correct way to chant it as provided by the Arjan master. We were instructed to find someone to act as the medium, memorize the Katha, and perform the Spirit-Luring ritual exactly as the Arjan had described.
I was furious immediately. I called him up. "100,000 Baht just gets me an incantation? At least have the Arjan master send an apprentice to assist! What kind of service is this?"
Frank Fang snapped back impatiently, "I knew you'd be trouble. Does paying money make you special? Fine, fine. I'll make the trip to Rayong to supervise you guys, alright?"
I said, "You can be the medium." Frank Fang flatly refused, saying he absolutely wouldn't be the medium unless I added another 100,000 Baht. I thought, You might as well just come and rob us with a knife, but since he agreed to come to Rayong to supervise the process, I couldn't argue.
The next day, Frank Fang arrived, driving the same beat-up Toyota pickup. I found it odd. I heard the amulet business was lucrative. This guy had been in Thailand for over ten years; he must have made a fortune. Why was he driving such an old car? I realized then that luxury cars were rare on Thai streets. I'd only seen a few Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis when I arrived at the Bangkok airport, and even fewer in other cities. It was mostly Japanese cars like Toyota and Nissan. European cars were nearly nonexistent. Maybe Thai people just weren't that obsessed with cars; they preferred motorcycles.
Frank Fang was very observant and seemed to sense my doubt. He smiled and said, "Japanese cars save gas, they're easy to fix, and the truck bed can carry cargo. Good for hauling big Buddha statues if someone requests one."
I saw three weird-looking amulets hanging from his front windshield. One set looked like Tibetan Bodhi seeds, but it was weighted with a spider gold pendant. Another was a silver chain holding a dried, coiled corpse amulet resembling mosquito coil. The third one was the strangest: a small bottle containing an unidentified yellow liquid, partially submerging a pair of embracing nude figures. A thick, red object protruded from the male figure's crotch—thicker than the figure's thigh—passing through the woman's waist.
After entering the yard and greeting my cousin, who was leaving for an errand, Frank Fang and I sat down in the courtyard to drink juice and chat. Since I was completely ignorant about Thai customs, Guman Thong, and Baby Ghosts, I took the opportunity to ask Frank Fang for advice. I learned that Frank Fang was from Huizhou, Guangdong. He had spent over a decade in Southeast Asia, doing everything from pimping to drug trafficking. He eventually decided those ventures were too risky, so he entered the amulet business, which was much lower risk and an easy source of income. Many Asians deeply believed in this, and some wealthy individuals and celebrities had dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of Guman Thong. The market was huge.