Chapter 0010 Sister Gao
From then on, Brother Ming acted like a madman, calling me daily to complain and cry. I had no choice but to keep the new Thai number switched off so he couldn't reach me temporarily. I called Frank Fang about the incident, explaining that Brother Ming was truly unlucky, which tragically led to the death of his own son—it was horrible.
Frank Fang sneered, "You call that horrible? The worst is likely yet to come! Yin Spirits are not to be trifled with, and they don't give up easily!" I was shocked. I asked if the spirit would continue to bring bad luck to Brother Ming or his family. Frank Fang just coldly laughed. "Nobody can guess what a ghost intends to do. You'll see."
How could I dare to "just see"? I wanted to stay as far away from Brother Ming as possible. During that time, I also started having frequent nightmares: I dreamt of a bloodied little boy who was struck by a vehicle, crying as he walked toward me. Half of his head was missing, and a mix of red and white fluid slowly oozed out. I would wake up in a cold sweat. Normally, I sleep well and rarely dream. I was terrified and called Frank Fang again, asking if there was a way to resolve the situation and ensure the safety of Brother Ming or his family. After all, he was my junior high classmate; I felt I should help him.
Frank Fang scoffed into the phone, "I'll give you two pieces of advice: First, as long as there is money to be made, don't pick fights with the customer, even if you intensely dislike them. Second, never clean up messes in this line of work, or you will regret it sooner or later. Do you understand?"
I replied with a forced laugh, "Yes, yes. Thank you for the advice, Mr. Fang."
Frank Fang added, "Each piece of advice is worth 5,000 Thai Baht. Don't forget to pay me next time we meet. I'm not joking." I became agitated. I said, "You're extorting me! What kind of rubbish advice is worth 10,000 Baht?"
Frank Fang chuckled. "You'll find out later. Humans are greedy creatures. Let them taste the bitter fruit of their own actions. Why bother with them? You have nothing better to do? It's better to find more clients! I think you should just focus on this business from now on. Work with me, and I guarantee you a life of luxury." Frank Fang's scolding left me speechless, and I abandoned the idea of helping Brother Ming.
Brother Ming's situation kept me awake for a long time. I often wondered: Brother Ming's mistake was his gambling and greed, but why did the retribution have to fall on his son? The child was innocent. Was the spirit trying to punish Brother Ming with the pain of losing his son? Isn't there a saying that sometimes the truly suffering are not the dead, but those who remain alive? And by selling Brother Ming the Negative-energy Amulet, was I an accomplice?
After more than half a month, I finally stopped having those nightmares. As the saying goes, "once the wound heals, the pain is forgotten." Over time, I gradually put Brother Ming's affair out of my mind. Sometimes, when I couldn't sleep, I often thought about Frank Fang's suggestion. I thought the amulet business wasn't bad; the profits were high. If I didn't seize the opportunity to make more money now, how would I afford to get married? So, I was tempted and started posting advertisements online. Luckily, my previous Thai phone card had stopped working shortly after I got it, so to avoid Brother Ming, I had to buy another one. I posted both phone numbers simultaneously to make it convenient for clients to inquire. However, I set a new rule for myself: I would no longer sell Yin objects to friends or family.
From then on, I officially embarked on the path of selling amulets. Little did I know, this was also the beginning of me offending ghosts, but I was oblivious at the time. Of course, that's a story for later.
A few days later, my cousin and I were vacationing on Koh Samet when I received a call from a Shenyang number. The caller was a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Gao. Her voice, like her surname (which means "high" or "loud"), was very loud, and her tone was quite aggressive. She immediately asked, "You're Tien Chi, right? Lü Li told me to call you. My husband keeps threatening divorce. I heard Thai amulets work. Do you have anything for that? How much?"
I didn't recognize the name. "Who is Lü Li?"
Sister Gao said, "You don't know Lü Li? You have such a bad memory! Half a month ago, you sold an amulet to her sister, Lü Wen, for 2,500 RMB. Isn't Lü Wen your junior high classmate?"
I suddenly realized. I smiled and said, "I didn't know her sister was named Lü Li."
Sister Gao sounded impatient. "How many customers named Lü do you have? You're so dense. Do you have the merchandise or not?"
I was annoyed, thinking this person had a terrible temper. I said, "I certainly have the goods. Are you looking for something for marital harmony, change of heart, preventing mistresses, preventing infidelity—"
Before I could finish, Sister Gao interrupted, "Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I need! Do you have it? How much does it cost?" She seemed to have a short fuse. I asked, "What price range are you comfortable with? You get what you pay for. The cheap ones are Positive-energy Amulets; they work slowly and require cooperation from the customer's behavior. The Negative-energy Amulets are more expensive, but the effect is faster, though there are rules and taboos that must be followed. If they're not obeyed, I won't be responsible for any trouble."
Sister Gao quickly asked, "Of course I want the quick-acting ones! Who wants slow ones? That's just nonsense! You're an interesting businessman!" I was so frustrated by her scolding that I almost hung up, but recalling Frank Fang's 5,000 Baht piece of advice, I forced myself not to press the button. Sister Gao asked if we could meet in person. Since I was scheduled to return to Shenyang next week to pay respects at my grandfather's grave, I agreed to meet her then.
The classmate reunion proved effective. Encouraged by Lü Wen, several classmates contacted me, asking me to bring them a Positive-energy Amulet each when I returned to Shenyang. So, I went to Pattaya to find Frank Fang. That guy had dozens of Positive-energy Amulets in his safe. I casually selected a few, cash in hand for goods. After the transaction, Frank Fang sat on the sofa. I saw several amulets and Guman Thong statues displayed on the coffee table. Frank Fang wore a ring with a red gem on his right hand. He unscrewed the gem on his left hand—the gemstone lid was designed to twist open. He held the ring close to the amulets and Guman Thong, touching each item, seemingly performing some kind of test with the ring.
"What are you doing?" I couldn't help but ask.
Frank Fang said, "Checking for Yin Spirits."
I was astonished. "You can test for that?"
Frank Fang scoffed, "A country bumpkin visits the city—you haven't seen anything. This is called Five Poisons Oil. Of course, it can detect Yin Spirits. Otherwise, how do you think I've made a living all these years?"
I quickly sat closer to watch. Frank Fang glanced at me but ignored me, continuing his test. I saw that the gem in the ring was hollow and contained a clear, whitish liquid. I was amazed to notice that when he brought it near a certain amulet, the liquid in the gem turned from transparent to light grey. When he brought it near a Guman Thong, the liquid turned entirely black.
I exclaimed, "What's going on? That's incredible!"
Frank Fang was startled by my shout and nearly dropped the ring. He quickly screwed the gem lid back on and said angrily, "What are you yelling for?" I apologized profusely, asking him how this item came to be and what the principle was.
Frank Fang rolled his eyes. "Why should I tell you?" I pleaded repeatedly until he finally explained. It turns out that five yellow-colored female creatures—a centipede, a viper, a toad, a spider, and a scorpion—are placed alive, along with a spirit-imbued Phra Ngan or PraiAmulet (often called Pling or Bone Amulet), under the hot sun until they secrete oil. The oil is collected with a fine mesh and container at the bottom, then made into a special oil by an Arjan master, called the Five Poisons Oil.
This oil is normally a colorless, transparent liquid, but it is extremely sensitive to Yin Spirits. If there is a Yin Spirit or ghost nearby, it will change color; the closer it is, the darker the color.
After Frank Fang's explanation, I was utterly impressed and immediately begged him to lend it to me for a few days. Frank Fang sneered, "You're neither my relative nor do I owe you a favor, so why should I lend it to you? This is how I make my living. What if you lose it?"
I guaranteed him on my honor that I wouldn't lose it, but Frank Fang said I had no honor to speak of. Finally, annoyed by my badgering, he rummaged through a cabinet and found a transparent glass ball about the size of a small fingernail. It had a rotating circular lid at the top connected to a small glass loop, and the center of the ball was hollow. He poured a small amount of the Five Poisons Oil from his ring into the glass ball, filled it, tightly screwed the cap shut, and finally attached a pure silver chain to the loop on the cap.
Frank Fang dangled the necklace in front of me. "I'll give you this. It's even more convenient than my ring—you don't even have to unscrew the cap; you can see the color change directly. How's that? It's at least 5,000 Thai Baht. Don't haggle with me, or I won't sell it!"