Chapter 0025 Gong Tau
"W-h-y-i-s-i-t-l-i-k-e-t-h-i-s?" the woman said mechanically, staring at the ceiling. The words were devoid of emotion or any variation in tone, with identical spacing between each word, sounding like the electronic queue number system in a bank or hospital.
I dared not answer, continuing to recite the incantation. The woman then said, "D-o-n't-c-h-a-n-t-a-n-y-m-o-r-e,-I-d-o-n't-w-a-n-t-t-o-l-e-a-v-e."
Hearing this, I was even more convinced. I didn't stop the incantation but recited it faster.
The woman mechanically repeated, "I-w-o-n't-g-o-b-a-c-k."
I began to chant loudly. After about two minutes, the plastic stool beside me suddenly fell to the floor, even though the door was closed and there was no wind in the room. The woman closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her pupils were those of a normal person—dark, watery, and very attractive.
The woman stepped forward and hugged me tightly. "P-please, please save me!"
"What exactly is going on with you?" The woman's soft chest pressed against me, and I felt comfortable, having no intention of pushing her away.
The woman whispered, crying, "I don't know, I feel terrible..."
I asked, "When did this start?"
The woman replied, "Half a year ago."
I asked again, "Do you know what caused it?"
The woman shook her head. I asked, "Does it have anything to do with Thailand or Southeast Asia?"
The woman looked up at me. "It does. Ever since my husband took me on a trip to Thailand!"
My heart skipped a beat. It seemed I had found the root of the problem. I asked her to sit down first, took the Five Poisons Oil Necklace off my neck, and walked slowly around the shop, observing the color of the oil in the necklace. When I reached the corner where the Guman Thong altar was, the Five Poisons Oil started to darken. When I moved the necklace right in front of the Guman Thong, the oil turned as black as ink.
I said to the woman, "It's attached itself in here."
The woman asked, "It... who is 'it'?"
"It's that thing inside you. I don't know exactly what it is yet, but it's definitely not human," I replied.
The woman was terrified. "Please hurry and chant the spell! I only feel comfortable when you chant it. Otherwise, it's worse than death!"
I said, "This incantation cannot be chanted casually, and the thing inside you has temporarily detached. As long as you don't leave the shop, you are safe. We must use this time to understand your situation."
The woman then told me the truth, and her story genuinely shocked me.
Her name was Bai Mei. She had been married for six or seven years. Her husband started a business in recent years, becoming increasingly wealthy and frequently traveling for ten days to half a month at a time. Because Bai Mei was beautiful and sensual, she had never suspected her husband of infidelity. However, a friend recommended a software that could track real-time location between two phones and asked Bai Mei to try it. Bai Mei, out of curiosity, installed the software on her husband's phone without his knowledge.
At that time, phone systems were not iOS or Android; the best was Symbian. The location information provided was two sets of numbers representing latitude and longitude, which had to be checked by entering them into a computer connected to the internet. Once, when Bai Mei's husband was on a business trip to Shanghai, Bai Mei used the location function out of boredom that evening. When she checked the location online, she was stunned—it showed a spot right in the middle of Shenyang, near two chain hotels.
Bai Mei became immediately suspicious. She drove to the area and inquired at the two hotels, claiming she was looking for someone. Sure enough, one of the hotels provided her with her husband's check-in information. Bai Mei rushed upstairs, knocked on the door pretending to be a service person, and caught her husband and another woman having sex.
When the affair was exposed, Bai Mei's husband swore it was the first time and that the woman had seduced him. Bai Mei pretended to forgive her husband. Although she was kind, she wasn't stupid and knew that a man who did such a thing was unlikely to be a first-time offender. She began to investigate secretly, while simultaneously transferring their family funds into her own name through various means. One day, Bai Mei's husband suggested taking her on a trip to Thailand. Bai Mei agreed without much thought. They spent a few days touring Thailand. On one of the days, the tour guide took them to visit a fa shi (sorcerer/master) who performed some kind of spell on both of them, supposedly to ensure safety and good health. Bai Mei didn't understand Thai customs at all and didn't pay attention.
Since returning from Thailand, her entire being had changed. First, she often fell ill and had nightmares, always dreaming of a bloody, unrecognizable little boy, less than ten years old, reaching out to choke her. This gradually escalated to lethargy, forgetfulness, memory loss, sudden inexplicable bursts of anger, and even physically assaulting people.
Once, she went to a temple to offer incense with her best friend, who was a devout Buddhist, while Bai Mei was not. As they knelt before the Buddha statue, Bai Mei suddenly burst into loud sobs, without even knowing why. Later, her friend went to ask the abbot. The old monk shook his head and said, "That female benefactor has a spirit of resentment attached to her, absorbing her energy. She likely doesn't have much time left."
Bai Mei was alarmed. She sought help everywhere and even hired high monks to perform rituals, but to no avail. Someone told Bai Mei that many people in Southeast Asian countries practice Nanyang Xie Shu (Southeast Asian black magic) and that she should be extremely careful. Only then did she begin to suspect her husband was behind it. Her workplace was near the amulet shop. Once, during her lunch break, she came out to shop, passed the amulet shop, saw the word "Thai" on the sign, and went in to look. Coincidentally, Sun Xicai was chanting an incantation while handling beads at that time. Bai Mei felt a momentary clarity of mind and an indescribable sense of comfort. However, she only had a chance to come out during her lunch break, and the amulet shop was closed after she finished work in the evening. Today, she worked overtime. When she left, she saw the lights of the amulet shop still on in the distance, so she walked back to check, leading to the scene that just unfolded.
After listening to Bai Mei's account, I used my finger to pull open her eyelid and found a black vertical line in her eyeball, a classic symptom of being hit by a Gong Tau . I said to her, "You need to be mentally prepared."
Bai Mei asked, "What do you mean?"
I said, "You seem to be under a Gong Tau."
Bai Mei asked again, "Gong Tau? What is that?"
I briefly explained the matters related to Southeast Asian * * to her, giving her some basic knowledge. Bai Mei gritted her teeth in anger. "No wonder I've felt unwell and constantly sick since returning from Thailand! It really was that bastard who harmed me! But how did he do it?"
I said, "He found a * * Master beforehand, then pretended to take you to Thailand to relax, coordinating with the tour guide to visit the * * Master's home under the guise of an introduction. On the surface, it was presented as a ritual to change luck, but in reality, he was casting the spell on you, attaching a resentful spirit that died abnormally to your body. Of course, you're constantly sick and uncomfortable. My shop has a Guman Thong with a spirit. As soon as you enter the shop, the spirit inside you is attracted by the Guman and comes out to steal the offerings. When you leave the shop, it reattaches itself to you. Judging from this, the spirit should be a child."
Bai Mei was too frightened to close her mouth. "Then... will this situation last long?"
I smiled. "Not very long. Because usually, in about six months at the most, you'll die."
Bai Mei's skin was already fair, and now her face turned even paler. She grasped my hands tightly, shaking them vigorously. "Little Brother, can you help me? I'll pay! Please, just help me!"
I showed reluctance. "A Gong Tau is very difficult to deal with. * * Masters charge high fees. Your husband must have spent a fortune to cast the spell on you; it seems he paid a hefty price. But money is secondary. The main issue is that breaking a spell is more difficult than casting one, and it's easy to offend the * * Master. That's why no one is willing to take this kind of job."
Bai Mei burst into tears. "Little Brother, I don't want to be killed by my husband like this! You must help me no matter what you say. I know you're an expert in this field, and you are capable. The price is negotiable. I accept whatever it costs to save my life, and I'll thank you however you want." I hesitated, telling her to let me think for a few days. Bai Mei nodded. "Then I'll leave for now. I'll come to the shop to find you every day. Let me know if you have any news. By the way, is that thing attached to me... is it still there?"
I said, "Driven by the incantation, it detached from your body and attached itself to that Guman Thong. But that Guman already has a spirit, so it probably can't accommodate the new one. As soon as you leave the shop, it will rush out and reattach itself to you."
Bai Mei pleaded, "I don't want it to possess me again! Not having it feels so good, even for just one day!"
I suddenly had a wicked thought. I smiled and said, "The back of this amulet shop is the bedroom. It's late. If it's convenient, why don't you stay here tonight and leave tomorrow?"