Chapter 0035 Strange Events in Guizhou
Frank Fang sneered, "Do you think a spirit is a puppy that can just run out for a spin when it wants to? If that were the case, who would bother paying for and wearing a Negative-energy Amulet?" I examined the Phra Ngan amulet (now a Negative-energy Amulet) up and down, completely unable to understand the reason. Regardless, I gave the amulet to Frank Fang for him to handle as he saw fit. Frank Fang said that to punish me for deceiving him, I shouldn't expect any money from the sale of this amulet; it would all go to him. I was furious but couldn't say anything, as I was in the wrong.
About half a month later, Wang Jiao suddenly chatted with me on QQ, which surprised me. To avoid misunderstandings, I rarely chatted with her, whether on QQ or by phone, except in special circumstances, fearing Sun Xicai's jealousy. But this time, Wang Jiao initiated the message: "Brother, I want to break up with Xicai and run the amulet shop alone, like before, helping you manage the shop and splitting the profits. Do you think I can do it?"
I was puzzled and replied, asking if she had fought with him again. She said no, explaining that while Sun Xicai had many flaws, she had tolerated them because he had some strengths, but now those strengths were gone, and she no longer wanted to be with him. I asked what strengths were gone. Wang Jiao's typing was hesitant: "Brother, don't laugh at me, but Xicai was especially strong in that area, which is why I couldn't leave him. But recently, he's been like a different person. He has to cough for half an hour when he gets up in the morning. Most importantly, he's also struggling in that area. Before, we had it every day... Now, it's only once every ten days or so. He's quite willing, but he breaks down halfway, like he can't catch his breath, as if he could collapse at any moment."
I chuckled inwardly. My cousin was quite something, telling me about this. I advised her not to overthink things. Men are not made of iron; like cars, they need maintenance, not just driving. I suggested they abstain for a month or two, let him take some natural supplements, exercise more, and take good care of himself.
That night, as I slept in my room, I felt a sense of panic, like I hadn't eaten all day. In a daze, I heard someone knocking on my bedroom door. I wondered if it was my cousin. But it was so late; what could he want? I had lived at my cousin's place for several years and never locked my door at night because there was no need. The entire three-story house was occupied only by my cousin's family and me, and the large iron gate downstairs was locked, so no one could enter. I wanted to get up from the bed, but my body wouldn't move, as if I were utterly exhausted. All I could do was slightly open my eyes.
The door slowly opened, and a shadow slowly walked into the room and stood by my bed. I wanted to reach out and ask him to help me, but my body was completely immobile. My breathing intensified, like someone waking up after being administered a full dose of anesthesia. A faint, elderly voice whispered in my ear: "I'm waiting for you in the tower... I'm waiting... for you in the tower..."
The shadow slowly turned and left the room. After what felt like ages, I abruptly sat up, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat. The room was deathly quiet, only the ticking of the quartz clock could be heard.
A few days later, I bought several amulets at a famous temple in Bangkok. Just as I stepped out of the temple gate, I received a call from Sun Xicai: "Brother Tian, I have a business opportunity here. The client is offering a high price, but it's very complicated. I can't handle it, are you interested?"
I laughed. "As long as there's money to be made, don't mind the trouble. Besides, I can handle both casting and breaking Gong Tau spells, so what money is hard to earn? What are the specifics?"
Sun Xicai said, "I'll have the client contact you directly. If it works out, we'll split the profit, how about that?" I said no problem. Depending on the difficulty, you'll get at least 20% of the profit.
Shortly after returning to my cousin's place, I received a call from Bijie, Guizhou Province. It was a man's voice: "Are you Mr. Tian Qi? My name is Wang Hong. Sun Xicai introduced me to call you. He said you know many spell masters in Southeast Asia, is that right?" I said of course. Wang Hong anxiously replied, "That's great! Please save all the people in our village!"
I told him not to rush and to speak slowly.
Wang Hong said, "I'm from Bijie, Guizhou, and I run a matchmaker service there. About four months ago, a woman from Yunnan came here to travel. She passed by my office and came in, saying she was from Gongshan, Yunnan, and wanted to find a partner. I introduced her to a man from a village in a county near Bijie. The two hit it off well. After meeting a few times, the woman suggested going to the man's house to see it. Unexpectedly, she moved in and stayed, and the two officially started living together. But no one could have predicted that the woman's temper and behavior were very strange. Her family didn't like her. Sometimes, during arguments, the man would curse her out in anger. The woman held a grudge. Within half a month, several people in the man's family successively fell ill. The woman claimed she understood medicine and made a mixture for the family to drink. It did alleviate their symptoms, but before long, the illness returned, and they had to drink the woman's medicine again, like an addiction."
I couldn't help but interrupt. "I'm afraid it's not an addiction, but some kind of black magic, right?"
"Mr. Tian, you truly are an expert! You saw it right away!" Wang Hong said excitedly. "The man's family suspected the same thing and asked the woman what was going on. Our villagers are simple and pure; the whole village is like one family, so villagers came over to question her. But the woman refused to talk. The man's family got angry and slapped her a few times. The woman didn't get angry. Soon after, other people in the village started getting strange illnesses. They had various symptoms: rotting hands and feet, rolling on the ground, mental derangement. Hospitals couldn't diagnose the illness, and only the medicine the woman made worked."
I asked, "Have there been any deaths?"
Wang Hong said, "No one has died from the strange illness yet. The woman seems to be deliberately tormenting the villagers, only giving them medicine right before they die, so there haven't been any casualties."
I asked again, "Didn't you report it to the police, or find a master who understands Gu (Gu-poison) magic from the Miao people?"
Wang Hong sighed. "Since no one has died, the police couldn't find any evidence. Our village is too remote. It takes the police car over two hours to drive from the township police station to the village. The mountain roads are difficult to navigate and require slow driving, so after a while, no one bothered. The villagers initially suspected the woman of casting Gu—maybe practicing Gu on the villagers—so they pooled money and hired Miao masters from outside. But strangely, all three masters we hired took one look at the villagers' symptoms and left, saying it wasn't Gu at all and they couldn't solve it."
After hearing Wang Hong's story, I also found it strange. If it wasn't Gu poisoning, what was it? I thought for a moment and said, "You could contact the county or city TV station, let them interview and expose it. Isn't that another way?"
Wang Hong said, "We tried. It took a lot of effort for two reporters from Bijie TV to agree to come and take a look. But they encountered heavy rain on the mountain road, and a landslide nearly buried the interview vehicle. Since then, no reporter has been willing to come. They all say there's evil in that village, and no one will go."
I thought that was just a coincidence, albeit unlucky. Wang Hong's voice was choked up. "Mr. Tian, I also came from that village. Our village is very poor. To treat the strange illnesses, everyone has spent a lot of money, but there's still no effect. If you can solve this problem, the over two hundred households in the village are willing to sell all their valuables and raise 100,000 RMB for your effort. You must help us!"
This made things very difficult for me. The wealth gap in China is huge. Two hundred households, averaging less than 500 RMB per household, were willing to sell all their belongings. They must be incredibly poor. But 100,000 RMB was also a big temptation. At that time, commercial housing in Shenyang cost less than 3,000 RMB per square meter; this money could buy a studio apartment. So, I was tempted.
As I hesitated, Wang Hong added, "Mr. Tian, please don't be troubled. If possible, it would be best if you could come to our village to assess the situation. It's a long way from Shenyang to Bijie, and we will cover the travel expenses, whether by plane or train. What do you say? This isn't just solving a problem; it's accumulating good deeds and saving the lives of everyone in our village!"
I had done this kind of thing before: go first to understand the situation, and even if it didn't work out, it was considered a trip. But I was in Thailand. Just the round-trip ticket would cost several thousand RMB, and it was a remote mountain village in Bijie, Guizhou, requiring a two-hour drive from the county seat. What was there to sightsee? If I didn't get the job and exhausted myself, it wouldn't be worth it, so I refused.