Chapter 0059 Celestial and Earth Guman Thong
I thought for a moment: "A Wealth-Attracting Guman Thong has a good effect. It costs 3,000 RMB per statue, consecrated by a Luang Por in a legitimate Bangkok temple. You can place it in the same spot as that lucky cat. Just don't forget the offerings."
The taxi driver was very interested and asked what a Guman Thong was. Since I had nothing else to do, I explained the origin of the Guman Thong to him. The taxi driver instantly became energized: "Then I want one of those things too!" He immediately wanted to see it and drove me home, then followed me upstairs. I opened the door of my bookshelf, where about a dozen amulets and four or five Guman Thong statues were displayed. These were my personal reserves in case someone suddenly requested inventory. I picked up one Guman Thong: "This one was personally supervised and consecrated by Luang Por Du, a famous high monk from Songkhla. The effect is excellent."
The taxi driver looked confused: "What... what does that mean?"
"Songkhla is a city in southern Thailand," I had to educate him. "Luang Por Du is the name of a high monk, very famous in Thailand."
The taxi driver picked up the Guman Thong and looked at it: "This thing... a chubby baby with his little thing exposed. I've seen them sold at the night market downstairs for ten yuan each."
I couldn't help but laugh: "That's not the same thing. This is a Thai Guman Thong; it has spiritual power inside!" The taxi driver looked half-believing. I took out a piece of paper and showed him, telling him that the writing was Thai incantations that must be recited three times continuously in front of the Guman Thong. After that, he could make daily offerings.
The taxi driver asked me: "What kind of offerings? High-class stuff? Good cigarettes and liquor, maybe pin-up posters?"
I said helplessly: "A Guman Thong is a child, so you need to offer it things that children like! Such as sweet drinks, snacks, and children's toys."
The taxi driver sounded a bit suspicious: "That's interesting. Isn't this just fooling a child? I don't know if it works. My friend, it's not easy for me to earn money driving a taxi, so don't trick me. If it doesn't work, I'll come to your building every day with a loudspeaker and broadcast that you're a big liar."
I laughed heartily and told him to think about it for a few days, and even inquire around. I told him to let me know once he was sure. In reality, I didn't want to do business with people like him. Amulets aren't cure-alls, and their effectiveness varies, so I strongly disliked selling them to people who didn't believe in or understand Thai amulets.
Before leaving, the taxi driver and I exchanged names and phone numbers. His name was Jiang Wei, and he said I could call him Brother Wei (Wei Ge). But I felt awkward and said calling him Brother Jiang was better.
That night, I received a call from Ms. Bao. She scolded me fiercely, saying I shouldn't have been physically aggressive in the car, which caused her and her husband to argue for three days. I could only apologize and honestly told her that it was because I was being harassed by a spirit, and my actions were sometimes involuntary. Ms. Bao told me to be careful in the future, warning that someone with a bad temper might even kill me. I nodded repeatedly, feeling utterly frustrated.
That evening, Frank Fang called me and asked when I would bring Sun Xicai to Thailand for the spirit exorcism. I asked him to help me inquire about the specific price. Frank Fang said it would cost around 300,000 Thai Baht, even the lowest price for his acquaintance, Arjan Tam. 300,000 Thai Baht is 60,000 RMB—cheaper than Uncle Xie, but still a large sum. I sucked air through my teeth. Frank Fang, like a bloodhound, seemed to sense my inner thoughts: "You, kid, are a typical person who values money over life! That Male Undead Spirit is attached to your brother-in-law, Sun Xicai. It's definitely trying to kill you. Although Sun Xicai's symptoms are mild now, you can't underestimate it. When the spirit explodes, it will be too late for you to regret it!"
I smiled wryly and told him to wait for the right opportunity. Sun Xicai wouldn't easily go to Thailand with me, and the spirit inside him wasn't stupid; it could certainly guess my intentions. Frank Fang urged me to find a way quickly. Ghosts have the ability to read minds (Ta Xin Tong), but they are not omnipotent. He suggested I return to Thailand first, then find an excuse for Sun Xicai to come from China to Thailand, which would make things much easier.
A few days later, my mother's rheumatism flared up. It was rush hour, and we waited by the roadside for nearly twenty minutes, yet couldn't hail a taxi. With no other option, I called Brother Jiang and asked where he was. It turned out he was nearby. In China, having connections always makes things easier. In less than five minutes, Brother Jiang's taxi arrived.
At the hospital entrance, my father accompanied my mother inside for a follow-up visit. I sat in the taxi and chatted with Brother Jiang. He said, "Brother Tian, I've asked a lot of people recently. They all say Thai Guman Thong are incredibly powerful. I heard you can even raise them like a son?"
I smiled: "You've even inquired about that. It seems you've put in the effort. Many Guman Thong are attached with the souls of infants and can communicate mentally with the owner who offers them."
Brother Jiang immediately found it miraculous and asked if I could give him a discount. Since he had helped me transport my family, I didn't want to overcharge him. I said I could sell him one at cost price, 2,500 RMB. Brother Jiang asked, "How effective is it?"
"That is an authentic Celestial Guman Thong (Tian Tong Guman)," I said. "It's consecrated by a temple, and the spiritual power is quite good, but it won't necessarily make your every wish come true, unless it's an Earth Guman Thong (Di Tong Guman)."
My words confused Brother Jiang. I had to explain the difference between Celestial Guman Thong and Earth Guman Thong: "The Guman Thong of Southeast Asia are ancient offering items, several hundred years old. You can regard them as Chinese Buddha statues, but they are also different. Celestial Guman Thong come from large temples in Thailand, consecrated by Luang Por monks. The materials used are relatively orthodox, such as flower pollen and temple soil. The attached infant souls are also gentler, like those of homeless young souls."
Brother Jiang listened intently. I continued to explain: "However, Earth Guman Thong are created by masters who practice their own form of magic. Chinese people call them Arjan; Hong Kong and Taiwan call them Arjan. The meaning is the same. The magic they practice is quite unconventional, and many of them even practice Black Magic, such as the Burmese or Cambodian Khmer traditions."
Brother Jiang couldn't help but interject: "What's the difference between the Celestial and Earth Guman Thong?"
I replied: "Earth Guman Thong use materials with a heavy Yin element, and the attached infant souls are those who died unnaturally, for example, whose mothers died from difficult labor, car accidents, murder, or suicide before they were born. Or they are young children who died violently at a very young age. This type has stronger power but also greater side effects."
After my explanation, Brother Jiang was speechless. After a moment, he asked: "What are the side effects? Nausea, dizziness, diarrhea?"
I stopped laughing: "I can't say exactly what the side effects are, but they are definitely worse than an allergic reaction to an IV drip. If you don't make offerings according to the practice, you will suffer bad luck, such as a streak of misfortune, health problems, or even worse."
This clearly scared Brother Jiang: "Ah? That powerful? Then, I need to seriously consider it... By the way, what do you mean by the offering practice?"
"It means you must frequently replace the offerings with fresh ones for the Guman Thong, and you cannot casually change the content," I patiently explained. "For example, I ask you to offer things that children like—sweets, drinks, small toys—but you insist on offering it cigarettes, liquor, raw meat, and pornographic magazines. If you gave those things to your own child, would he be happy? He'd surely get angry. Children are not like adults; when they get mad, they don't know how to control themselves. You'll be in trouble then. To give you an analogy, the Guman Thong is like a three-year-old child holding a machine gun. When it gets angry, it shoots randomly, and it won't know if it kills someone."
This time, Brother Jiang finally understood: "That's no problem! Aren't they just drinks, pastries, and snacks? Just like what my kid ate and played with when he was little. That's easy. Then I want the Earth Guman Thong!"
I said: "Earth Guman Thong are more effective, but you get what you pay for. They might be more expensive than the Celestial ones, more than 3,000 yuan."
Brother Jiang nodded vigorously: "A little more expensive is fine. How much approximately?"
I took out my phone and texted Frank Fang, asking him to find me an Earth Guman Thong, priced at no more than 10,000 Thai Baht. After sending the message, Brother Jiang and I chatted casually, covering everything from how to cook braised pork to which country, the US or Russia, had more nuclear warheads, and from which massage parlor in Shenyang had the pretty girls to how to distinguish real from fake mutton skewers. About two hours later, after drinking two bottles of coke, my parents finally emerged from the hospital.
On the drive back home, Frank Fang sent me a few pictures. It was a clay statue of a small baby, shorter than a mineral water bottle, milky white, chubby, and cute. Its head, chest, and limbs were covered with many patterns and symbols drawn in black ink. The accompanying text indicated it was an Earth Guman Thong created by Arjan Kang La, costing 15,000 Thai Baht, including a markup.
Normally, I would mark up an item with Yin energy costing 3,000 RMB to 5,000 RMB before selling it. However, Brother Jiang was kind and straightforward, so I only marked up the price by 1,000 RMB.
Looking at the picture on my phone, Brother Jiang took a while to understand, asking: "This little chubby baby, which looks like it's made of rubber, is worth 4,000 RMB... Thai people really know how to make money."