Chapter 0071 The Leap
"Alright, it's noon. Let's go—my treat!" Old Qiao waved his hand grandly, looking like a general commanding an army. Across from the bank was a Sichuan restaurant. We ordered a few dishes and began to chat over drinks.
During the meal, I learned that the middle-aged woman he had been chatting with in the lobby was actually the Bank President. I asked him why he had changed his car, and he beamed with pride. "I've been promoted to Assistant Director; shouldn't I get a new car to celebrate? Forget the car—I'm even changing my wife!"
I didn't quite follow, so he explained that he and his wife had already agreed to divorce next month. I didn't have the heart to ask if he had already found a "replacement" like he had with the car. I thought to myself: He's this arrogant after just becoming an Assistant Director; if he ever became the Bank President, he'd probably swap out his own head.
After a few more drinks, Old Qiao grew increasingly excited. He started bragging about how much he had taken in kickbacks over the years by abusing his position—claiming his house, his car, and even the money for his wife were all funded by under-the-table deals. He got so worked up and hot that he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the chain of his amulet. I asked with a smile, "Do you wear that every day?"
Old Qiao took the amulet off. "Of course. It never leaves my side except when I shower. I even wear it when I'm in bed with a woman!"
I took the amulet and frowned. "I remember telling you that you shouldn't wear it while being intimate. Why didn't you listen?"
Old Qiao chuckled. "I forgot once, but then I found that wearing it actually gave me more energy during the act! Hahaha!"
Just as I was about to hand it back, Old Qiao pointed at my chest. "What's that pendant of yours? Obsidian? It looks like crap. Can't you get something worth a bit of money to wear?"
I looked down and was instantly stunned. The Five Venoms Oil necklace on my chest had turned a dark gray, nearly black. It was bizarre. When Old Qiao took his amulet back and put it around his neck, the color of my oil immediately lightened. Old Qiao was amazed: "Whoa, that thing changes color?"
I quickly made up an excuse to change the subject, but my heart was racing. I had clearly sold him a Positive Amulet; how could it possibly contain Yin energy? Judging by the color of the oil, it wasn't just a slight trace—it was as pitch-black as a high-level spirit-infused Yin amulet.
Back home, I couldn't figure it out. How could a Somdej amulet from Lung Phor Pae contain a spirit?
About a week later, my father brought in the morning paper. I picked up a copy and saw a headline: "Bank Assistant Director Publicly Molests Female President in Meeting; Investigation Reveals Long-term Affair, Both Dismissed."
I didn't react at first, but upon reading the details, I realized the branch mentioned was the exact one where Old Qiao worked. It explicitly named an "Assistant Director Qiao" from the Credit Department.
According to the news, during a meeting, Qiao had walked up behind the female President, Ms. Xia, hugged her, and touched her chest, shocking everyone present. When the Vice President and others reprimanded him, Qiao shouted back, claiming he had been in a relationship with her for a long time and that no one could do anything about it. The scandal blew up. A subsequent investigation found explicit photos and intimate messages on their phones. As a result, Qiao was fired, and Ms. Xia was suspended pending investigation.
I was certain it was Old Qiao. I took a photo of the news and sent it to Lyu Wen. She called me back immediately. "I already heard," she said. "A classmate close to him told me. I suspect his promotion was orchestrated by her in exchange for sex. This isn't over—if they find evidence of power-for-sex trades or embezzlement, he's finished. Honestly, let him fall. He's always been an arrogant prick; hitting rock bottom might be good for him."
She spoke lightly, but I wasn't so relaxed. Old Qiao might be annoying, but he had been in the professional world for over a decade. He wouldn't make such a low-level mistake as molesting his boss in public—only a fool would do that. I wondered: Could it be the influence of that Yin-tainted amulet?
After hanging up, I felt a sense of dread. I felt responsible for his downfall, yet I couldn't understand why. I suspected Sun Xicai, but he shouldn't have had any other suppliers besides me, and there were no Yin amulets in the shop. How did that Somdej get infused with a spirit?
While I was guessing, my phone rang. It was Old Qiao. My heart skipped a beat. I hesitated before answering. Old Qiao chuckled on the other end: "Old Tien, where are you? Come over to my place; I want to talk to you about something." I knew it wouldn't be anything good, but I couldn't hide forever. I braced myself and went.
Old Qiao lived in a high-end complex, a "penthouse" unit near a landscaped stream. I took the elevator to the 18th floor. Besides Old Qiao, a beautiful young woman was there—likely the wife he was about to divorce. I thought to myself: He's leaving a woman this beautiful? I wonder what his next one looks like.
Old Qiao sat on the sofa smoking. When I entered, his gaze was strange and unsettling. The young woman's eyes were filled with an unconcealed rage, as if I had just offended her personally.
She spoke coldly: "So you're Old Qiao's classmate, Tien Chi?"
I nodded with a forced smile. She continued, "And you're the one who sold him that Thai amulet?" I confirmed I was. She grabbed the amulet from the sofa and threw it at me with force. I jumped, asking what she meant.
She was furious. "You have the nerve to ask! They say even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow, but you? You chewed it down to the roots! How could you sell such a malicious thing to a classmate?"
I argued, "Look, a Thai Positive Amulet is like a Guanyin statue; it protects you and has no side effects. It's not 'evil' like you're saying."
"You're still lying?" she snapped. "I've already had someone look at it. This is a Yin Amulet!"
I denied it, so she pulled out her phone and played a video. In the video, a man in white robes—an Arjan—was sitting on a sofa surrounded by people. The woman handed the Somdej to him. The Master took it, closed his eyes for a moment, and handed it back, saying in Thai: "This amulet contains a powerful male spirit—and a lustful one at that."
A translator repeated it for her in the video. She took the amulet back and asked the camera, "Xiao Hao, did you get all that?"
"Got it," the person filming replied.
She closed the screen and glared at me. "What do you have to say now? A famous Master from Thailand was in Tianjin recently for a ritual. I went there specifically with my brother to have him check it!"
I knew the truth better than anyone, but as I struggled to find the words to explain, she caught my hesitation. Her eyes widened, and she lunged forward, grabbing my collar. "You absolute bastard! Tricking your own classmate! Do you know what you've done to him? He lost the promotion he worked so hard for, his career is gone, and now they're investigating his deals with the President! If anything happens to him, I'm coming for you!"
Old Qiao stood up, crushed his cigarette in the ashtray, and pulled her away. "It's already happened. What's the point of talking?" He put his arm around my shoulder and led me to the window, sighing.
I quickly tried to explain: "Old Qiao, I swear I don't know how that happened. I only sell Positive amulets to people I know. You have to believe me. Wait... that day you went to the shop to pick it up, who gave it to you?"
"That kid who told me to take my feet off the shelf," Old Qiao replied flatly.
I said, "That's strange. Did he swap it? Don't worry, I'll go find him right now and get to the bottom of this!"
Old Qiao smiled. "No need. Look, the view in this complex is pretty good, isn't it?" I didn't get his meaning and just nodded. He looked at his watch and pointed to the fountain on the ground below. "That fountain goes off every hour on the dot. There's music, too—it shoots up over ten meters. It's almost 10:00 AM; it's about to start."
As he finished, music began to play outside and the fountain erupted. I was about to compliment the view when Old Qiao suddenly bent down, grabbed my legs, and tried to heave me out the window. My upper body flew out over the ledge. I grabbed the window frame for dear life, screaming: "What are you doing?!"