Otherworldly Merchant

However, the old shaman didn’t do anything. She just looked at Chu Chu.

Chu Chu had asked me to hold the big rooster tightly while she held onto the long red rope that tied the rooster’s legs. She pulled the rope towards the bed and tied it to Li Mazi’s pinky finger.

I now remembered that when I had buried the rooster, I had used that red rope to tie the rooster’s legs together.

And now, the rope was only tied to one leg. What was going on?

After Chu Chu tied the red rope to Li Mazi, everything calmed down. We waited in silence.

My arm felt sore but I didn’t dare to move, as I didn’t want to scare the rooster away.

Around one hour later, the old shaman finally moved!

She pulled Li Mazi up and let him sit on the bed. At the same time, the rooster I was holding couldn’t stay calm anymore. It began to wiggle and flapped its wings. Gurgling sounds escaped its throat.

The shaman chanted something while she held a pair of scissors. She cut along Li Mazi’s body. I didn’t know what she was cutting…

Chu Chu stood behind the old shaman. I didn’t know what she was looking at, but her face was now extremely grave and frightened!

All of a sudden, Li Mazi reached out both hands and grabbed the old shaman’s arms.

Zen Master Baimei and Chuyi quickly stopped Li Mazi. They pushed him back by his shoulders.

Li Mazi’s movements slowed down, but both of his hands were still trying to catch things. Zen Master Baimei and Chuyi had to put more effort into stopping him.

The shaman started to read the incantation faster and faster.

When I realized Zen Master Baimei and Chuyi couldn’t hold Li Mazi anymore, I started to walk over to help. Then, Li Mazi abruptly screamed and jolted up. He grabbed the small tripod and tried to put it on his head!

The other three stopped in the middle of their act. They watched Li Mazi firmly put the bronze tripod on his head.

Right at this moment, my head suddenly buzzed and my consciousness went blank. My body didn’t listen to my thoughts. I walked towards the other small tripod, picked it up and shroud it on my head.

The moment the small tripod covered my head, everything went black. A horrible heat was sent down from the crown of my head to my toes. The bronze tripod felt like a boiling pot. It was so painful. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lift it up.

I stumbled. My head was a mess, but I could still hear the old shaman chanting something…

I didn’t know how long the situation had lasted until someone finally lifted the tripod off my head. As soon as the tripod was removed, I was almost blinded by the strong light. I couldn’t open my eyes.

I felt dizzy and fell to the ground.

Dreamily, I heard Chuyi call my name. It felt like his voice came to me from somewhere far away. I feebly opened my eyes and found myself leaning against Chuyi’s chest. He gave me a pill, which finally got me back on my feet.

I grabbed the bed frame to support myself. I got up and looked around the room.

What I saw gave me a heartache!

Chu Chu and the shaman were lying on the ground. Their eyes were closed. It looked like they were unconscious.

Li Mazi had blood all over his face and was lying on the bed. The rooster’s crest was kept between his lips. Li Mazi looked at Chu Chu with pain in his eyes. Slowly, he crawled toward her.

“Chu Chu, wake up! Please, wake up!” Li Mazi softly cooed with tears.

However, Chu Chu didn’t talk. She tried hard to open her eyes and reached towards Li Mazi’s face. She rubbed his face. Then, she smiled sweetly.

I didn’t know what was going on, so I asked Chuyi. He signaled me to go out. He had something to tell me.

When we walked out of the antique shop, he coldly said, “The shaman told you this, didn’t she?”

“Told me what?” I was bewildered and looked at him. I didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Although the reversing witchcraft is powerful, it can’t thoroughly send the evil power backward. The one who uses this witchcraft has to bear part of the power,” the man explained.

This immediately reminded me of what the shaman had told me on the way here.

She had told me that her husband had almost died after he transferred the venom of the seven-colored centipede from her body to his.

She’d said that performing the reversing witchcraft wasn’t that different from using one’s life in exchange for the other’s.

However, at that time, I didn’t think much of it.

“In other words, the old shaman has to bear the evil power that attacked Li Mazi?” I gawked.

Chuyi sighed inaudibly. “A part of it. Chu Chu has quietly received the other part. And now, both of them have absorbed the evil power…”

I was distressed. I wished I could just slap my face! I was so selfish. When the old shaman told me her story, I should have known about this.

It was too late now.

I felt said and wanted to go back inside, but Chuyi grabbed me back. “Where are you going?”

“It’s me who harmed the shaman and Chu Chu. Move the evil curse to me!”

Chuyi shook his head. “It’s too late. Do you think it’s that easy to remove and send back the evil curse? No. The shaman only has the last bit of her strength left. If she performs it again, she will be tortured to death.”

“What should we do now?” I was flustered. “We shouldn’t have let the mother and her daughter be involved in this. Do you know how terrible their lives used to be?”

Chuyi said, “I don’t know if they have suffered before, but I know they’re doing it willingly. I don’t know what Li Mazi did to touch their hearts…”

I stayed silent and pondered for quite a long time.

Then, I gave him a firm answer. “Li Mazi relied on his sincerity!”

The man’s eyes moved. “Sincerity?”

I smiled happily. “Let’s go. We should check on them.”

As soon as we entered the bedroom, Li Mazi shouted at us. “Why did you do that? You understood very well that it would kill them!”

I had nothing to say. It was true that if we let Li Mazi choose, he would rather sacrifice his life.

Zen Master Baimei chanted “Merciful Buddha” then left.

Chuyi comforted Li Mazi. “They’re not going to die. At least not now. However, in the coming time, their bodies will be very vulnerable and feeble. If you listen to me, you can save them.”

I felt the urge of making it up for the shaman and her daughter. “Chuyi, what should we do to save them?”

Chuyi said, “Do you know Night Dragon Bait?”

Night Dragon Bait?

It was the first time I heard the name. I shook my head.

“Is it an otherworldly item?” asked Li Mazi.

Chuyi nodded. “Right.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’m sure I will find the Night Dragon Bait.”

Chuyi said, “It’s not that you can just find it if you seek it. You will need luck.”

From what Chuyi implied, I understood that as long as we still worked in the otherworldly item business, we would eventually find some clues about the Night Dragon Bait. But if we tried our best to find it, not only would we fail, we could also catch some unwanted attention.

I was a little disappointed. “Chuyi, can you guess how long it will be until we can find the item?”

The man shook his head. “Destiny is something we can’t tell beforehand. It could take a lifetime, or it could be just two months until you obtain some clue.”

Li Mazi asked with a heavy face, “Chuyi, how long does Chu Chu have left to live?”

Chu Chu woke up before Chuyi could reply. She smiled sweetly at Li Mazi. “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s just that my body will be feeble in the future. I won’t be able to work.”

“What work?” Li Mazi forced a smile. “Just stay at home and enjoy your life! The Li family will take care of you for a lifetime!”

Then, he planted a kiss on Chu Chu’s forehead.

“There are so many people here. Don’t you feel embarrassed?!” Chu Chu blushed and tried to get up. Li Mazi hurried and supported her.

I also supported the old shaman so she could get up.

“Remember to give them more nutrients later.” It was rare that Chuyi would advise something like that.

“Excellent! Mother-in-law, wife, what do you want to eat? Just tell me. Even if it’s something flying in the sky or running underground, I will get it for you. Come, come, I need to bring my precious mother and wife home first.” Li Mazi laughed contentedly.

I clearly saw the same happiness on the shaman’s face and Chu Chu’s face.

I’m sure Chu Chu thought there was nothing else she could ask for in a husband. 

 And, Li Mazi surely had the same thought. With a wife like her, what more could he ask for?

After watching Li Mazi’s car leave, I felt tears lingering in my eyes.

There are many kinds of love in this world.

In some relationships, you can use money to exchange love. In other relationships, you can use your power to buy love. And sometimes, you could even use your beautiful face to earn love.

But how long would these kinds of love last?

True love is when you could entrust your partner with your life. It’s when you expect your partner to save you in the darkest moments of life.

Whether you’re rich or poor, happy or distressed, disabled or sick, as long as you call for your lover, your lover will be right beside you.

There’s love to die for.