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墨書 Inktalez
During dinner, Second Uncle mentioned to Grandpa about the little ghost being stolen and stated that he had already asked someone to help retrieve it. Grandpa nodded nonchalantly, seemingly not taking it too seriously.
I must admit, those who are skilled at doing bad things also have their own methods for dealing with wrongdoers. Early the next morning, two robbers were brought in. The gang members had already interrogated them; they were two Korean habitual offenders who made a living through robbery. After stealing some items, they returned to find a bunch of random jars and bottles, which felt quite ominous. These two knew little about the Amulet and initially planned to just throw it away as garbage, but coincidentally, a nearby Chinese tourist saw them and thought they were dealers, so he came over and bought one.
The gang members had already found out where the tourist who bought the little ghost was staying, including his room number, and wrote it down on a piece of paper. I watched in admiration from the side; this is what professionalism looks like!
Second Uncle rummaged through the black bag that was returned and indeed found that one little ghost was missing. Out of consideration for his fellow countryman, Grandpa instructed Second Uncle to retrieve the little ghost to avoid any trouble. However, after going around for a while, Second Uncle returned empty-handed because the Chinese tourist refused to return the little ghost, claiming it was his since he paid for it. He even threatened to call the police and rudely kicked Second Uncle out of his room.
I was quite anxious, feeling that we had caused trouble for Grandpa and the others. Second Uncle smiled and said, "It's nothing; I've left him my phone number. In a while, he'll come looking for me to return the item."
I was skeptical and said, "If he doesn't want to return it now, why would he want to later?"
Second Uncle replied, "There are many taboos when it comes to raising little ghosts. He doesn't even know what kind of little ghost he bought; sooner or later, he'll violate a taboo and get into trouble. By then, he'll naturally come looking for me to solve it. At that point, it won't just be about returning the little ghost; if he owes me ten baht, he'll have to pay back a hundred!"
At that time, my understanding of little ghosts was still very superficial, and I didn't take Second Uncle's words seriously; I thought he was just trying to comfort me.
Afterward, Second Uncle took me around for sightseeing; we visited Pattaya several times. This city, known as Asia's Hawaii and Thailand's Dongguan, indeed makes it easy for men to fall into debauchery. When I first arrived, I would blush at Second Uncle's jokes; but once I got familiar with the environment, we both became carefree again. A pair of playful uncles and nephews surely gave Grandpa a headache.
Many days later, one morning while having breakfast, Second Uncle received a phone call. He casually said a few words before hanging up and hummed in annoyance, saying, "What an attitude; what is this?"
Before I could ask who it was, the phone rang again. This time Second Uncle spoke for a bit longer. Since he was speaking Mandarin, I could understand: "Two hundred thousand Thai baht; pay first before we resolve this. Yes, it was one hundred fifty thousand earlier, but now I'm in a bad mood; if you keep nagging me, it'll go up to three hundred thousand. Alright then; when you arrive, find a hotel to stay at; I'll bring Achan to meet you."
Once he hung up the phone, I couldn't hold back any longer and quickly asked, "What's going on? One moment it's two hundred thousand and then three hundred thousand."
Second Uncle laughed and said, "Do you remember the tourist who bought the little ghost last time? I told you he would come looking for me, but you didn't believe it."
I immediately recalled what had happened over ten days ago and asked in surprise, "Did he really cause trouble?"
Second Uncle nodded and said that the man initially wanted to act all high and mighty, considering that two hundred thousand Thai Baht is roughly equivalent to forty thousand Renminbi. He thought that after spending so much money, he could have Achan provide a home service. Given Second Uncle's personality, there was no way he would let himself be manipulated like that; he directly raised the price by fifty percent, saying if the man wanted it, he could take it or leave it. The man probably caused enough trouble that he had no choice but to agree.
Although I had met Ajan Dong last time, it was just a brief encounter, and I didn't have much of an impression. I begged to see him again, and after some pretense, Second Uncle finally agreed to take me to see him. He warned me that Ajan doesn't like to be disturbed while working. So if I noticed anything strange, it would be best not to shout.
I naturally agreed and patiently waited until evening when the unknown Chinese Tourist called again to say he had checked into the Mango Asian Hotel. Second Uncle calmly told him to wait, and after dinner, he took me to invite Ajan Dong out.
Compared to last time, Ajan Dong looked even darker. He wore a thin black outfit, with various necklaces and rings hanging from his hands and neck, each adorned with either intricate or simple designs. His exposed skin was covered in eerie tattoos that sent shivers down my spine. Sitting in the same car as this Black-Clad Achan truly tested one's psychological endurance.
Ajan Dong remained silent throughout the ride, as quiet as a corpse. I couldn't help but wonder if the Thai Baht Second Uncle gave him last time was counterfeit; otherwise, why did this Black-Clad Achan look so grim?
The Asian Hotel wasn't large; it consisted of a few small buildings and had a decent environment, making it a relatively cost-effective temporary lodging option. As we entered the hotel, the staff paused slightly upon seeing Ajan Dong, but then they seemed to understand who they were dealing with and respectfully stepped aside.
We made our way up to the second floor without any hindrance. Second Uncle knocked on a certain room door. Soon after, the door opened to reveal a tall young man dressed in white casual attire standing there. He glanced at us and seemed a bit nervous at the sight of so many people.
Seeing that the young man didn't move aside for quite some time, Second Uncle said, "Not welcome? Then we'll leave."
Only then did the young man react and hurriedly invite us in. The room was small; with all of us present including one of Ajan Dong's apprentices, there was hardly any space left to stand. The young man felt awkward and introduced himself to ease the tension.
Second Uncle didn't care what he did; he bluntly asked, "Where's the money?"
The young man hesitated for a moment but seeing Second Uncle's expression darkening gradually, he had no choice but to go to the bed, open his bag, and hand over a bundle of Thai Baht. I noticed there was also a young woman lying on the bed; she appeared unconscious or asleep and seemed unaware of our arrival.
Second Uncle counted the money and, after confirming it was correct, said a few words to Ajan Dong. Then he asked where the young man’s spirit was.
The young man quickly pulled out a wooden box from his bag. The lid was decorated with various colors of ink, depicting Spell. I couldn’t understand it; it looked even more complicated than oracle bone script. The young man opened the lid, and I leaned in to see six bottles inside. Each bottle was wrapped in fine cotton and came in different colors. They were adorned with gold foil labels, but I had no idea what they were for.
Second Uncle glanced at them and pointed to the leftmost bottle, asking, “Why is there only this little bit?”
The young man didn’t answer immediately; instead, he instinctively turned to look at the woman lying on the bed. Second Uncle immediately understood that this matter was related to her. He reached out to stop Ajan Dong, who was about to approach the woman, and told the young man, “You should explain the situation first. If it’s too complicated, there might be additional charges.”
The young man looked at Second Uncle, surely thinking that this person was quite ruthless, but he didn’t dare say it out loud. After pondering for a moment, he began to recount how he acquired this spirit.
The young man’s surname was Chen, with the given name Lin. His family was in business, making him somewhat of a rich second generation. When Second Uncle mentioned the robbery at the hotel, he understood that it was indeed a real incident. If it were a scam, there would be no need for someone to come over just for a spirit. Of course, this thought stemmed from his ignorance of the true value of what he had purchased.
Due to the tendency of people in our country to seek bargains, he knew it was wrong but still refused to return the spirit. However, after driving away Second Uncle, he kept an eye on things and didn’t throw away the business card.
After returning to the country, he began to keep the spirit. Although he had only a vague understanding of Amulet, everyone knew that buying such things was meant to fulfill one’s wishes. So he made a wish to the spirit in the box, hoping for romantic encounters and good fortune in love. For a young man with some money, such a wish was perfectly normal.
Second Uncle listened with an amused expression and said, “You’re quite lucky, kid. Do you know what the spirit you bought is called?”
Chen Lin certainly didn’t know and shook his head.
Second Uncle continued, “Do you know what these six bottles contain?”
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