Chapter 145: Chapter 144: Beat the Young One, Here Comes the Old One

The hospital’s ICU ward.

Bansha lay on the hospital bed, still in a coma. He was hooked up to an IV drip, breathing through an oxygen mask, and had several wires attached to his body. The monitor beside him displayed his heartbeat, a faint rhythm that was far from stable or safe.

Just then, a commotion erupted in the hallway outside the ward. The people guarding the door turned to see a crowd of people surrounding an old man who was approaching slowly.

The old man wore a traditional Siamese cotton robe. Though the style was simple, a string of brightly colored beads hung around his neck, and he was fiddling with another string of beads in his hand.

"Mr. Mongkha!"

The crowd quickly parted, bowing their heads and lowering their eyes to let the old man pass through to the front of the ward.

This old man was none other than Bansha’s father, Mongkha, a famous master in Siam. He was renowned in religious circles, had close ties to the royal family, and frequently entered the Siam Royal Palace to pray for the king’s fortune. It was said he possessed the ability to cure illnesses and extend the lives of his followers.

Although no one knew if he had any real abilities, he was undoubtedly an honored guest of the king. Bansha, as his only son, had used his father’s connections to cooperate with the royal family, earning an untold fortune and becoming a major figure in Siam himself.

Now that Bansha had suddenly fallen ill with them all present, they feared Mongkha would take his anger out on them, even though they weren’t responsible.

Arriving outside the hospital room, the old man peered through the small window in the door at his comatose son. He remained silent for a moment, ignoring the surrounding crowd, and spoke only to the two assistants who always followed Bansha. "Arrange a conference room for me. You two, come with me."

The restaurant manager stepped forward. "Mr. Mongkha, I’m the manager of the restaurant from tonight..."

"You were hosting a folk music ensemble from Celestial Xia today?" Mongkha asked abruptly. "A music ensemble, not a religious group?"

"Yes," the restaurant manager nodded repeatedly. "A music ensemble. The Celestial Xia Yue Province Folk Music Ensemble is on a tour of Southeast Asia, and our city was their final stop."

’Folk music... traditional...’ Mongkha’s eyes narrowed. He said nothing more to the manager and simply turned to leave.

In the conference room, the two assistants nervously recounted the night’s events to the old man.

Unlike the others, as Bansha’s assistants, they were well aware of the abilities of the father and son, Mongkha and Bansha.

They had personally witnessed Bansha make people suffer excruciating pain or fall into a daze with just a single glance. They had also seen him frequently use these methods to enslave others or make them sleep with him in their stupor.

And Mongkha was even more terrifying. According to what Bansha had said during an idle chat, a person who had once slandered the royal family was captured and taken to the palace. Mongkha personally "dealt with" him, making the man wail in agony for three days and three nights before he finally died.

Therefore, the two assistants didn’t dare hide anything. They recounted the night’s events in minute detail, wishing they could even report every dish Bansha ate and every word he spoke.

As soon as Mongkha heard the assistants’ story, he understood what had happened. "He was trying to make those two beautiful women agree to leave with him willingly?"

"Yes," an assistant replied, lowering his head.

"And then he just keeled over?"

"Yes."

Mongkha’s eyes narrowed. "Who else was around?"

"There was the restaurant manager, the person in charge of hosting the performance..."

"Just tell me about the people from Celestial Xia!"

"Yes, yes. Besides the two beautiful women, there was a group leader and some director from the ensemble. There were also two businessmen from Celestial Xia at the same table."

’A group leader, a director... could they be government officials?’ Mongkha frowned, his heart skipping a beat, but then he shook his head. ’No, it can’t be. They’re definitely not government officials.’

The Celestial Xia government would never punish without warning, and they certainly wouldn’t strike so heavily on a first offense. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Let’s go! To the hotel!" Mongkha stood up, his expression dark. "No one injures Bansha and gets away without paying the price!"

...

"President Wang?"

Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi were startled to hear that Wang Runheng had suddenly come to see them.

"Good evening, ladies."

Wang Runheng was very polite. Instead of talking in their room, he invited the two women to a small conference room in the hotel. "I heard you ladies had a bit of a scare tonight, so I came to check on you."

"You’re too kind, President Wang," Xiao Ya said quickly. "The guest had a sudden illness. We just happened to be there."

Wang Runheng’s eyes flickered, unsure if Xiao Ya was speaking honestly or just making an excuse.

He had made two phone calls before flying from Port City to Siam and found out exactly who the injured guest was.

A month ago, he might not have cared too much. Even for those who believed in metaphysics like feng shui, prayer, and divination, most people just sought guidance and wouldn’t be truly afraid.

But after the last incident, he knew that a true master with Magical Power could do things far beyond his imagination. That was true Extraordinary Power!

And Mongkha was a master who could frequently enter the Siam Royal Palace to pray for the king.

If Wang Runheng had been unsure before whether Mongkha had real abilities, the incident with his son being injured by the counter-attack of a Celestial Spirit Talisman had just confirmed it for him.

And the one injured was Mongkha’s son, not Mongkha himself!

Worried that Xiao Ya didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, Wang Runheng asked directly, "Did Mr. Gu give you two a Protective Talisman? And did that Protective Talisman activate?"

"Ah!" The two women couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.

Seeing Jiang Shishi and Xiao Ya’s reaction, Wang Runheng immediately told them what had happened to him back in Port City.

After hearing Wang Runheng’s story, the two women finally understood why he was so respectful toward Gu Zhao.

Extraordinary Power! He had saved his life!

At this, Jiang Shishi also realized what happened, a mix of terror and lingering fear washing over her. "So that Bansha wasn’t using Hypnosis on me, but some kind of Evil Technique?"

Xiao Ya recalled a certain term. "A Black Magic Master?"

Wang Runheng nodded. "Very likely!"

The two women looked at each other, feeling a sense of unreality, as if a legend had just walked into their lives. ’How could something you only see in movies turn out to be real?’

But there was another question.

If Bansha was such a formidable Black Magic Master, yet he was so severely injured that he vomited blood from the automatic counter-attack of a single piece of talisman paper, then just how powerful was Gu Zhao, the one who drew the Talisman?

"Mr. Gu is powerful, of course, but he isn’t here, while Bansha’s father is right here in Siam." Wang Runheng explained Mongkha’s identity and then asked, "I just tried calling Mr. Gu, but he didn’t pick up. Can either of you contact him?"

Xiao Ya shook her head. "He doesn’t communicate with the outside world when he’s in Cultivation."

Wang Runheng nodded, then said, "I suggest you two leave Siam as soon as possible, just in case."

The two women immediately agreed. "We’ll leave right now."

Seeing that they understood the stakes, Wang Runheng breathed a sigh of relief. "I’ll have my assistant buy the tickets."

The two women then went to pack their luggage, telling their group leader they had an urgent matter and needed to return home immediately.

The performance tour had already concluded, and the next day was scheduled as free time for the ensemble members anyway, so the group leader didn’t object.

So, the two women quickly finished packing and met up with Wang Runheng on the ground floor, ready to leave.

But just as they reached the hotel lobby, a group of people walked in. Leading them was an old man, and beside him were two very familiar faces—Bansha’s assistants.

One of the assistants raised his hand and pointed at Jiang Shishi and Xiao Ya. "It’s them!"