episode 64
Amulets, unique Buddhist talismans from Thailand, a famous religious country in Southeast Asia.
As a signature product of Thailand, amulets are generally divided into two types: positive amulets and negative amulets.
Authentic amulets are usually made from natural materials such as soil, incense ash, metal, and herbs from temples, and then blessed by high-ranking monks through chanting. They symbolize the Buddha's protection and represent blessings and positive energy.
Famous amulets such as Somdej Buddha amulets, Phra Phrom Buddha amulets, and Phra Kring amulets are all considered authentic amulets, and their core meaning is to turn towards goodness and enlightenment.
The methods of making Yin amulets are far more gruesome and bizarre.
The most common type is made from dark materials such as corpse oil and bone ash, and is usually made by black-clad Ajarns, which are shamans.
Historically, they were also expelled by Buddhism.
However, this group of wizards dominated the market for making dark amulets.
Besides removing corpse oil and ashes, they also use skullcaps, fetuses, coffin nails, and shrouds to make amulets. Then, they forcibly imprison the soul of the unjustly deceased in the amulet through incantations, forcing it to serve the buyer who purchases and wears the amulet.
Then there are sorcerers. This group overlaps significantly with black-clad Ajarns, but unlike black-clad Ajarns who make dark amulets for profit, sorcerers focus more on taking lives.
They combined Maoshan Taoist magic with Southeast Asian witchcraft, and were most skilled at making curse-type talismans. The infamous love spells and revenge spells originated from them.
There is a large audience for this type of amulet.
The sorcerer mixes the target's hair and blood into the materials to enhance the control. Those who are cursed may suffer from mental instability, incoherent speech, and abnormal behavior, or even lose their lives.
This is why when some celebrities or public figures undergo a drastic change in temperament, netizens jokingly speculate that "they have been cursed."
In addition, a small number of white-robed Ajarns in Thailand also make dark amulets.
They claim to be "converting the souls of the dead," but in reality, the materials used to make the amulets still contain components of bone and corpses, such as the "female spirit" amulet.
This practice of ostensibly practicing Buddhism but actually creating amulets for personal gain is naturally opposed by orthodox Buddhism.
—In general, positive cards belong to Yang, while negative cards belong to Yin.
One is openly and honestly doing good, while the other takes a crooked and unethical approach to make money.
Orthodox Thai Buddhism explicitly opposes the existence of amulets, regarding them as products of evil magic.
But, unconventional methods are fast!
In real life, there are far more people who go to great lengths to buy counterfeit amulets than those who buy genuine ones.
Those who want to be famous, those who want to get rich quick, those who want to gain without effort, those who want their lover to love them forever, those who want to become beautiful, those who want to be officials, those who want to do business, those who want to hold high positions of power, ordinary people, and wealthy people...
All kinds of them.
Gambling luck, lustful manipulation, and obsessive revenge.
A torrent of desires is crammed into this small Buddha amulet. Ignoring the warning bells of backlash, people offer it with blood and willpower, surrendering at its feet and frantically hoping it will shine and generate heat as soon as possible.
Humans always dream of instant success, overnight fame, and instant fame, wishing they could fly to the sky without doing anything. Little do they know that everything has a price tag in the dark. Gifts that are easily obtained without trial and refinement are not necessarily gifts; they may be deadly poison.
To gain something, you must lose something else; this is an eternal truth of the universe.
Besides, people have too many desires and too strong desires, how could Buddha and ghosts possibly take care of them all?
He Xun, having spent years in the entertainment industry, was used to this kind of thing. Having transmigrated into a book, seeing such supernatural and fantastical things no longer seemed unusual.
The entertainment industry is also rife with superstition; the practice of burning incense and giving out red envelopes before filming each movie or TV series begins speaks volumes.
I remember there was a time when a type of amulet called the Butterfly Amulet was all the rage in China. It was mainly targeted at the female market and was said to bring wealth, good luck, and good fortune in attracting the opposite sex. So during that period, almost every nightclub worker and female celebrity had one.
Even tourists who join tour groups to Southeast Asia are heavily recommended by tour guides.
Rumors have spread that some female celebrities have even gone so far as to use corpse oil to make lipstick in order to boost their careers, causing a huge uproar online.
As for the stories of which celebrities raised ghost children and which celebrities suffered the consequences, there are countless examples.
Therefore, He Xun immediately recognized that the amulet An Simiao was wearing around his neck was a Buddhist amulet.
As for which one it was, he didn't recognize it.
"Hey! Is this something you can just touch and rub around like that?"
An Simiao was startled and quickly retrieved his Buddhist amulet from He Xun's hands, then clasped his hands together and muttered a few mystical words.
He Xun withdrew his hand and shrugged: "Sorry, I was being rude. I was just curious how you made this so realistic?"
“Of course.” An Simiao snorted, but carefully tucked the amulet inside his shirt as if it were a hidden treasure. “It was made by a famous Thai master, how could it not be beautiful?”
"Is that so?" He Xun suddenly leaned close to his ear, tapped his chest, and said meaningfully, "But this one of yours—is it a talisman?"
The scent of lavender shower gel wafted past her ear, and An Simiao visibly panicked for a moment, then feigned composure: "So what if it is?"
He raised his thin eyebrows defiantly: "Everyone in the industry wears them, are you going to report me?"
Wearing amulets with dark amulets is certainly not illegal.
However, the production and distribution of amulets are generally illegal. They are usually made by makers who steal infant corpses and human remains. Domestic customs also strictly prohibit the entry of such items containing human tissue.
But if there's nothing fishy going on, why would An Simiao react so strongly?
He Xun licked his lips, which were damp with red wine, revealing two cunning tiger teeth. He innocently lied, "Why do you think of me like that? How could I possibly report you? I'd like to ask you about the ins and outs of this business. To be honest, I've been in the industry for several years, but I'm still not very successful."
"Dude, is this really effective? Tell me about it. If it's really effective, I'll go get one too."
He Xun's acting skills were superb, but An Simiao did not let his guard down.
Having worked in the entertainment industry for many years, his experience taught him that no matter how naive one is, one should never easily trust a stranger one has only known for a few minutes.
Who knows if this person is trying to trick him into revealing information!
"You've been in the industry for several years and you're still not famous?" An Simiao blinked his fox-like eyes, which were full of suspicion. "No sugar daddy has taken a liking to you?"
Although he harbored hostility towards He Xun due to the mutual repulsion between men, he wasn't blind; deep down, he still highly admired He Xun's beauty.
Logically speaking, someone with such a porcelain doll-like appearance would definitely attract the attention of powerful figures in the industry.
She is tall with long legs, has a pretty face, and also has two distinctive little tiger teeth.
While these canine teeth might look cute and playful when you smile in everyday life, some people with particular tastes might see them as a rare kind of sexiness.
An Simiao understood it all too well.
"Oh dear." He Xun responded to the question with an embarrassed scratch on his head. "I'm a rather stubborn person... Someone approached me, but I didn't agree, and then I was sidelined for a year."
"Oh, no wonder."
An Simiao suddenly realized what was happening, and his doubts vanished.
He was even somewhat smug.
See? Heaven is indeed fair.
The fact that good-looking people are not very smart slightly balanced his envious and twisted mentality.
An Simiao clicked his tongue twice, his tone revealing condescending pity: "Sigh, what's the use of being good-looking? If you're not smart, there's really no hope."
In his view, it was utterly foolish to be stubborn and get sidelined when a wealthy patron took a liking to you.
As long as you can become famous and make money, who cares about sugar daddies or being kept?
When you can't even get enough to eat, what's the point of talking about dignity!
But in reality, there are people in this world who refuse to compromise their principles for a living—even if they are not understood by most people.
He Xun almost burst out laughing.
Is An Simiao... introducing himself?
To be honest, she's kind of cute in some ways. Is this the legendary "silly beauty"?
"What are you laughing at?" The silly beauty An Simiao rolled her eyes at him.
"...Ahem, it's nothing." He Xun leaned closer, his eyes fixed intently on the Buddhist amulet on An Simiao's chest. "So, is this thing effective or not?"
His delicate face, under the dim and eerie light, exuded a devout longing, giving the illusion of yearning for himself.
An Simiao's Adam's apple bobbed inexplicably.
This time he didn't hide anymore. He took out the precious Buddha amulet again and gently stroked its surface: "Fine, since we're destined to meet tonight, I'll tell you about it."
He Xun nodded repeatedly, massaging An Simiao's shoulders and back, pretending to listen attentively.
An Simiao, feeling comfortable after being served, tilted his head back and took a sip of wine, then lazily began to speak: "This amulet was something my agent and I personally went to Thailand to get the day before yesterday. At first, I didn't believe in this stuff, but my agent insisted that the master at this place was incredibly skilled, and that it was recommended by a senior figure in the industry, who said it was extremely effective. After getting the contact information, my agent insisted on taking me to Thailand. If I hadn't known her for several years, I would have even suspected that she was trying to trick me into going to Southeast Asia to get kidneys."
"But it's strange, this thing is expensive, but it really works! I got this amulet just a few hours ago and several business endorsements came my way! I even got a few scripts that very night! Isn't that amazing?"
"That's amazing." He Xun nodded, then asked, "How much did it cost? What's it made of? How is it so effective?"
His real purpose in investigating was not whether the amulet was effective or not, but whether the materials used in the amulet came from legitimate sources.
He's not a true saint; he's not so idle as to care whether Southeast Asian amulets use human materials or not. He's not the King of Thailand.
As long as the deceased's family members have given their permission, he has no right to interfere with the use of human remains as material.
Conversely, if the materials are obtained irregularly, or even involve collective illegal and criminal activities by celebrities in the domestic entertainment industry, then he will have to investigate.
To be honest, he only asked a few more questions out of curiosity at first, but he didn't expect to actually gain something unexpected.
"Something that Master himself guaranteed to be preserved? Guess what it's made of?" An Simiao retorted. "It cost me a full six figures."
"ah?"
He Xun feigned surprise: "No...it can't really be made from corpse oil, can it? I've heard people say before that's how ghost amulets are made."
"What's so special about corpse oil?" An Simiao was indeed led astray by his guiding words, and snorted disdainfully, "My deck of cards is made from human fetuses."
He Xun wasn't too surprised yet: "Human fetus? A child's placenta?"
“You’re so naive.” An Simiao glanced at him, put his arm around his shoulder, and said in a meaningful whisper, “Human fetus, human fetus, of course it’s a fetus inside a human body.”
The fetus inside the body.
A sudden chill flashed in He Xun's eyes as he stared at the Buddhist amulet on An Simiao's chest with an inscrutable expression: "Human fetus? Fetal fetus? Infant fetus?"
An Simiao smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.
He Xun pressed further, "Where did that fetus come from? Was it from a miscarriage? Did Master prepare it himself?"
“Of course it is—” An Simiao stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, frowning as he stared at He Xun. “Why are you asking so many questions? Why do you care how it came about? Isn’t the spirit enough?”
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