Chapter 253

After Una and her group left, Maddox watched their departing figures and commented, “That woman is seriously hostile toward you. You should be careful.”

Phoebe noted that Maddox was surprisingly perceptive about such things. “I will be,” she assured him. Then she added, “You should be careful too. If you run into her, avoid any physical contact. Una likely had plenty of tricks up her sleeve – she’s far more dangerous than Sienna.”

“Got it,” Maddox grinned. Then, in a somewhat proud tone, he added, “Besides, I’ve got the talisman you gave me. No way her dark magic can touch me.” Phoebe was obviously far more powerful than that ugly woman.

Phoebe chuckled. “You really have a lot of faith in me, huh?”

Maddox responded without hesitation, “Of course.”

The two of them chatted as they headed upstairs, then returned to their respective rooms. Once inside, Phoebe removed her jacket and checked her arm where Una had grabbed her. She noticed a tiny red dot – barely noticeable, like a newly formed mole. If she hadn’t been looking for it, she wouldn’t have seen it.

Her lips curled into a cold smile. So, Una was that ruthless, huh? That single grab wasn’t just an act of aggression – it was an attempt to plant a curse. Specifically, it was a venomous parasite curse, created through dark sorcery using Yin energy-infused eggs. Once implanted into someone’s body, the egg would hatch by feeding on their blood, then spread through their organs, contaminating them with its malevolent aura. The victim’s organs would slowly deteriorate. By the time they realized something was wrong and sought medical help, doctors would only diagnose it as an incurable terminal illness. The end result? Total organ failure and a painful death.

Even worse, after the victim died, the parasite – deprived of nourishment – would disintegrate into ashes, leaving no trace behind. Because this method was so insidious, the Horoscope Association and certain government agencies had classified it as forbidden magic. And since it was nearly impossible to detect, most people wouldn’t even realize they had been cursed. After all, the only requirement was simple skin-to-skin contact — just a squeeze, and the parasite egg would be transferred instantly through clothing. However, these parasites were incredibly difficult to cultivate, making them rare.

Phoebe had felt it the moment Una grabbed her. She had immediately guessed what it was. Since she knew how to counter it, she had played along, pretending not to notice. She could have dodged Una’s touch entirely, but she wanted to see exactly what Una was trying to pull. Still, she had underestimated Una’s cruelty. Just because she had disrupted Una’s plans, the woman had resorted to murder as revenge.

Phoebe retrieved a special incense stick from her suitcase and lit it. She placed her arm over the rising smoke, letting it purify her skin.

12:11 AM –

A few moments later, a tiny black parasite egg, no bigger than a sesame seed, emerged from the red dot and fell onto the table. She drew a counter-curse talisman and burned it. As the talisman turned to ash, a wisp of blue-green smoke carried the parasite egg out through the door, drifting down the hallway. It floated out of the room, slipped through a crack in a door downstairs, and landed on a large bed’s pillow – so small it was practically invisible.

Earlier, when Phoebe had grabbed Una’s arm, she had secretly marked her with Yin energy. This allowed her counter-curse talisman to track Una’s location and return the curse to its sender. Since Una hadn’t cultivated the parasite herself, she wouldn’t sense anything was amiss when it entered her body. By the time she realized what was happening, it would be too late. Even if she survived, she would suffer terribly. An eye for an eye. Let’s see how well Una could handle the consequences of her own actions. Would she still be laughing after this?

Phoebe had expended a lot of energy using her mystic arts throughout the day. After taking a shower, she went straight to sleep.

Meanwhile, Una returned to the hotel after dinner. She changed into her sleepwear and lay on the bed, casually scrolling through her phone. Coincidentally, she was resting her head right on the parasite egg. Because the room’s lighting was dim, she didn’t notice it at all.

Soon, the egg burrowed into her scalp. Una remained oblivious, playing on her phone for another two hours before falling asleep. By midnight, the parasite had begun feeding on her blood, slowly hatching.

The next day, Phoebe, Maddox, and Remy went sightseeing around the area. Both Phoebe and Maddox wore baseball caps and masks, dressing inconspicuously to avoid being recognized. Seeing them like this, Remy chuckled. “You guys look exhausted every time you travel.”

Phoebe smiled. “It’s just the price we pay. No big deal.”

Maddox agreed. “Exactly. We don’t mind.”

Remy rolled his eyes at Maddox. This guy was beyond saving. Everything Phoebe said was golden to him.

The three of them played until the afternoon before heading back. Coincidentally, they ran into Una’s group again – this time, it looked like they were heading out for dinner. Una froze for a moment upon seeing Phoebe, then shot her a knowing smirk. Phoebe responded with an equally knowing smile. Una hesitated slightly. This woman was truly fearless. “Just wait,” she thought. “In seven days, she’ll be the one crying.” The groups passed each other.

Claire, who was walking at the back, brushed her hand against Phoebe’s in passing. Phoebe’s fingers swiftly pinched a single strand of Claire’s hair and held onto it. Neither of them exchanged glances. It was just a brief touch before they continued walking as if nothing had happened. No one noticed — not even Una.

2/4

12:11 AM

Back in her room, Phoebe wove a small straw doll using straw she had collected earlier that day. She wrote Una’s birth chart on a talisman and pasted it onto the doll’s chest. Then, she wrapped Una’s and Claire’s hair strands around its neck. Next, she arranged seven ancient coins in the pattern of the Big Dipper constellation and placed the doll in the center. She chanted an incantation, channeling energy through the coins as they shifted positions on their own. Then, she commanded, “Break.” The straw doll suddenly stood up on its own, as if possessed. The seven ancient coins flew onto its head, chest, back, and limbs. Phoebe continued chanting while sprinkling something over the doll. As the grains landed, they turned pitch black. She repeated this process nine times, each time releasing another wave of mysterious energy. Finally, the doll burst into flames, burning along with the ancient coins until only ashes remained. Only the talisman on its chest remained intact, its edges slightly singed. She coughed up a bit of blood from the backlash – but it wasn’t too serious. The curse was almost complete. However, it needed one last step to activate; the talisman had to be burned to ashes.

For now, she held onto it. She’d save it for the public jade auction – that would make things much more interesting.

The next afternoon, Phoebe and her group arrived at the public auction venue. At the entrance, they ran into Una’s group again. Una deliberately looked at Emmett and Giselle and said, “Our company is going to take all the top-quality and premium emeralds in the next couple of days. Don’t be too upset when that happens.” She still remembered how Giselle had hit her before, so she deliberately provoked them. The goal? To make Emmett and Giselle even angrier.

Giselle sneered, “Are you asking for another beating?”

Una was just too infuriating – truly asking for it. If it weren’t for the setting, Giselle would have already taken action. Sibe, knowing full well that Giselle wouldn’t make a move in this situation, was fearless. Sibe laughed and said, “Did I hit a sore spot? Look at that…” Then, sweeping her gaze over Phoebe, she added, “You guys are hilarious – bringing a horoscope muster to a place for betting on raw stones. What’s next? Trying to divine the best stones through some mystical ritual?”

Phoebe looked at Una and replied calmly, “That’s none of your concern, Miss Woodward.” She countered, “You should be more worried about how you’re going to explain yourself to your foster parents and your company’s higher-ups if you fail and don’t get any emeralds.”

Una, exuding confidence, said, “You’ll be disappointed because that won’t happen.”

Phoebe smiled. “I doubt we’ll be disappointed. Just make sure you don’t end up crying when the time comes.”

Una scowled at Phoebe and said, “Same thing – I guess we’ll see.”

Phoebe nodded. “Yes, we will.”

With that, Una finished her taunt and led her people inside.