The Bodhisattva Will Not Save Me

The Buddha sees all living beings and holds compassion in his heart.

The Bodhisattva saves all living beings, but refuses to save him.

In Bangkok’s political arena, Fan Yao, a rising star of Chinese descent, bursts onto the scene with an iron fist. People call him the “Buddha-faced King of Hell.” His political rivals spread malicious rumors, claiming he changed his fate with sinister amulets and occult magic, and that his hands were stained with blood. To put the rumors to rest, Fan Yao enters Bangkok’s most famous amulet shop, the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

The shop’s owner, Wu Yuxi, was born with the ability to commune with spirits and bears a curse. He seems carefree and irreverent, yet can see through the boundary between yin and yang and read people’s hearts at a glance. Seeing the overwhelming resentment and killing intent surrounding Fan Yao, he offers him an ordinary blessed amulet at an exorbitant price.

Three months later, the election race is reaching its boiling point. When Fan Yao pushes open the door to the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas again, his eyes are bloodshot, and the murderous aura around him is so intense it could blow out the incense and candles on the altar.

Wu Yuxi looks at him, the carefree smile gone from his face.

Those who come to offer incense pray for safety, wealth, or love. But he kneels before the Buddha…

“Three sticks of incense: one for you, one for me, and one for this doomed, hellbound affair between us.”