"Hmph, you claimed even my master had to give you some respect, yet when my eldest senior brother strikes, you can't even withstand a few moves. Putting on such airs - aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?" Stella sneered at Nuwa's Forsaken Shade lying on the ground.
Kluge was indeed powerful. He immediately saw through Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's sorcery and subdued her within a few moves. Those paper spirit Ghost Soldiers were even easier to handle.
If not for the difference in strength, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade wouldn't have been defeated so thoroughly. It seems she can only play god before us juniors.
"Kill me or spare me as you wish. Enough talk." Nuwa's Forsaken Shade remained defiant.
I was surprised. "Aren't you supposed to be an old woman? Stein said you were twenty-eight when you married the old paper-tier. That must have been many years ago, right? Nuwa's Forsaken Shade... I always imagined an old woman."
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade sneered. "You believe such rumors? I was only eighteen when I married the paper-tier old man. It's barely been ten years since then. I have many enemies and rarely show my face. Few have ever seen me."
"Well then," I said, "since you have so many enemies, why don't we hand you over to them? You're not begging for mercy - do you think we dare not kill you? In this day and age, murder demands retribution. We decent folk won't kill lightly, nor use special means to cover it up. If we killed you, we'd have to pay with our lives - not worth it."
"But if we give you to your enemies... you're quite attractive. I imagine your fate would be worse than death."
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's expression changed, realizing her mistake. She hadn't expected me to be so... "creative."
"Hmph, time's up. You've delayed past the optimal time to kill me. We'll meet again - remember today's vengeance well." With these words, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade suddenly bit off one of her fingers. Blood sprayed from the stump, spattering her body.
White smoke began rising from her form as she went limp, her skin changing color until she transformed completely into a PAPER PERSON.
What kind of dark magic was this? How could a living person instantly become paper? Where was the real Nuwa's Forsaken Shade?
Kluge frowned, muttering, "Sacrificing a finger to escape - I underestimated her."
Turning, he examined the tree behind him where a black talisman hung. Kluge used his mahogany sword to remove the black Fulu.
Usually, Fulu talismans are yellow. I'd never seen a black one before, and it was nothing like the traditional yellow Taoist talismans. The symbols drawn on it resembled a snake, with skulls at the ends and a small amount of bloodstains—it looked extremely sinister.
Kluge explained that the black talisman was an evil charm, used only by wicked sorcerers. Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's magic wasn't truly powerful, but combined with Paper-Crafting Art, it became quite deceptive. He had been careless, allowing her to escape.
When Kluge removed the black talisman, the dark clouds hanging over the area suddenly parted, and sunlight broke through, shining on our faces.
With the morning dew collected and Nuwa's Forsaken Shade driven off, we could finally deal with the Corpse-Fetus without distraction.
This time, Kluge had brought a Corpse-Vanishing Talisman for Chloe. Most importantly, he didn't ask for payment—instead, he said he had something to discuss with me later, and the cost of the talisman would count as a personal favor.
Talk to me? I didn't even know him. What could we possibly have to talk about? Wasn't this our first meeting?
When I asked what it was about, he kept silent, saying he'd tell me after dealing with the Corpse-Fetus.
Stella wasn't happy about it. She complained that Kluge hadn't seen her in so long—why didn't he have anything to say to her? Why talk to me, a complete stranger? In front of a handsome guy like Kluge, she acted like an adoring fangirl.
But Kluge remained cold and distant. He spoke little, and even when a pretty girl like Stella pouted and begged for a hug, he paid her no mind—he was even frostier than Daphne. Still, the way he looked at Stella carried a warmth, like that between siblings or teacher and student.
After returning to Chloe's place, Kluge mixed the Corpse-Vanishing Talisman with the morning dew, then circled two fingers and muttered an incantation as if casting a spell.
About ten minutes later, the talisman dissolved into the dew. Chloe picked up the bowl and drank it all.
At first, she felt nothing. Then, slowly, she said her stomach began churning. Soon, the pain became unbearable—her face turned deathly pale. She gasped that the thing inside her seemed to be burrowing around, and… it wanted to come out!
Stella's expression darkened. "This is bad. I didn't expect something so small to already have consciousness. If we let it act up, Chloe won't survive. The Corpse-Dissolving Liquid doesn't work that fast."
Just then, Kluge suddenly roared in anger, "Demon! You were never meant for this world. If you dare emerge, I swear I'll scatter your soul—you won't even get a next life!"
Kluge's roar was truly majestic—as if it had instantly subdued the thing inside Chloe's stomach. Her pain lessened significantly, but half an hour later, her abdomen began spasming uncontrollably. Soon, blood soaked through her pants, and she writhed in agony.
Slowly, Chloe's stomach caved inward and stopped moving altogether, as if everything had returned to normal. The Corpse-Fetus had finally been aborted.
Chloe was now deathly pale, her body weak but not seriously harmed. She dropped to her knees before us, thanking us profusely. "This is a huge favor," she said. "In all my life, no one has ever shown me such kindness."
She truly was pitiful. As Nuwa's Forsaken Shade had said earlier, Chloe's Four Pillars of Destiny held fate but no luck—she was born with a bitter fortune.
I quickly helped her up, telling her to rest and not worry about repaying us. The sentiment was enough.
With the Corpse-Fetus dealt with, Kluge didn't linger. He chose to return to the tattoo parlor with me, while Stella headed back to school—she had an early class and needed to leave soon.
When we arrived, Stein was nowhere to be found. Strangely, he hadn't left any message, and his phone went unanswered. Where could he have gone?
That's when I turned to Kluge. "Kluge, today was our first meeting. What did you want to talk about?"
Without a word, Kluge removed his Taoist robe, revealing his muscular back—and what I saw left me stunned.
A full-back tattoo of Yama, the King of Hell.
Tattooing Yama is an ominous act. As the sovereign who judges all ghosts and commands the spirits of the underworld, his image carries immense weight.
A Yama tattoo absorbs yin energy and weakens yang qi—it's not something to be trifled with. While it can suppress ghosts, ward off evil, and even overpower a Five Ghosts Carrying a Coffin or Shoulder-Length Dragon tattoo, the risks are extreme. If the bearer cannot withstand Yama's presence, they'll be crushed to death. More dangerous than an open-eyed Guan Yu tattoo, those who fail to endure it will suffer the torments of the eighteen layers of hell in death. But those who survive? They'll live a long life.
Placement matters, too. On the back, it allows ghosts to "carry the path," potentially sparing the wearer—a powerful counter to malevolent forces.
Examining Kluge's tattoo, I noticed the pigment didn't resemble typical Gods and Ghosts tattoos. Instead, it seemed like a Yin-inspired design. What kind of ghosts would demand such an extreme tattoo? The thought alone was chilling.