Mr. Lam didn't reject Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's request. He called his private doctor to tend to her wounds. After the bandaging was done, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade suddenly began feeling unsteady - besides being weak, her face, which should have remained pale, turned redder than a ripe apple.
"Mr. Lam, you..." Nuwa's Forsaken Shade clutched her chest as her body grew weaker. Already seriously injured, she now lacked even the strength to stand up.
But she was quick to realize what was happening, immediately understanding the glass of water had been tampered with. She just hadn't expected her own boss would betray her - especially at such a critical moment.
"Nuwa's Forsaken Shade, don't worry. I won't harm you. If you help our Lam family produce an heir, half of my family's wealth will be yours. Isn't that a profitable deal?" Mr. Lam said with a smile.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade tried repeatedly to stand but failed each time. Whatever drug Mr. Lam had given her was potent enough to completely incapacitate her in one dose.
"Mr. Lam, don't joke. How could your aged body possibly father a child? Is this boy making trouble again?" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade glared at me venomously, her sultry gaze seeming like she wanted to devour me.
"How would you know without trying? Besides, didn't you bear a child for that old paper-binding man? What's wrong with having one for my Lam family? I'll treat you well." Mr. Lam stubbed out his cigar and slowly approached Nuwa's Forsaken Shade.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade shook her head desperately. "Mr. Lam, that's just a rumor! I've never had any children. Mr. Lam, spare me, I can't..."
"That's not for you to decide." Mr. Lam walked up to Nuwa's Forsaken Shade and lifted her in his arms. Gazing at her beautiful face and excellent figure, his eyes grew misty with desire.
"Boy, help yourself. I have some business to attend to." Mr. Lam tossed this remark at me before carrying Nuwa's Forsaken Shade back to the room.
Moments later, the sound of Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's heart-wrenching cries came from the room...
This time, both Nuwa's Forsaken Shade and Mr. Lam had put me in an awkward position.
I didn't know if they could actually conceive a child, but Mr. Lam had gotten the Guanyin Bestowing Children tattoo - surely his days were numbered. Hmph! He treats human life like grass - now it's his turn to die!
As for Nuwa's Forsaken Shade, treating women as tools - so inhuman. This time, it's her turn to be the tool. Let her taste that flavor.
After leaving the Lam residence, I felt completely at ease. Looking at the half million dollars Mr. Lam had given me, I burst out laughing.
It seems I need to toughen up here. A woman's kindness must be discarded - without a ruthless heart and merciless hands, you can't survive. But don't be reckless in helping others without considering the consequences. Justice without strength is worthless. This time I nearly lost my life.
Most importantly, I need to build more connections and allies. Otherwise, when facing dangers and difficulties alone, it's hard to hold out - especially since my Yin-related magic Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts are useless in direct confrontations with people.
As I stepped out of the Lam residence, Stein was suddenly released by two men. One of them told me those videotapes would be destroyed once Mr. Lam confirmed the tattoo's effectiveness, and they were releasing Stein to me first.
I didn't care - when Mr. Lam died, those tapes would naturally disappear.
When Stein saw me, he immediately hugged me and wept bitterly, saying he thought he'd never see me again in this lifetime. This Mr. Lam used to be a ruthless character, and even at his age, ordering someone's death was just a matter of speaking.
This Stein is too timid. How did he ever associate with my grandfather back then? He's got no backbone at all!
I told him it's okay, the matter's been settled, then called a taxi to return to the tattoo parlor with him.
As I left, I noticed Mr. Lam's house was surrounded by many people - faces I recognized as members of the Dai family, and plenty of them at that.
Although the Dai family's fortunes have been declining, they're still a major household - completely different from thugs like Mr. Lam. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. If it came to a real fight, the Dai family wouldn't lose to this Mr. Lam. As their lifeline, the Dai family would surely protect me at all costs - which is also why Mr. Lam didn't dare move against me casually!
Back at the tattoo parlor, Stein finally relaxed his mouse-like nerves - he'd been terrified he wouldn't leave the Lam residence alive.
Just as I sat down, Daphne's car came rattling down the alleyway. I hadn't even warmed my seat before having to get back to work.
There were still two tattoos left for the Dai family ancestral tomb. Today I'd complete them all at once - two million dollars would be mine, plus an ice-cold beauty for a wife. This was truly profitable - I needed to be diligent.
Daphne personally came in to fetch me. Without delay, Stein and I gathered the tattoo equipment and got in the car with her.
The journey passed in silence - Daphne had returned to her icy demeanor. But remembering how she blushed when seeing me last night, I found it somewhat amusing for some reason.
Arriving at the Dai family cemetery, the same group greeted us including the butler. I kept Stein close to prevent him from causing me any more trouble.
At the gravesite, I began locating the positions - Azure Dragon on the left, White Tiger on the right. I started with the Azure Dragon tattoo first.
Since the Azure Dragon is more complex and time-consuming, I wanted to take advantage of daylight to complete it, minimizing night work.
I searched for a long time on the left side of the Dai family cemetery before finding a suitable grave. This grave appeared quite ancient. Daphne explained this was an ancestor from the Qing Dynasty who had died from smoking opium.
After opening the grave, I lifted the coffin lid directly. The corpse inside was indeed from the Qing Dynasty - still sporting a queue hairstyle. Like the other corpses we'd encountered, it was on the verge of becoming a jiangshi. Being from the Qing Dynasty, it closely resembled the hopping zombies seen in Chinese movies.
After removing the burial clothes, I began tattooing the Azure Dragon on the corpse's left chest.
As Christoph had explained earlier, the Azure Dragon typically remains dormant with its wings folded - we can't risk letting the dragon take flight, as that would immediately disrupt the feng shui balance.
Strangely enough, today's tattooing proceeded unusually smoothly without any complications. The corpse remained undisturbed, and by nightfall I had completed the work successfully.
As soon as I finished the tattoo, I quickly climbed out of the burial pit and had the workers reseal the coffin and refill the grave. With darkness falling, I didn't dare linger for even a moment.
With the Azure Dragon completed, I began searching for the White Tiger location. The right side of the mountain proved difficult, but we eventually found a suitable male grave.
Actually, the White Tiger tattoo works better on female corpses as it represents the Lesser Yin among the Four Symbols. But a male corpse would suffice - the dead aren't as particular as the living about such matters.
By now, night had fallen completely, and the cemetery mountain took on its eerie atmosphere again. When we opened this coffin, a chilling breath wafted out.
I urged the workers to proceed without delay - opening the grave and coffin in quick succession. After stripping the corpse's burial garments, I immediately began tattooing the White Tiger on its right side.
Midway through the tattoo, a bell suddenly rang out. Hearing the sound, the corpse's eyes snapped open, revealing a mouthful of horrifyingly long teeth.
"It's over - zombie mutation!" Who the hell was ringing that bell outside?