After Luna learned what had happened, she hurriedly warned me: "Never trust what ghosts say. Most ghosts are cunning—they're already dead. What can they teach you except how to deceive you? Besides, if you learn from a ghost, you'll owe them a debt. Who knows what they might trick you into doing later?"
Luna was right. Moreover, this ghost was the most cunning of them all. Those bullshit card-sharping skills were so obvious even Stella could spot them. I should have listened to Christoph—now I regret it!
This time, no matter what the ghost said, I ignored it and poured him straight into the ink. Finally, he dissolved into a wisp of black smoke, merging completely with the tattoo pigment.
Stella didn't pay me much attention, too busy counting her winnings with a sneer. But Luna snatched the money away and returned it to me.
"Geez, sis! What are you doing?" Stella protested angrily, stomping her foot.
Luna explained, "Master once told me we must never use magic to gamble and win money. So this money should be returned."
I was overjoyed. Staring at the recovered cash, I nearly cried from excitement.
"Damn old lady! It's only because this idiot Ror got greedy that he lost the money to us. Why should we give it back? Hmph!" Stella planted her hands on her hips, nostrils flaring as she glared at me. If Luna hadn't been there, she might have buried me alive. To prevent her from snatching the money back, I quickly pocketed it. Though I didn't get any other benefits, getting my money back was satisfaction enough.
That's when I remembered why Stella and Luna had come in the first place. I brought the box they'd delivered to the table. They said Master Raul had sent it under his orders—they didn't know what was inside.
It was a square copper box, somewhat heavy—probably over ten pounds. The surface was engraved with several skulls, giving it a sinister appearance.
When I opened it, I found something folded inside. I took it out and spread it across the table.
"It's human skin!" Luna gasped. "And a very complete piece too. The flaying was done perfectly."
The sight reminded Luna of her grandfather, who had been skinned using the same technique—a horrifying sight before his gruesome death.
Could this be the work of the same skinner? And why would Master Raul send me human skin?
There were no answers. Stella and Luna knew nothing—I'd have to ask Master Raul the next time I saw him.
When I fully unfolded the skin, I saw it was covered in tattoos. After examining them, I recognized them as designs from our Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts collection—specifically, a Yin-inspired tattoo.
The tattoo depicted an old man completely naked, with a Yin Flag draped over his shoulder. His face bore a creepy smile, and his eyes seemed to be staring directly at us.
What is a Yin Flag? It's the banner of ghost soldiers, and legend says whoever possesses it can command these spectral warriors.
Of course, when I say ghost soldiers, I mean real ghost soldiers - not the paper effigies from Nuwa's Forsaken Shade.
How fearsome are real ghost soldiers? There's an old saying: "Where ghost soldiers march, not a blade of grass grows." That should give you some idea.
Besides the old man, the human skin tattoo featured numerous headless soldiers and generals behind him. They wielded weapons, their bodies wreathed in black mist - a truly chilling sight.
Could these figures behind the old man be the ghost soldiers and Yin generals? If so, then this Yin-inspired tattoo must be the legendary "March of the Ghost Soldiers."
I didn't recognize this Yin-inspired tattoo because even my grandfather didn't know it. He said this particular design had been lost for ages, though it supposedly contained some incredible secret that no one understood.
I'd been curious when Grandpa mentioned it, but never imagined I'd see the "March of the Ghost Soldiers" tattooed on human skin.
There are said to be three types of "March of the Ghost Soldiers." The first refers to ancient or modern armies whose fallen soldiers became ghosts due to their lingering resentment combined with the right time and place.
The second type appears after major disasters with mass casualties - these ghost soldiers are actually underworld officers coming to collect souls.
The third type involves wars between ghost realms. I couldn't tell which variety this tattoo represented.
The skinning technique was first-rate - absolutely flawless. As for the tattoo work itself, it was masterfully executed, so vivid the figures seemed alive. Those headless ghost generals looked terrifying enough to scare someone to death, and they were tattooed on human skin to boot. I doubt even my grandfather's skills could compare. Who could have created this? When was it done?
Grandpa said few families remain who know the Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts - maybe just ours. But clearly, someone else knows these techniques, and they're a true master.
What puzzled me most was the identity of the old man with the Yin Flag. I didn't recognize him at all.
But Luna knew. She said this was Peng Zu, one of the founders of pre-Qin Taoism - the Chinese mythological immortal of longevity, said to be the reincarnation of the South Pole Immortal.
The old man lived to be over 880 years old, marrying more than 100 wives while maintaining a ruddy complexion and vigorous energy.
His last wife grew curious about his longevity. She doted on Peng Zu and said, "Though I'm young, my health isn't as good as yours. Please tell me your secret so we can enjoy each other's company longer."
Peng Zu looked at his beautiful young wife and, momentarily overcome with happiness, revealed: "Telling you would be useless anyway. The King of Hell accidentally tore my name from the Book of Life and Death, using it as paper twist, which is why I've lived this long."
Actually, Yama had been watching Peng Zu for years but couldn't locate his name in the records. So he dispatched two imps to wash charcoal in the river near Peng Zu's village. When Peng Zu's wife went to wash clothes, she saw them scrubbing charcoal while chanting: "Wash the black coal, wash the black coal, wash it white to sell for money."
Peng Zu's wife remarked, "My husband has lived 880 years, yet I've never heard of black charcoal washing white." When the imps feigned disbelief, she revealed Peng Zu's secret. The imps immediately reported to Yama, who retrieved the paper twist and sent ghost officers to claim Peng Zu.
People apparently lamented this deeply, as a saying spread: "Peng Zu lived 880 years, yet couldn't keep the truth from his wife."
This is just one version of the legend. Some claim Peng Zu never actually died, but staged his death while hiding the secret of immortality within his body!
There were sightings of him at Terminal Mountain, leading a troop of headless ghost soldiers into the mountains, never to return.
Luna admitted she didn't know the truth, only that many strange legends surrounded him - unsurprising for someone who lived over eight centuries.
The secret of immortality? This reminded me of Grandpa's words - the "March of the Ghost Soldiers" tattoo supposedly concealed a shocking secret!
Could this be it?