Moreira sneered and said with this tattoo, he was going to be rich. Who would still care to come to my shitty store? If he didn't need my tattoos, did he think he'd be willing to visit? He'd rather speculate in the stock market and play a few more rounds at the casino.
This really angered me. I immediately pointed to the door and told him to get out. Damn it, I'd really misjudged him before. What a money-grubbing bastard. So his friendliness toward me was just because he wanted to use me. Now that I'd helped him, he couldn't care less.
"Fine," I said. "Then I'll treat this as a business transaction. We owe each other nothing from now on."
Moreira gave a cold snort, put on his clothes and left. But before going, he threw out a threat: if this tattoo didn't work, he'd demand his money back, just as I'd promised!
Good grief, he really didn't trust me. But I wasn't worried. The effects of a Yin-inspired tattoo are guaranteed to satisfy. Though if you're greedy, I can also guarantee you'll come to no good end - especially with this Five Ghosts Fortune-Bringing tattoo.
After Moreira left, Stein hastily poured me a cup of tea to calm down, saying there was no need to get so upset over someone like that. "This kid," he said, "just looking at his face, he's not destined for wealth. On the contrary, he's got a natural born poor man's fate. Let him do as he pleases - he'll suffer for it eventually."
I drank three cups of tea in a row before finally calming down. Next time I meet someone like this, I won't take their money or do business with them. Not worth the aggravation.
Not long after Moreira left, a car suddenly parked in front of my shop. When the person stepped out, both Stein and I were shocked - it was Nuwa's Forsaken Shade, whom I hadn't seen in many days.
She wore a black dress and sunglasses, her figure more voluptuous than before. Mr. Lam was truly a veteran - Nuwa's Forsaken Shade hadn't been in his hands for long before he'd put her to use.
Mr. Lam had said Nuwa's Forsaken Shade was still a virgin. This was the perfect transformation of a girl into a woman. That crafty old man certainly knew his stuff, haha.
Only... Nuwa's Forsaken Shade looked like she wanted to kill us. If not for me, she wouldn't have been poisoned... by Mr. Lam!
Now Nuwa's Forsaken Shade had gone along with the rumors and actually married an old man.
"Hey, calm down. Don't make trouble in broad daylight," Stein said fearfully, even before Nuwa's Forsaken Shade had reached us.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade slowly walked into the tattoo parlor. She didn't make herself at home. After finding a seat, she removed her sunglasses and motioned for me to sit as well.
Looking at her, she didn't seem to be here for a fight. But it was possible she was just pretending to be calm while internally imagining tearing me to pieces a hundred times over.
I sat down while observing her hand. That broken finger of hers had been replaced with a mechanical one, which didn't seem to inconvenience her at all.
I wasn't afraid of her, nor did I regret what I'd done. Someone like her deserved this ending. If she dared seek revenge, I'd fight her without hesitation.
Who asked her to offend me first! If I didn't retaliate, could I still call myself a man? Haven't you heard the saying - no man should be without his own poison?
"You've got some nerve, you little bastard, setting me up so openly. I underestimated you." The first words out of Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's mouth were actually praising me.
I grinned slightly. "Same to you. Compared to you, it's still your mind that's more poisonous."
The corners of Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's mouth curled up as she snorted coldly. "You're not as skilled as your grandfather, but you're much more cunning than he was. I should have killed you long ago - I regret not doing it."
"You can kill me now too! Come on!" I spread my hands. It would still be quite easy for Nuwa's Forsaken Shade to kill me, but I was betting she wouldn't - at least not right now. Otherwise she wouldn't have chosen to waltz in during broad daylight.
"No, no. Now I don't want to kill you. I'm here today to propose cooperation." Nuwa's Forsaken Shade said.
"Cooperate? With me? What scheme is this woman plotting now?"
"Don't try to trick me. You and me? Working together? We'd be lucky not to stab each other in the back." I laughed coldly. Whatever she was selling, I wasn't buying.
"I'm not here to discuss this - you don't have a choice!" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade poured herself a cup of tea and sipped it slowly. "Mmm, good tea."
"No choice? Haha, are you kidding me?" I was completely baffled.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade pointed to her stomach. "I secretly got an IUD. I don't care what tattoo you gave him - there's no way I'm getting pregnant. Before long, Mr. Lam will come after you saying your tattoos don't work. And you know what kind of man he is - it won't be as simple as refunding your money. At his age, you'd be wasting his precious time. He'll have you killed."
IUDs and tubal ligation are both sterilization procedures, but while IUDs can be removed, it's basically impossible for a woman to get pregnant with one in place.
In other words, the Goddess of Mercy Delivering a Child tattoo I gave Mr. Lam would be completely ineffective. And though he would eventually die from getting this tattoo, I guessed that with his personality, he'd make sure to have me killed first.
"What do you want?" I frowned and asked. Why was this woman seeking my cooperation?
"It's simple. Give me a tattoo. Don't worry, I'll pay you double. Just treat it as normal business - it's not really that difficult." Nuwa's Forsaken Shade said.
Still frowning, I asked what exactly she wanted tattooed. It had to be one of the Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts.
Stein had revealed before that she'd come to my grandfather to get a Tattoo of Gods and Ghosts done, but he'd refused her. So what exactly did she want a Tattoo of Gods and Ghosts for?