When asked about her purpose, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade didn't explain. She simply asked me if there was a Yin-inspired tattoo called Qiongqi in Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts.
I froze—there was indeed such a Yin-inspired tattoo, but... there's a saying about this particular design: "Tattoo Qiongqi on your body, and you will die!"
Qiongqi is one of the Four Fierce Beasts from ancient Chinese mythology, primarily documented in The Classic of Mountains and Seas. The chapter "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Northern Classic of the Inner Regions" describes Qiongqi as a ferocious beast resembling a tiger with wings that devours humans starting from their heads.
I didn't know the purpose of this Yin-inspired tattoo, but I knew one thing—getting it meant certain death. Was Nuwa's Forsaken Shade unafraid of dying? Or did she not know about this?
"Why the hell would you want a Qiongqi tattoo? This is an ancient ferocious beast—getting it tattooed means certain death. Are you trying to kill yourself?" I asked incredulously. How could someone like her not fear death?
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade said of course she knew—she was aware of everything about this Yin-inspired tattoo. Anyway, I didn't need to worry about it—just give her the tattoo and she'd pay the price.
I frowned hesitantly. What exactly was this bitch planning? No, she definitely had ill intentions. If Grandpa refused to tattoo her, there must have been a reason—so I wouldn't do it either.
"I'm sorry!" I refused outright.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade looked surprised—she hadn't expected me to refuse. She asked if I wasn't afraid of the hot potato that was Mr. Lam. Now that she was Mr. Lam's pillow talker, with just a little scheming, she could turn Mr. Lam against me.
When provoked, I feared no one. I told her if she wanted to play dirty tricks, go ahead—I'd play along to the end. But she shouldn't get any ideas about Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts—I wouldn't tattoo her.
"Hmph!" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade snorted coldly as she put on her sunglasses and stood up. "We'll see then. I already gave you a chance. In that case, I'll take my time settling scores with you."
Before leaving, she suddenly leaned in and whispered in my ear: "Mr. Lam is even worse than you, that old beast. Wouldn't it be interesting if I got pregnant with your child to take revenge on him?"
"You're insane!" I exploded, shoving her away. "Get out!"
"Hahahahaha..." Nuwa's Forsaken Shade burst into loud laughter before swaying her plump ass out of the alley entrance and driving away.
"Boss, what was that bitch whispering in your ear?" Stein asked curiously.
I shook my head. "Nothing, just bullshit. Don't mind her."
This Nuwa's Forsaken Shade was truly a vicious mad dog—I had absolutely no idea what she wanted. Had Mr. Lam's daily tortures driven her insane?
Whatever her deal was, if this bitch really decided to make trouble, I'd be in deep shit. The Dai family wouldn't shelter me anymore, and if Mr. Lam turned against me, I'd be in a very dangerous position.
"Stein, hurry up and get Antonio. We might be in trouble," I said.
After that, Stein and I followed the address on the cigarette box.
The location was in one of the urban villages of Vervecity. Among the rows of old residential buildings, we finally found the address printed on the cigarette box.
The houses were quite old, likely built many years ago. The surroundings were dirty and chaotic—it looked like a slum. Was this really a place where people lived?
We went upstairs and found Room 303. Stein knocked frantically on the door. A moment later, a tall man answered—around 1.9 meters tall, slightly younger than Stein, bare-chested with well-defined muscles and a shaved head.
"Stein? What brings you here?" The man lit up when he saw Stein and tried to invite him inside. But the interior looked even filthier than outside, so I decided to stay where the air was fresher.
Just then, a woman squeezed her way out from inside. She wore a floral dress and wobbled on high heels as she turned to the man and said, "Don't forget to send me last night's payment on WeChat. No more delays, or I'll have to send someone to teach you a lesson."
After she left, the man grinned. "Go ahead and try. No matter how many come, they'll all crawl back out. Hey, the money's coming—just wait. You think I'd cheat you?"
I pulled Stein aside and whispered, "Is this Antonio? Doesn't seem like a good idea to owe money to a woman. What kind of guy is he?"
Stein gave a bitter smile. "That's just how he is. After your grandfather's shop closed, he's been out of work. Antonio has a criminal record—nobody wants to hire him. He only picks up odd jobs at construction sites, hauling bricks and cement. Judging by his state, he's had a rough few years."
At least Stein had stable work—even cleaning toilets kept him afloat. But this guy? Pathetic. No job, no prospects. Why were all of Grandpa's former associates in such miserable shape?
When Stein and I walked back, Antonio sized me up. "Stein, who's this…?"
"This is the owner's grandson, Roger," Stein introduced.
"Mr. Rhett's grandson? Mr. Rhett did me a huge favor—his grandson is like my—"
"Hey, hey, watch your words, haha," Stein quickly cut in.
"Heh, I mean, Boss Roger, from now on, just say the word. If you need me, Antonio will walk through fire and swim through knives without hesitation. I'll never repay your grandfather's kindness in this lifetime." He thumped his chest proudly.
I shook my head quickly. "No need for fire and knives—that's too extreme. The tattoo parlor's reopening, and I just came to ask if you'd like to work there again."
When Antonio heard this, he immediately became so excited he was speechless. After a long pause, he choked out: "Twenty years... a whole twenty years! Do you know how I've lived these twenty years?"
I said, "Okay, okay, Stein already used that line. Don't repeat it. You just called a prostitute - how do you think you've been living? Same salary as Stein, room and board included. Hurry up and pack your things, then come with me!"
Antonio was overjoyed. He rushed inside to gather his belongings and sent a WeChat message to the girl from earlier, saying he'd found a job and would definitely pay her back later, just not right now.
Antonio didn't have much to pack - just a few ragged clothes and a razor. Anything else didn't really matter.
After settling with the landlord, the three of us went downstairs together. But as soon as we reached the ground floor, seven or eight men immediately surrounded us.
"Antonio, how many times have you slept with my wife? Running up a tab every time isn't good!" The leader had a scruffy beard and shifty eyes, though he was much smaller than Antonio.
Hearing this man's words, I almost laughed. What a guy - actually letting his wife work as a prostitute! Could this be the so-called 'King of the Cuckolds'?
Antonio smiled awkwardly and said he wasn't refusing to pay - as a regular customer, he'd just put it on credit and would settle everything later.
The leader looked at Antonio's luggage and said, "So Antonio's trying to run away, huh? No matter what, you're paying for last night's service today."
Antonio truly had no money. No matter what the man said, it was useless. Finally losing his temper, the man shouted, "No money and you still call girls?" Then he waved his hand and ordered, "Teach him a lesson!"