Yellow Hair wiped his tears and nodded, "Yeah, it was a coffin. Now that I think about it, it's pretty scary, but at the time in the dream, I didn't think so much."
"What did the coffin look like?" Lu Fei continued to ask.
"It looks a bit familiar, and there are words on it... I was too busy looking at the beauty to notice..." Spiky regretfully scratched his head.
"Is it exactly the same as the coffin in your Five Ghosts tattoo?" Lu Fei asked again.
Spiky froze, eyes widening, and nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes! It's the same, with the character for 'wealth' on it!"
His expression then changed, becoming even uglier. Before, it was mostly humiliation, but now, there was fear.
"That beauty, did she come out from my tattoo?"
A Long looked incredulous: "Isn't that just a tattoo? Can a tattoo have a ghost in it too?"
"Don't panic." Lu Fei didn't rush to a conclusion, waving at Spiky, "Monkey, turn around, let me see what your back tattoo has turned into."
"Okay! Okay!"
Spiky was extremely cooperative this time, but with his big belly and weakened body, he couldn't turn around by himself. He could only look at A Long pitifully.
A Long rolled his eyes but still helped him turn around and lifted his shirt.
Huang Mao's back was so thin that his spine was clearly visible.
His sallow skin was covered with the Five Ghosts Wealth-Moving tattoo, and the five little ghosts, originally lifelike, now had several scars on them.
It seemed that when Huang Mao was getting the tattoo removed, by a strange coincidence, the scratches happened to cut through the five little ghosts.
And the coffin being carried by the little ghosts was now slightly cracked open.
A Long exclaimed in surprise, "The coffin was closed that day, why is it open now?"
"Without the little ghosts, the coffin naturally falls on Monkey. Now he is the one carrying the coffin," Lu Fei frowned slightly.
"What consequences will there be from carrying the coffin?"
"Isn't his swollen belly the consequence?"
"Mr. Lu, is there any solution?" A Long's expression turned serious.
"It's a bit troublesome." Lu Fei motioned for A Long to turn Huang Mao around, "Normally, after washing off a tattoo, there wouldn't be any issues. Even if the process isn't smooth or the tattoo isn't completely removed, it would just bring bad luck, illness, or misfortune to the person."
"Then, what's this about me?" Huang Mao stared intently at Lu Fei.
"You're carrying a ghost fetus! The ghost fetus is parasitizing inside your body, growing by absorbing your yang energy." Lu Fei glanced at his prominent belly, "I'm afraid the person who gave you the tattoo has issues! I feel like he's using you to nurture a ghost."
"A... ghost fetus? Nurturing a ghost?" Huang Mao swallowed in fear, "Can it be removed? I can't have this, I'm a man, and even more, it's a ghost!"
"With your belly so big, it's not easy to remove..." Lu Fei said thoughtfully, "At this rate of development, it might fully grow in just three days, and then the ghost will break out of your belly..."
"What..." Huang Mao's eyes rolled back, nearly fainting.
Ah Long pulled him up and pinched his nose hard.
"If you don't want to die, get a grip!"
"Brother Long, I was wrong! I don't want the money, I want to live! I don't want to die, I don't want to give birth to a ghost child!" Huang Mao clung to Ah Long's leg, snot and tears streaming down his face.
"My parents died early. If I die, what will my sister do..."
"Without you, she'll probably live better!" Ah Long pushed him away with disdain.
"Brother Long, I've always considered you my brother-in-law, you have to save me!" Huang Mao, like a piece of worthless plaster, clung to his arm again.
"I'll go and speak nicely to my sister, we'll clear up all the misunderstandings from back then. I can tell she still has feelings for you after all these years..."
"Shut up!" roared ALong in anger.
Huang Mao finally quieted down.
Lu Fei held back his laughter.
No wonder ALong was willing to help that guy—it wasn't just because they were neighbors, but also because he was his brother-in-law.
ALong rubbed his temples and pulled Lu Fei aside, asking in a low voice: "Shopkeeper Lu, is there any way to save him in this situation?"
"There might be, but the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. I think we should first meet with that tattoo artist, find out what kind of spirit he's harboring and what his true intentions are, before we proceed." Lu Fei replied seriously.
"Okay."
ALong went to get the address of the tattoo shop from Huang Mao.
Time was pressing, so Lu Fei left a ghost-repelling character for Huang Mao as protection, and he and A Long set off immediately.
The tattoo parlor was located in an inconspicuous alley on the outskirts of the city.
An old sign hung above the door, which could easily be missed if not carefully observed.
Lu Fei and A Long observed from outside for a while, and through the blurry glass, they saw that the owner inside was a middle-aged man in his fifties.
He was dressed in outdated clothes, wearing an apron and arm covers.
He didn't look like a tattoo artist; rather, he looked more like a barber from the old society.
Such a person seemed to have no connection with ghost cultivation, but Lu Fei felt a faint familiarity, as if he had seen the owner somewhere before.
After a moment's thought, he said, "A Long, it's not convenient for me to show up. You go in first and check out the situation."
"What should I say?" A Long asked cautiously.
"Just say that you have a friend who got a Five Ghosts Wealth-bringing tattoo, and it worked very well, so you want to try it too."
"Got it."
Alon nodded and walked into the tattoo shop.
The shop was very simply decorated, with one half filled with tattoo equipment and tools, and the other half set up with tables, chairs, and mirrors.
A man in his fifties, quite thin and with a gloomy demeanor, was sitting on a chair listening to opera. His long, slender fingers tapped along with the rhythm, completely engrossed.
"Boss, I want to get a tattoo," Alon said, looking around the shop.
The boss raised his eyelids slightly and pointed to the table: "There's a catalog over there. Take a look at what you want, the prices are all listed, no haggling."
Alon walked over, picked up the catalog from the table, and flipped through it. The designs were all very old-fashioned, but he didn't find the Five Ghosts Wealth Transport design he was looking for.
"Boss, I want one for good luck."
He tossed the catalog back onto the table and turned to face the boss.
"Good luck?" The boss looked him up and down.
"Right, I have a friend who got one from you, and he said it worked really well. He even found money on the street! I want one like that!"
"Not everyone is suitable for a luck-changing tattoo," the boss looked at A-Long and waved his hand. "I don't think you're the kind of person who needs it, no need for it!"
"How do you know I don't need it? Who would ever say they have too much money?"
"You don't have the right vibe; you're not that interested in money." The boss smiled, looking at A-Long with a peculiar expression.
"However, you've seen lives lost. You can get a merit tattoo to alleviate your sins."
As soon as these words were spoken, A-Long's gaze instantly changed.
"How did you figure that out?"
"If you want it, pay first— four thousand, no bargaining." The boss didn't explain, just pointed to the QR code on the wall.
"I don't need a merit tattoo, I just want one that will bring me good luck and wealth." A-Long suppressed his shock and insisted.
The boss frowned: "Who referred you here?"