Chapter 53 Think of Another Way

Old Man Yuan made me drive the car to the mouth of a secluded alley and park it there, then led me to the house at the very end.

That house looked completely ordinary on the outside, but when Old Man Yuan knocked on the door, he executed four consecutive series of hand gestures, rapping three times for each gesture.

Old Man Ghost muttered in a low voice, "Pay attention and learn. This is the knocking technique used by practitioners of the arcane arts, which means: a visitor has arrived."

After finishing his knocks, Old Man Yuan stood quietly outside. Moments later, an aged voice drifted from within the courtyard: "A fellow practitioner comes to visit, it is an absolute honor, please enter!"

Just as the voice faded, the courtyard gates swung open automatically.

However, Old Man Yuan merely cupped his fists and said, "This humble one represents a faction and comes to conduct business. To pay a direct visit like this feels somewhat inappropriate."

"My apologies!" With those words, the courtyard gates closed again. "My shopfront is right by the main road. Please make your way there, gentlemen!"

Old Man Yuan was adhering strictly to the codes of the pugilist world when paying respects to a hidden master.

Since a Hidden Master has chosen to conceal his true identity, he will not casually grant audiences to fellow practitioners.

Since Old Man Yuan was making an unrecommended visit, he naturally had to observe proper etiquette and make his intentions clear.

Leading us around the alley, Old Man Yuan brought us to an unassuming tattoo parlor. Inside, a white-haired elderly man had already prepared tea and pastries. "Please take a seat, fellow practitioners, and enjoy some tea!"

"Thank you for the tea!" Old Man Yuan took a polite sip of the welcome tea, then produced four gold bars wrapped in red cloth and placed them on the table. "My adopted grandson here has been invaded by malignant baleful energy. I must ask Shopkeeper Xu to lend a hand and help suppress it."

Shopkeeper Xu looked up and down at Ye Huan for a long time before smiling. "Your grandson's constitution is quite unusual! I'm afraid this will take some effort."

Old Man Yuan pulled out two more gold bars and pushed them forward. "Please, I must ask Shopkeeper Xu to assist us."

"Very well!" Shopkeeper Xu nodded. "Ten gold bars, and I'll take care of this matter for you. Let's consider it making a new friend."

"Many thanks!" Old Man Yuan raised his hand and slapped palms three times with Shopkeeper Xu to seal the agreement.

Shopkeeper Xu locked the front door of the shop, pulled open a hidden inner door, and said, "Follow me, gentlemen!"

As I walked inward behind Shopkeeper Xu, a competitive thought flared up in my mind—ten gold bars, you certainly have the nerve to name such a price.

I wasn't particularly worried about the money; what troubled me was whether Shopkeeper Xu could truly handle the Black Tiger malevolence plaguing Ye Huan.

Shopkeeper Xu didn't look back, yet he seemed to perceive the dissatisfaction on my face, for he chuckled and said, "Young man, do you think an old codger like me can't handle the Black Tiger malevolence afflicting your friend?"

"As the saying goes: if you don't have the diamond drill, don't take on porcelain work. If this old man didn't possess the skill, would I dare charge you so much?"

Shopkeeper Xu continued, "The art of tattooing has been passed down in my family for generations. Not only can it dispel the Black Tiger malevolence from your friend, but it can also bring him unexpected fortune."

I had indeed heard of the formidable reputation of arcane tattooists!

Legend has it that the profession of tattooists flourished during the Tang dynasty, declined in the Song, nearly perished in the Ming, and only experienced a resurgence in the Qing dynasty.

As for the origins of tattooing, opinions varied widely, though the most commonly accepted explanation was that tattoos originated from ancient punishments of facial branding.

However, practitioners of the arcane arts believed that tattooing originated from the shamanic gates beyond the northern frontiers. Ancient Han Chinese did not advocate tattooing, whereas ethnic minorities practiced it extensively, and the earliest tattooists were invariably shamans.

After the art of tattooing flowed into the Central Plains and fused with indigenous arcane practices, the formal profession of tattooists was born.

Song dynasty aristocrats looked down upon those with tattoos, viewing them as lowly, and fiercely resisted the practice, leading to the decline of tattooists during the Song era. It wasn't until the Ming dynasty that Zhu Yuanzhang explicitly banned tattoos, and in the early Qing dynasty, those with tattoos faced severe penalties.

According to official Ming and Qing accounts: "Those with tattoos are prone to gathering mobs and causing trouble."

In reality, top-tier tattooists had emerged within the White Lotus Society at the time. Relying solely on secret tattooing techniques, they gave the imperial court endless headaches. The official bans on tattoos were actually part of a campaign to hunt down tattooists and suppress the White Lotus Society.

Yet, despite the high pressure of the Ming and Qing dynasties, tattooists silently kept the flame alive, survived, and eventually returned to the mainstream of the arcane world.

Even so, modern tattooists no longer commanded the glory of bygone eras.

Shopkeeper Xu led us into a secret chamber and pointed to the paintings on the wall. "To dissolve the Black Tiger malevolence on him, we need to apply a tattoo to suppress or channel it."

"Of course, tattoos also rely on fate. Take a look yourself and tell me which one you like. If nothing catches your eye, I can take you somewhere else!"

The artwork in that secret chamber was dazzlingly diverse, leaving me dizzy with options. The paintings were so exquisite and lifelike that even I felt tempted to pick one and have it inked onto my body.

After roughly browsing through the patterns in the room, I noticed Ye Huan still wandering around. I stepped closer and said, "Hey, kitty-cat, why don't we get a Hello Kitty tattooed? One where the eyes can dilate."

Ye Huan glared at me. "If you get a Husky tattooed, I'll get a Kitty-cat!"

"To hell with it, I'm going all out today!" I turned around and said, "Shopkeeper Xu, hurry up and hold him down to tattoo a big-faced cat!"

Old Man Yuan immediately flicked me on the forehead. "You unruly wretch, making a laughingstock of yourself."

Shopkeeper Xu stroked his beard and laughed. "Ah, it's great to be young! Back in the day, my old brothers and I used to bicker and play around just like this. Young friend, have you chosen one yet?"

Ye Huan shook his head, so Shopkeeper Xu opened a second secret chamber.

This time, the paintings in the chamber depicted bizarre and grotesque ghosts and demons, their craftsmanship even more vivid than those in the previous room.

The spirits in the paintings looked as though they could spring to life at any moment. With every step we took, it felt as though the eyeballs of the malevolent ghosts on the walls were following our movements, rendering the secret chamber even more gloomy and terrifying.

After making a full circle, Ye Huan still shook his head, and Shopkeeper Xu's expression grew somewhat grave. "Come this way!"

When Shopkeeper Xu opened the third secret chamber, an overwhelming, awe-inspiring divine might washed over us. I feigned casualness and shifted my footing to stand in front of Old Man Yuan.

With my level of cultivation, I could resist the divine pressure, but if it hit Old Man Yuan, he might have been forced to his knees on the spot, which would have been utterly humiliating.

This time, Ye Huan didn't even enter the doorway. He stood at the threshold, jerked his head up, and fixed a blade-like gaze upon the chamber, while the Miao saber at his back vibrated faintly in response to the palpable battle intent.

Was Ye Huan actually about to draw his blade to slay deities?

I glanced sideways into the room and saw, sure enough, that the posters of gods and Buddhas pasted on the walls seemed provoked by Ye Huan's martial spirit, trembling incessantly.

Terrified, Shopkeeper Xu hurriedly slammed the doors shut. "Young friend, if you can't choose, let me pick one for you!"

"How about getting the Martial God of Wealth, Zhao Gongming? Zhao Gongming's mount is a black tiger, which can perfectly subdue your Black Tiger malevolence."

With an icy gaze, Ye Huan retorted, "A tiger is born to be a king. To be used as someone's mount, it would be better off ending its own life."

"This..." Shopkeeper Xu was left speechless by Ye Huan's retort, but Old Man Yuan merely chuckled and said, "Shopkeeper Xu, perhaps you could think of another solution?"