Chapter 55 And There Will Be Strong Winds

Yeh Huan also took out his painting, which depicted a black tiger emerging from the netherworld.

Although the black tiger was only thrusting its head and right paw out from a crack between yin and yang, its majestic and imposing aura was enough to strike terror into anyone's heart.

The moment I locked eyes with the black tiger in the painting, my heart gave a violent shudder, and in a daze, I actually reached out toward the fluttering snow.

When I looked behind the black tiger again, I saw endless, boundless evil ghosts within the spatial rift. Several ferocious-looking ghosts were even helping the black tiger tear at the barrier between the realms of the living and the dead.

Legend has it that those eaten by tigers turn into thrall ghosts enslaved by the beasts, serving to lure living humans to be devoured.

If the thrall ghosts of this black tiger could tear open the barrier of yin and yang, what on earth were those thralls in life—immortals or deities? And what manner of existence was that black tiger?

Shopkeeper Xu stood stunned for a long time before saying, "This is a fairy-devouring demonic tiger? You actually managed to draw it out."

"All of you, follow me! Let's go back upstairs, and I'll give you your tattoos."

Old Thief Yuan walked ahead and asked, "Shopkeeper Xu, what exactly is the secret room all about?"

Shopkeeper Xu replied, "It was passed down from my ancestors. Legend has it that the secret room conceals a few extremely special entities, quietly waiting for those destined to find them."

"Tattooing yourselves with the Emperor Jiang or the demonic tiger will certainly bring you many benefits, but at the same time, it will saddle you with considerable karmic ties."

"Whether it brings fortune or misfortune is hard to say for sure!"

I purposely remarked, "If we carry the Emperor Jiang and the demonic tiger on our backs, does that mean we can become immortals?"

"That's definitely out of the question," Shopkeeper Xu said. "Take this young friend here, for instance. Once the demonic tiger is tattooed on him, the fairy-devouring demonic tiger will directly absorb his black tiger malevolent aura to nourish itself, which effectively neutralizes the malevolent energy already on him."

"If this young friend practices tiger-style martial arts, his progress will advance by leaps and bounds in a very short time. This is the demonic tiger's compensation to him. However..."

Shopkeeper Xu changed the subject, "The demonic tiger will also bring him trouble. As for how big that trouble will be, and whether it might cost him his life, no one can say for sure!"

I asked again, "Then what are the criteria for the paintings to choose their hosts? Surely they aren't just picking people at random?"

"I know what you're worried about," Shopkeeper Xu explained. "You can rest assured that with these entities tattooed on your bodies, you are the ones in control of the tattoos, not the tattoos controlling you."

"You could say it's a symbiotic relationship. The tattoos will draw some benefits from you, but they will certainly never harm you."

"As for why they chose you..."

"I suppose it's because you share some kind of connection with them? For instance, this young friend is very likely the reincarnation of a black tiger."

"Of course, I'm just speaking hypothetically!"

Shopkeeper Xu spoke casually, but out of the corner of my eye, I caught Old Ghost Yeh suddenly raising his head, though he quickly suppressed his shock.

Shopkeeper Xu led us from the shop into a secluded courtyard: "The tattoos for these two young friends are of the utmost importance and must not be disturbed during the process. I must ask you two to guard us."

Old Ghost Yeh nodded and said, "Rest assured about that. We'll keep watch right here. Whoever dares to approach will be torn apart by my own hands."

"That's good then!" After hanging the two paintings on the wall, Shopkeeper Xu began carrying materials out. At first, he didn't think much of it, but the more he brought out, the uglier his expression became. By the end, he was on the verge of tears, muttering repeatedly, "It's over, I've taken a massive loss, I can't go on living like this."

Old Thief Yuan stepped over for a look and realized that the materials he was bringing out were of immense value.

In the mystic arts community, there has always been the saying that "ordinary materials are unworthy of divine objects." It is like trying to forge a peerless divine weapon out of a piece of ordinary raw iron—it is simply impossible.

Old Thief Yuan knew from the start that Shopkeeper Xu might lose money, but he hadn't expected the losses to be this severe.

Without a second word, Old Thief Yuan pulled twelve pigeon-egg-sized Eastern pearls from his robes and placed them in front of Shopkeeper Xu: "Brother Xu, my grandson forced his way into your establishment, and I must clean up this mess for him. Please accept this meager token of my appreciation, and I ask you to spare no effort."

Shopkeeper Xu couldn't hold back anymore: "My friend, what is the meaning of this? I've already collected the payment, and you..."

"The payment you collected was for one person, and this is extra." Old Thief Yuan forced the Eastern pearls into Shopkeeper Xu's hands, moving him almost to tears as he patted his chest and swore to give it his all.

Usually, when Old Thief Yuan saw money, his eyes would light up as if he wanted to grab every coin and stuff it into his own pockets. Yet, when matters of importance arose, he was never stingy.

Especially when it came to making friends, Old Thief Yuan could transform into Lord Mengchang of the modern age—generous with his wealth and willing to spend a fortune as if it were nothing.

According to Old Thief Yuan, walking the rivers and lakes required three parts ruthlessness, three parts cunning, and the remaining four parts knowing how to handle human relationships.

Only by helping others could others help you.

You shouldn't fear that the money you scatter will go down the drain. While the warmth and coldness of human nature were commonplace in the martial world, righteousness unto life and death also existed.

If you helped a hundred people, maybe ninety-nine wouldn't help you when you faced trouble, but the very last one who would go through fire and water with you was more than enough.

However, I didn't help just anyone; Lord Mengchang's approach was actually quite foolish.

When helping people, you had to see them clearly and know how to help. For some shameless scoundrels, you truly had to let them fend for themselves.

Those people were simply not worth it!

I once asked Old Thief Yuan, "Everything you're saying sounds like a complete mess to me. One minute you help, the next you don't—don't you find that contradictory?"

Old Thief Yuan told me, "There is profound learning in this. You'll have to slowly figure it out."

Having accepted the Eastern pearls from Old Thief Yuan, Shopkeeper Xu indeed put his heart and soul into the work.

Yet he was almost too dedicated. A full-back tattoo like that should have been done over several sessions.

Instead, he placed me on the left and Yeh Huan on the right, alternating between us while finishing both of us in a single sitting.

As a result, both Yeh Huan and I passed out from the excruciating pain.

Shopkeeper Xu himself was so exhausted he was practically vomiting blood.

When I finally woke up, all three of us were lying in hospital beds. Yeh Huan and I were receiving anti-inflammatory drips, while Shopkeeper Xu was on an intravenous nutrient solution.

Though physically weak, Shopkeeper Xu was in high spirits: "To be able to complete three sets of divine tattoos in my lifetime, I can die in peace!"

I blurted out a question, "What was the other set?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them. Old Thief Yuan would surely lecture me again about lacking manners.

Matters within the mystic arts community often involved deep secrets.

Asking casually about someone else's business was a major taboo in the esoteric world.

Just as when we arrived at Shopkeeper Xu's place, from beginning to end we never gave our names, and Shopkeeper Xu never pried into our backgrounds. That was the rule of the esoteric path.

Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Xu simply said, "I once tattooed a Da Feng as well."

"Speaking of which, I must ask the two of you to look after that young girl."