Chapter 56: Constables Never Exceed Seven

Shopkeeper Xu said, "Ten years ago, an old friend of mine came to me, asking me to tattoo his granddaughter. He said any tattoo would do."

"I didn't think much of it at the time. Following the rules passed down by my ancestors, I let the little girl make her own choice."

"To my surprise, that little girl became the first person in the fifty years since I completed my apprenticeship to enter the Secret Chamber of Fierce Deities."

"At that time, the choice she made was the ancient ferocious beast, Dafeng."

"Dafeng!" I couldn't help asking out of curiosity, "Can a little girl possess such ferocity that she can bear Dafeng?"

Dafeng was a legendary giant bird whose wings, when spread, could blot out the sun and sky, and the beating of its wings could stir up hurricanes. Before being shot down by Houyi, Dafeng devoured countless humans and was thus classified as an ancient ferocious beast.

Although I didn't know much about tattooing, I had heard Old Thief Yuan say that a tattoo's design must match a person's destiny. Otherwise, if the person could not bear the tattoo, they would inevitably suffer a backlash and die a violent death.

Nowadays, tattoo parlors no longer pay attention to such things; as long as customers pay, they get whatever they want.

Only tattoo artists within the realm of the esoteric arts would warn their clients in advance about the consequences a tattoo might bring.

Shopkeeper Xu said, "At the time, when that girl chose Dafeng, I found it strange too. However, since she had already brought Dafeng out of the Secret Chamber of Fierce Deities, I had no choice but to tattoo Dafeng onto her body."

"You have to say, neither that girl nor her grandfather are ordinary people!"

"Perhaps, Dafeng choosing her was also her destiny."

I countered, "Since Dafeng has already chosen that girl, why do you still want us to help her?"

"Because that girl has provoked the Thirteen Ghost Gates!" Hearing this, Shopkeeper Xu chuckled softly to himself. "Look at me... as people grow older, they just love poking their noses into other people's business."

"Seeing how lovable that girl is, I wanted to find someone to help her."

"These Thirteen Ghost Gates..."

I also laughed. "Shopkeeper Xu, you're not being very honest with me by saying this!"

"You deliberately brought up the Thirteen Ghost Gates because you saw the dog bite mark on my arm, didn't you?"

"You want to know if I've formed a blood feud with the Thirteen Ghost Gates?"

Having his intentions exposed by me, Shopkeeper Xu's facial expression was obviously somewhat unnatural. "This..."

I stated bluntly, "I can tell you that I have indeed formed a mortal feud with the Watchdog."

"If the person you mentioned also has a feud with the Watchdog and can be of help to me, I wouldn't mind cooperating with her."

Shopkeeper Xu hesitated for a long time before saying, "Fine! Then I'll be straight with you!"

"My old friend is named Shi Chongguang, a retired criminal police officer. The little girl I mentioned is his granddaughter, Shi Qi."

"Ten years ago, on New Year's Eve, Shi Chongguang brought Shi Qi to my place in the middle of the night, insisting on getting her a tattoo and saying any design would do."

"Shi Chongguang did this precisely to keep his granddaughter from becoming a police officer."

Hearing this, I was slightly startled. "Keep Shi Qi from becoming a police officer? That's a bit... Isn't police officer such a respected profession? So many people fight to be cops, why would that old man pull a stunt like this?"

Shopkeeper Xu explained, "In the Shi family, people have served as constables since the Qing Dynasty. By the time of Shi Chongguang's generation, he was already the seventh-generation constable."

"However, there is a rule in the constable trade known as 'Constables End at Seven.' It means that a constable family can pass down the profession for at most seven generations, and by the eighth generation, they must change their trade."

"Because by the eighth generation, a constable is no longer arresting human beings."

"Constables live on the edge of a blade all their lives, and an eighth-generation constable faces a life of nine deaths for every survival. However, capturing spirits and demons is a destiny granted by the heavens to the eighth generation, as well as a responsibility forcefully imposed upon them. No matter how much an eighth-generation constable of a constable family resists, they must walk the path of a constable."

"Therefore, an eighth-generation constable is accompanied by ghosts and gods from birth. Some ghosts and gods intend to help him become the greatest constable in the world, while others intend to drive him to his death before he officially becomes a constable, to prevent another master enemy to ghosts and gods from appearing in the world."

"It was precisely because Shi Chongguang didn't want Shi Qi to become a constable that he brought her to me for a tattoo."

"The first time I saw that girl Shi Qi, I felt a fondness for her from the bottom of my heart!"

"Back then, I didn't know about the saying 'Constables End at Seven'; I just thought Shi Chongguang was being a bit heartless by not wanting his granddaughter to be a police officer."

"Because of this, I even tried to persuade Shi Chongguang: 'This child is bold, meticulous, and radiates spiritual energy. It's a waste not to let her inherit the family business!'"

"At that time, Shi Chongguang's face darkened: 'This is my Shi family's business, it has damn all to do with you, just do your damn job.'"

"I was furious with Shi Chongguang, but considering our years of friendship, I still took Shi Qi to pick out a design."

"When I saw that Shi Qi had chosen that image of Dafeng, I was stunned for a long time. I took Shi Qi to find her grandfather: 'Shi Qi, where does this child get such murderous intent? Tell me the child's birth date and time, I see malevolent energy in her destiny. Her fate is probably different from ordinary people's.'"

"'I know your skills, but you don't know how to tell fortunes. You better not...'"

"As a result, Shi Chongguang got angry again, directly cursing at me: 'Get lost, just do whatever you're told, where do you get so much nonsense?'"

"Besides, wouldn't it do to just slap any random thing on her? I just don't want her to be a constable, having a tattoo to dispel those freaks' thoughts is enough.'"

"I thought for a long time before telling Shi Chongguang: 'This is no longer a matter of just slapping something random on her! The images in the Secret Chamber of Fierce Deities are not just drawings; they are curses!'"

"Hearing me finish, Shi Chongguang was dumbfounded too. He sat there for a long time before uttering a sentence: 'Let me think about it again.'"

"As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Chongguang ran out into my courtyard to smoke. I knew Shi Chongguang had a quirk: whenever he encountered a major issue, instead of listening to others' opinions first, he would always come up with his own idea before asking for others' thoughts. That was a habit he picked up when he was a police officer."

"I didn't go to disturb Shi Chongguang, but instead stayed inside chatting with Shi Qi."

"It was then that I learned: the matters of the Shi family were not that simple. They not only involved the eighth-generation constable, but also entangled the Thirteen Ghost Gates."

Shopkeeper Xu paused here. Although he appeared to be reminiscing about the past, he was actually observing the reactions of the four of us.

Old Ghost Ye didn't speak, but the knife he was using to peel an apple slowed down, the tip faintly pointing at Shopkeeper Xu, strongly implying that at a single wrong word, he would cut him down on the spot.

Ye Huan was engrossed in his phone, his wooden saber resting right by his hand. Should Shopkeeper Xu dare to harbor any other intentions, Ye Huan's blade could immediately press against his neck.

Only Old Thief Yuan chuckled and leaned in closer. "Brother Xu, we are all honest folks. Let's speak in civilized terms: the enemy of our enemy is our friend. As long as that girl you mentioned truly has an irreconcilable blood feud with the Thirteen Ghost Gates, we will definitely get involved in this matter."

"Speak your mind if you've made up your decision. If you don't trust us, we'll turn around and leave right now without staying a moment longer."