I remember that day there were no customers. As usual, I took out my phone and started browsing. But at that moment, I came across a horrifying news story about a murder.

A man was seen walking through the streets, carrying a knife in his left hand and a human head in his right. After parading through the city, he walked straight into the police station and turned himself in.

It was later revealed that the man was a famous director, with a net worth of several billion. Given his fame and wealth, it was hard to imagine that he could be capable of such a brutal murder.

What made the story even more terrifying, though, was that it didn’t stop there.

In less than an hour, another man, a wealthy restaurant owner with a chain of more than ten restaurants, walked into the police station carrying a severed leg.

In the hours that followed, more and more people showed up at the police station to confess. Each of them carried either severed body parts or wore human skin. A total of six people came forward, all of whom were either famous or wealthy.

The case was so shocking and bizarre that it quickly gained widespread media attention, with over a billion internet users following the updates.

Why would such influential and wealthy people commit such horrific murders? And not just one, but multiple?

Soon, the severed body parts were pieced together into a woman’s corpse. The identity of the woman was quickly uncovered: she was Wang Xin, an 18th-tier actress in the entertainment industry.

When the police asked why they had killed her, the six murderers gave the same answer, almost as if they had rehearsed it.

Wang Xin had always been their mistress, a woman they kept on the side. But one day, she seemed to change—she became incredibly charming, an irresistible force that seemed to pull their hearts to her.

Given their wealth and status, they had seen many women, but none like her. These men were used to treating women like toys, but with Wang Xin, it was different. Whenever they were away from her, they felt a suffocating pain in their hearts, as though they couldn’t breathe. They couldn’t live without her.

Wang Xin seemed to be aware of this. She began making extravagant demands—buying cars, buying apartments, buying villas, and spending money like it was nothing. She was like a bottomless pit, devouring their wealth. She was also a heavy gambler, and money seemed to pour out like water.

Whenever they refused her requests, a terrifying creature—a fox with a half-human face—would appear, threatening to devour them if they didn’t comply.

Frightened, they continued to meet her demands. But no matter how deep their pockets were, they couldn’t keep up. In less than a week, Wang Xin had purchased hundreds of villas, luxury cars, diamonds, antiques, and spent every penny gambling. They were completely drained.

Once Wang Xin had drained them dry, she tossed them aside.

But they couldn’t let her go. They were desperate. They had achieved so much, but now, with nothing left, they couldn’t bear the thought of losing both their money and their lives. They knew that Wang Xin would eventually leave them once she had nothing left to take.

The only way to keep her was to kill her.

The first to act was the famous director. After stabbing Wang Xin in the back with more than ten knives, he decapitated her and held her head in his arms. At that moment, the suffocating feeling inside him disappeared. He felt at peace. Knowing he couldn’t escape the law, he went straight to the police station to confess.

The others followed suit, also confessing and expressing a twisted satisfaction, as they held pieces of Wang Xin’s dismembered body in their arms.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

This story was already horrifying, but when the murderers’ testimonies became public, it only became more chilling. Various versions of the story began to circulate. Some said Wang Xin had raised a fox spirit that enchanted these wealthy men, and the fox spirit had turned on her. Others claimed that Wang Xin had used witchcraft or black magic to control them.

But I knew the truth—it was the Yin tattoo!

However, the Yin tattoo wasn’t the main cause of Wang Xin’s death. Her greed was.

The Yin tattoo, with its sinister powers, made her wishes come true. But it was her insatiable greed that ultimately led to her downfall. If only she had stopped, if only she hadn’t pushed so hard, maybe things would have turned out differently.

Wang Xin was dead. Her body was dismembered by the six men, and her death was tragic beyond words. As for the six men, their fate wasn’t much better.

That night, I had a dream. In the dream, Wang Xin came to me. She said she was in pain and handed me a needle, asking me to sew her mutilated body back together. Once it was fixed, she wanted to sleep beside me.

I was terrified. I pushed her away and told her not to come any closer, but she ignored me. Her severed head rolled to my feet, like a soccer ball, still crying out in pain.

Then, something terrifying happened. A fox, with a half-human face and glowing red eyes, emerged from the tattoo on her arm. The fox opened its bloodied mouth and devoured Wang Xin whole. Wang Xin screamed for me to save her, but I couldn’t move. My body was like wood, stiff and immobile.

Once the fox had finished eating her, it turned to me with a look full of resentment, then let out a low, mocking laugh. I was so scared that I woke up in a cold sweat, my clothes soaked through. I couldn’t sleep again that night, and for days afterward, I was plagued by nightmares.

It wasn’t until a little person, a dwarf, came to my shop that things started to change.

The dwarf was about 1.2 meters tall, but his face looked to be in his forties, and he had a scar across his face. As soon as he saw me, he rushed forward, hugged my leg, and cried out in relief, shouting that the shop was finally open again. He had waited twenty years, twenty long years.

I quickly pulled him away, asking who he was, and why he was crying and snotting all over me. It was a bit disgusting.

He introduced himself as Zheng Xing, known as “Dwarf Xing.” He was a former employee of my grandfather’s tattoo shop. He had started working there at the age of ten, and he showed me photos of himself with my grandfather, as well as pictures from their daily work in the shop.

Zheng Xing explained that after working for ten years at the shop, my grandfather had closed it down, telling him that it would reopen in twenty years, but with a new boss. He had been told to return then.

“Twenty years! Do you know how I’ve spent these twenty years?” Zheng Xing lamented, almost in tears.

“How did you spend them? Playing ‘Greedy Blue Moon’?” I teased him.

Zheng Xing sighed heavily, saying, “I’ve been a beggar, carried bricks, cleaned toilets. I’ve lived worse than a cow, with a miserable salary. But finally, finally, I’ve waited for you.”

He rambled on, laughing and crying, seemingly both happy and sad at the same time. No matter what I said, he didn’t seem to hear me.

I told him to calm down. Although he used to work here, I was the boss now, and he needed to explain what he could do. Otherwise, why would I hire him?

Zheng Xing reassured me that even though he didn’t know how to tattoo, he was knowledgeable about Feng Shui, the Yin and Yang, fortune-telling, and spirits. He had learned a lot from my grandfather.

The most important thing, though, was that he could help bring in customers. He still had a network of contacts from back in the day—ranging from ordinary people to businessmen and even people in the entertainment industry. He promised he could help find clients and would never slack off.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “During the probation period, you’ll get a salary of five thousand a month. After three months, you’ll earn eight thousand. If we get more customers, I can give you a raise and commissions, plus room and board!”

The prospect of customers alone was enough to make him stay. With clients, there was business, and with business, there was money. In this desolate place, and with me being new, it would be impossible to generate much income without a customer base. Just relying on regulars would be a few orders a month, and it would take ages to make any significant money.

“I’ll do it! Thank you, little boss!” Zheng Xing said, bowing and thanking me profusely. His life had definitely improved from cleaning toilets and carrying bricks.

Just then, Xu Meng arrived. She gave Zheng Xing a glance and motioned for me to speak with her privately, probably thinking it was inconvenient to talk with someone else around.

I reassured her it was fine. Zheng Xing was new, and if she had something to say, she could speak freely. Zheng Xing immediately went to pour tea for her.

But before Xu Meng could say anything, Zheng Xing suddenly grabbed her hand. I was taken aback, and Xu Meng angrily shook off his hand.

“What are you doing? Mouse! What kind of person have you hired?”

I was about to scold Zheng Xing when he quickly explained that he hadn’t meant anything by it. He just wanted to feel Xu Meng’s pulse. Xu Meng seemed to be pregnant... with a corpse child.