In times of famine, when food was scarce, people had no choice but to resort to eating children to survive. However, those who couldn’t bear to consume their own children would exchange them with others. After the grim meal, they would discard the bones on desolate mountains. Back then, the mountains were littered with the remains of children.

With no food to eat, even the dogs became desperate. Some would climb the mountains to scavenge the bones of the children. Over time, these dogs began to change. Their fur fell out, and their faces became disturbingly childlike. At night, they would emit the eerie sound of children crying. People called them dog-children (犬孩).

A Taoist priest once explained that these dogs didn’t just consume the bones; they also absorbed the vengeful spirits of the dead children. The more they ate, the less the resentment affected them. Only those who could consume the spirits without harm became the true dog-children. This meant they could freely devour resentment, and it no longer had any effect on them.

Thus, the dog-children tattoo could absorb resentment and should be able to suppress the Grudge of the Unborn (胎怨) without issue. However, I couldn’t yet be sure of Hu Bingbing’s situation. The dog-children tattoo was a yin tattoo (阴纹), so I had to be cautious.

Xiao Zi Xing suggested that we come back at night, as vengeful spirits and ghosts were more active after dark. We could better assess the situation before deciding whether to proceed with the tattoo. His suggestion made sense, so we looked to Hu Bingbing for confirmation. She hesitated briefly but then agreed, though she warned us that the fetus might not manifest visibly.

"No problem," I reassured her. "As long as you can see it, we’ll handle it. I’ve dealt with ghosts before. I can tell the difference between mere resentment and an actual haunting."

Hu Bingbing handed each of us a card to access her apartment complex at night, making our job easier. After bidding her farewell, we stepped outside. Xiao Zi Xing stared up at the sun, looking puzzled. He muttered to himself about whether the issue lay with Hu Bingbing or the villa.

Seeing him deep in thought, I asked, "What’s going on?"

He pointed up at the sun directly overhead and said, “It’s high noon, the sun is at its peak, but look at the villa!”

I immediately looked toward the villa. Given its position, the sunlight should have bathed the entire building, but to my surprise, the villa appeared dark and foreboding, as if it were absorbing the light instead.

"Strange," I muttered, scratching my head. "This shouldn’t be possible... Is this a cursed house?"

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It was odd—perhaps Hu Bingbing’s issues had nothing to do with the fetus and everything to do with the house itself. But then again, Hu Bingbing had always insisted that the strange occurrences began only after her abortion. Could she be lying? Was the problem with her, the house, or both?

Xiao Zi Xing seemed uneasy, and I felt it too. He suggested we proceed with caution. Yin tattoos should never be taken lightly. “We’ll come back tonight to investigate further. No need to rush.”

Though I had taken on a new tattoo commission that day, my mind remained occupied with the sadness of losing my twin wives. I couldn’t shake the melancholy that had weighed on me all afternoon, and no new clients had come in. My thoughts turned to Zhao Donglai, the man I had been searching for. It felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Later that night, I had planned to meet Xiao Zi Xing at Hu Bingbing’s apartment, but then my phone rang—it was Xu Meng.

Xu Meng explained that ever since she had carried a Corpse Fetus (尸胎), she had taken a leave of absence from work, planning to return after the abortion. But recently, a strange man in a suit had been showing up at her door, holding a knife and knocking incessantly. When she peered through the peephole, she was terrified. She had called the police, but when they arrived, they only found a paper man (扎纸人) at her door.

This had happened for three consecutive nights, and now the police didn’t believe her, suggesting she might be imagining things and needed psychiatric help.

Xu Meng was adamant that the paper man was real and had been knocking on her door. Fearing they might have her committed, she called me for help.

I immediately thought of the ghost lady Xiao Zi Xing had warned me about. The paper man created by her could transform into a vengeful spirit or even a killer. If Xu Meng went through with aborting the Corpse Fetus, she could be in grave danger. Was the ghost lady planning to kill her?

I couldn’t risk it. I had to go and check on Xu Meng. If something happened to her, it would be too late. The ghost lady was unpredictable, and I had no idea what methods she might use to kill. If Xu Meng died, no one would ever know the truth.

I decided to leave Hu Bingbing’s case to Xiao Zi Xing and went alone to Xu Meng’s apartment.

Xu Meng sent me her address, and not long after, I arrived. I went upstairs but didn’t see the paper man or the strange man in a suit. I knocked on the door, and Xu Meng’s trembling voice came through.

"Is it really you?" she asked, her fear clear.

When she opened the door, she clung to me, shivering. "I’m so scared," she whispered. "The man in the suit comes every night at midnight with a long knife. If I call the police, he turns into a paper man. It’s terrifying."

Xu Meng continued to cling to me, her fear almost suffocating me, but I couldn’t push her away. She was vulnerable and needed comfort. “Did he say anything else?” I asked gently.

"He said if I get rid of the Corpse Fetus, he’ll kill me and throw my body off the balcony... I’m so scared, Tang Hao," Xu Meng’s voice cracked, and tears welled in her eyes.

I reassured her, “You don’t need to be afraid. I’ll stay with you tonight. We’ll figure out what’s going on with the paper man.”

We waited together as midnight approached. Xu Meng wouldn’t leave my side, her fear palpable. I tried calling Xiao Zi Xing to check on Hu Bingbing’s situation, but his phone was off. That only made me more anxious.

And then, the knocking started.

It was here.