I found it strange. I didn’t know these people, and I had no idea who their "Master" was. Why were they summoning me out of the blue?

I frowned and asked, “Who is your Master? What does he want with me?”

One of the men replied, “Our Master is Lord Lin. He asked to show you a video.” With that, he handed me a phone.

The phone looked oddly familiar. It seemed to be… Xiao Zi Xing’s phone. Sure enough, when the video played, it was him—tied to a chair, his face terrified. He was shouting into the camera, "Little Boss, help me! Please!"

Lord Lin… again. That old man had some nerve, kidnapping someone in broad daylight. But he wasn’t worried about me calling the cops, because Xiao Zi Xing was still in his hands.

This was getting more complicated. As despicable as Lord Lin was, I couldn’t ignore this. Xiao Zi Xing was one of the few people who had information that could help with Xu Meng’s case. Those recordings—if they got out online, they’d spell trouble for Xu Meng. Now that Xiao Zi Xing was in his hands, I had no choice but to go meet him.

I sighed. "Fine, let's go meet your Lord Lin." I followed the group to a car, which then sped toward a mansion.

This mansion was no ordinary place. The yard alone was the size of a football field. The main house was a three-story villa, complete with a swimming pool and luxurious features. Lord Lin was clearly no ordinary person—he was loaded. No wonder the ghost woman was so loyal to him.

Once inside the mansion, I was led into a room where an old man sat. He wore black clothes and had a long white beard. Despite his old age, he still had an aura of power about him, puffing on a cigar. But no matter how sharp his appearance, he was still just an old man—too old to have children.

"So, you’re Tang Hao?" Lord Lin said, blowing out a puff of smoke. He waved his hand, signaling the others to leave. The old man seemed too confident—did he think I wouldn’t dare act against him? Or was he so certain of his power because Xiao Zi Xing was still under his control?

I didn’t bother with pleasantries. "Where’s Xiao Zi Xing? And the recordings? Give them to me."

Lord Lin chuckled. “Heh, who do you think you are? Do you really think you can just walk in here and demand things from me?" He smiled wickedly. "You’ve ruined my plans—don’t you think I could kill you right now and no one would even know?"

I returned his smile with a grin of my own. "Go ahead and try."

I had a sense of what kind of man Lord Lin was, but if he really intended to kill me, he wouldn’t have invited me here. He needed something, and that was why he called me. Besides, I wasn’t afraid of dying. If I died, my fate was tied to Dai Jie Ying’s. She wouldn’t let him get away with it, and if I died, she’d make sure he paid. Killing me wouldn’t be easy for him.

"Ha! Well, well, it seems I’ve underestimated you. I must say, you’re not afraid of danger," Lord Lin laughed heartily. He poured me a glass of red wine, a bottle from 1982, and offered it to me. "Taste this. It’s exquisite."

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I didn’t drink. Who knew what he might have put in it?

Lord Lin continued, explaining that he wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of a corpse fetus, that it was disturbing to him to think of such a bloodline. A corpse fetus—it sounded unnatural, something that couldn’t carry on the Lin family name.

I gave him a cold stare but said nothing. His words were ironic, considering he had previously fought tooth and nail to preserve this "bloodline" at any cost. Now, suddenly, he wanted nothing to do with it. It made me laugh inside.

Lord Lin could see that I wasn’t buying his story. Realizing I wasn’t going to just accept his explanation, he got to the point. "I’ve had people investigate you. Your tattoo is unusual. They say it has some special power—some form of dark art."

He paused, watching my reaction. I didn’t say anything, so he continued. "What I want to know is, do you have a tattoo that can help an old man like me have a child?"

I blinked in surprise. "What?"

He explained further, "I’ve had women from all walks of life—young, old, you name it. But the problem is, I can’t father a child anymore. I’ve been to doctors, and they told me it’s too late for me. If I want to have children, I need something… unconventional. Something like your ghost tattoos."

I was momentarily taken aback. Was he seriously asking for something like a fertility tattoo? I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or pity him.

I had seen the Guanyin of Childbearing tattoo before—it was a very special kind of tattoo, usually done on women to help with fertility. My grandfather had once tattooed it on the wife of a village chief. But there was a big difference: the Bodhisattva could never be tattooed onto a man’s body. Such an action would result in death. It was forbidden.

But the way this old man talked, he was willing to risk anything to get what he wanted. As far as I was concerned, he was already walking down a dangerous path. If he wanted this tattoo, then I would give it to him—at a price.

I looked at him and said, "Yes, I have a tattoo that can help you, called the Guanyin of Childbearing. But if I do it, you need to destroy all of Xu Meng’s recordings and let Xiao Zi Xing go. And the fee is fifty million."

Lord Lin didn’t flinch. "Money is no problem. If it works, I’ll give you whatever you want. Just make sure it works."

I smiled inwardly, knowing I had him. This man had no problem paying me whatever I asked, but the fact was that he was desperate. If he couldn’t father a child, the Lin family name would die with him, and his wealth and power wouldn’t be able to stop it.

I agreed, and we got to work. I went back to my shop, retrieved my tattooing tools and ink, and returned to his mansion to perform the tattoo.

The Guanyin of Childbearing wasn’t too complicated. It took about four hours to finish, but as I worked, I realized I could have a little fun with him. Once the tattoo was done, I added an extra twist.

I casually said, "Although this tattoo represents a Bodhisattva, it’s still a Yin tattoo. To maximize its effect, you might want to find someone who’s more attuned to Yin energy. Someone… of the Yin."

Lord Lin frowned, as if considering my words. Then, his face brightened, and he snapped his fingers, calling someone into the room. He whispered something to his subordinate, who immediately left the room.

As we finished, I saw the ghost woman, Gui Po, enter. She looked battered, her face pale from blood loss, and her fingers were mangled. She had clearly suffered a lot. She didn’t go to the hospital but came straight to Lord Lin, demanding he tend to her.

She collapsed onto the couch, her mouth dry, her skin cracked. Lord Lin poured her a glass of water, but I could see the malicious glint in his eyes as he looked at her.

"You… you!" Gui Po glared at me. "How did you end up here? Lord Lin, kill him. He’s the reason I lost a finger."

Before I could say anything, a servant entered with water. Gui Po drank it eagerly, clearly dehydrated. But Lord Lin wasn’t paying attention to her need for water. Instead, he was looking at her with an expression that reminded me of a wolf eyeing its prey.

The room had just become a lot more dangerous.