When I opened the antique wooden box, inside was a long bamboo tube. Floating on the surface of the bamboo tube was the face of a woman—swollen, yellow, and wrinkled. As soon as I looked at it, the face grinned at me, and I nearly dropped the entire box in fright. However, in the blink of an eye, the face disappeared mysteriously.

I didn’t know what it was. It took me a long time before I dared to touch it. When I picked it up, I noticed there were words carved on the bamboo tube: "Yin Tattoo Ink, Ghost!" On the other side was another inscription: "Death Date: April 8, 2019. Cause of death: Drowned, betrayed by her boyfriend who pushed her into the water along with his mistress. Her resentment lingered, turning her into a water ghost."

What… is this a ghost? Is there a water ghost trapped inside this bamboo tube?

Terrified, I hurriedly put the tube back and didn’t dare to look at it again. Yin tattoo ink uses the souls of the dead, bones, ashes, and ghostly energy. This bamboo tube probably contained the ghostly essence for my grandfather's ink.

I knew how to make Yin tattoos, but I had never used this method before. The idea of handling the ghost inside this tube terrified me, and I felt an inexplicable fear toward ghosts.

Besides the bamboo tube containing the ghost, there was also a black box inside the wooden box. When I opened the box, it contained a key and a piece of paper with two addresses written on it. One was the address of the tattoo shop in Zhonghai City, and the other was the address of Zhao Donglai's house.

Grandfather had mentioned that Zhao Donglai had given his daughter as a wife to him, and that she was a twin. The thought of it was somewhat pleasant, though I wasn’t sure if it was reliable. Twins—every man’s dream!

After daydreaming for a while, I started packing to leave my old home and head for Zhonghai City. It was a big city, and it would take six hours by bus to get there.

Bored on the bus, I began to reflect on my grandfather's words. The one that troubled me the most was when he said, "If your parents come looking for you, you must kill them and burn their bodies." What did that mean? Why would I have to kill my parents? This was outrageous! My parents disappeared many years ago, and if I could reunite with them, I would be overjoyed. But killing them? Was I crazy?

I couldn’t make sense of it, and eventually, I dozed off. When I woke up, we were nearly in Zhonghai City. I got off the bus and followed the address to find the tattoo shop.

The shop was located in a dark alley, two stories high but old and worn. The paint on the walls was peeling, and there was moss growing on it, suggesting that no one had lived there for many years. The sign outside read "Ghost Tattoos," but it was weathered and shaky, almost ready to fall off. The lock on the door was rusted, and it took me a long time to open it. This kind of place probably wouldn’t even need a lock—no one would want to come here.

After cleaning the shop for a while, I finally felt comfortable enough to sleep. The next day, I painted the outside walls and did a simple renovation. The first floor would be the tattoo parlor, and the second floor would be for living. Then, I could open the door and start my business.

I was running out of money, so I needed to open the shop quickly. The idea of making one million in three years seemed impossible, especially when I had no idea where my grandfather had hidden his earnings. I couldn’t even find any bank cards or passbooks.

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I waited outside for a long time, but no one passed by. The alley was so isolated that not even a fly came through, let alone customers. At night, the only ones around were some girls selling "big swords."

Just as I was about to give up, my phone beeped. It was a message from a girl in my village named Xu Meng, asking where I had moved to, as she couldn’t find me. My heart skipped a beat—this was a potential business opportunity! I quickly sent her the address.

Xu Meng replied that she was also in Zhonghai City, and luckily, she had asked around in the village and found out where I was.

Sure enough, not long after, a Honda pulled up to the entrance of the alley, and a fashionable woman walked in.

"Hey, Haozi, why'd you move to such a ghostly place?" Xu Meng complained as she walked in, wearing high heels.

I invited her inside, served her tea, and treated her kindly—I couldn’t let this first business deal slip away.

After a while, Xu Meng asked where my grandfather was. I lied and told her he went on a trip. After drinking a few sips of tea, she asked me, "Do you do ghost tattoos?"

I was thrilled. This was my first real business! Ghost tattoos were far more expensive than regular tattoos—ordinary tattoos cost only a few hundred to a thousand, but ghost tattoos started at over ten thousand. I couldn’t ask for a better first client.

Xu Meng seemed skeptical. "Can ghost tattoos really ward off evil spirits?" she asked.

I confidently replied, "Of course! Ghost tattoos can do many things—ward off evil, change your luck, bring peace, wealth, and even boost relationships. You can get one for almost any purpose."

Xu Meng was still uncertain, so I reassured her, "If it doesn’t work, I’ll refund you in full. I promise, no tricks."

Then I asked her what kind of issue she needed the ghost tattoo for.

Usually, people only got ghost tattoos when something unusual was happening, as they wouldn’t get one unless they were desperate or believed in supernatural forces.

Xu Meng didn’t immediately answer. She kept glancing nervously at the door and asked, "Did anything follow me here when I came in?"

I was confused. "What do you mean by 'something' following you? It was just you when you came."

Xu Meng seemed a bit relieved after hearing that. She explained that recently, she had been feeling like something was following her. Sometimes when she looked in the mirror, she saw a man standing behind her, but when she turned around, no one was there. One time, she went to the bathroom without turning on the light, and when she looked, she saw someone sitting on the toilet. But when she turned on the light, the figure was gone. After that night, she couldn’t even bring herself to go back into the bathroom.

This was strange. Was she haunted? I asked if anything unusual had happened recently.

Xu Meng explained that a man had died in her bed not long ago. She seemed to think that’s when the strange things began happening. The man had died while she was with him. He was probably too excited, and within minutes, he passed away. The authorities let her go quickly, but ever since that night, she’d felt like something was following her.

Xu Meng was a year older than me, and her life had been tough. Her father had been a gambling addict and had his hands and feet chopped off when he couldn’t repay his debts. Her mother remarried an older man who treated them badly. When Xu Meng was eighteen, this man assaulted her, but her mother, seeing him as the family's breadwinner, wouldn’t let her report it. In a fit of anger, Xu Meng ran away to Zhonghai City. Two years later, she returned, driving a Honda, and had made something of herself. But the villagers still looked down on her, calling her names.

I wasn’t one to judge. Xu Meng was a good person despite her past, and she often sent money back to help orphans in our village.

After hearing her story, I had an idea. I wasn’t sure if she was truly haunted, but I knew that a good ghost tattoo could surely help.

I suggested a ghost tattoo called "Ghost Beggar Yaksha." Yaksha is a type of hellish demon, part of the Eight Divisions of Heaven. While regular Yakshas were known for eating people, the Ghost Beggar Yaksha fed on ghosts. This tattoo cost twenty thousand.

Xu Meng frowned at the price. She worked in a place where money came quickly, but that didn’t mean she was willing to part with it easily. Besides, how could she get a tattoo of an evil demon? Wouldn’t that scare off her customers?

She hesitated, and I worried that the deal might fall through.