Chapter Thirty-Three: The Black Jade Qilin

According to Old Liao, the most crucial aspect of the underworld trade isn’t the strength of your abilities, but your grasp of social nuance. In this business, entanglements of interest and even the poaching of clients are inevitable. Brother Wang’s warnings to me the other day have gradually become a knot in my heart; after much deliberation, I decided it was best to draw a clear line between us.

Yet, to be fair, Brother Wang has shown some sincerity. Over the past few days, thanks to his introductions, more and more small business owners have come to me for tattoos. I had to implement an appointment system, and the shop—so spacious—was suddenly bustling beyond my expectations. Fortunately, all these clients were here for ordinary tattoos, none of that shadowy underworld work; the money I earned was steady and clean.

After these busy days, I planned to give myself a brief holiday, close the shop for a few days, unwind my taut nerves, stock up on supplies, and enjoy a period of leisure at home.

Returning from the supermarket, I saw Old Liao talking with a young man. Upon seeing me, Old Liao hurried over and whispered in my ear, “A big job just came in. If we land this deal, our little shop will be safe for five years.”

I raised my eyebrows—such good fortune? From afar, the man’s figure was tall and broad-backed, clad in a black hooded robe, his back turned to us.

“Be polite. He’s no ordinary person,” Old Liao said nervously.

I nodded and strode forward. “Friend, who might you be? Show us your credentials.”

The hooded man stood about one meter eighty, his face obscured by the hood and messy hair covering half an eye. He remained silent, a pure black waist token hanging at his side, engraved with an abstract image of a qilin.

“From the Wu family of the thieves’ gate?” Old Liao exclaimed.

The young man nodded, his unremarkable eyes fixed on me. “You are the inheritor of Yin-Yang Embroidery?”

I scrutinized his exposed skin above the chest and noticed something unusual—he had an enormous Yin-Yang Embroidery across at least half his body! I could faintly see patterns like antlers peeking out.

He slowly removed his hood, revealing a face beautiful as a woman’s, strikingly delicate, yet his calm gaze radiated a chilling killing intent, clearly displeased with my scrutiny.

I felt awkward. “Brother, you…”

“This design, can you restore it?” He handed me a slip of paper. I unfolded it—it was the very ‘Ink Jade Qilin’ depicted in the manual!

He is a calamity fated to cross my path!

I glanced at the paper and secretly showed it to Old Liao. Knowing me well, he murmured, “You mustn’t restore this design. If you do, your tribulation will arrive. At the very least, stall him for a while.”

“This pattern, only I can restore it,” I said, enunciating each word as I looked at him.

“Very well. Once it’s done, name your price,” he replied.

“May I see your tattoo?”

He said nothing more and removed his robe directly, revealing a muscular physique and two shocking scars across his back.

“The scars are from a zombie. The qilin tattoo is a family inheritance. Once activated with internal energy, it appears. But since I emerged from a tomb a year ago, the tattoo has lost its effect and is gradually fading,” he explained.

“A zombie? Tomb?” My head was full of questions. I turned to Old Liao, who was making exaggerated faces beside me. I examined the tattoo—though the qilin’s claws were fading, its fierce aura still obvious.

The qilin’s dragon claws stretched across his chest, the large tiger eyes gleaming with black light, the whole motif vibrant and imposing, covering much of his body.

The dragon-scaled carving technique was especially intricate. Upon careful inspection, it was indeed from my line of Yin-Yang Embroidery, though the handbook my grandfather gave me only skimmed over it—clearly, the records were incomplete.

The qilin combines lion’s head, deer antlers, tiger eyes, elk’s body, dragon scales, and ox tail. In tattoo art, motifs of auspicious beasts, ferocious beasts, and spirits are the hardest to master. As the foremost auspicious creature, for this young man to bear a qilin and remain unharmed speaks to his formidable strength.

“So, can you modify it?”

“Your Ink Jade Qilin can only be modified by me.”

He nodded. “The matter is urgent. I know you’ve only recently inherited Yin-Yang Embroidery. I’ll give you one year. For this year, I will guarantee your shop’s safety. After one year, you must restore my tattoo and allow me to return to that place. If you fail, I’ll see to it that Yin-Yang Embroidery withdraws from the underworld.” His tone was calm, but the underlying threat sent a chill through me.

“My name is Wu Linshan. In the trade, they call me Lin’er—you can use that name too.”

“Lin’er?” I thought the name sounded a bit flamboyant and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Let’s call you Little Lin, then. We look forward to working with you.”

Little Lin waved dismissively and tossed me a slip of paper. “It seems you don’t fully understand Yin-Yang Embroidery. The secret of Ghost Embroidery—let’s call it my deposit.” With that, he disappeared through the shop door.

I stared at the note in my hand and nudged Old Liao. “Old Liao, who exactly are the Wu family of the thieves’ gate?”

Old Liao gave a thumbs up. “Legends of the thieves’ gate—kings among grave robbers.”

“So, just tomb raiders?”

“Hey, you ignorant brat. They say the family carries a special bloodline, tattoos that unlock the body’s potential. Their blood is immune to poisons and can even ward off ghosts. But the clan keeps to themselves, rarely seen in the world.”

“And their Yin-Yang Embroidery tattoos…”

“That’s the crux. I suspect there’s more magic to your Yin-Yang Embroidery, just like the Wu family’s tattoos. Perhaps it’s what Little Lin called Ghost Embroidery!”

Old Liao began to smoke again, his features relaxing as he lay back on the sofa. “And I wager, Yin-Yang Embroidery once held a pivotal place in the underworld, so powerful even the Wu bloodline relied on its strength!”