Chapter Seventy-Five: Overcoming Cunning with Force

“Killing with a borrowed knife... what a cunning scheme!” I muttered under my breath, recalling how Old Jin had once casually warned me: Never destroy someone’s livelihood—there are countless sinister schemes in this shady underworld.

It seemed the Dragon Ridge dismemberment case had truly brought disaster upon me.

Perhaps, the dried centipede Yangzi sent me earlier had been a warning? Maybe she had long known she couldn’t escape the clutches of the Man in the Colored Robe.

“What should we do? Should we report what happened to Yangzi?” Lao Liao smacked me on the back of the head. “Are you out of your mind? Do you want to hand yourself over and make them suspect you? Once or twice could be explained away as coincidence, but if you show up at the scene for a third time, do you think you’re Conan Edogawa or something?”

“But what about Yangzi? No matter what, she did spare me when it came to the bug curse.”

“That’s easy!” I watched as Lao Liao changed into a black trench coat, pulled up the collar, put on a knit cap, and walked out the door.

I had no idea what he was up to, and Hu Ji just shrugged.

After Lao Liao left, Hu Ji sidled up to me and asked, “What do you think of Old Jin?”

His question surprised me, but I answered honestly: “He treats me like a nephew. He can be a bit greedy and profit-driven at times, but he’s always been good to me.”

Hu Ji’s expression grew even more grave. “But the Old Jin I know isn’t like that. I had business dealings with him a long time ago... He’s actually ruthless—very ruthless.” He scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. “Forget it, maybe I’m overthinking it.”

Ruthless... In what way? Was it his methods, his cunning, or something else entirely?

We chatted aimlessly, and before long, Hu Ji insisted I play mobile games with him to rank up.

Watching his 2-16 score, I couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

As the blue “victory” flashed on the screen, Hu Ji cheered, “Nice play, Bro Xu! I’m such trash!”

I heard footsteps outside—Lao Liao had returned.

“Who’s trash?” I ignored his comment, eager to ask where he’d gone.

“I went to the police. But I used a public phone booth that hasn’t been used in years.”

“Aren’t you worried about being exposed? That would make us even more suspicious…”

“Relax, with my skill, my counter-surveillance is top-notch. I took so many turns in the alley I lost count, and I left no traces in the booth.

We obviously didn’t do it, so why do I feel like we’re the murderers here…

“But I still think you should figure out what we’ll say if the police come for us. After all… they all have those Yin-Yang tattoos…”

We discussed this question all night.

The sun rose as usual, but only one day remained before the final deadline.

If only Lin was here. With his skills, he wouldn’t fear the mark at all. As the saying goes, “strength overcomes cunning.” But no one knew where Lin was now, or if we’d survive this ordeal.

As expected, the news of Yangzi’s death eventually reached the police, though the body was found on campus, and they tried their best to suppress the information.

But gossip spread faster in the university than anywhere else. In no time, rumors of a girl committing suicide for love or a teacher assaulting a student became the talk of the campus at South Guangdong University, the subject of endless jokes.

In my shop, Officer Yezi stood before me, her gaze sharp as a blade.

At that moment, Officer Yezi wore her hair short, long earrings dangling from her ears, a fashionable floral blouse and slim jeans. On the street, she’d be the very picture of a modern woman.

“Officer Yezi… I never expected you’d look so feminine in that outfit.”

“What did you say?!”

Seeing the flames of anger in her eyes, I quickly clapped a hand over my mouth.

“Talk,” she demanded.

“Talk… about what?”

“Still pretending? Why do all the victims have tattoos done by you?”

“Well… would you believe me if I said it was a haunting?”

“Are you trying that line with me again?”

“Come on, I really don’t know anything. You’ve investigated, right? I wasn’t even at those places during the times of death!”

I had a solid alibi and plenty of evidence proving my innocence.

As the air grew colder and colder, a burly figure appeared at the door.

“Lin! You’re finally back!” Lao Liao, ever quick to suck up, rushed toward Lin, who dodged nimbly and came to stand before me.

“I need to talk to you. About the Qilin.”

“Alright, let’s go outside.” Judging from Lin’s serious expression, it must be something grave. I hurried out with him.

“Wait. Police. Show me your ID.” Officer Yezi called out, eyes locked on Lin.

She grabbed his thick arm, flashing her badge with the other hand.

“Let go.”

“…”

“I said let go. Don’t make me say it a third time.”

Lin’s voice was low and commanding. He stamped his foot, and a surge of energy seemed to burst from him. Officer Yezi’s posture wilted under the pressure, and she let go of his arm.

Unwilling to concede, Yezi reached behind for the handcuffs on her belt…

“Hey, hey, it’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding,” Lao Liao quickly inserted himself between them.

“He’s… our shop’s consultant. We call him Lin.” I explained, not wanting the police to get tangled up with Lin, given his background and profession.

“I still hope you won’t hide anything and will cooperate fully with our investigation.”

“We will, we will!” Lao Liao replied with an awkward smile, ushering Officer Yezi out the door.

A tough customer, that one.

Night deepened. The four of us sat around the table discussing recent events.

Lin glanced sidelong at Hu Ji, who was still gaming. “The Hu family—always sticking their noses where they don’t belong?”

Hu Ji, young and hot-blooded, bristled at the remark. “What’s that supposed to mean? Think the Wu family’s so great? Come on, let’s go a round!”

I grabbed Hu Ji and dragged him back, the boy flailing like a four-clawed cat, cursing all the while.

“Lin, just tell us what’s going on.” I could tell he was on edge—normally, he’d ignore Hu Ji, but today he was the one to provoke him. Something must be wrong.

“The last tomb I visited… there was a problem. Whatever was in there may be the reason my Qilin tattoo is fading.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“If possible, I want you to come with me to the tomb.”

What? Tomb raiding? Not to mention the risk of running into the living dead, getting caught tomb raiding will get you thrown in jail. Who would dare get involved?

“Of course, I’m not asking you to go down—just to provide backup above. It’s complicated. I may need your Yin-Yang tattoo techniques.”

I gave a vague promise.

“But this curse mark—how do I break it?”

Night fell deep and heavy. On this last night, having Lin there brought me comfort.

He walked over to the wall, feeling the mark. Midnight struck, and the last stroke of the mark burned bright and wild!

Lin pressed two fingers against the blazing mark and, with a slight push, drove them straight into the wall.

What terrifying strength!

Through his shirt, I could just make out the bulging muscles and the Qilin tattoo spreading across his chest, back, and arms.

The power of the Qilin Ghost Tattoo was summoned once more.

As the final mark turned blood red, the five bars merged into one. I quickly pressed my palm against it, and the familiar dizziness swept over me.

But this time, everything was different.

The first person I saw was Wei.

He was at a gambling table somewhere, laughing heartily and sweeping piles of chips toward himself.

“Hahaha, tonight’s been a real haul!”

“Do you dare bet with me?” The man across from him pushed all his chips into the pot, his gaze taunting.

“Please, do you think your Grandpa Wei’s ever been scared?” Wei matched him, cool and confident.

The mysterious man curled his lips in a sinister smile.

The outcome was clear. The man toyed with the ring on his finger, chuckling.

Wei stared dazedly at the now-empty table before him.

“I have one more bet for you. Dare you play?” The man propped his head on his arm, watching Wei with interest.

“What are the terms?”

“If you win, all this money is yours.” He gestured at the mountain of chips.

“And if I lose?”

“If you lose, you leave your life behind.” The gambler was no longer ordinary—a chill swept through the room, feathers drifted, and in a flash, he transformed into the eerie Man in the Colored Robe!

“Wei, don’t do it!” I screamed at him from the side of the table.

He seemed to hear something and turned suddenly, searching for the source, but he didn’t see me.

“Deal!” Wei gritted his teeth, full of unwillingness.

“Good spirit. Let’s play,” the Man in the Colored Robe replied, his laughter strange and sharp.

The result was inevitable.

Wei lost.

With a flick of his sleeve, the Man in the Colored Robe conjured a huge curved blade and slammed it onto the table. “Will you do it yourself, or shall I?”

All the other gamblers sat oblivious, too absorbed in their own games to notice.

“Leave your life,” the Man in the Colored Robe snapped, lunging across the table at Wei with terrifying speed.

“No!” I shouted at the scene with all my might.

Just as the blade was about to touch Wei’s wide, terrified eyes, a voice suddenly rang out behind me.

“Witchcraft from the borderlands—enough of your tricks. Do you have a death wish?!”