The sudden scene made me freeze completely. Whether it was the will-o'-the-wisps floating mid-air or the strange paper figures carrying the sedan chair, everything was unbelievable - that eerie kind of unsettling that makes your hairs stand on end and sends icy chills crawling up the soles of your feet.
I wasn't exactly afraid, nor was I terrified, but rather overwhelmed by this creeping weirdness that seeped straight into my brain.
"What kind of creature are you? Don't play ghost games in front of this Celestial Master!" Stella bellowed.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
A shrill old woman's voice came from within the sedan chair. Her laughter was unpleasant to hear, and combined with the four PAPER FIGURES carrying the chair in the dead of night, it sounded utterly terrifying.
"Little girl, even your master wouldn't dare shout at me like that," the old woman finally spoke, though she still didn't emerge. The black paper sedan chair seemed weightless, with no visible movement inside. The sickly green will-o'-the-wisps flickered intermittently, like flaming human skulls floating in the air.
"What's with this woman? So arrogant, acting all high and mighty," Stella muttered, clearly unsettled. Yet she didn't dare act rashly without understanding what they were dealing with.
"Will-o'-the-wisps leading the way, paper figures carrying a sedan chair... she's Nuwa's Forsaken Shade!" Stein seemed somewhat afraid of the old woman, hiding behind me and speaking in hushed tones.
From Stein's words, it appeared he knew something about this old woman.
"Stein, come out. This tattoo parlor hasn't operated for twenty years, and Rhett isn't here. Who's in charge now?" The old woman seemed to know Stein as well.
Stein didn't dare come out, remaining hidden behind me. He seemed too afraid to answer the old woman directly, instead pointing his stubby finger at me in response.
"My, judging by your age, you must be Rhett's grandson, correct?" the old woman in the sedan chair asked again.
I didn't answer immediately, instead turning to look at Stein behind me. "Stein, who is this person? Do you know her background?"
Stein nodded and explained that the old woman's nickname was Nuwa's Forsaken Shade, and her real name was unknown.
Originally a Southern Shaman, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade had married a sixty-year-old Paper Craftsman when she was twenty-eight. The old man's papercraft skills were so extraordinary that legends said his paper figures could move as freely as living people - an utterly sinister ability. The young Nuwa's Forsaken Shade had married him precisely to learn his craft.
After bearing the old man a son, he finally taught her his Paper-crafting Art. Nuwa's Forsaken Shade then combined this with her own sorcery to create a new form of Yin-based magic.
This Yin-based magic of hers is so sinister that I've heard the paper figures Nuwa's Forsaken Shade animates can act as Yin soldiers to kill for her.
There's a rumor that an entire village was once slaughtered overnight, leaving no survivors—human or animal. Among the piles of corpses, investigators found numerous paper figures.
Of course, in this day and age, no one can be convicted based on mere rumors and a bunch of paper figures. Besides, it's nearly impossible for a woman to single-handedly massacre a village, so naturally, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade was never charged.
Moreover, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade isn't just skilled in Yin-based magic—she's also utterly ruthless.
She married the old man solely to steal his craft. Once she mastered his Paper-crafting Art, she turned both him and their son into paper figures and burned them in front of the house. How cruel is that?
Because of this, Stein is terrified of her. Back when my grandfather was in charge, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade came a few times to request tattoos and even met Stein. But every time, my grandfather refused her. In front of him, she didn't dare cause trouble—she just left in defeat and never returned.
After speaking, Stein shrank back, clearly still afraid of Nuwa's Forsaken Shade outside. He muttered that if she held a grudge against him and turned him into a paper figure, it would be the end of him.
Someone like her is indeed terrifying. But why is she here tonight? Is she here to request another Tattoo of Gods and Ghosts?
I don't want to do it for her, but I don't have my grandfather's skills. If I refuse, will she retaliate?
I glanced at Stella beside me. Could this girl handle her?
"Well? Are you Rhett's grandson or not?" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade asked again, her voice even sharper this time.
"Yes, I am Rhett's grandson, Roger. May I ask why you've come so late at night?"
I answered while calculating in my mind—if she asks for a Tattoo of Gods and Ghosts, should I agree? And if I refuse, what excuse should I use?
But things took an unexpected turn. Nuwa's Forsaken Shade wasn't here for a tattoo—she was here to stop us from interfering with Chloe and the Corpse-Fetus.
She warned us to stay out of Chloe's affairs. She's the woman the Lam family has chosen. Mr. Lam's only son, Simmel, died suddenly, and it was Nuwa's Forsaken Shade who used revival by corpse possession to bring him back. That's how Chloe became pregnant with the Corpse-Fetus.
That Corpse-Fetus is the Lam family's last hope. If we dare interfere, we'll face the consequences!
So, the mastermind behind all this is Nuwa's Forsaken Shade! To use Chloe as a tool for the Lam family, caring nothing for whether she lives or dies? Hmph, this woman is truly merciless.
Besides, about this surrogacy - did Chloe ever agree to it?
"Heh heh heh..." Nuwa's Forsaken Shade actually laughed sinisterly at my words, a chilling sound that made my skin crawl.
"You know better than I do what this Chloe does for a living. When it's all done, the Lam family won't treat her poorly. That body of hers would be used anyway."
"Do you think I'd willingly choose a woman like this to continue the Lam family line? It's only because her birth chart shows fate without fortune - born with bitter destiny, born in the year of the rat at midnight. Her inherently yin nature makes her the only suitable vessel for the Corpse-Fetus."
"Once the Corpse-Fetus is born, she won't need to care for it. I have my own methods to raise it into a proper human. When the time comes, Mr. Lam will compensate her handsomely. Isn't this beneficial for both sides?"
Oh, how nicely Nuwa's Forsaken Shade puts it. If it were truly mutually beneficial, why not discuss it openly with Chloe instead of scheming in shadows? Does she really think people are fools?
The Corpse-Fetus pregnancy is inherently dangerous - who would risk their life just for money?
"Let's not talk about other things - your young master Simmel possessed another's body. The child conceived - can it really be considered the Lam family's?"
This question had always puzzled me. In a corpse-possession revival, only the spirit is Simmel's. Shouldn't the child biologically belong to that dead driver?
"Heh, don't trouble yourself over that. I've taken care of it with my craft. A week prior, I had Isabella from the nightclub secretly administer witch's brew to Chloe's drinks."
So Isabella was working for Mr. Lam all along! No wonder she'd rather die than talk. Perhaps this Mr. Lam is even more ruthless than the nightclub's Hames - too terrifying to betray.
So Chloe had been dosed with witchcraft long ago. No wonder she could conceive the Lam family's Corpse-Fetus through a possessed corpse.
"For your ancestors' sake, I'm explaining this as courtesy. If you still insist on interfering... next time I won't be so polite!"
With these final words, a sudden "poof" sounded as the palanquin burst into flames. The four paper figures burned to ashes along with it. The will-o'-the-wisps dimmed instantly, thudding to the ground - revealing they were actual skulls, now charred black...
What just happened? Was there never anyone in the sedan chair? Then who had been speaking?
This Nuwa's Forsaken Shade... how terrifyingly powerful is she?