Chapter Sixteen: Joining the Ranks

Isn’t this the Yin-Yang Embroidery I made for Xu Feifei? Why is it appearing on this piece of human skin?

I quickly opened the news app, my forehead beaded with anxious sweat as I waited. The headline screamed: “Shocking! Young Wealthy Businessman Tortures, Murders, and Skins His Wife!” The lurid content was sensational, but I never imagined such horror would unfold so near to me. How did this tie into the thread of fate? “Confession Video Exposed! Click to watch details.”

I tapped to view. On screen sat a young man, blood-soaked, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, quietly perched on a chair. His hands trembled, his eyes hollow and vacant, yet he gave a gentle smile to the camera: “Hello, netizens. I am Zhou Feng, CEO of XX Group. Just now, I killed my wife, who stood by me for five years. I will peel off her skin and affix it to my own body, so she will never leave me again! You must wonder why. I love her, but why does she have to leave me?

These days, I bought her designer bags, luxury cars, houses. Her desires kept growing. When our family money was spent, she pressured me to embezzle company funds. I agreed. I couldn’t refuse her. Every night, after sleep, a voice whispered in my ear: If I don’t satisfy her needs, I’ll die—I’ll perish at the hands of a vengeful ghost!

But it doesn’t matter, because I love her. I can’t bear to lose her. When all the money was gone, she… she wanted to leave me! I would never allow it! I let her die quietly, painlessly in my arms, then, blade by blade, skinned her body, draped it over myself. We will be together forever. Hahahahahaha! We will never part, ever!”

His expression was manic, clutching the skin in his arms as he laughed wildly. But as he laughed, glittering tears silently slid from the corners of his eyes. He cried out, releasing his emotions—his gaze held longing, regret, sorrow, and above all, relief. The ghostly claws on Xu Feifei’s skin, tightly entwined, the red threads of the embroidery tangled together, just like Zhou Feng holding Xu Feifei in the video—their fates bound together, never to part.

Did the white cat truly devour humans? Was it my Yin-Yang Embroidery that doomed Xu Feifei, or her insatiable desires? A strange exhaustion swept over my consciousness. I had only wanted to fulfill her wish, to keep the pair together forever.

Did Zhou Feng love her? And did she love Zhou Feng, or just his money? No one could say. Perhaps when Zhou Feng’s execution was carried out, and they met again in the underworld, the truth would finally be revealed.

I began to doubt my own abilities. Was the Yin-Yang Embroidery a blessing or a curse? The deaths of Old Ma and Xu Feifei left me disappointed, fearful.

“The Yin-Yang Embroidery does not decide its host. It is the host who chooses their own fate.” A hoarse voice broke my reverie. Looking up, I saw a ragged Taoist priest politely knocking at the shop door.

I gestured for him to enter. He brushed the dust from his robe, greeted me with a bow, and stepped inside.

“Master, yesterday when you saw me, you meant to warn me, didn’t you? But still, I failed to save Xu Feifei.”

“All things return to their roots. Returning is tranquility. Tranquility is destiny. Each person has their own fate. Even if you hadn’t given her the Yin-Yang Embroidery, she would have died by the white cat. The outcome would be the same—it was her tribulation. If she passed through, she and her husband would be loving until old age. If not, to become a pair of ill-fated lovers in the netherworld is perhaps a blessing, too.”

“May I ask your name, Master?” I bowed deeply in respect.

“Qingfeng Temple, Capital—my title is Zuting.”

“This is our third meeting, isn’t it?” A sudden realization struck me.

“Such sharp observation, young friend. You are truly promising.”

“Master, if you already knew Xu Feifei’s fate, why didn’t you tell me directly? Maybe I could have prevented such a terrible outcome.”

“The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed. To probe heaven’s will is to invite disaster.” In Zuting’s eyes, I seemed to glimpse another emotion—sorrow, regret…

That evening, I invited the Master to dine, suggesting hotpot, but worried it might break his ascetic vows. Unexpectedly, he laughed heartily: “Having left the order, what vows remain? Luckily, my skills persist—I manage to scrape by.”

He ate mutton heartily, lacking any otherworldly demeanor. I was embarrassed. As he tossed tripe into the hotpot, he said, “I came south this time, actually to find you.”

I paused, surprised. “Did we… know each other before?”

“Your grandfather sent me. My task can only be fulfilled by someone versed in Yin-Yang Embroidery.”

“You know my grandfather?! Where is he now?” I stood up, shouting. The stares of other diners made me deflate and sink back to my seat.

“We met once. He said what I must do can only be done by Zhang Xu of Southern Guangdong.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t tell you yet. Your understanding of Yin-Yang Embroidery isn’t deep enough—later, perhaps. But…” Zuting’s face was grave as he looked at me. “I can stay and serve as your advisor. Friends’ price—twenty thousand a month.”

I spat out my cola, hurriedly protesting, “I can’t afford that! Besides, after everything that’s happened, I truly don’t want to do Yin-Yang Embroidery anymore.”

“You have the fate of Nine Yin Convergence, and missing soul fragments—don’t you want to know why? As for embroidery business, don’t worry, my feng shui skills can help you.”

After two minutes’ thought, I gritted my teeth, recalling the eerie scene where Black-and-White Impermanence had singled me out, and my grandfather whose fate was unknown. I slammed the table: “I agree!”

“Just call me Old Liao from now on. ‘Master’—that was my previous life.”