Chapter Forty: The Serpent Coils Around the Peony

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The snake has always been a creature rife with controversy. Snake tattoos, too, come in countless varieties, and among the ancient beliefs, snake totems are among the earliest to appear. In truth, the meaning of the snake extends far beyond the modern interpretations of coldness and evil. In ancient times, the snake symbolized longevity and wealth, which is one reason the snake totem was so revered.

The motif of the snake entwined around the peony is a beautiful one: at the center of the design blooms a large peony flower, its colors vivid, and from the lower petals to the heart of the blossom, a green snake coils upward. According to the records, this Yang embroidery bears no harm, so I am filled with confidence in this design.

“So, what do you think? Will this one do?” I held the sketch out for her to examine.

“It’ll do. Let’s go with it!”

I nodded. It wasn’t a large design; I could finish it today.

“The fee is forty thousand. Alipay or WeChat?” I randomly pulled out a payment code.

“What if you finish and there’s no effect? Wouldn’t my forty thousand be wasted? I’m at least a public figure—having a snake tattoo would be hideous! And if I come after you, you’ll just deny everything.” Xiaoqi eyed me suspiciously.

Seriously, do I look like someone who’d cheat people?

“My shop’s right here—I’m not going anywhere. Believe it or not, it’s up to you.” I finally understood: this female streamer was clearly difficult to deal with. Never mind, whether or not I get her business doesn’t matter much to me.

“Unless you sign an agreement with me, otherwise I’ll report you to the consumer protection bureau.”

“Fine.” I gritted my teeth. It wasn’t about making money from her, but my line of work really shouldn’t be flaunted in the public eye, let alone be reported. Whether the association would even handle it was another matter, but it’d definitely bring unnecessary trouble to my daily life.

Better to avoid complications. I decided to oblige her, since I was confident in this Yang embroidery.

As usual, I called Lao Jin for the materials and waited while Lao Liao and Xiaoqi bantered.

“You streamers must make good money, right? These days, a live broadcast can bring in tens of thousands in tips—much easier than running a shop like us.”

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“It’s really not like that. For signed streamers like me, the platform takes forty percent of the daily gift revenue, and there’s all the exposure tricks. You have to constantly compete against similar streamers, and my popularity really can’t afford to drop any further.”

I listened from the side, clicking my tongue in surprise. So every trade is tough, after all. On social media, people say female streamers just act cute on camera, fleece rich fans, and rake in millions, but it seems that’s not always true.

Still, judging by Xiaoqi’s appearance, her cuteness would probably be devastatingly effective.

Soon enough, Lao Jin’s assistant arrived. It was always the same young man delivering materials, Lao Jin called him Amao, nicknamed “Swift Legs”—supposedly born with legs fit for long journeys, always sent into the mountains to capture spirits and hunt ghosts.

With the materials ready and the design confirmed, it was time to begin the tattoo.

Unlike ordinary tattoo ink, colored painting gives the design a more vivid, lifelike visual effect. This snake-and-peony motif blends red and green. I grabbed Xiaoqi’s hand, squeezed out two drops of her blood, and let them fall into the spirit jar.

Instantly, a shrill scream echoed and the jar began to tremble violently.

“What’s happening?!” Xiaoqi’s eyes were filled with unmistakable fear.

“What’s going on? Didn’t you say this one wasn’t dangerous?” I pulled Amao aside and whispered.

“It’s not dangerous. The spirit this time belonged to a homebody—died suddenly while surfing the web. Shouldn’t be any grudges here.” Amao shrugged helplessly.

A homebody? A female streamer? Good heavens, could that be causing this reaction?

Fortunately, after two or three minutes, the jar’s violent reaction subsided.

Seeing the moment was right, I had Xiaoqi lie down on the tattoo bed. The technique this time was “embrace,” and the location was just below the collarbone, above the chest. Most women choose this spot; trendy ladies usually go for the collarbone, ankle, or forearm. After all, everyone loves beauty, and in summer they can show it off.

Still, after the plump girl undressed, the scene was a bit hard to bear. I glanced back—Lao Liao had already slipped away.

Cursing him silently for leaving me alone to endure the sight, I picked up an alcohol swab to disinfect her. All I could do was silently pray she wouldn’t have an allergic reaction to the needle.

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The tattooing went quite smoothly. Before long, a blooming peony appeared beneath her collarbone, the base of the design essentially completed. We chatted idly; truth be told, this girl’s story was rather pitiable.

In recent years, live streaming has exploded among college students. Xiaoqi majored in journalism and media, and under normal circumstances, would have interned at a TV station or newspaper, becoming a proper media professional. But while in school, she dated a boyfriend who watched female streamers every day and spent her hard-earned money tipping them.

Jealousy clouded her judgment. Seeing her boyfriend fawning over half-naked streamers on screen, and knowing she was attractive herself, she impulsively entered the streaming world.

After breaking up, her channel grew increasingly popular. At first, she just chatted with viewers, sang a little, flaunted her looks. Unfortunately, her voice was nothing to brag about, so she switched to the then-hot eating streams.

Beautiful face, slender figure, tempting food—that was Xiaoqi’s brand as a newcomer to eating streams, and her popularity soared. But unchecked eating, broadcast every day, took its toll—her figure deteriorated, leaving her as she was now. Her fans gradually left, her popularity waned, leading to today’s events.

With the tip of the needle, I traced out the shape of the green snake, marking tiny scales on her skin. As the tail, body, and head emerged, the design began to take shape.

“All right, the basic outline is done. Since your tattoo is colored, you’ll need to come back after the swelling goes down for the coloring. Don’t worry, once it’s finished, it’ll look great! Your fans will return, little by little.”

“When I come back for the coloring, I’ll bring the contract. If it works, I’ll promote you in my stream.”

Xiaoqi hurriedly got dressed and left the tattoo shop.

“Tch, as if I’m trying to take advantage of you. Back when Xu Feifei was in front of me, I didn’t even budge—I’m a real gentleman.” I thought to myself, though perhaps Xu Feifei’s death was connected to me, in some way.

As for Yin embroidery, I decided I absolutely cannot tattoo it for clients anymore. From now on, I’ll focus on Yang embroidery—steady business is best, after all, since lives are at stake. Having made up my mind, I picked up Brother Xiaolin’s design and studied it closely.

The more I looked, the more something about it seemed to echo the ancient book I owned. I quickly got up, retrieved the red-covered tome, and gently stroked the ink-black jade kirin embossed on the cover, suddenly enlightened: “Heh, so ghost embroidery holds such mysterious secrets.”