Chapter Eight: The Scarlet Colt

Sunlight—so blinding. Wait, this isn’t right. How did I fall asleep? I’m waking up in my own tattoo shop, but I distinctly remember I was at Old Zhao’s house, hunting ghosts!

Shaking my groggy head, I looked up to see Xiao Wei munching an apple, watching me as though I were an idiot.

“You traitor! Do you even realize how close I came to never returning? There really are ghosts in this world!”

“You probably haven’t fully woken up yet. I bought you some buns. The guy who dropped you off this morning left a note with his phone number. I’m heading out to make deliveries.”

Muttering, I struggled upright, scratching my messy, tangled hair and sitting dazed in the chair. Last night, I clearly saw a ghost possess Lady Zhao, hell-bent on killing us. How, then, did I wake up in my own shop?

I glanced at the paper slip on the table, snatched it up: “Neither man nor ghost, neither ghost nor man; the heart of a ghost is easy to know, the heart of a man impossible to fathom.”

Four short lines, and I was utterly perplexed. Luckily, there was a phone number. I hurriedly dialed Aji’s mobile: “Hey, Aji, where are you? I need to ask you something.”

“Ah, I’m at the airport, heading back to the northeast soon. Want to play King of Glory? Let’s slaughter a round together!”

“I’m not in the mood for games—what’s the meaning of your note?”

“...” Silence on the other end. “All I can tell you is, maybe you’ve made things too complicated—or maybe too simple. The secrets of heaven can’t be revealed. You’ll have to dig out the truth yourself. But don’t worry, your life is safe, even though you almost wet yourself from fright last night. So, are you up for a game? I’m about to board—ranked match! I’ll support you, let’s play!”

I hung up with a smack. Such deliberate mystique—he obviously already knows the truth. I flipped over the slip and found a line of tiny handwriting: “Your Yin-Yang tattoo truly opened my eyes. I hope one day to experience its marvel. —Nine Dragons Coffin.”

Nine Dragons Coffin—again! I never expected to encounter such a notorious design just after taking up the Yin-Yang tattoo. The ancestral catalog claims this Nine Dragons Coffin is my greatest peril. But both the catalog and the letters were sent by him. What is his connection to my grandfather and the Yin-Yang tattoo?

(Three days later)

“Knock knock knock!” Heavy pounding interrupted my intense computer game. Old Zhao poked his head in, then sat down with a strange expression. “Boss Zhang, Old Ma is dead.”

“What?”

“Check the morning news.”

“According to the local police, a male corpse was found early today on the XX highway. His face was covered with bright red mane, growing out from his features. Police identified him as Ma XX, a local truck driver, forty-six, with no criminal record. The case is under investigation.”

“Red horse mane, crimson foal! Quick, let me see your tattoo!”

Old Zhao hurriedly took off his shirt, flustered and unable to turn his head fully due to his size. I grabbed his hefty torso and examined carefully—the red mane of the foal tattoo had turned pure black, indistinguishable from an ordinary steed at a glance.

“It really might be connected to the tattoo, but I clearly gave you a Yang stitch, which isn’t harmful. Why did the red mane on your tattoo grow onto Old Ma?”

“That’s exactly why I came to you. Last night, the foal appeared in my dream...”

“Huh?”

“He told me Old Ma would harm me, and he was protecting his master. I thought it was just a normal dream, but then first thing this morning, I heard Old Ma was dead.”

“Don’t overthink it. All the bizarre events ended three nights ago. Let it go. How’s business lately?”

“Hey, thanks to the tattoo, all my vehicles have been running smoothly. Not a scratch, not a bit of paint lost. It’s miraculous. Here’s two hundred thousand in cash. I’m mainly here to settle up today, hehe.”

“This is double the price we agreed on.”

“Don’t say that. If the foal really saved me from disaster, I’d add another zero. Getting old—I believe in these things.”

I didn’t refuse further, accepting my very first windfall, already planning to buy a car in a few days and show off to Xiao Wei, that fool. After brief pleasantries, Old Zhao left. I flipped through the catalog’s drawing of the red foal—it seemed to leap and roar on the page, bounding, galloping, frolicking, radiating joy.

(One month later)

Suddenly, I slipped into a deep sleep—my mind lucid, but unable to wake. In my dream, I lay in a vast grassland. A beautiful woman in a red dress approached, leading a red steed. She sat beside me and said, “Thank you, for fulfilling my wish.”

“You are...?”

“That night, I pretended to be the fox spirit to scare you. Actually, I’m Old Zhao’s ex-wife. His current wife and Old Ma plotted to kill him. According to his will, she would inherit everything, and Old Ma would take over. The two had been involved for ages.”

“You’re the ex-wife who died in the car accident?”

“That’s right. I know Old Zhao has felt guilty all these years, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave this world. Seeing him marry again and thrive, I was ready to depart in peace. But when I learned of Old Ma’s affair with that woman, and fearing for Old Zhao’s safety, I had to stage the fox spirit scene to warn him. Fortunately, your tattoo helped immensely. Old Ma is dead. For this past month, I’ve inhabited that woman’s body, enjoying sweet days with Old Zhao. I have no regrets in this life. I came to thank you—farewell.”

In a flash, I returned to my own bed, suddenly recalling Aji’s four lines: “Neither man nor ghost, neither ghost nor man; the heart of a ghost is easy to know, the heart of a man impossible to fathom.” I finally grasped the meaning behind Aji’s urging to seek the truth myself.

A few days later, Old Zhao told me his wife had suddenly become deranged, but this past month had been his happiest time. No matter how she changed, he was resolved never to abandon her.

I knew she had departed, leaving only an empty shell behind. But perhaps this is the most perfect ending.