In the times of famine, people had nothing to eat. To survive, they were forced to consume children.
However, unable to bear the thought of eating their own, they would exchange their children with others. After the grim feast, the bones were discarded on the barren mountains, which were littered with the remains of the young.
With no food for humans, dogs were in the same predicament. Some dogs would scavenge the mountains for the children's bones. Over time, these dogs began to shed their fur and grow the faces of children. At night, they even emitted cries like those of a child. People called these dogs "Canine Children".
A Taoist said that the dogs were ingesting not only the bones but also the resentment of the deceased children. Consuming too much would shorten the dogs' lifespans, but those that survived, the Canine Children, showed they could freely consume such resentments without harm.
Accordingly, the Canine Child tattoo can swallow resentment and should have no problem suppressing such hostility, though I'm uncertain about Hu Bingbing's condition and, as the Canine Child is an Underworld Tattoo, it requires careful consideration before inking.
Aizi Xing suggested to return at night when negative energies or malevolent spirits are more likely to appear, to assess the situation before tattooing.
His logic was sound, and we all looked to Hu Bingbing, who hesitated but ultimately agreed with a smile. However, she noted that we might not see the child's spirit manifest.
I reassured her that as long as she could see it and relay the information to us, that would be sufficient. Having encountered spirits before, I was confident in distinguishing between resentment and spectral beings.
Hu Bingbing gave each of us a card, a pass for entering the residential area, facilitating our nocturnal visit.
After we departed from Hu Bingbing, Aizi Xing appeared puzzled by the sun overhead, wondering aloud whether the problem lay with the people or the villa.
Observing his preoccupation, I pressed him for details.
He pointed to the sun blazing directly above us, stating it was midday, when the sun is at its strongest. But then he gestured towards the villa.
Given its location, the villa should have been bathed in sunlight, yet peculiarly, it was engulfed in shadows, devoid of light.
Perplexed, I voiced my confusion—could I have misunderstood the basics of physics?
Regardless of our considerations, the sunlight should have illuminated the villa, and yet, it did not.
Strange indeed! Could the villa itself be problematic? Maybe this insidious issue of Hu Bingbing's bore no relation to her abortion—it might stem from something inherent to the house.
But no, Hu Bingbing had consistently denied it, claiming strange events only began after the abortion.
Could she be lying? Doubts plagued me. Was the issue with the person, the house, or both?
No wonder Aizi Xing had been so distracted. Now, not just him, my thoughts were in disarray, too.
He warned that this matter was complex; we needed to investigate thoroughly before proceeding, particularly with an Underworld Tattoo.
Though I had secured another business deal, the grief of losing my twin's spouse enveloped me, casting a shadow of melancholy. With no further customers that afternoon, I pondered how to locate this Zhao Dong, but to no avail. Relying on mere chance could take a lifetime, I feared.
As the evening approached, I planned to visit Hu Bingbing's home with Aizi Xing, but then unexpectedly, Xu Meng called.
Xu Meng told me that ever since she became pregnant with the corpse child, she took leave from work, planning to return after dealing with it.
But in recent days, a peculiar man started appearing at her doorstep. Dressed in a suit and carrying a knife, he incessantly knocked on Xu Meng's door.
Peering through the peephole, Xu Meng was terrified and hastily called the police. However, when the authorities arrived, they found only a paper effigy in front of the door.
This incident didn't happen just once; it had been three consecutive nights. Now the police no longer believed Xu Meng's claims and even considered taking her to a psychiatrist, questioning how a paper figure could knock on the door, let alone wield a knife.
Xu Meng insisted that it was the paper effigy knocking; she wasn't lying. The disagreement ended with both parties dissatisfied and Xu Meng too scared to speak out, fearing she might be sent to a mental health specialist.
Yet, she was terrified that the man in the suit would come again tonight, so she called me for help.
That's when I thought of the ghost crone. Aizi Xing once mentioned that her paper effigies could turn into spectral soldiers capable of killing. If Xu Meng insisted on terminating the corpse child, she could be in grave danger—perhaps the crone intended to kill her.
I had to go and see for myself, dreading the possibility of misfortune. That ghost crone had mysterious ways of causing death, and no one would know if something happened to Xu Meng.
I had no choice but to leave Hu Bingbing's matter for Aizi Xing to check and went alone to Xu Meng's house.
Xu Meng had sent me the address, and soon I arrived. After climbing the stairs, I saw no paper effigy or man in a suit that Xu Meng described.
I knocked on the door and heard Xu Meng's voice, trembling and fearful. I identified myself, and only then did she open the door with reassurance.
Upon entering, she clung to me tightly—the quiver of her body was palpable.
"I was so scared, do you know? Every night at midnight, the man in the suit comes and knocks on the door, holding a long watermelon knife. If I call the cops, he turns into a paper effigy. It's horrifying."
As she spoke, Xu Meng gripped me even tighter, her fright evident, nearly suffocating me.
Her body was fragrant and soft, almost breath-taking. I'm twenty years old and haven't even held a woman's hand before.
"Did… did he say anything?" I didn't push her away; her emotional state was volatile and insecure—I couldn't do that to her.
"He told me to open the door and threatened that if I dared to abort the corpse child, he would stab me to death and throw my body from the building. Tang Hao, I'm really scared!" Xu Meng's voice cracked with tears.
I consoled her not to fear, I was with her for the night. It seemed we must deal with the paper effigy once and for all, or Xu Meng would have no peace.
Thus, Xu Meng stuck close to me until midnight, hesitant to leave my side.
I tried calling Aizi Xing to inquire about his situation, but his phone was turned off.
Damnit, what was he up to? There's no way his phone was just out of power.
Just then, the knocking started, and both Xu Meng and I jumped.
It had begun!