After a person dies, even if they undergo zombie mutation, it's impossible for them to speak again—let alone when, like my grandpa, their head is missing.
The situation was so bizarre that even Philip, a Celestial Master, stood stupefied. His throat seemed stuffed with defeat, his mouth hanging open without producing any words.
'Grandpa's time is running out. Remember what I say next.' Grandpa's voice emerged once again from the headless body.
'First, you must earn one hundred million within three years. Then, during the Ghost Festival three years from now, burn that hundred million in real cash for me. Only then will I be able to return.'
'Second, if your parents come looking for you, you must find an opportunity to kill them and burn their bodies. Remember this.'
'Third, before you were born, I made a bet with someone about the child in his wife's womb. If it's a boy, he'll serve you like an ox without complaint. If it's a girl, she'll become your wife—even better fortune. His wife bore twins, so if you want both, he wouldn't dare refuse. That man's name is Jennings, from Vervecity. Remember, continuing the Tang family line is your top priority.'
'Fourth, close this village tattoo parlor and go to Vervecity. I used to run a shop there—the key and address are in the black box under my bed. For the special dyes used in Gods and Ghosts Tattoos, visit Christoph at Vervecity's crematorium. With the skills I've taught you, obtaining the dyes and earning one hundred million in three years there won't be difficult.'
'Fifth, today I was meant to repay a decades-old debt. But to save you, I only paid half and returned. You must repay the remaining half for me. Don't worry about finding them—the creditors will come to you themselves.'
After grandpa finished speaking, the headless body began walking slowly forward. No matter how desperately I shouted, it never turned back.
A gloomy wind rose as I noticed many people lining up behind grandpa, all moving slowly forward. They wore cloaks, some dressed in burial garments. Even in the darkness, I could see their paper-white faces.
The sudden appearance of so many figures made me doubt my eyes, but when I blinked, they had vanished along with grandpa. I screamed for him and tried to give chase, but Philip restrained me forcefully.
'Don't go out. Though most evil spirits have departed, lone ghosts remain. It's still unsafe,' Philip warned.
He wasn't lying—scattered dark shadows crouched in corners outside, resembling human zombies. But with Philip present, these solitary spirits dared not enter.
Only at dawn did the entities finally disappear. Though safe now, when I ventured out, grandpa had long vanished. I couldn't even find his severed head. His fate and whereabouts remained unknown—whether dead or alive, I couldn't tell.
I asked Philip, but he had no answer. He only muttered, "A headless underworld general leading the way to the Yellow Spring, the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin subduing all directions... The Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts legacy is truly formidable. Your grandfather was a master. Even with my Taoist arts, there are many things I cannot yet comprehend. I only know he took all those evil ghosts with him. It seems the body in the deep forest wasn't his—but why did it look so much like him?"
I ignored him, letting him ramble. My mind was set on finding Grandpa, but it seemed he was truly gone...
From morning until sunset, I searched the entire village, yet there was no trace of him.
Only then did I remember Grandpa's words—earn 100 million and burn it for him. Would that bring him back?
But why real money? A hundred million!
How many tattoos would I have to do to earn that much in three years? Even if I worked until my hands fell off, it would be impossible!
No—I had to save Grandpa. Even if it meant risking my life, I had to make that hundred million in three years.
Grandpa, wait for me!
I returned to the tattoo parlor, my head hanging low. Philip was still waiting there. I noticed the red hairs on his neck had multiplied, and his corpse spots had grown larger and more numerous. His face, too, had grown paler. Would this guy end up turning into a jiangshi? At this point, he barely looked human anymore.
Philip had saved my life. If he hadn't protected me, those ghosts would have devoured me before Grandpa returned. So, to keep my promise, I had to give him a tattoo.
After a whole day without eating, I quickly downed a bowl of instant noodles, then began considering which Tattoo of Gods and Ghosts could remove the red hairs and corpse spots from Philip's body.
Philip had analyzed that normal zombies don't grow hair—only black or white hair when they become jiangshi. Red hair meant something even more powerful, so his corpse poison was especially potent and sinister. Those three zombies were definitely not ordinary.
After hearing Philip's explanation, I fell deep into thought before finally suggesting, "Why don't we fight poison with poison? I'll tattoo a Yinggou for you."
Yinggou was originally one of the Yellow Emperor's generals, but after a fatal mistake led to military defeat, the emperor, enraged, banished him to guard the Yellow Spring and the Underworld Sea.
Resentful of his fate, Yinggou encountered the fragmented soul of the ancient divine beast Hou in the Underworld Sea. Tempted by the remnant soul, Yinggou fused with the yin and yang spirits, eventually becoming one of the Four Ancestors of the Jiangshi.
"I don't believe it—even the Ancestor of the Jiangshi can't suppress your red-haired corpse energy?"
"You're going to tattoo me with the Ancestor of the Zombies? My... my fate line?" Philip looked surprised. Indeed, tattooing the ancient Ancestor of the Zombies was extreme, and he worried he might "hiccup" (die) within days of getting it.
I reassured him. "No matter how fierce the Ancestor of the Zombies is, he's still just a jiangshi—not a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. Sure, he's got a big head, but if I tattoo him without his fangs, he'll be nothing but a toothless tiger. A jiangshi without teeth can't kill."
"However..." I added, "On the first and fifteenth day of every month, you must wash this tattoo with animal blood—but never chicken blood. Chicken blood's yang energy is too strong and will offend the evil spirit in the tattoo."
Also, this tattoo couldn't be inked on the back—otherwise, it would become "carrying a corpse," and the weight of the Ancestor of the Zombies would crush him to death. It couldn't be on the chest either ("sleeping with a corpse"). So, I decided to tattoo it on his arm.
Philip eyed me with skepticism but had no choice but to trust me.
I took out the dyes and tattoo tools, then began inking Yinggou onto Philip's arm. The workload wasn't huge, but the small space made it tricky, requiring extra precision.
As a Celestial Master, Philip recognized the ingredients—corpse blood, cremated ashes, and corpse oil—and his expression darkened.
I gave a bitter smile. "Don't ask. You don't want to know." He complied without further questions.
By 11 PM, after nearly four hours, the Yinggou tattoo was complete. Its power was immense—I wondered if Philip could still exorcise demons with it.
Too exhausted to leave, we stayed overnight at the parlor. The next morning, I woke to find his corpse spots and red hairs gone—but his mouth was parched. When I offered water, he croaked, "I want... blood."
"Don't scare me! If you turn into a jiangshi, I'm your first bite!"
I rushed to the village and fetched bowls of pig blood, sprinkling it over the tattoo. Strangely, the blood seeped into the ink, turning it reddish. Thankfully, Philip's bloodlust faded.
"As long as you feed it blood on the first and fifteenth of each month, this shouldn't happen again," I said.
With the red hairs and corpse spots gone, Philip's complexion returned to normal. He thanked me profusely—the Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts were bizarre, but undeniably effective.
I told him there was no need to thank me - he had saved me once, and now I was returning the favor. This time, I wouldn't charge for the tattoo.
Finally, Philip left me his phone number, saying he was also based in Vervecity. "If you ever need help in the future, don't hesitate to contact me," he said before leaving.
After Philip departed, I searched under my grandpa's bed and found an antique-colored wooden box. When I opened it, the contents frightened me so badly I nearly threw the box across the room.