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After Shen Yiqiong had carefully and attentively photographed the tattoo on Zhou Jiayu's waist, Zhou Jiayu could finally pull up his pants again.

"Just what can this tattoo do?" Zhou Jiayu asked.

"We don't know either, we're researching it now." Shen Yiqiong lowered his head and looked at his camera, frowning. "When Sir was working on your tattoo, did he say anything?"

Zhou Jiayu tried to recall, but he had completely no impression of anything he had said to Lin Zhushui. The only thing he could remember distinctly was the ice-cold sensation of Lin Zhushui's hands firmly pressing on his waist.

Shen Yiqiong saw Zhou Jiayu shake his head with a vacant expression and sighed, "Forget it, I suppose even if he'd said anything, you probably wouldn't understand."

Zhou Jiayu felt acutely their discrimination against weak students.

Because it was inconvenient for Zhou Jiayu to move about, the task of cooking once again fell onto Shen Yiqiong and Shen Erbai. The two attempted to pass off that responsibility to each other and in the end, when the hunger got too much to bear, they used the game "guess which hand has the coin" to decide who would cook.

Shen Yiqiong entered the kitchen with a sombre expression while Shen Erbai sat back on the sofa with his computer and continued looking into the tattoo on Zhou Jiayu's body.

Shen Erbai should be close to Zhou Jiayu's age. A pair of glasses hung on his face, and his temperament was relatively composed. But from Zhou Jiayu's observations, once he started quarrelling with Shen Yiqiong, almost all of Shen Erbai's IQ and EQ would be pulled down by Shen Yiqiong to the same level, then he would be defeated by Shen Yiqiong's ample experience.

The sound of the fire starting came from the kitchen. Before, Zhou Jiayu had always been curious as to why they were this resistant to eating. This puzzling question was very quickly answered — he ate the noodles Shen Yiqiong made.

A bowl of noodles with a little soy sauce poured in, and placed in it were half-raw vegetables and a charred-black fried egg.

Zhou Jiayu looked at it for a long time without eating.

Over there, Shen Erbai had already made mental preparations, slurping up the noodles with a calm expression. Shen Yiqiong said to Zhou Jiayu, "Go on, eat. You don't have to be courteous, after all there are still some left in the pot."

Zhou Jiayu: "…" He tried a mouthful of noodles and felt his butt hurt even more.

Some people's destinies were such that they should not enter the kitchen. With the same procedures, with the same materials, they will take the delicious ingredients and forcibly turn them into some dark cuisine.

At this moment, Zhou Jiayu finally understood why the attitudes of those in the house towards him improved after he made a meal.

The black soy sauce had dyed the noodles black. Looking at it made one lose all appetite, tasting the flavor would let one have doubts about life.

Zhou Jiayu was still trying hard to eat when he saw Shen Yiqiong, seated opposite him, even gulp down the murky black soup. Once he was done, he wiped his mouth and ran off again in high spirits to continue researching the photograph. Zhou Jiayu watched him radiate health and vigor and thought to himself, youth really was great. In contrast, when he finished noodles of this sort of flavor, he truly felt that there was no meaning to life.

Shen Erbai's expression was similar to Zhou Jiayu's. Halfway through, he took off his glasses and said simply, "It'll taste a little better if you can't see it."

Zhou Jiayu: "…" Just what kind of life were you guys living.

When he finished the noodles, Zhou Jiayu returned to his room. Several ointments were arranged on the desk in his room. They should be the ones Lin Zhushui mentioned before.

After his shower, Zhou Jiayu twisted his body around to apply the medicine. He was not sure if he was mistaken, but as he was struggling to apply the medicine, he thought he saw the swimming fish on his waist wag its tail.

Zhou Jiayu froze. "Ji Ba, did you see that?"

Ji Ba said, "What?"

Zhou Jiayu said, "I think the fish on my waist moved."

Ji Ba replied, "I didn't see it."

Zhou Jiayu stared carefully at that tattoo for a while. It was probably a trick of the light. He sighed, "Ah, it really feels like I've switched worlds, or something similar." After all, he had been an atheist previously.

Ji Ba did not say anything. It squatted on the tortoiseshell and buried its tiny feet in its fluffy feathers.

After Lin Zhushui gave Zhou Jiayu the tattoo, he did not appear for several days. Until one day, near the end of June, visitors suddenly came to the garden.

The visitors were a man and a woman. They sat on the living room sofa, the woman's back towards Zhou Jiayu, as she asked Shen Yiqiong, "When can Mr Lin meet us?"

Shen Yiqiong, on the opposite seat, had his head down looking at something and said casually, "Just keep waiting."

The woman's tone turned somewhat unpleasant. "We've already waited twenty minutes—"

Before she could complete her sentence, the man seated next to her held her back. "Xiao-Jie [1], please be patient."

"How can I be patient? With how busy I am, how do I have the time to waste here? Rui-ge [2], this person isn't some swindler, right?" The woman called Xiao-Jie said.

Zhou Jiayu found this woman's voice to be strangely familiar. Shen Yiqiong saw Zhou Jiayu come downstairs and, ignoring the lady throwing a tantrum, said to him, "Zhou Jiayu, what are we having for lunch?"

Zhou Jiayu replied, "Let's have fish, didn't they deliver fresh fish yesterday?" As he talked with Shen Yiqiong, that bad-tempered lady also turned her head around.

Zhou Jiayu saw her appearance and was slightly surprised. He had indeed seen her before, though it was on television.

Ruan Yunjie; she was a three-star celebrity in the entertainment industry: movie star, TV star, and music star [3]. A few years ago she was the queen of the industry and her works were constantly released in recent years. She even won quite a few notable awards from overseas. Even Zhou Jiayu, who did not follow the entertainment industry, had seen her works and knew this person.

Ruan Yunjie and the man next to her followed Shen Yiqiong's gaze over to Zhou Jiayu. She said, "Is this also a disciple of that Mr Lin?"

Shen Yiqiong did not reply. Instead, he beckoned Zhou Jiayu over.

Zhou Jiayu slowly walked over and heard Shen Yiqiong say, "Look at her, can you see anything?"

Zhou Jiayu looked at Ruan Yunjie, the surprise in his eyes growing. Before, he was further away and did not look too closely, so he did not notice anything odd. This time, he was closer and thus realized that Ruan Yunjie's entire lower half seemed to be immersed in thick black fog. The thick fog seemed to have a life of its own, swirling and whirling around the lower half of her body, making her face stand out in an especially unpleasant way.

"I…" Although Zhou Jiayu saw it, he felt this was not a good time to mention it. He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing, I don't see anything."

Shen Yiqiong was not buying it. "Don't bother. If even I can see it, how could you not see it too?"

Zhou Jiayu said helplessly, "So what if I see it, I can't do anything about it."

Shen Yiqiong said, "Hmm… you've got a point."

As Ruan Yunjie listened to the mystifying conversation between these two, her brows drew tightly together. "What are you talking about? What 'can you see it or can you not'? If you have something to say, spit it out. Don't speak in riddles and try to pull one over us."

Rui-ge frowned. "Xiao-Jie!"

It was unclear what the relationship between them was, but after getting reprimanded, Ruan Yunjie sneered and did not say any more.

Shen Yiqiong had always had a fiery temper. Even though he was apprenticed under Lin Zhushui, he was from a prominent fengshui family. Adding to that, his natural talent was pretty good, so he had been pampered since young. Besides, in this line of business he had met more than a few bigwigs, so people like Ruan Yunjie did not impress him. If it were not for the fact that Ruan Yunjie was Lin Zhushui’s guest, he probably would have long since turned hostile.

On the other hand, Zhou Jiayu did not have any particular feelings about it. All of his attention had been taken away by the black smoke engulfing Ruan Yunjie and the dark circles under her eyes.

Ruan Yunjie huffed and sat back on the sofa. Rui-ge, looking ashamed, said, “Sorry about that, this is just how she is…”

Shen Yiqiong immediately gestured for him to stop. “Don’t tell me, wait for Sir and tell him instead.”

Embarrassed, Rui-ge agreed.

It was the end of June and summer had arrived. The path outside the garden was shaded by the clustered trees, so it did not feel too sweltering hot.

The wooden building that Zhou Jiayu lived in had no air-conditioning or electric fans. He had no idea what method they used, but the temperature inside kept within twenty-five and twenty-six degrees [4].

When Lin Zhushui arrived, Zhou Jiayu was close to falling asleep, his entire body leaning on the sofa’s armrest, eyes half-lidded.

Shen Yiqiong’s voice woke him up from this sleepiness. He said, “Sir, you’re here!”

Lin Zhushui made a light sound of acknowledgement.

Zhou Jiayu immediately snapped awake at the sound of Lin Zhushui’s voice. He rubbed his eyes and saw Lin Zhushui standing before him. Despite walking in from outside during this hot summer day, there was no trace of sweat to be seen on Lin Zhushui. He lifted his hand and gently turned the jade bracelet on his right wrist, the pale fingertips drawing Zhou Jiayu’s gaze.

Lin Zhushui said, “How are you?”

Ruan Yunjie thought Lin Zhushui was asking her and opened her mouth to say, “Mr Lin, we’ve been waiting for you for so long and you still don’t know how we are?”

Lin Zhushui coldly said, “I wasn’t asking you.”

Ruan Yunjie was struck dumb by this. This time, Zhou Jiayu noticed Lin Zhushui’s face was tilted towards him ever so slightly, and realized Lin Zhushui was asking after him. For some reason, he felt a little embarrassed, a light blush dusting his cheeks. He mumbled, “I'm, I'm fine.”

Lin Zhushui said, “Did you apply the medicine properly?”

Zhou Jiayu replied, “Yes, yes." The tattoo had already set completely; the pain was gone and the skin had healed nicely.

Lin Zhushui asked and Zhou Jiayu answered, completely ignoring Ruan Yunjie. Her face darkened with rage. Indeed, because of who she was now, wherever she went she would almost always be the center of attention. Most who met her would quickly turn eager and earnest, giving her a proper welcome. Who would dare to give her this kind of cold reception?

Ruan Yunjie snorted a laugh, nearly gnashing her teeth in anger. She thought, today, if this Lin Zhushui fellow won't give her an answer, she definitely won't let him off!

Compared to Ruan Yunjie, Rui-ge’s attitude was, simply put, completely reverent and respectful. He said, “Mr Lin, sorry to bother you.”

Lin Zhushui said, “Why should you be?”

Rui-ge stared blankly at him.

Lin Zhushui said, “I can't save her.”

A violent shiver ran through Rui-ge's body. Desperately, he said, "Mr Lin, only you can help me now—"

Lin Zhushui's expression was as cold as a jade statue's. He took his time walking towards Ruan Yunjie, whose eyes were filled with suspicion, and spat out five words: "Face of an early death." [5]

Rui-ge was paralyzed from head to toe, and Ruan Yunjie's expression froze. If anyone else had dared to say this to her face, she would have long since lashed out. But when faced with the cold-as-frost Lin Zhushui, that anger turned into a fear that had Ruan Yunjie's heart in a death grip.

"Changhen mei, sunken tianzhong, small face, low nose." Lin Zhushui's words were as indifferent as ever, as though what would break was not someone else's life, but some insignificant thing. "You meddled with something you shouldn't have, didn't you?"

Ruan Yunjie's eyes widened, her lips trembling uncontrollably. "I, I don't know what you're talking about…"

Zhou Jiayu was mystified by the conversation and had to rely on Ji Ba to provide a simplified version. Ji Ba said, "Changhen mei refers to eyebrows and eyes set close together, tianzhong is the space between the eyebrows. I don't think I have to explain small face and low nose."

Zhou Jiayu said, "Ji Ba, you're awesome."

Ji Ba proudly raised its adorable little head. "Nobody can do without Ji Ba!"

Zhou Jiayu: "…" No, girls actually do not need you at all.

Lin Zhushui said to Rui-ge, "You should have known too. Since you didn't stop her at the beginning, what's the point of looking for me now?"

Rui-ge's face was as white as death. He fished out a cigarette from his chest pocket with trembling fingers, only managing to light it after three, four attempts.

Lin Zhushui did not push him, just continued waiting quietly.

Rui-ge said, "Xiao-Jie, you, tell him your problem. If not, I have no way to help you anymore."

Ruan Yunjie had been standing, overbearingly and aggressively, but after hearing what Lin Zhushui said, she found herself somewhat unable to continue standing up. She went to Rui-ge's side and slowly sat down, her expression stiff. "He hasn't said anything substantial. What if, what if he's a fraud, trying to trick me…"

At Ruan Yunjie's words, Shen Yiqiong glanced at Zhou Jiayu, patting his shoulder and whispering into his ear, "You see, this is all thanks to swindlers like you."

Zhou Jiayu: "…"

Shen Yiqiong asked, "If you encountered this, how would you handle it?"

Zhou Jiayu calmly said, "This client is too big, I'm afraid I'll need to do preparations first before proceeding."

Shen Yiqiong said, "That makes sense."

Although they kept their voices low, Lin Zhushui should be able to hear them. Even though he did not have a reaction, Zhou Jiayu noticed the index finger and thumb of his right hand hanging at his side slowly rubbing together. This frightened him enough he immediately shut up.

"If you don't throw away the thing you've placed in your headboard, your child will not be able to reincarnate." Lin Zhushui's tone was fairly cold. "Seeking my help is useless. What goes around comes around, what should be paid will still be paid."

Ruan Yunjie's entire body immediately froze up. She gasped heavily, eyes filled with fear. Lin Zhushui's words had hit her soul's deepest fear. Her bed was different from others. Its headboard was hollow and could be opened, and she had placed very special things inside it. This was something only she knew, something she had never told even Rui-ge, the person closest to her.

"The thing in the headboard?" Rui-ge was confused and turned towards Ruan Yunjie. "Xiao-Jie, what did you put in the headboard—"

Ruan Yunjie forced a smile. "It's, it's the thing I asked for from Thailand that time…"

Rui-ge said, "You really dared to meddle with those things? Didn't I tell you don't get involved with those things!!" He was apparently angered to the point of agitation and leapt to his feet. "Things have come to this and you're still deceiving me??"

Ruan Yunjie did not speak. She only hugged her arms, trembling. That overbearing woman from before was gone. When she lifted her head to look at Lin Zhushui, the condescension and suspicion had turned into fear and pleas.

"Mr, Mr Lin," Ruan Yunjie began, "I was wrong before. You, you are indeed very powerful. Please, see if, if you can save me?"

Lin Zhushui was silent.

Ruan Yunjie's laugh sounded like a sob. "I can give you money, lots and lots of money…"

Lin Zhushui closed his eyes, appearing as though he were an unfeeling statue of Buddha, remaining unfazed, untouched despite the worshippers' pleading and weeping.

Off to the side, Zhou Jiayu and Shen Yiqiong did not dare to speak a word.

Cigarette butts quickly piled up on the ashtray in front of Rui-ge. His voice had turned hoarse too. "Mr Lin, Xiao-Jie is the one I love. I can't stand by and watch something happen to her. Please, can you help her…"

Lin Zhushui started gently turning the jade stones on his wrist again.

Seeing that Lin Zhushui did not immediately refuse him, Rui-ge said hurriedly to Ruan Yunjie, "Xiao-Jie, come here quickly, tell Mr Lin exactly what happened in detail."

Although Ruan Yunjie nodded, her eyes lingered on those two behind Lin Zhushui, Shen Yiqiong and Zhou Jiayu. She said, "They…" Even though it had came to this, she obviously still had apprehensions about their identities, afraid that rumors that should not be spread would leak out.

Rui-ge spat out, "They're Mr Lin's diciples. Things have come to this already and you're still worried about them? You really don't want to live anymore."

Ruan Yunjie gritted her teeth. "Fine… I'll talk…"

"It began last month. At the beginning, I had nightmares, the same one everyday…" Ruan Yunjie began. "I dreamt I was laying in bed, and there were rustling sounds coming from within the house. Then, I'd see a piece of dried human skin slowly squirming, crawling towards me…"

Zhou Jiayu was not afraid of ghosts, so listening to this was as though he were listening to a story. Shen Yiqiong was similarly indifferent. Lin Zhushui gently turned the jade beads on his wrist.

"That human skin will crawl from the living room to my bed room, then finally to my bedside." Ruan Yunjie's face paled, appearing almost bloodless. Seeing this, Rui-ge could not help but take her hand in his, and only then did Ruan Yunjie slightly regained her voice. Carrying a sobbing tone, she continued, "Then, it will slowly drape itself over my body…"

"In the dream, my consciousness was very clear, to the point where I could feel that human skin gradually fusing together with mine." Ruan Yunjie said, "Everyday, I'm scared awake…"

Here, Lin Zhushui asked, "How long exactly have you had this dream?"

Ruan Yunjie counted carefully. "It started after my birthday last month. From then until today, it has been twenty-six days."

Lin Zhushui nodded. "Continue."

Ruan Yunjie said, "I thought my nightmares were because I was too tired, so I took a half-month break. But just last week, I discovered…"

Lin Zhushui listened quietly.

Ruan Yunjie burst into tears. "I discovered, when I woke up, a chunk of skin on my belly had been peeled off—"

After she said this, the entire house's temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

Zhou Jiayu was frightened and then, he felt a bolt of pain on his arm. He turned his head around and saw that Shen Yiqiong, the bastard, had his shoulder in a death grip, excitement written all over his face, looking exactly like a dog about to be let out to play.

"…Oi," Zhou Jiayu said. "Not so hard."

Shen Yiqiong realized suddenly he was using too much force and loosened his grip. Eagerly, he said, "This is a big case!"

Zhou Jiayu: "Why're you so happy?"

Shen Yiqiong said, "Practical experience!"  

Zhou Jiayu: "…" Go on and say that a little louder, see if Lin Zhushui will throw you out.

[1] 小婕 (xiao3jie2): xiao is added to her name to create a pet name.

[2] 睿哥 (rui4ge1): ge usually means "older brother", but here it's tacked onto his name to create a pet name.

[3] 娱乐圈三栖巨星 (yu2le4quan1 san1qi1ju4xing1): 娱乐圈: "entertainment circle/industry", 三栖 refers to the three capabilities/skills: acting in a movie, acting in a TV drama, publishing songs. 巨星: "superstar", also an astronomy term "giant star".

[4] Celsius, not farenheit. Converted it is 77-78.8°F.

[5] 早亡之相 (zao3wang2 zhi1 xiang1): 早亡: "early death", 之相: "facial appearance of…"; those with this kind of face tend to die early.

Trivia

天理循环因果报应 (tian1li3xun2huan2 yin1guo3bao4ying4) is very elegant and "what goes around comes around" sounds crude in comparison, but the meaning is similar. "The natural order is cyclic and karma will ensure retribution" is my very inadequate and possibly inaccurate translation and I don't trust it enough to put in the chapter proper.

Lin Zhushui's bracelet seems to be a string of jade beads, like a pearl necklace.

Lin Zhushui initially said 床头上 (chuang2tou2 shang4), "on/above your headboard" but this causes a contradiction because Ruan Yunjie had placed it inside the headboard, and if it were on/above the headboard, Rui-ge would probably have seen it. Might be my misunderstanding though.

 

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