Chapter 24: Fetal Grudge

Hu Bingbing's boss suddenly felt as if his throat had been stuck with a fishbone one day; drinking water and eating food caused him pain, and sometimes even breathing was difficult.

After a visit to the hospital, the doctor couldn't find anything wrong and did not detect any foreign object in his throat. Medication was prescribed, but it did not help even after several days.

The boss then sought out a mystic, who told him that he had offended someone and had been cursed with a descending spell.

This type of curse could only be removed by the one who cast it, the mystic said he was unable to lift it. The situation was dire; Hu Bingbing's boss was doomed if it continued unresolved, as his throat pain worsened, coughing up blood, and he dared not drink water due to the intense pain.

After consulting several mystics to no avail, who all agreed that without the caster, such a curse was practically unbreakable.

Despairing, with his throat in severe pain, the boss was contemplating death.

Eventually, he was referred to Tang Yun, my grandfather.

The boss had lost all hope, but my grandfather's Underworld Tattoo revived his spirits. Hu Bingbing was present too, accompanying her boss to my grandfather's tattoo parlor.

My grandfather tattooed a spine-chilling Underworld Tattoo of a ghost patting on the back. The pattern alone was extremely terrifying.

It depicted a female ghost with her face buried in horrifying long hair, and a rotting hand gently resting on the boss's back. So lifelike was the tattoo that the female ghost seemed to be really lying on his back, patting it lightly.

My grandfather instructed the boss to sleep face down for three nights, and the problem would be resolved.

It really worked. Three days later, Hu Bingbing's boss was healed; his throat no longer troubled him. Out of curiosity, Hu Bingbing asked the boss what the solution was.

The boss mentioned that the ghostly tattoo was even more sinister than the curse he had been afflicted with. Every night, he followed my grandfather's advice and slept face down.

In the middle of the night, a chilling hand suddenly smacked him on the back.

Startled awake and feeling nauseous, he couldn't help but vomit all over the bed.

Guess what he threw up? Hair!

For a full minute, the boss vomited disgusting strands of hair, which were so frightening that he immediately burned them.

This ordeal happened for three consecutive nights; each time, someone harshly patted his back at midnight. He turned around but saw no one, and then felt the urge to vomit, always hair.

After three days, the problem ceased, and he recovered miraculously.

The boss proclaimed my grandfather to be the true mystic, crediting the tattoo for lifting the curse. In appreciation, he attempted to bring gifts to my grandfather, but they were all refused.

Since then, Hu Bingbing has had a profound impression of ghostly tattoos, utterly astounded by their magic.

Later, Hu Bingbing experienced strange incidents; a fetus seemed to be haunting her, and her first thought was to seek my grandfather's ghostly tattoo.

But by the time she went to look for him, the tattoo shop was closed, and my grandfather had disappeared without a trace.

To this day, having seen a former apprentice of my grandfather's named Aizi Xing, she had him get in her car.

Thus, Hu Bingbing's reason for calling us today is to request a ghostly tattoo in hopes of freeing her from the terrifying fetus.

I say it's simple—if it's to ward off evil, just tattoo her with a demon-slaying yaksha or raksasa, that will do. Besides those, there are other exorcising tattoos though with slightly lesser effects.

But there's one question—what exactly is this thing that's haunting Hu Bingbing? A ghost?

If it were a ghost, it would be easy; the real fear is that it might be some other type of chaotic entity.

Logically speaking, if a fetus is not fully formed and is aborted, it should not turn into a vengeful ghost to haunt the mother.

At this point, Aizi Xing spoke up softly, "Young boss, this might be a 'fetal grudge.'"

"Fetal grudge?" I frowned, not knowing what a fetal grudge was.

Aizi Xing went on to explain that a fetal grudge is actually a resentment that forms when there are too many abortions. Fetuses have spirits, although very weak, but if too many are aborted, their collective resentment can become a fetal grudge.

A fetal grudge is not a ghost, but rather a mass of resentment. A tattoo designed to ward off ghosts may not be very effective against it.

"Wait, you might not have listened carefully to what I said earlier," Hu Bingbing interrupted Aizi Xing abruptly, "I told you, I only had one abortion. Where are all these fetuses you speak of coming from? I'm not a sow."

Hu Bingbing seemed a bit angry, as this topic could be seen as an insult.

Aizi Xing found it strange, then, where this fetal grudge could have come from. Just one abortion wouldn't typically lead to a vengeful return to haunt the mother.

Hu Bingbing insisted either believe it or not, but she has only had one abortion and there was surely no deceit.

Aizi Xing explained that wasn't his point; the situation was just peculiar. He then stood up and began looking around.

"Could it be that there's something wrong with this villa?" Aizi Xing pondered.

"That's not possible. I've lived in this house for quite some time, and there were no issues before, only after the abortion," Hu Bingbing countered.

"If there's nothing wrong with the house, then I'm at a loss," Aizi Xing confessed his confusion.

While Hu Bingbing and Aizi Xing were conversing, I suddenly saw a man standing in the corridor on the second floor, staring at me with a bloodless face, his mouth opening wide as if to say something, yet no sound came out.

This villa is a small two-story building; you could see the second floor's corridor from where we were discussing on the first floor.

The man was about the same age as Hu Bingbing, dressed in a white shirt, his complexion pale as paper.

Though he made no sound, from his lip movements, I thought I knew what he was trying to say.

"Is she, lying?" I inadvertently found myself echoing his mouthing.

"What?" Aizi Xing and Hu Bingbing looked at me, perplexed by my seemingly random statement.

"Ah? Oh, nothing." I replied reflexively once I realized what I'd said.

But when I looked up again at the second floor, the man had disappeared.

Strange, where did he go? He couldn't have vanished so quickly in the blink of an eye in such a long corridor.

"Miss Hu, are there other men in your home?" I asked Hu Bingbing.

I probably shouldn't have asked; celebrities' personal lives are often complex, and it's not unusual for them to have one or two men hidden away. However, I was genuinely curious—the man was too eerie.

"A man? Heh, you must be joking. I live alone, where would a man come from? Apart from my assistant and the housekeeper, there is rarely a fourth person in this villa," Hu Bingbing explained with a laugh.

She maintained her story, though I had just seen the man myself. Nevertheless, I understood her position; as a star in her prime, any rumor could be damaging, so it was not my place to probe further. I decided to act as if I hadn't seen anything.

As for why that man wanted to tell me that phrase, that puzzled me.

Back to the topic of ghostly tattoos, if Hu Bingbing is dealing with a ghost or evil spirit, then I'll tattoo her with a yaksha or a raksasa.

And if it is as Aizi Xing says, a fetal grudge, merely a mass of resentment, then I also have a corresponding tattoo called 'Qunhai' which is an Underworld Tattoo.