That voice and what she said - I didn't even need to look to know it was Stella. I'd only met her once, but her spunk had left quite an impression.
Just as well. She was a Celestial Master after all - if anyone could handle this Corpse-Fetus situation, it would be her.
Stella stormed in and immediately started scolding me when we locked eyes. "So what if I owe you 20,000 dollars? Was complaining to my sister really necessary? It's not like I won't pay you back!"
I waved off the money talk and pulled her aside. "Forget the money for now. Tell me - can you handle a Corpse-Fetus? If you can, we can delay the payment."
Truth was, I'd already given Stella my account details. If she'd really had the money, she would've transferred it long ago. Since she didn't have it anyway, might as well have her work off the debt by helping us - better than going to Philip and dealing with that whole mess.
"Corpse-Fetus? That serious?" Stella frowned, her gaze shifting to Chloe. "You?"
Chloe wiped her tear-streaked face and nodded, then recounted everything that had happened.
Stella's expression darkened with anger. "This...this treats women like livestock! Whether aborted or carried to term, a Corpse-Fetus drains the mother's life force - either fatal or leaving her chronically ill. And future pregnancies would be nearly impossible."
She slammed her fist against the wall. "Corpse possession and surrogacy? The conspiracy behind this uses women as mere tools - sacrificing living beings to resurrect the dead. Disgusting!"
Her anger quickly gave way to pity as she looked at Chloe. Though strangers, Stella's outrage burned for Chloe's suffering.
"Anger won't help," I interjected. "We need solutions. Chloe's pregnant with a Corpse-Fetus - what do we do? Any ideas from the Celestial Master playbook?"
Stella pondered for a moment before responding decisively: "The Corpse-Fetus must be terminated. Under no circumstances should it be born."
"The real challenge is minimizing the damage. Aborting a Corpse-Fetus always harms the mother - residual corpse energy lingers in the womb, inevitably causing chronic weakness and illness."
"However..." She straightened up. "The Celestial Master sect has something called Corpse-Dissolving Liquid that can terminate the fetus while minimizing harm."
Corpse-Dissolving Liquid? I recoiled at the name. "Isn't that what they use to dispose of bodies? Pour it on a corpse and the whole thing melts - bones and all. Like sulfuric acid on steroids."
Stella shook her head. "Not that kind. This specialized Corpse-Dissolving Liquid is formulated specifically for Corpse-Fetuses. It's made by collecting morning dew from the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, then combining it with a Corpse-Vanishing Talisman."
The morning dew contains the most abundant yang energy of the day, especially on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. Combined with the Corpse-Vanishing Talisman, it can certainly dissolve the Corpse-Fetus in Chloe's stomach without causing excessive harm to her body. While some physical depletion is inevitable, it can be replenished later.
The only problem is collecting this kind of dew isn't easy - we have to wait for the right day. Today is already the eighth, so we'll have to wait another week. And the Corpse-Vanishing Talisman needs to be purchased, costing about five thousand dollars per sheet.
Given the current situation, Chloe wouldn't balk at five thousand - even fifty thousand would be worth it if it means getting rid of this terrible Corpse-Fetus. But since the first of the month has passed, we'll have to wait until the fifteenth to collect the morning dew.
At least the fetus won't be born immediately, so we can afford to wait. Seeing this hope, Chloe's expression relaxed slightly.
Just then, a gloomy wind suddenly howled loudly. The doors and windows rattled violently as a black shadow appeared outside, crouched on all fours in a twisted, horrifying position - exactly like Sadako from ghost movies - as if it might come crawling toward us at any moment.
"Aiyo, damn! Ghost! Little Boss!" Stein screamed in terror, ducking behind me for protection.
I was somewhat surprised. "Weren't you so confident before? How come you're so scared of seeing a ghost that you nearly pissed yourself?"
Stein explained, "I only know the theory - I can't actually catch ghosts. And this ghost is too terrifying!"
I reassured him, "There's nothing to fear. Chloe has the Ghost-Begging Yaksha tattoo, and we have a Celestial Master here. That ghost wouldn't dare come inside."
My words proved correct. The ghost outside maintained its threatening posture for a long time - strange and frightening indeed, made even more horrifying by the eerie dark night - but it fucking didn't dare enter.
"Is that you who impregnated this girl with a Corpse-Fetus, huh?" Stella taunted angrily. "You've got the nerve to do the deed but not face the consequences? With your cowardice, when you get to the underworld you'll be damned to hell with no chance of reincarnation!"
Stella certainly had a sharp tongue. Her words enraged the ghost, which actually began slowly crawling toward us as the gloomy wind grew louder.
Clearly, hearing our plans to abort its child had made the ghost anxious enough to try scaring us. It probably didn't expect to be so thoroughly insulted by Stella upon appearing, provoking its temper into confronting us.
Stella showed no fear. After a cold snort, she produced a yellow Taoist talisman with her right hand, her lips moving rapidly as she muttered incantations I couldn't understand.
With that kind of verbal speed, whoever becomes her boyfriend is in for a treat!
But before the fight could begin, we suddenly heard a loud "Zha!" as a black shadow appeared on the wall.
The shadow held a staff, with an ugly face, long fingers, and a mouth full of fangs.
When the ghost saw it, its body trembled. After giving us one last unwilling look, it began slowly retreating.
Immediately, the gloomy wind dissipated and the ghost vanished, followed by the shadow on the wall.
"Hehehe, look! That ghost wasn't afraid of you, Celestial Master - it feared my Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts! In the end, it still came down to me at the critical moment!" I said triumphantly. I didn't expect Stella to respond by suddenly stomping on my foot with a sneaky move, hurting me so badly I grimaced and tears sprang to my eyes.
"Tch, says the one who was hiding behind me!" Stella crossed her arms, her face full of disdain.
Whatever. I'm a grown man who won't stoop to arguing with some petty woman. It's not like I could win against her anyway.
After the ghost left, peace returned outside. I told Chloe not to worry - as long as she had the Ghost-Begging Yaksha tattoo, that ghost couldn't cause trouble. It couldn't even get close to her. We just needed to wait seven days, then we could remove the Corpse-Fetus from her body.
Chloe said she understood. After thanking us, she drove off in her car.
I sighed inwardly. Chloe's life was truly bitter - already dealt a poor hand by fate, and now this happened too. It really pained the heart!
"What? Feeling heartbroken? Marry her then - it's buy one get one free! You'd be making a bloody profit!" Stella quipped.
"Marry your sister!" Now that Chloe's problem was half-solved, it was time to discuss the money. I held out my hand. "So when are you paying up?"
Stella slapped my palm away. "I don't have the money right now. My monthly allowance is only 10,000. This month I've already scraped my pockets clean for you. The remaining 20,000 - even if I starve myself - will take two more months."
I wasn't pleased. "I said a few days' delay, not two months!"
Stella told me not to push my luck. The fact she promised to pay at all was generous enough. "Your Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts are ridiculously expensive. If my sister Luna hadn't forced me, I wouldn't bother with you at all!"
"Listen sis, every penny is earned. Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts may be pricey, but you can't deny their effectiveness, right?"
Stella had no comeback regarding the results. Since getting my Baku tattoo, her nightmares had completely stopped, finally allowing her peaceful sleep.
"See? Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts delivered exactly what you needed. So you've got to accept my pricing. Fine, since you're broke, you can pay with your body instead!"
Stella immediately flared up at this, grabbing my ear and scolding: "You shameless hoodlum! I knew you were trouble! For just 20,000 dollars you dare scheme against me? You're like a lantern in the outhouse - looking for death (shit)!"
Stein saw the situation was getting out of hand. He quickly tried to help me reason with Stella - that woman hit hard, and he was afraid she might twist my ear clean off. But Stella paid him no attention and only twisted harder.
"Damn it! That hurts! Let go! That's not what I meant!" I hastily explained. "I meant you could stay and work off your debt by helping me!"
As a Celestial Master, Stella could be useful in many ways. At the very least, with her looks, she could probably help attract some customers for me.
"Tch, should've said so sooner!" Stella finally released her grip, but my ear already felt like it had been nearly torn off.
Just then, several sudden poof sounds erupted as eerie green will-o'-the-wisps rose up outside the door.
Guided by these ghostly flames, several uncanny paper figures carrying a palanquin slowly descended in front of the tattoo parlor.
The four paper bearers wore nothing but birthday suits, their faces painted with bizarre blush, yet they moved with the fluidity of living people.
The sedan chair itself was also paper-made, its dark form blending into the black night. The sight was terrifying enough, but not knowing what kind of person - or thing - sat inside made my scalp prickle with dread.