After burning the human skin, the matter of Nova's family could finally be considered resolved. Of course, this was thanks to Esteban selling me the Copper Coin Sword. From the human skin's own words, I learned this sword had once been a master's dharma artifact. To obtain such a powerful item at that price was nothing short of a steal. If I could further refine it with another blessing, its power would grow even greater.
With the family's affairs settled, Nova offered me half a million dollars and enthusiastically proposed I become their live-in son-in-law. She promised the Nova family would never treat me poorly if I agreed.
Yet I refused. Though only two members of the Nova family remained, their intention was clear—they wanted to exploit my Gods and Ghosts Tattoos to restore their family's prosperity.
None of the women in that mansion were simple, least of all its mistress.
While "marrying" into the Nova family would grant me wealth and status—and Nova herself was beautiful—I would inevitably be reduced to a mere tool. As the heir of the Gods and Ghosts Tattoos, how could I stoop to such a fate? Earning that half-million was satisfaction enough, though the money had nearly cost me my life.
After the Nova family incident, the reputation of the Gods and Ghosts Tattoos didn't skyrocket, but it did establish a foothold in Vervecity. The Lam family's Mr. Lam, the Dai family's ancestral grave affair, and now the Nova family case—each added to my renown. More and more clients sought my services, and the prospect of reaching my next hundred million grew brighter.
My greatest regret in this affair was never finding the corpse mentioned by the human skin.
She claimed it could walk and move like a living person, adorned with Gods and Ghosts Tattoos, and had been sent by the Empress to capture her. Yet once the human skin perished, this mysterious corpse vanished without a trace.
So I couldn't verify the truth of her words. Could a corpse truly mimic the living through these tattoos? What kind of design could achieve such an effect? I knew of no such pattern—so who had inscribed it?
The questions multiplied, yet the human skin had no reason to lie. It was a profound pity I never uncovered the truth.
If her claims were real, then the power of the Gods and Ghosts Tattoos surpassed even my wildest imaginings—existing beyond my current knowledge. Perhaps what Grandfather taught me was merely the surface of something far greater.
With the Nova family's business concluded, I returned home and slept for an entire day. Exhausted and injured, the acupuncture points I'd forcibly stimulated with tattoo needles now throbbed with itchy pain—a dangerous side effect of such methods. At their worst, they could have killed me. I'd gambled with my life, and luckily, I'd survived.
After a day's rest, my body felt about seventy percent recovered. I contacted Stella and asked if they had found the three-tailed fox yet.
Stella said not only had they failed to locate it, but Harper's condition was worsening—her calves had begun to rot, and the decay was spreading. It seemed the pact was taking effect; if they didn't sacrifice the three-tailed fox soon, Harper's body would slowly rot away until she died.
Stella's voice was urgent. The situation was dire. Two days had already passed, and with only five left, Harper's body would be completely consumed by decay.
To break this demonic contract, the three-tailed fox had to be killed—but so far, Stella hadn't been able to track it down.
"Roger, I don't care what you do—just find that three-tailed fox for me, quickly, quickly, quickly..." Stella was becoming irrational in her panic. Her bond with Harper ran deep; if she had to watch Harper die like this, she'd lose her mind.
I told her not to rush. The more desperate we became, the messier things would get. We needed a plan. Whether human, ghost, or demon, everything had a weakness. If we couldn't find it, we'd have to lure it out instead.
After hanging up, my first move was to summon the little fox. I'd taken this fox demon under my wing earlier after some coaxing and persuasion.
The little fox was busy devouring the roasted chicken Stein had bought for it, licking its fingers greedily between bites.
"Stop eating for a second. Tell me—where do three-tailed foxes usually appear? Do they have a fixed lair?" I asked.
The little fox gulped down a mouthful of meat before shaking its head. It explained that the three-tailed fox had frequented the bar before because the place housed several idols dedicated to it. Many girls had fed it, offering blood and flesh as tribute.
But now, with the bar owner dead, the men in black had destroyed the idols and shut the place down. The girls had scattered, leaving the three-tailed fox without a home. Most likely, after consuming the girls bound by the contract, it had fled back to the mountains to lay low.
As for the three-tailed fox's lair? The little fox doubted any demon knew its exact location. "A cunning rabbit has three burrows, but a fox is even more deceitful. Cultivating three tails isn't easy—a three-tailed fox, walking the line between demon and monster, is constantly hunted by dark forces. It wouldn't survive without extreme caution. Finding it now would be harder than reaching the heavens."
The little fox's words sank my heart. If even it didn't know where the three-tailed fox was hiding, this situation had just gotten a lot trickier. Time was running out. Harper's body was already decaying—if the rot progressed too far, it might become irreversible. Even if we killed the three-tailed fox afterward, severe decay could mean her body would never recover.
"Stein, get another roast chicken for the little fox. Think carefully - are you sure a three-tailed fox wouldn't have any other hiding places?" I pressed further.
When the roast chicken appeared again, the little fox's mouth watered, but this time I didn't hand it over immediately. I needed to get something worthwhile in return.
"Want, want, want..." The little fox stared at the roast chicken, its eyes turning greedy red. Having food almost in its mouth but just out of reach was pure torture.
"There, there... I once visited a Fox Fairy temple with it before. It said humans built that temple for it, and it would occasionally hide there to cultivate. But it's old and remote, completely deserted." The little fox said, its eyes twinkling.
Fox Fairy temple? For a mere three-tailed fox to claim such status was centuries too early. That someone would build a temple for it? Clearly it was just fooling naive little foxes like this one.
Generally speaking, true Fox Immortals are nine-tailed white foxes. Other foxes, even with nine tails, rarely achieve immortality. This three-tailed fox, stealing and cheating every day, yet calling itself a Fox Fairy - how ridiculous.
That said, a Fox Fairy temple in a remote location would indeed make a perfect hideout. Neither commoners nor dark practitioners would dare disturb a fox at such a temple.
Having lost the bar as its residence, and likely aware we were hunting it, the three-tailed fox had probably retreated to that temple.
"Tell me where that temple is. We need to find it immediately," I urged.
The little fox pursed its lips in thought, then quickly remembered: "I think it was in a village called Shili Gully."
Stein, standing beside me, immediately exclaimed: "What the hell! Shili Gully is famous as a death zone! People have seen green lights there at night, and some have been scared to death! Who in their right mind would go there?"