Chapter 14: I'll Settle This With You Later

The owner of the tattoo shop was a woman clad in a black camisole, exposing skin covered in tattoos everywhere except her face. Her makeup was so thick and theatrical that her original features were unrecognizable, resembling a ghost; her ears were adorned with rows of piercings, and both her nose and lips bore metal ornaments. When she spoke, her tongue was split like a snake's, and the corners of her mouth had been surgically altered, deliberately cut open on both sides. With her mouth closed, she looked rather seductive, but when she opened it, her gums were visible—a true slit-mouthed woman.

Qiu Yumeng and her three girlfriends were chatting idly. She stood up and patted Cao Mang’s waist, since she couldn’t reach his shoulder. “What do you think of this model I found for you?”

The tattoo artist's eyes lit up as she scanned him. “This body is perfect for a tattoo.”

Qiu Yumeng pointed to the tattoo bed. “Take off your clothes and lie down.”

Cao Mang's eye twitched. “I'm here to take you home, nothing more.”

Qiu Yumeng sneered. “No one dares to defy me.”

She reached into her pocket. “Do you believe I’ll cut you?”

Her eyes widened. “Is this real?”

Cao Mang laughed in exasperation. “You can try.”

Qiu Yumeng mocked him. “Please, you’re just a dog of the Qiu family. Even if I pose for you, would you dare? Hurry up, don’t make me repeat myself.”

She really acted like a princess. How would she know he wouldn’t dare if she didn’t pose? He grumbled silently—after all, it was just a tattoo, not worth making a fuss.

He tossed his suit onto the sofa and unbuttoned his shirt. The delinquent girls present all stared wide-eyed.

“Wow, those muscles are killer.”

“Take off your pants too, let’s see the whole package.”

Several hands reached out, but Cao Mang, annoyed, lay on the tattoo chair, unable to resist asking, “What exactly are you tattooing?”

The tattoo artist flicked her tongue with a smile. “Nine Dragons Dragging Coffin. If you can’t stand it, just say so.”

He was already struggling to endure!

Cao Mang simply closed his eyes and let her do as she pleased. As the gauze on his back was peeled away, the tattoo artist exclaimed in surprise, “How did you get a gunshot wound?”

Cao Mang replied coolly, “You’re sharp, able to recognize a gunshot.”

The tattoo artist gave an awkward laugh. “I just guessed.”

The electric tattoo pen buzzed to life. Cao Mang didn’t care about the pain, only hoping the tattoo would look good.

“How about this one?” Qiu Yumeng stood in front of him, holding up a picture. Cao Mang glanced at it, speechless. The image showed a little girl clutching a bedsheet, her expression bizarre. The tattoo was meant for both thighs and the lower abdomen, with some parts overlapping the body.

“If you’re not afraid your dad will kill you, go ahead.”

Qiu Yumeng shrugged, unconcerned. “He won’t see this part anyway. Look at the one on my back—isn’t it nice?”

With help from her friends, she unzipped her dress, revealing a full-back tattoo. It was a ghost in red, a blood-dripping dagger in her mouth, stepping on a skull. Sinister and eerie, but with a strange beauty.

Cao Mang didn’t know how to comment, finally settling on two words: brainless.

Of course, he didn’t say it aloud and instead offered a false compliment. “Second Miss looks good no matter what.”

The shop door was pushed open. A middle-aged man entered, drew a cleaver from his bag, and swung it at Qiu Yumeng’s neck.

Cao Mang reacted instantly, shoving Qiu Yumeng aside. She landed hard, but avoided the blade.

The man, eyes bloodshot, brandished the cleaver, aiming at another girl. But the tattoo artist sprang up and stabbed her tattoo pen directly into his eye socket.

“Ah…”

He screamed, yet persisted, waving the cleaver in a frenzy.

Qiu Yumeng had just gotten up when one of her friends dragged her in front as a shield, leaving her stunned. The blade was caught by a large hand—Cao Mang had stood up, then kicked the man, sending him flying into the door, which warped under the impact.

“Pfft…”

Blood sprayed from the man's mouth. He tried to rise but was powerless, screaming hysterically.

“You all must pay for my daughter’s death… None of you will die well… Even as a ghost, I won’t forgive you…”

“Smack!”

Qiu Yumeng slapped the friend who had pulled her as a shield, frightening the girl into kneeling and kowtowing.

“We’ll deal with you later.”

She turned to the man. “I already told you—your daughter wasn’t killed by us. She sold herself for money, and when discovered, she jumped off the building.”

“Nonsense! My daughter isn’t that kind of person. How can you insult the dead like this—doesn’t your conscience ache…”

The man crawled toward the fallen cleaver, determined to fight to the death.

Cao Mang kicked the knife away, then hauled him up and tossed him into the street.

A passerby called the police. The injured man was taken away, and the tattoo shop’s surveillance footage showed clear self-defense.

Among the investigators was a female security officer whom Cao Mang recognized. She shot him a look of disgust as he continued his tattoo as if nothing had happened.

She spoke coldly. “The suspect is in the late stages of cancer. He doesn’t have much time left. Try not to make any more trouble.”

After a few steps, she added, “Ye Bufan has hijacked the prison doctor. An accomplice took him away in a helicopter. But don’t worry, there’s a bounty on him now—he won’t escape…”

Cao Mang was speechless, saying nothing as he cleaned his ear with a finger.

The officer gritted her teeth. “He’s sure to try and sabotage the wedding, or forcibly take Qiu Yurou. When the time comes, I ask for your cooperation.”

Cao Mang cleaned his other ear, unwilling to utter a word.

She hesitated, then bent down and whispered in his ear, “Next time you see him, you may kill him on the spot. He’s a serious criminal now—there’ll be no responsibility, and you’ll get a reward.”

Cao Mang finally felt better and nodded lightly.

The officer wasn’t done; she asked for his contact information, so he could notify her if Ye Bufan appeared.

Only then did Cao Mang learn her name: Gu Wushuang. This was interesting—her family was one of the city’s four major clans.

No sooner had Gu Wushuang left than Qiu Yumeng dragged the friend who had shielded herself upstairs. Soon after, piercing screams echoed down.

A long time passed before she descended, lightly patting Cao Mang’s shoulder. “Finish the tattoo later. I reward and punish fairly—go upstairs and enjoy yourself. Be rough.”

From Ling Xingyu’s investigation, Cao Mang knew these four delinquent girls were trouble. Though all recent college graduates, they didn’t act educated, bullying the weak by virtue of their families.

Before graduation, they spread rumors about a female academic star being kept by a sponsor, forcing her to jump off a building—likely the daughter of the earlier attacker.

Upstairs, the delinquent girl was bruised all over, her smoky makeup smeared by tears.

Yet she remained indifferent. “It’s just a little thing. It’s not like I haven’t done it before. No big deal. Come on, let’s get it over with.”

Cao Mang picked up a towel and wiped her face, revealing her true appearance.

She was fairly pretty, about an eighty out of a hundred, with a decent figure.

Seeing her unbothered and proactive, he felt no psychological burden—after all, he was just carrying out Second Miss’s orders.