Chapter 36 The Ananda Buddhist Ring

  Then I heard the sound of a man's voice call for help from Li Muzi’s throat: “Help!”

  My heart fluttered. What happened... to this woman?

  Why was a man’s voice in her throat?

  What's so weird about her?

  “Mr. Yu, Mr. Yu... can you hear me?”

  I was in a daze, then I vaguely heard Li Muzi calling me. I returned to my senses and asked her: “Professor, please.”

   Li Muzi told me: “You asked me if I trusted you. Anyway, I have received a scientific education, that’s why I trusted you. In this world, there were so many things that science couldn’t explain, so there must be another kind of subject, and it was theology. Theology was trying to be the bridge between science and the mysterious power, but now this bridge is such a failure. However, I trust you... the successor of Yin and Yang Tattoos.”

  I put my palms together devoutly and gave her a solute: “It is better when professor Li trusts me.”

  Then I asked her: “So, professor... What is it?”

  “I don’t want nightmares anymore.” Li Muzi sat on the sofa and told me.

  I looked at her and saw an obvious small hand print on her throat.

  It was just like finger-sized palm that was pressed against her throat.

  I was shocked seeing this, and I just imagined it was only a kind of illusion.

  I saw Li Muzi was acting rather unusual and she asked me whether I could help her get rid of the nightmares.

  I shook my head and told her I was not so sure about that. In any case, I didn’t know what caused her nightmares.

My master had told me that some people seemed to be sinister and sneaky, but they wouldn’t suffer anything strange when he was frank and forthright.

These days, I met with plenty of people with ‘strange’ things, and they were so because they were not frank and forthright. Mimi was a prostitute, Niu Xiao’er was a gambler, and Bai Ling was even more terrible, since she killed an infant who was about to be born.

They had reasons for why they got mixed up with those strange things, but for Li Muzi... an urbane and beautiful professor with a good style of conversation as well as a decent job, what was the reason she also suffered this strange thing?

“I was referred by Mr. Liu. Well, Mr. Yu, before we give the medical treatment to the patients, we need to observe first and carry out the treatment plan. Your business is deeper in psychology, which means it might follow the same process as we do,” Li Muzi said with a smile.

I nodded quickly and praised her as a real college professor since she was doing things with order and method. Actually I really needed time to think so that I could decide what kind of Yin and Yang Tattoo would solve her problems, and made the confirmation.

Li Muzi smiled to me and after a few moments of greeting, she left my studio.

The moment she left, l called Liu the Sixth.

“Hello, Mr. Six.” I got through and said hello to him.

It seemed he was playing cards; I could hear the sounds in the background.

He chuckled and said to me: “Oh, Shui, were you calling for the products? I got something new, with better effects but lower prices. Come on, it’s the last chance.”

I was not asking for the products but giving him a critical attitude, then tore into him: “Mr. Six, why did you refer such a guest to me? She was rather strange. Well, it was that woman, her name was Li Muzi.”

“My god, there’s a small palm against her throat. She’s a rather fierce woman... I cannot deal with it.”

After my complaints, Liu the Sixth told me to wait first.

Then I heard his voice: “Mr. Wang, help me with this for a while. I am going out for something.”

Then came the sound of footsteps. Liu the Sixth stopped when it was quiet around the microphone, and he told me: “Shui, aren’t you satisfied with this business from me? It is such good business and you can earn a lot from Li Muzi. You just tell her to pay more and she will surely accept. Anyway, now the one who is willing to pay the most is the master.”

I shook my head like a rattle and said to Liu the Sixth: “Mr. Six, you need to be alive to earn money and use it, right? Li Muzi is such a strange person.”

“Strange? Hey, Shui, let me tell you, don’t you think each customer is strange enough when you begin to do this ghost business? Well, if you want to earn big money, I have two words for you - brave and cautious... So, how can you do Yin and Yang tattoos when you are not brave enough? You can go back for your regular tattoos; that needs no courage at all.” Liu the Sixth began to speak sharp words.

However, he sounded reasonable.

Then I thought for a while, clenched my teeth and told him: “Well, I decided to do it.”

“That’s right, Shui, then you have made the decision to become the master of the ghost business that you should be. Without this decision, you can’t be a... master, nor earn big money.” Liu the Sixth said: “But you shouldn’t forget what I told you for the last part - you should be brave, but you also have to be cautious, or else, you quit, OK? Come on, be smart.”

I thought he was right. In any case, it could be risky to earn money nowadays. There were a lot of people killed every day while cleaning windows on tall buildings..

“Wow, you guy have rules, that’s good. Well, I have many customers, if you want them. Now you just begin this business and I will give you two or three customers, which will be enough for you... Come on, don’t forget me when you earn the money from Li Muzi.” Then Liu the Sixth hung up.

I found Liu the Sixth was utterly unpredictable and I couldn’t know him exactly. In any case, I just thought he was the right person to give me guidance in the ghost business.

I lay on the tattoo couch and thought about the matter of Li Muzi.

During this period, that fat girl, Mrs. Lu, called me to do the colors for her, saying that she ate less than ever and she didn’t even like potato chips after my “Magmatron” tattoo on her.

I told her: “It must be so, for I am such an excellent master in this business... But I can’t do it today, I am a little busy, so will tomorrow be OK?”

Mrs. Lu was a little reluctant but she finally agreed. She told me to deal with my own business first and she could wait.

After hanging up, I prepared the tools, such as the tattoo needle, Wu Sa, and mirror, and went out for Li Muzi.

I was considering - there was something like a small ghost in Li Muzi’s throat and she had nightmares at night, so it might be because of “possession by the little ghost”, so I intended to give her the “Ananda Buddhist Ring.”

Now I knew that Yin tattoos were such a terrible thing and I dared not do them anymore, so I would give Li Muzi something tough that might suppress the little ghost inside her.

When I arrived at Minnan University, I called Li Muzi: “Hello, Professor Li.”

“Oh, Mr. Yu, do you have an idea for the type of tattoo for me now?” She asked me.

I said yes, and wanted to go to the hotel next to the university and open a room to give her the tattoo.

I was in this business and I knew well that there were some deep-rooted misunderstandings about tattoos in my country. People thought only a hooligan would tattoo their body.

The people with mainstream values generally stayed far away from tattooed people.

Li Muzi was a college professor, her reputation might be greatly affected if she was found with a tattoo in the college.

Then Li Muzi told me directly through my thoughts: “Come to my office... It is ok... I’m alone here.”

“Oh, that will be fine.” I took the bag, went into the campus, and found her office.

I wanted to say I had never felt the vitality of walking on campus. The girls and the boys gave you a sense of youth, which made me think a lot.

It would be so perfect if I could study in the college.

I knocked on the door when I arrived at her office.

Li Muzi let me in.

I opened the door, went inside the office, and closed it.

Li Muzi was reading a thesis in front of the computer, she told me to sit down and got me a cup of water. Then she told me: “Mr. Yu, you must have an idea since you came so quickly... Could you share it with me? I have the right to know that as our patient, right?”

“Of course.” I found it was a little difficult to deal with her and it was quite impossible to cheat this professor, but I didn’t care. I was well-prepared.

I told her: “Professor Li, you got the nightmares because of the little ghost on you. Something bad must have happened to you recently, right?”

“That’ right.” I could see her unhappiness from her misty eyes... “Ugh... oh, you just continue, Mr. Yu.”

“Oh”, I continued: “Since it is a small ghost, Orthodox Buddhism will be most effective. So what I’ll do for you is an Ananda Buddha Karma ring.”

“Ananda? Is it one of the two great venerable people next to the Buddha?” Li Muzi was also familiar with Buddhism.

I said, “Yes, there are two great venerable people, one was Mahakasyapa and the other was Ananda.”

Li Muzi asked me: “There were so many venerable people and arhat in the Buddhism that can overcome the devils, but why did you chose Ananda?”

It suddenly occurred to me, and I really appreciated the way she looked into matters. I stuck up a thumb and told her: “Professor Li, you really asked a good question. Actually, there are several reasons why I chose Ananda and not Mahakasyapa... It was for just this reason that I didn’t cheat you like a charlatan. They never think as much as I do..”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Li Muzi leaned on the desk with her hands holding the chest, she was there looking at me with her eyes narrowed.