“Argh!”
The voodoo master wasn’t so lucky. As the final dish holding the doll’s head shattered, he let out a scream, his body hurled through the air, crashing hard against the wall.
“You… you’ve got some nerve, kid. We’ll see about this!”
Struggling on the ground, the voodoo master crawled to the wall of red candles, yanked the head off the three-headed, six-armed statue, stuffed it into his robes, and bolted from the basement, vanishing from sight.
“Oi! Hang on! If you’re hurt, don’t scarper so fast! I’ll patch you up, then you can untie me, yeah?”
Xu Fei shouted down the tunnel where the boss had fled, but got no reply. It seemed the scheming massage parlour owner was scared off by the pure Yang energy.
“Hello? Mate, if you’re not fussed, fancy lending a hand? Pretty please? Can you hear me?”
For the first time, Xu Fei saw how lively this part of his pure Yang energy, reserved for healing, could be. He didn’t dare treat it flippantly anymore but wasn’t sure what to call it, so “mate” it was.
The pure Yang energy, though, didn’t seem to have such qualms. It floated over, opened its big mouth, and chomped at the ropes binding Xu Fei’s hands and feet. With a tug, the mask passed right through them.
“What? So you’re not solid either? Now what? I scare off the bad guy, only to starve here?”
Xu Fei was gobsmacked. The pure Yang energy, equally stumped, just slumped onto him, idle.
“Help! Anyone out there? Passersby, don’t miss your chance to save me!”
For the first time, Xu Fei felt despair, yelling himself hoarse at the outside world.
But since the boss had chosen this basement for his rituals, the soundproofing was top-notch, unlikely to draw attention.
Xu Fei shouted until his voice gave out, with no one coming to his aid. Exhausted, he passed out again, only to be jolted awake by a cry.
“Ah! Blimey! Where’s that old git?”
Xu Fei’s eyes flew open, thinking some kind soul had come to rescue him. To his surprise, it was that stunning woman.
She stood there, hand over her mouth, gaping in horror at the creepy setup and atmosphere, and at Xu Fei tied up.
“What’re you standing there for? Hurry up and free me!”
Snapped out of her shock by Xu Fei’s words, the woman rushed over and untied the ropes around his hands and feet.
“How’d you end up here?” Xu Fei asked, stretching his cramped limbs.
“Don’t you remember? I told you I’d wait at the bar tonight when I sent the address. I waited ages, but you never showed. Got worried, so I came to check, and… well, this place…”
At the mention, her face twisted with fear, and she grabbed Xu Fei, eager to get out first.
“If I’m not mistaken, this guy’s probably from some dodgy cult in a coastal country. He targets women for his curses, and you were one of his victims. That’s why you got that black mole under your armpit after a massage here!”
Once upstairs, sitting on the shop’s massage bed, Xu Fei explained to her.
Seeing her panic rise again, he quickly added, “But don’t worry, you’re fine now, and that boss has been chased off. Oh, hang on a sec!”
