Chapter 0081 Brother Yao's Illness
Master Chen Gui said, "It is the art of casting curses and creating 'Yin' objects."
Frank Fang let out a fake laugh. "Kanzy can barely afford to feed himself. How could he know anything about the Black Arts? I wouldn't know."
Leaving Master Chen Gui's house, Frank Fang felt a sense of trepidation. He had never seen the Master's actual power, only heard the rumors, but true masters never reveal their hand easily. Judging by his aura, Master Chen Gui was no ordinary man. If he found out that Kanzy was secretly practicing dark sorcery, he likely wouldn't let it slide.
After discussing it, Frank Fang and Kanzy decided to leave Xinpi and move to the big city. This served two purposes: avoiding Master Chen Gui and expanding their business. Kanzy also wanted to see the world, so he told his parents he wanted to find work in Kaohsiung. His parents were surprised that their idle son had turned a new leaf and quickly agreed.
Thus, Frank Fang and Kanzy took the Lukyee skull and the grimoires and moved from Pingtung to Kaohsiung. They settled into a rented two-bedroom apartment near the famous Liuhe Night Market. They slept until they woke naturally, spent afternoons watching TV or playing cards, and spent their nights feasting at the night market. Steam-salted shrimp, herbal ribs, oyster omelets, baked crab—Kanzy had never lived like this before. He was in heaven. However, he remembered the taboos of his craft. Since tiger meat wasn't an option, he didn't worry about that, and while Taiwan law banned cat and dog meat, he made sure to steer clear of any suspicious "fragrant meat" (dog meat) stalls just in case.
One day, Frank Fang received a call from Sister W's middleman. He said the Kuman provided by the Master was very effective. Her husband had undergone a noticeable change; he was spending more time at home and treating her better than ever. Sister W specifically asked him to thank Frank Fang and the Master. Frank Fang was thrilled and brought a girl back to the apartment to celebrate. Hearing the commotion through the bedroom door, Kanzy felt miserable, but he stuck strictly to his vow of celibacy. The next day, he said to Frank Fang, "Brother Frank, can you please not bring girls back here?"
Frank Fang remembered the taboo and immediately apologized. "Right, right, I forgot. Next time I'll just take them to a motel."
Waiting for the Big Fish
For several dozen days, they had no major business. They received many calls, but mostly for trivial matters like finding missing persons, "locking" a husband's heart, or minor luck-boosting. Surprisingly, Frank Fang turned them all down. Kanzy was pained. "Small business is still money! Are we just going to refuse a profit?"
"Those are crumbs," Frank Fang replied. "There's no point. We aren't starving. Be patient. Within two months, a big fish will come knocking." Kanzy didn't believe him, but since Frank Fang was more experienced, he didn't argue. He spent his days studying the grimoires and chanting.
Frank Fang's intuition proved correct. Ten days later, someone called him. He claimed to be acting on behalf of someone else and was looking for a powerful master to solve a problem. Price was no object, as long as it worked. Frank Fang was going to decline until he heard "price is no object." His instincts told him this wasn't an ordinary citizen, so he agreed to a face-to-face meeting.
They met at a tea restaurant. The client was a middle-aged man in his forties, average height, dressed in a black suit. Even his shoes, tie, and sunglasses were black. He was expressionless. Having started out as a thug in Huizhou, Frank Fang knew immediately that this man didn't walk the straight and narrow path. He spoke with caution.
As it turned out, the man was a branch head for a major Taiwanese gang, acting on behalf of his boss. The gang was currently in a turf war with another syndicate, a conflict that would determine their survival. However, at this critical juncture, the boss had suddenly contracted a mysterious illness that wouldn't heal. The boss's friends suspected he had been cursed, and having heard of Frank Fang and Kanzy, they wanted the Master to take a look.
Frank Fang felt uneasy. He was wary of the mob. "Which 'boss' referred you to us?"
The man wouldn't say. Frank Fang mentioned Sister W's name. The man replied, "Don't ask about things that don't concern you. Just tell me if you're taking the job and what the price is."
Frank Fang quickly replied, "We'll take it. But the price depends on the condition. When is your boss available?"
"It's settled then," the man said. "Tonight at 8:00 PM, wait outside this restaurant. A car will pick you up."
Back home, Frank Fang told Kanzy, who was so terrified he could barely speak. He refused to deal with the underworld. Frank Fang tried to calm him. "It's fine. Modern gangs are professional. They follow rules. As long as you don't offend them, there's no danger."
"The danger is offending them!" Kanzy cried. "If their boss is really cursed, what do I do? If I try to break it and fail, I offend him. If I succeed, I offend the sorcerer who cast the curse!"
Frank Fang laughed. "So what if you offend a sorcerer?"
Kanzy trembled. "You don't understand. In our trade—whether it's Maoshan or Southeast Asian arts—the biggest taboo is breaking a curse cast by a peer. If you break it, the original caster could die from the backlash. Breaking a curse means a blood feud."
Frank Fang was also spooked by that. Someone bold enough to curse a mob boss wasn't someone to take lightly. He called the middleman back, trying to politely decline.
The man's voice turned cold. "Too late. The boss has already sent the car. In our world, a man is only as good as his word. If you try to play our boss, you'll regret it."
With no way out, Frank Fang convinced Kanzy to at least go and look. If it was too dangerous, they could just claim it was beyond their power.
The Penthouse and the Steel Needles
At 8:00 PM, the two stood nervously outside the tea restaurant. A black Mercedes pulled up on time. The middleman stepped out and politely invited them in.
The car stopped at a nightclub. The middleman led the way. The main hall was a chaotic scene of drinking, billiards, dancing, and gambling. They were led through a side door, and the noise began to fade. Bodyguards in suits stood watch in the hallways, their bodies covered in tattoos, wooden-handled daggers tucked into their waists. They took the stairs to the fourth floor and entered a luxury penthouse.
As soon as they walked in, a strange smell hit them—a heavy, metallic scent like the taste of rust on a steel bar.
The suite was divided into two rooms. In the outer room, five or six men in black suits sat or stood, looking tense. One of them spoke to their guide in a low voice and then knocked on the inner door. A beautiful, sexy woman in her late twenties opened it. After a brief exchange, she looked at Frank Fang and Kanzy with suspicion.
"Which one of you is the Southeast Asian Master?" she asked.
"This is the Master, Master Kanzy, who lives in seclusion in Pingtung," Frank Fang introduced him.
The woman scanned Kanzy doubtfully. "Can the Master cure a spiritual illness?"
"If it is a curse, the Master can break it," Frank Fang said. "If it's caused by bacteria or a medical condition, you'll need a doctor."
The woman nodded. "Please, come in."
Inside the bedroom, the smell of iron was overwhelming. A man lay naked on the bed, groaning in a low, constant tone. On the nightstand sat a metal tray filled with dozens of thin steel needles. Next to it was a pair of small steel pliers.
"This is my husband," the woman said. "The head of this organization. Everyone calls him Brother Yao. About ten days ago, he felt a sharp pain in his right cheek. He ended up pulling out a thin steel needle—just like the ones in that tray. The next day, his arm hurt, and he pulled out two more. Since then, needles have been emerging from different parts of his body every day. It's getting worse. He's pulled out over a hundred already. He's in agony. The hospital X-rays show nothing unusual. Some say it's sorcery, but we didn't know any masters. A friend of his in the entertainment industry recommended you. We hope you can help. Money is not a problem."