Chapter 0083 The Self-Mutilating Kanzy
Frank Fang was speechless. He could see that Brother Yao was an entirely unreasonable man. Steeling himself, he said, "Brother Yao, we have our own difficulties. How about you take this money back? Let's just call it even and be friends. If you ever need us in the future, just give us a call. What do you say?"
Brother Yao burst into a loud laugh, then suddenly turned stone-faced. "In this world, you do the work, you take the money. If you refuse to take it, you're obviously hiding something. Are you spies sent by my rivals to take me out?"
The young wife picked up a bottle to refill Brother Yao's glass, her voice slow and cold. "You might not know this, but people in our line of work hate two types of people most: traitors and spies. Losing a hand or a foot is the least of it; the worst cases involve the elimination of the entire family."
Frank Fang's teeth itched with suppressed rage. Kanzy had completely lost his nerve and was about to speak, but Frank held him back with a hand. "Fine, Brother Yao. Since you're being so sincere, we'll accept. We'll take the money."
Brother Yao eyed Frank Fang suspiciously. "You sound so reluctant. You sure you aren't hiding something?"
Frank Fang gave a bitter laugh. "Brother Yao, you were upset when we didn't agree, and now that we have, you say we're hiding something. You're making this very difficult for us."
Brother Yao slammed the table, his eyes bulging. "You dare talk back to me?"
The wife quickly intervened. "Forget it, honey. They're just young and don't know the rules. Just have them use some of that money to buy the brothers a round of drinks."
At that moment, Frank Fang understood everything. Brother Yao wasn't just keeping them captive; he wanted his money back, too. Frank pulled out the red envelope and pushed it toward the wife. "Sister-in-law, please forgive our ignorance. Please take this 200,000 NTD on our behalf and distribute it among the brothers so they can go out and enjoy themselves."
The wife's face lit up with a beaming smile. "Oh, it doesn't need to be that much! Here, take some back." Frank Fang insisted she keep it all, and she quickly tucked it away.
Captive Masters
That night, Frank Fang and Kanzy were moved into a room on the third floor of the nightclub. Shortly after, Brother Yao "borrowed" the Lukyee skull, claiming he wanted to admire its craftsmanship. His intention was clear: he was afraid Kanzy would seek revenge or cast a curse on him.
Back in the room, Kanzy was fuming. He demanded to know why Frank Fang had given the money back.
Frank glared at him. "You idiot! They were clearly shaking us down. Can't you see through a simple play like that?"
Kanzy was skeptical. "No way. How could Brother Yao be that petty? Doesn't he have any honor?"
"You're too green," Frank hissed. "You don't know how these underworld thugs work. Reasoning with them is like chatting with a dog. Damn that woman... one day, she'll fall into my hands, and I'll show her what for!"
Kanzy's face fell. "We didn't make a cent, and now we're trapped here. What do we do now?"
Frank told him to lay low. For now, they had to act like obedient dogs to lower Brother Yao's guard. "But the Lukyee is gone!" Kanzy cried. "Without it, even if we escape, we can't make a living."
"Escaping is the priority," Frank lectured. "Skulls can be replaced. If Brother Yao decides to kill us to tie up loose ends, it'll be too late for regrets."
For the next few days, they did nothing but eat, sleep, and watch TV. Whenever they tried to go out for air, the wife sent two "protectors" to follow them closely.
The Assassination Order
One day, Brother Yao summoned them to a private booth for drinks. Frank knew what was coming. Sure enough, Brother Yao threw a file folder at Frank. "This guy is called Fat Dong. He's my arch-rival and the head of the other syndicate. He's the one who hit me with the Needle Curse. This folder has all his info. Look it over and tell the wife if you need anything."
Brother Yao leaned in close to Kanzy, his expression murderous. "Cast a curse on this pig. I want him dead."
Kanzy looked hesitant, but Frank Fang quickly interjected, "No problem. We'll study the files first."
Back in their room, Kanzy asked, "Are we really going to cast a death curse on a gang leader?"
"We have to," Frank replied. "And it has to work. That's the only way Brother Yao will see us as useful and not kill us."
Kanzy turned to his grimoires. Frank asked what method he planned to use. Kanzy scratched his head. "A Needle Curse isn't powerful enough. An Insect Curse requires 'Five Venoms Powder,' and finding those specific centipedes and scorpions in Taipei is too hard. Blood, Medicine, and Charm curses take too long to kill. And I haven't mastered the Flying Wire Curse yet..."
"Just tell me if there's a solution!" Frank snapped.
"We can try a Soul Possession Curse," Kanzy said.
The Magical Duel
Late the next night, Frank, Kanzy, Brother Yao, and the wife entered a suite on the fourth floor. It was right next to Yao's bedroom and had been set up as a ritual altar. Kanzy sat shirtless before the altar, with the Lukyee to his left and a tray to his right containing Fat Dong's undershirt, socks, hair, and photos. Brother Yao read out a string of birth details. Kanzy wrote the details on a charm with a brush, added several Pali incantations, and placed it atop the items in the tray.
"Don't hold back," Brother Yao growled. "Kill Fat Dong. Don't let him walk away. That bastard tried to ruin me!"
Kanzy lit a wooden stick and used it to set fire to the clothes and photos. The room filled with the acrid smell of burning fabric. Finally, the charm was reduced to ash. Kanzy bit his middle finger, dripped blood onto the skull, and began chanting. He scooped up a handful of ash and threw it into the air. Before the dust could settle, he swirled his right hand, causing the ash to circle in the air before landing squarely on his own face.
Frank nodded to Brother Yao. The wife immediately dialed a number on her mobile phone. "What's the status? What is Fat Dong doing right now?"
A clear voice came through the speaker: "Sister-in-law, I'm watching him through binoculars. He's at a steakhouse eating dinner. He's got a knife and fork in his hands. His wife is next to him, and there's a middle-aged man sitting opposite him. The guy is tall and thin... I don't know who he is."
Kanzy intensified his chanting, sitting perfectly still. The lookout on the phone spoke again: "Brother Yao, Fat Dong has stopped moving. His wife is pushing him, but he isn't reacting."
Kanzy slowly raised his right hand, clenching it into a fist. Suddenly, he swung his fist violently toward his own right eye. The man on the phone gasped: "Fat Dong just stabbed his steak knife into his own eye!"
Frank jumped in surprise. Kanzy lowered his fist, and Brother Yao's eyes widened with excitement. "Don't stop! Kill him!"
As Kanzy went to make another move, his own right hand suddenly flew to his throat. He began to strangle himself with terrifying force, his fingers digging into his neck until his face turned purple.
"What's happening?" the wife screamed.
The voice on the phone cried out: "Brother Yao! The thin man sitting opposite Fat Dong is pressing one hand on Fat Dong's forehead and the other hand is clutching his own throat!"
They were horrified. Fat Dong was having dinner with another sorcerer! Frank Fang tried to pry Kanzy's hand away, but the grip was like iron. Kanzy's eyes began to bulge, and his tongue protruded. Seeing no other way, Frank grabbed a heavy bronze statue from a nearby shelf and slammed it into Kanzy's head, knocking him unconscious. Only then could Frank and Brother Yao pry Kanzy's fingers loose.
Kanzy slowly came to, coughing violently. He wheezed to Frank, "There's a... a much more powerful master helping him. I can't... I can't continue."
Brother Yao roared, "No! Finish him! You have to take him out now, or he'll come for me!"
"If he continues, Master Kanzy will die," Frank argued.
Brother Yao pulled out his pistol and pressed the muzzle against Kanzy's forehead. "Finish the spell or I'll blow your brains out!"
Terrified, Kanzy propped himself up and placed his hand back on the Lukyee. Suddenly, a frantic voice came from the phone: "Sister-in-law! The thin man is chanting! He's standing up! He's running outside!"
Before anyone could react, Kanzy suddenly bolted upright. He charged toward the window with animalistic speed. With a deafening crash, he smashed through the glass and plummeted from the fourth floor.
The three of them rushed to the window. Kanzy had landed directly onto the massive neon sign on the nightclub's exterior. Sparks flew everywhere as the electrical wires snapped and short-circuited. Frank called out to him, but there was no response. He rushed out of the building. Pedestrians were fleeing in terror. Kanzy lay on the pavement, smoke rising from his body, his eyes wide open in a frozen stare.
Kanzy was dead, electrocuted instantly.