Chapter Sixty-Seven: Requesting Uncle Mao’s Release from the Station

Just as I stepped out the grand entrance of the Weixi Si Hotel, Wang Sheng caught up with me, his voice urgent: “Are you really going to risk this just for Te? According to the Southern Mao records, werewolves approaching the Wolf King level are terrifyingly ferocious. Bloodthirsty by nature, they fight like rabid dogs.” Wang Sheng looked at me gravely as he finished speaking.

Truth be told, I had no other choice. While Te and I hadn’t known each other for long, and perhaps we couldn’t claim to be as close as brothers, we were still comrades. I couldn’t abandon him. Glancing at Wang Sheng, I said, “I’ll handle this myself. For now, the most important thing is getting Uncle Mao out of the detention center. Let’s go—to the Li residence!” With that, I patted Wang Sheng and Tong Xuan on the shoulder, hailed a night taxi, and headed straight for the Li residence.

At that moment, the Li residence was in chaos. Li Fei was shouting and making a racket inside, too frightened to take a single step outside his house.

The security guards who had fled earlier lingered outside, realizing the commotion inside wasn’t as intense as they’d feared. Four men, emboldened by curiosity or obligation, dared to return, while the rest, terrified out of their wits, jumped into cars and sped home, unwilling to linger another second at the Li residence, terrified of encountering things that did not belong to this world.

The four guards, trembling, passed through door after door before reaching Li Fei’s quarters. Seeing nothing unusual, their hearts finally eased. All four slumped to the floor, like soldiers exhausted after returning from the battlefield, entering a moment of respite.

“Hey—the four of you, get up here and save me!” Li Fei shouted from the second-floor balcony down at the guards below, startling them all over again.

Hearing Li Fei’s cry, the four guards shuddered, but when they realized it was indeed their boss, they all scrambled to their feet and rushed into the European-style villa.

By then, the three of us had arrived at the entrance to the Li residence. The place’s reputation was evident—the driver, assuming we belonged to the Li family, refused to accept a fare, insisting, “Brothers, we all make a living here in Z City, how could I take money from the Li family? I’ll count on you to look out for me.” With that, he stepped on the gas and sped away without a backward glance.

Inside the Li residence, there was an eerie silence. Though the Li family numbered over a hundred, the estate sprawled over several hundred acres, with many empty houses and villas, and the nearest neighbors were separated by one or two villas’ distance.

Li Fei’s quarters were set apart from the rest, befitting his status as the family head. Here, cries were unlikely to reach the soundproofed rooms of the other family members, so no one knew what had transpired.

When Wang Sheng, Tong Xuan, and I reached Li Fei’s villa, we saw five men sitting back-to-back on the marble floor at the entrance, disheveled and breathless. Even Li Fei, disregarding his status, sat among the security guards, gulping air like a diver resurfacing after ten minutes underwater.

We three stood before them, and Li Fei, drenched in sweat, turned his head toward us. He might not recognize me or Tong Xuan, but there was no mistaking Wang Sheng—the disciple of the renowned Southern Mao Yin-Yang master, Uncle Mao.

Upon seeing Wang Sheng, Li Fei sprang up from the marble, staggering toward us. Though only ten meters separated us, his legs barely carried him, likely from fright.

Ordinary people subjected to such bizarre events would surely suffer psychological trauma, and recovery would not come quickly.

Still, Li Fei, trembling, managed to walk over, supported by the four guards. He stood before Wang Sheng, glanced at Tong Xuan and me, but it was clear that Wang Sheng’s aura now outshone even that of his master—he was Li Fei’s lifeline. Li Fei threw himself at Wang Sheng, clutching him, sobbing and sniffling.

Tong Xuan and I exchanged glances. Li Fei seemed to be wiping his nose and tears on Wang Sheng, treating him like a tissue.

After a bout of crying, Li Fei, a man in his thirties, grabbed Wang Sheng’s leg and pleaded, “Master Wang, you must save me! I’ll pay you—pay you handsomely!” He pulled a thick stack of checks from his pocket, swiftly writing on one with practiced ease.

His skill was remarkable, as if he wrote checks professionally. In no time, he handed Wang Sheng a check for five million.

Ah, society is like this—materialism everywhere. Yet Wang Sheng, to his credit, remained principled. He took the check, then, in front of Li Fei, tore it up with an air of righteousness, looking up at the sky and declaring, “Exorcising demons and monsters is the duty of Southern Mao Yin-Yang masters. Please don’t insult us with money. And tomorrow morning, you must personally invite my master from the detention center. Remember, it must be you, personally. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe.” He glanced at Tong Xuan and me, and Tong Xuan stuck out her tongue and gave Wang Sheng a thumbs-up.

I knew Wang Sheng well—his heart must be aching now, mourning the loss of that five million. How could he not be? Yet seeing Tong Xuan’s adoration, I felt helpless—she truly believed Wang Sheng was the embodiment of integrity.

Li Fei, unaware of Wang Sheng’s silent grief over the check, nodded vigorously and grinned, “Of course, of course. Why wait till morning? I’ll go fetch Uncle Mao right now!” He summoned the four guards, headed to the garage, and drove off in a stretch Mercedes, all five still in mismatched pajamas and dress shoes, looking like lunatics from afar.

The three of us stayed behind, resting in Li Fei’s villa. Once the door was closed, we waited for Li Fei to return with Uncle Mao himself.

Inside, we enjoyed fruit, coffee, computers, and television, living in leisure. Clearly, Li Fei’s ample physique was nurtured in just such comfort.

Half an hour slipped by. I thought, Li Fei and the guards should have reached the Z City detention center by now!

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