“If he’s not human, what is he then?” I asked Chuyi.

He shook his head. “I’m not sure, perhaps a monster. Moreover, his strength is nothing to scoff at.”

In Japan, yokai, or monsters, appeared in many legends and folklores. However, I had never expected to meet one right in the middle of a bustling city.

We sat back on our sofa and watched the young man in white. Soon, a woman wearing a long, tight dress came and bowed to the bald uncle. She seemed to be in her thirties. Although she was older than the other girls, she had the sexy curves of a mature woman. The way she moved was enchanting, and her thighs were porcelain white.

The bald man immediately asked one of the hostesses to give up her seat. Then, the younger girl respectfully poured wine for the older woman.

“Xiao Gao, do you know that woman?” I asked.

Xiao Gao was a little drunk already. He pushed his glasses up his nose bridge and said, “Ah, she’s the top hostess of this club. Ms. Mei Imai. The customers who want to talk to her have to book a few months prior. She only comes here to welcome VIP guests.”

If so, that bald man must be important...

Xiao Gao gazed at Mei lustfully. Then, he turned back to play dice with Li Mazi and the other hostesses.

The bald uncle gave the two young girls some tips and sent them away. In the meantime, the young man in white picked up an empty glass and spat in it. Then, he discreetly passed it to the bald uncle. His actions didn’t escape my eyes.

The bald uncle poured top-quality red wine into the glass and offered it to Mei. Mei refused a few times. In the end, she drank half of it.

“That boy is using his magic,” Chuyi told me in a cold voice.

“Can we take the girls here out to a hotel room?” I asked Xiao Gao.

Xiao Gao thought that I wanted to take a girl to a hotel. He shook his head. “No, no, this pub doesn’t provide such services. You shouldn’t act rashly. I don’t want to be put on their blacklist…”

Li Mazi’s speech was slurred. “Little Brother Zhang, I thought you were a righteous man. You got to know the girl for a few minutes and you already want to have her in your room? Bold, you’re bold!”

I ignored the two drunk men and said to Chuyi, “Could it be charming magic? Perhaps that bald uncle wants to sleep with the top hostess of this pub, and he has invited a monster to help him.”

Chuyi nodded. If so, we didn’t need to put our nose in this. This wasn’t our field.

After Mei drank the wine, nothing strange happened to her. She got up and bid farewell to the man.

The young man in white noticed us and shot us a strange smile. Then, he got up and walked toward the toilet.

“Jiulin, look at his shadow,” said Chuyi.

The social club was dimly lit, so the young man’s shadow on the ground was faint. However, I could see that his shadow had a long tail that moved like a snake. The young man’s shadow also had a pair of triangular, pointy ears.

“He’s a fox spirit!” I was surprised.

Right at this moment, more customers arrived. They were a group of men wearing black suits with gloomy faces. They all wore sunglasses. The leader was puffing a cigar and had a long scar above his right eyebrow. He wore a thick golden chain on his neck and looked rather fierce.

The middle-aged woman hurried to welcome them. She smiled brightly as she led them to the sofa.

“Xiao Gao, who are they?”

“The Yamaguchi group. They are underworld criminals.”

Some shady activities were legal here, and these guys were involved in loan sharking, nightclubs, and the movie industry. Most of the time, they kept their distance from ordinary people. It was a wonder how Japanese society worked.

Not long after the group of yakuza sat down, the hostesses came to serve them. Soon, Mei also arrived. She bowed and sat next to the boss.

Those people looked fierce, but they were disciplined. They didn’t touch the girls, which was completely different from what we had seen in the movies.

Chuyi silently walked toward them. The henchmen saw him and became vigilant. He was suspicious as he carried a sword on his back. Xiao Gao was so scared that he immediately sobered up. He rushed to stop Chuyi. I also followed him.

“Brother, brother, please come back here! They’re carrying knives!” Xiao Gao screamed.

Right at this moment, Mei closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, they looked lifeless. She suddenly grabbed the fruit knife on the table and aimed at the boss’s neck.

The boss reacted quickly. He raised his hand to parry, which caused the knife to pierce through his wrist. He screamed in pain.

His henchmen immediately drew their daggers, but Mei kicked the table toward them. She was strangely strong right now.

Mei raised her fruit knife and attacked the boss again. The boss covered his wound and ran away, screaming for help. The entire social club was now a mess. The other customers stood in place and watched the scene. The band playing on the stage halted, too.

Mei tore her inconvenient short skirt, which exposed her creamy thighs. She then stepped on the sofa and chased after the boss. When she passed by us, Chuyi suddenly hacked his sword at her.

She jerked back to dodge his attack and landed with one hand placed on the floor. She then opened her mouth and bared her teeth. She behaved exactly like a wild beast.

Then, she roared and tried to stab Chuyi a few times. Chuyi continued to hack his sword, while Mei used her knife to parry. The impact created dazzling sparks.

As he fought against the woman, Chuyi called me. “Jiulin, think about how to dispel the magic affecting her!”

I had taken out a Ksitigarbha Talisman, but the two were moving too fast. I couldn’t find a chance to join.

Li Mazi came. He had also sobered up. “What’s going on?”

“Go to the toilet. If you see a young man wearing white clothes, use all of your means to stop him from performing his magic.”

“How do I stop him?” Li Mazi looked puzzled.

“Do you have refined salt? Sprinkle the salt on him. If you don’t, just pee on him!”

“Er… Okay!” Li Mazi gave me a confirming nod then dashed to the toilet.

“Guys, move!” Chuyi suddenly screamed.

Mei jumped off a table and attacked Chuyi recklessly. It wasn’t that Chuyi couldn’t beat her. He didn’t want to kill her, so he didn’t attack her actively. He was in a passive situation.

The gangsters were petrified. They surrounded the two and hesitated whether to help Chuyi or not.

After around three or four minutes, Chuyi grabbed Mei’s wrist. I seized the chance and quickly immobilized her from behind. Then, I stuck the Ksitigarbha Talisman on her forehead.

Mei convulsed, and her body fell backward. She raised her head one last time before losing consciousness.

“Bakayaro!”

When the boss saw that the woman was finally subdued, he snatched a dagger from one of his henchmen and stormed toward the unconscious girl. As soon as he arrived, a sharp sword stopped him, almost cutting his throat. Chuyi held the sword and coldly said, “This woman was controlled by magic. She’s not the one that wanted to kill you…”

Xiao Gao interpreted. The boss blinked and said something. Xiao Gao interpreted again. “Mr. Saito says that you look competent. If you help him find the murderer, he will pay you generously.”

“How did you know his name is Saito?” I asked.

Xiao Gao gestured at the man’s chest. He was wearing a crest that had the word ‘Saito’ written in Japanese. “He’s the leader of the Saito Group. This group specializes in loan sharking. He’s a famous person in this area.”

I didn’t want to risk my life for a member of the Japanese underworld. Moreover, that bald uncle had seized the time to run away while the club was in chaos.

I told Xiao Gao, “Tell him that we’re here to travel. We don’t want to get involved any further.”

Xiao Gao interpreted it for me. Saito frowned and stuttered something. Although I didn’t understand Japanese, I knew ‘bakayaro’ wasn’t something nice as he kept repeating the phrase.

“Xiao Gao, what did he say?”

Xiao Gao wiped his cold sweat. “Mr. Saito said that if you know the woman was controlled, you must know something else, too! You should behave and cooperate with him as he has dozens of ways to deal with you!”