Lu Fei felt a tightening in his chest.
Although Liu Fugui's yang energy had been stabilized, he was down to his last breath. If Xiao Mei siphoned that last bit of life force, he would be done for.
"Old Liu! Wake up!"
Lu Fei called through the phone, but Liu Fugui was too deeply entranced by the corpse oil to respond. The talisman Lu Fei had given him was tucked in his clothes pocket—clothes that he had removed in a panic, leaving the talisman unused.
In desperation, Lu Fei slapped the window with his hand, trying to grab Xiao Mei's attention.
"Hm?"
Xiao Mei's head snapped up, her slender brows knitting together in suspicion.
Lu Fei quickly gestured to Tiger to keep distracting Xiao Mei at the window while he slipped inside to help Liu Fugui.
Tiger nodded and scraped his nails against the glass, producing a harsh, screeching noise.
With his ghost-head blade clutched tightly in his arms, Lu Fei crept along the wall to the front door.
Liu Fugui had left the door ajar for just such an emergency.
"What's out there?"
Xiao Mei's expression darkened as the noise outside persisted. She jumped off Liu Fugui and strode toward the window.
Swoosh!
She yanked the curtains open, allowing the dim light to spill through the glass and onto the courtyard outside. Her sharp gaze scanned the darkness.
The bushes in the landscaping shifted slightly, and a faint meow echoed from a shadowed corner.
"Damn cat! One of these days, I'll eat you!"
Xiao Mei hissed with a chilling glare before drawing the curtains tightly shut.
Seizing the moment while she shut the window, Lu Fei slipped into the room, ducking behind a cabinet.
Xiao Mei turned back to the sofa where Liu Fugui lay limp, scratched at her neck, composed herself, and smiled again before returning to her prey.
From behind the cabinet, Lu Fei gripped his ghost-head blade, every muscle tensed. If he couldn't find a way to rouse Liu Fugui, he would have to fight Xiao Mei head-on.
Just as Xiao Mei leaned down, her lips mere inches from Liu Fugui, the scraping noise at the window sounded again—an earsplitting screech.
Her face immediately fell, eyes narrowing with annoyance.
She took a deep breath, trying to ignore it, but the persistent noise shattered her composure, leaving her seething with irritation.
"Damn cat!"
Her eyes flashed with malice as she stood up abruptly and stormed into the kitchen, emerging with a sharp fruit knife. She rushed to the window.
Swoosh!
The curtain flew open as she scanned the dark courtyard, her knife glinting coldly in the light.
Lu Fei seized the opportunity to dart to the sofa and pinch Liu Fugui's philtrum hard.
Liu Fugui jolted awake, eyes fluttering open in confusion.
"What... what's going on...?"
Lu Fei covered his mouth and slipped a talisman into his hand before retreating back behind the cabinet.
"Hold onto that talisman and stay alert," Lu Fei whispered through the phone.
Hearing Lu Fei's voice, Liu Fugui snapped out of his daze, shuddering as he remembered being hypnotized by Xiao Mei's touch.
"Find a way to get her to take a bath," Lu Fei instructed.
If she went to bathe, she might take off her head, revealing her true form.
"I... I'll try," Liu Fugui whispered, glancing nervously at Xiao Mei. His every instinct screamed to flee, but he knew running was futile. He had to see this through.
Knife in hand, Xiao Mei searched the courtyard but found no cat.
"I'll deal with you later! None of you are getting away!"
She slammed the window shut and turned, startled to see Liu Fugui sitting up.
She quickly hid the knife behind her back, her expression softening into a coquettish smile.
"Oh, you're awake, you little rascal?"
"I... I'm thirsty... Why don't you... go take a bath, Xiao Mei...?" Liu Fugui stammered, almost slipping up.
"A bath?"
She tilted her head, puzzled.
"You usually do, right? Come on, hurry up. I can't wait any longer, haha." Liu Fugui forced a nervous laugh, beads of sweat rolling down his face.
"Oh, you impatient thing! Fine, I'll go. Just wait for me."
Amused, Xiao Mei sashayed into the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of running water filled the room, and steam fogged up the glass.
"She's gone in," Liu Fugui mouthed, signaling to Lu Fei.
Lu Fei stepped forward, approaching the bathroom with his ghost-head blade at the ready. Liu Fugui followed, trembling but unable to resist looking in.
Could it be he had imagined it all?
Peering through the cracked door, they watched.
The bathroom was steamy, with Xiao Mei's scanty clothes draped on the counter. Her silhouette appeared through the mist, her back to them.
Water streamed down her bare back, accentuating her curves. The red scarf around her neck stood out vividly. She scratched at it, then slowly untied it.
Lu Fei and Liu Fugui held their breath, eyes locked on the scene.
The scarlet scarf slipped away, revealing a grotesque scar that wrapped around her entire neck like a grotesque worm—a sharp contrast to her otherwise perfect body.
Xiao Mei's fingers traced the scar as she bent over, letting the water cascade over her head as she washed her hair.
The light scent of shampoo wafted out.
Minutes passed, and yet she didn't remove her head.
"Everything looks normal," Lu Fei mouthed to Liu Fugui, puzzled.
"I don't know..." Liu Fugui shrugged, equally perplexed.
Could he have been mistaken that night? Perhaps in his panic, he imagined seeing Xiao Mei detach her head?
That seemed too far-fetched.
"Let's wait a bit longer." Liu Fugui signaled back.
Lu Fei nodded and continued watching.
But even after she finished washing her hair, Xiao Mei never removed her head.
Lu Fei and Liu Fugui exchanged baffled glances.
Had they been wrong all along?
Maybe Xiao Mei was just a woman with an unsightly scar, not a monster.
No—that couldn't be right.
Lu Fei quickly dismissed the thought.
If Xiao Mei was just a regular woman, then how did she acquire the corpse oil? And why was Liu Fugui being drained of life force?