“Josephine Wong’s students will be enrolled? That sounds like people we should meet.” Jason looked at Jianmen with an insinuating look: “Are you gonna tell us about them? Boss? I trust that you would know about her students?”

 

“I didn’t know about them.” Jianmen shook his head: “Maybe new students? We don’t know each other that well.”

 

“Mhm.” Fernando put his left hand over his mouth to half-assedly cover his wide smile: “Yeah, we all know.”

 

“But can you ask her to introduce us to her students? It’d be really nice to have more friends when going to a new school.” Jason asked Jianmen: “We could stick together on the campus and help each other out and support each other. Maybe ACTUALLY share the work assignments in group projects?”

 

“Oh geez, I can already feel your painful and traumatic engineering school experience.” Caroline laughed out loud and said: “But yeah Boss, you should introduce us so we can socialize early and have a group of friends early, you know, just in case we have some bullies. The son of that Brooke guy seemed like he would be.”

 

“I think they are new to our world as well, so I am pretty sure you will bond.” Fernando added: “Well, just let me know what I could do for you. Next round of drink’s on me, and welcome to our world.”

 

“Thank you! That’s so kind of you.” Caroline gently patted Fernando’s elbow: “My friend Jason here just asked how he could become a member - he likes your drinks so much and would like to visit on non-holiday occasions.”

 

“Thanks Fernando and Caroline, and please don’t order more chips now that they’re not toxic.” Jianmen facepalmed and chuckled: “But yeah, a membership would be nice.”

 

“Our membership condition is based on two things: either you pay a high price for it, or you make a contribution to us in other ways. ” Fernando answered with a smile: “The membership price is ten platinum coins or one ruby coin, which I strongly discourage but would not refuse. And the normal forms of contribution would be something like selling us the exclusive right to a special wine recipe, like Mr. Yu your master did, or any other things that would help the bar’s business and mystique.”

 

“Wait, I thought Boss is not a member?” Jason turned to Jianmen.

 

“Well, memberships are transferable. Mr. Yu here gifted his membership to a valued customer of ours Dave.” Fernando nodded: “And when you are ready, I am happy to help you with your membership applications. ”

 

“What? You gave your membership to Dave? Why Boss? Why?” Jason whined: “He’s immortal? Why does he even need to drink?!”

 

“Okay, that was way before I met you.” Jianmen chuckled and said, seemingly enjoying Jason’s frustration: “And Dave being immortal doesn’t mean he would abstain from worldly pleasures - he enjoys the little things in life like a true normal, calm and a little geeky guy.”

 

“And he can take a LOT of drinks.” Fernando giggled: “The dwarves are very impressed.”

 

“Oh...” Jason gently played with his empty glass: “Yeah well, nevermind then - I’ll try again next time.”

 

“No worries. We welcome members who can contribute, and it won’t just be a mere membership - Mr. Yu here still receives royalty when his drinks are sold. ” Fernando patted on Jason’s shoulder: “Now if you’ll excuse me, I am needed in the kitchen.”

 

When Fernando left, Caroline kept ogling at his back until he disappeared into the kitchen. And when she turned back to Jianmen and Jason, she immediately frowned and gasped like she just broke free from an illusion: “Wait, what just happened to me?”

 

“You’re charmed.” Jianmen answered with a smile: “Fernando’s half succubus bloodline granted him an aura, not that unlike that of Snowball but to a much greater scale. And when your power of mind and will is not strong enough and under the influence of alcohol and these chips, it is very easy to be affected.”

 

“Woah - that is - crazy.” Caroline frowned and then shook her head: “How do I stop this?”

 

“It’s hard, and there is no shortcut. The simplest answer is to meditate more and practice it with harsher True Words that apply more mental pressure on you. ” Jianmen raised his hand to the waitress and signaled that he would like to order: “This will be important for you as you progress. Just like in the hotel you were pulled into the limbo and practically had to fight in the enemy’s home turf - first you must be able to realize this kind of mind and consciousness manipulation and saw them coming; then you will be able to fight it.”

 

Caroline and Jason nodded and stayed silent for a while - that experience still brought chills, and it was the first time they felt they were close to the brink of death. 

 

When the waitress came over to their table, all three of them ordered a new round of drink and their conversation continued.

 

“So, Boss, what happened after you got into the nightclub?” Jason asked.

 

“Well, let’s just say better go home timely at night even if you’re a naughty boy.”

 

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Jianmen stayed in the nightclub for a few hours while keeping an eye on Yedong Wu. And how Yedong Wu behaved perfectly suited what Shawn said about him - he was drinking with his punk-looking buddies all night, harassed almost every girl that walked past him and snorted some kind of powder with his buddies from the table.

 

“Hey hey hey! Bluey hottie over there!” after the third bottle of cheap alcohol of some sort, Yedong turned on the full douchebag mode as he whistled to a girl in blue dress: “Why don’t you come over here and hang out with us, so we can all get less blue?!”

 

“Fuck off, you limp dick motherfucker!” the girl in the blue dress was in no mood to take it and responded with a middle finger: “I ain’t in no mood to get poked by a needle today!”

 

“WOOOOAAAAH! She burnt you bro!” Yedong’s buddies started yelling at Yedong and mocking him.

 

But just when Yedong was about to say something, a man in black leather jacket standing near them pulled his hand from the inside of his jacket, revealing a gun. And before any of them could react, the man pulled the trigger three times.

 

Screams from both men and women broke out and people started running away in panic. The man in the black leather jacket took his time to confirm that Yedong was lying on the ground bleeding out, then started running away with the other people in the nightclub.