Si Teng (Rattan) – CH 006

Chapter 6

Luolong Erjia had a deep impression of An Man. Qin Fang recalled it as soon as he asked. He gestured to him about that night. An Man had received an emergency call from her mother about her serious illness, checked out, paid the room fee herself, and even helped the drunk Qin Fang into the car…

Later, there was a strong sense of dissatisfaction in his words. Tibetan men were straightforward and didn’t beat around the bush. He asked Qin Fang bluntly, “Why did you bring another woman back?”

This was a question Qin Fang had longed to ask himself. The reasons were twofold.

One was that he was too self-righteous.

The other was that he was too well-mannered and too gentlemanly. Even if it was a monster, it wasn’t a green-faced, fang-toothed monster wearing only a tattered cheongsam, barefoot, dead for seventy or eighty years, and unable to even dial 110 for emergency help. How could you just walk away?

It was this compassion that made Qin Fang’s intestines turn green with regret that he summoned back a modern-day Empress Dowager Cixi, a Republican-era siren whose every pore exuded the Princess Syndrome virus.

At the bottom of the valley, after packing his documents and luggage from the car, he hesitated for a moment before grabbing a set of An Man’s clothes for her to change into. Si Teng simply picked them up with the tips of two fingers, sniffed them, frowned, and tossed them back into his arms. Not satisfied, she flicked her fingers, as if it had dirtied her, and said coldly, “Ragged clothes.”

Ragged clothes?

Qin Fang had a good temper, but in front of Si Teng, he was almost irritated. Coming out of the ground, she must have brought countless viruses and bacteria with her. Giving her clothes to wear was a blessing. Although An Man wasn’t the type to spend lavishly, every piece of clothing was high-end and branded. Ragged clothes? Wasn’t that tattered rag she was wearing even worse?

He didn’t know how much effort it took to suppress his anger. Pointing at the suitcase, he told Si Teng, “These are the only ones you can wear; don’t wear them if you don’t want to.”

Si Teng said, “Then I won’t.”

She truly didn’t care. A demon’s physique was different from that of an ordinary human. Even in the sub-zero temperature, she showed no sign of being cold—but Qin Fang couldn’t be indifferent. He was taking her out. How could he let her remain dressed like that and walking barefoot behind him? Others might think he’d done something to her.

So Qin Fang was both frustrated and annoyed. What kind of thing was this? He’d begged her to choose An Man’s clothes, and Si Teng showed no gratitude at all. With a domineering and dismissive attitude, she picked up An Man’s clothes one by one, examined them, and then tossed them aside like trash. The only piece she looked at for a while was…

It was An Man’s lace deep-V bra.

Qin Fang snatched it away.

Si Teng’s hand was still grasping the bra, and she gave Qin Fang a meaningful look. He gritted his teeth and replied, “Personal belongings!”

Si Teng uttered an “oh” and continued rummaging through the bag as if nothing had happened. Qin Fang breathed a sigh of relief and was just trying to figure out where to put it when she suddenly blurted out, “You’re so lucky.”

Qin Fang wasn’t some naive young man. He’d even joked about romantic matters with his friends in private, but hearing her say that made him blush from neck to face. He thought bitterly, “Damn it, monster!”

But even so, he didn’t really turn against her. Trekking back up the mountain path from the valley floor took almost a day. While Qin Fang had a fitness and exercise habit, he wasn’t a professional outdoorsman. Halfway through, exhausted and breathless, he tentatively asked Si Teng if she could fly again—he knew she couldn’t fly high, but could she take him for a short flight?

Si Teng ignored him. It took Qin Fang a while to realize she couldn’t fly anymore. He guessed that she was like a battery that had been used up and left for a long time. She had just woken up and had a little bit of false remaining demonic power that supported her to land on her face.

Qin Fang, unwilling to give up, pressed her again, demanding to know what other abilities she possessed, whether it was wall-walking, invisibility, cave-building, or burrowing underground. He received no response. Finally, Qin Fang suddenly realized something and asked, “Could it be that after dying once, you’re so badly injured that you’re no different from an ordinary person?”

This time, Si Teng finally answered him: “Do you have any objections?”

Qin Fang stared at her for a full two seconds, then shook his head: “No.”

He was quite pleased, a gnashing sort of joy. After all this time, her abilities were so poor. If she were truly capable, he’d respect her. If she were kind, he’d be happy to help her. But now she was so shameless, he’d dump this burden in a second without further ado.

After returning to the hotel, Qin Fang checked into his room and immediately turned on the TV for Si Teng to watch. This was what she had asked on the way: how could one quickly understand the world seventy years from now? Reading books or newspapers wasn’t effective, and she still used traditional Chinese characters from back then. Television was perfect for that; it was full of life, full of life’s richness. Let her take the time to absorb it.

He used this time to inquire about the events of the day of the incident. After a long hesitation, he decided not to call the police. Firstly, the two people he had seen that night looked like gangsters, and this place was far from the city. If they were a criminal gang, calling the police would be disadvantageous. Secondly, technically, he was already dead, and asking him to explain his situation wouldn’t be easy.

Qin Fang decided to go back first. He knew the area well and had many friends there. Using connections would give him a better chance of success than trying to find his way here alone. He went back to his room to find Si Teng. An idol romance drama was playing on the TV. The tall, handsome male lead looked at his nagging girlfriend with a doting expression and said with a mixture of love and hate, “You annoying little demon…”

Qin Fang’s skin crawled with creeps, but Si Teng, on the other hand, showed no emotion. She watched the show for a moment before changing the channel and saying, “She doesn’t even qualify as a demon.”

She doesn’t qualify as a demon? So, what kind of demon was she? What did she think a demon should be like?

Qin Fang cleared his throat. Si Teng saw him, pressed the mute button on the remote, and asked, “What’s up?”

Qin Fang didn’t speak immediately, his gaze lingering on the remote for a second or two. He hadn’t taught her how to use it, so after turning it on, he went about his business. In such a short time, she had mastered it so naturally.

Si Teng was a quiet demon, always observing with a cold gaze and adapting quickly. Even though she looked like an ordinary person, she still gave him a strange sense of oppression and threat.

“I’m going to find my fiancée, An Man. What are you planning?”

“I have my own things to do.”

That felt good, and Qin Fang breathed a sigh of relief.

He pulled out his wallet and gave her a thousand yuan.

“Since you’re a demon, you must have somewhere to go. We’re on different paths. This is the money we use here, enough for you to get by for a few days. I gave you a few drops of blood, and you returned it with demonic energy. Now we’re even.”

With her words, “From now on, you’ll obey my orders,” as a prelude, Qin Fang deliberately emphasized the word “even.”

Si Teng hummed.

“Hmm” meant she agreed?

Qin Fang was a little skeptical, but he didn’t want to confirm it with her, lest it cause any complications. This result was perfect for him, and his mood brightened. “Well… it’s nice to meet you. I wish you… good health and that everything goes well.”

Si Teng ignored him, unmuted the TV, and quickly focused on the program again. This time it was a shopping infomercial, and the male host shouted with all his might, “Eight hundred and eighty-eight, real diamonds from South Africa, only eight hundred and eighty-eight. Hurry up and pick up your phone to order…”

***

Unable to find a shuttle bus out of Nangqian, Qin Fang chartered a Jinbei car to Yushu. After the Yushu earthquake, significant investment had been made, and even an airport had been built. Qin Fang planned to go from Yushu to Xining, a major hub in western China. From there, getting anywhere would be easy.

Before leaving, he made two phone calls.

The first call was to the company, answered by his friend and partner, Shan Zhigang. Qin Fang had supposedly exceeded his vacation, but firstly, he was half the boss, and secondly, he was taking An Man on a trip, so it was understandable that this was a major event in life. Shan Zhigang wasn’t suspicious, merely jokingly asking why An Man hadn’t posted on WeChat or Weibo. They’d been discussing it just a few days ago. He wondered if the snowy plateau had purified her so much that she’d suddenly converted to Buddhism.

The second call was to An Man’s parents. They lived far away in their hometown. They were said to be busy with work, so Qin Fang had never seen them. They were usually only contacted by phone. He had agreed to visit them for the engagement, but unexpectedly…

An Man’s mother answered the call. After a few polite words, Qin Fang was almost certain the other end had no information about An Man. An Man’s mother even enthusiastically asked when they would arrive, saying they must call beforehand so they could prepare.

It was fortunate that he hadn’t been dead for a year or two. The timing was tight, so no one had reported her missing, and she wouldn’t have been confirmed dead.

He left Nangqian around 2:00 p.m.

The owner of the Jinbei car was a Tibetan man in his thirties named Wangdui. He said he was visiting relatives in Yushu and had brought his wife, Jinzhu, with him. Jinzhu spoke no Chinese and was a bit shy. She sat in the passenger seat with her head lowered, the heavy gold jewelry hanging from her ears swaying.

As the car drove out of the city, Qin Fang thought of Si Teng and couldn’t help but look back in the direction of the hotel.

Having been resurrected from the dead, he was actually worried about whether there was anything unusual about him. He asked Si Teng, but she coldly replied, “How should I know? I’ve never been human.”

Indeed, she had made it clear from the beginning: demons that have returned from the dead, people who survive by relying on demonic energy, might be unique in the world, with no precedent.

However, the past two days had been fine. He had had no discomfort eating or sleeping, and all five senses were present. Even basking in the sun felt fine, unlike those vampires in the movies who ran around like a moving chimney when exposed to sunlight.

Thinking about it this way, he didn’t seem to hate Si Teng so much anymore. To be fair, if it weren’t for her, he’d probably still be lying in the valley enjoying the cool breeze.

The car ascended the mountain road, and the ride became increasingly bumpy. Qin Fang felt sleepy and dozed off. He didn’t know how long it had been before the car suddenly made a sharp turn, and he was startled awake. The music in the car was blaring: Phoenix Legend’s “Above the Moon.” Looking out the window, he saw Wangdui driving so fast that Qin Fang felt worried. He reached out to pat his shoulder, asking him to slow down.

As his hand touched Wangdui’s shoulder, Qin Fang suddenly froze. That hand was pale, shrunken, and thin, its fingertips slightly curved, its nails hard and black, like a bird’s claw. Wangdui didn’t even feel Qin Fang patting him. He twisted his body violently to the music, occasionally glancing at Jinzhu and saying, “To the east, horses are herded; to the west, sheep are herded. The hottest love songs last until dawn…”

Jinzhu didn’t understand but guessed from Wangdui’s expression, lowering her head and pursing her lips in a smile.

Qin Fang trembled as he withdrew his hand, slowly turning to look at his face through the window glass.

Shrunken skin covered the skull; it was the face of a dead person.

***

In small towns, the hotel front desk doubled as a convenience store, selling towels, toothbrushes, mineral water, and instant cup noodles. Speaking of instant noodles, Luolong Erjia had sold countless boxes. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

He looked at the unsealed cup of Master Kong in front of him, then at Si Teng across from him, patiently explaining, “All instant noodles are like this. They’re the same kind sold in your Han Chinese stores in big cities. Oh, I’m an honest businessman.”

“It’s not like that in the commercials.”

Luolong Erjia was furious. Tibetan men are intolerant of any inaccuracies and hate being accused of fraud. He banged on the countertop. “Commercials! Commercials are made by you Han Chinese too! Oh, there are huge chunks of meat in those commercials. Are they real? They say using something can make you ten years younger. My wife’s already used a whole bottle, and she still looks exactly the same age!”