Si Teng (Rattan) – CH 018

Chapter 18

A little after ten o’clock that evening, Yan Furui called. Qin Fang had just answered when he was met with a barrage of furious abuse: “You lowly creatures, do you have any shame?”

What did he mean? Wang Qiankun was dead? Qin Fang’s heart tightened. Just as he was about to say something, a middle-aged man’s steady voice rang through the receiver: “Master Yan, calm down. Let me talk to him.”

Qin Fang was a bit baffled. The background noise on the other end was chaotic, like a pot boiling with people coughing furiously, screaming, and yelling. The man, however, spoke calmly, asking, “Is Miss Si Teng here? Can I have a word with her?”

“Is Master Wang alright?”

“For now… he’s fine.”

Good thing he’s alright. Qin Fang was just about to let go when someone on the other end suddenly shouted, “Talk to a monster! You’re going to die anyway, so let’s just fight!”

This didn’t sound like a peaceful situation. How did someone unrelated get involved? Qin Fang asked unconsciously, “What’s wrong?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a sigh: “It’s about a dozen lives. Life or death depends entirely on Miss Si Teng’s decision.”

***

As Qin Fang handed the phone to Si Teng, he said, “Si Teng, be merciful when you can.”

Si Teng seemed not to hear and didn’t answer the phone, simply motioning for him to turn on the speakerphone. The other end, noticing the commotion, asked tentatively, “Miss Si Teng?”

“Who?”

“My last name is Bai, Bai Jin.”

“The Bai family of Jinling, in Wuyi Lane, Jiudao Street?”

Bai Jin was a little surprised, and his words became more polite: “Three generations ago, we lived in Wuyi Lane. My father lived there. We moved when I was little. Miss Si Teng knew my… grandfather?”

“I’ve heard of him. Back then, the Taoists called him the Jade-Faced Scholar. He was said to like wearing white—a long white gown and a Mao suit. Sometimes, he’d wear a suit and a top hat. He waved a sandalwood fan with two lines of poetry written in small calligraphy on the front: ‘The swallows that once graced the halls of the Wang and Xie families now fly into the homes of ordinary people.'”

Bai Jin was stunned for a moment, paused, and whispered, “I wasn’t lucky enough to see him. My grandfather passed away before I was born.”

“The back of the fan is painted with poetry, depicting ordinary people’s homes with just a few ounces of ink. It’s said that when the fan was made, it originally had only one family on it. Then, when Mr. Bai captured a demon, a swallow appeared on the fan.”

Grandfather’s fan?

Bai Jin remembered that fan.

No one in the Bai family inherited the family trade. Although he researched unsolved mysteries and mysterious phenomena at a university, that was ultimately a scientific explanation and had nothing to do with the world of demonic influences. When he was a child, he saw the black box left by his grandfather sitting on top of the large cupboard at home. While his parents were away, he stepped on a stool to look inside. Inside were manuscripts, a yellow Mao suit, a pocket watch, a fountain pen, and the fan.

He wasn’t interested in anything else. Since it was hot, the fan was still useful, so he secretly took it out to cool himself. Mosquitoes abounded in summer, so he fanned himself with a snap. He unfolded the fan and saw a large, dead mosquito next to the swallow.

Later, when reading “Dream of the Red Chamber,” he flicked open the fan, imitating his grandfather’s example and also ripping a large tear in it. Her mother, enraged, lashed him with a broom, saying, “After all, it was something left by our elders, you wasteful bastard!”

Regardless of regret, there was no point in keeping a broken fan. Eventually, it seemed like it would be thrown away or sold along with the old furniture.

—Mr. Bai collected a demon, and a swallow appeared on the fan.

So it was that fan. Now it’s too late to regret.

Bai Jin was momentarily distracted, and someone nearby couldn’t help but curse: “Mr. Bai, why are you talking nonsense to such a shameless demon!”

Si Teng heard it but didn’t get angry: “Mr. Bai, turn on the speaker so I can say hello to the Taoist priests.”

Bai Jin simply felt that her words were clear and polite, and her gentle manner made it hard to refuse a request. Without thinking, he reached out and pressed the speaker.

***

Everyone was furious, but their rage couldn’t be contained. As soon as Bai Jin unleashed his phone, all their anger suddenly found an outlet. Everyone was practically livid. Coincidentally, the poison vines flared up again at this very moment, scorching their skin and lungs. Ding Dacheng, a northerner with a particularly fiery temper, grabbed a copper abacus and hurled it at Bai Jin’s newly set phone. Bai Jin thought, “This is it! This phone is definitely ruined!” But then Ding Dacheng suddenly cried out, clutching his chest and rolling on the ground in pain. Yan Furui, slow to react, angrily declared, “It’s my phone! You’ll pay for it if you break it!”

Si Teng’s laughter continued, and after a pause, she softly said, “Masters, please calm down for now. This poisonous vine certainly has a time limit, but if you want to avoid suffering in the meantime, the key is to not lose your temper. Stay calm, think about happy things, listen to opera, read, write, and relax. If you’re like that master just now, ready to draw your weapons, that’s very bad. I’ll be the one watching the show, and you’ll be the ones suffering.”

Everyone was horrified, and suddenly it occurred to them: This was true. Everyone had been furious, shouting and yelling since being poisoned, and they were all in excruciating pain. Ding Dacheng had the worst temper and the most severe pain. Could it be that, as the demon said, one must remain calm?

Regardless of whether it was true or not, they quickly tried it out. The pain was real, so everyone quickly thought about the most comforting things in their lives and constantly reminded themselves not to get angry. It worked, and they felt the tension in their chests gradually ease. When Ding Dacheng fell to the ground, the vine-like veins on his skin, which had been crisscrossed, slowly subsided.

This side, once bustling like a market full of people sharpening knives, was now as quiet as a deserted Zen hall at midnight.

Si Teng said, “That’s good. It’s quiet. Wouldn’t it be nice for everyone to sit on either side, eat some snacks, drink some wine, and chat about personal matters? It’s not decent to fight like shrews, yelling and cursing, or even to the point of bloodshed.”

She was the one who started the fight, yet she acted like a kind-hearted peacemaker. How shameless must one be to pull that off? Everyone wanted to be angry, but they didn’t dare. They could only watch, pretending not to hear.

At the time of the incident, only Bai Jin and Yan Furui were outside the house and escaped the poisoning. Yan Furui was somewhat of a greenhorn, so it was Bai Jin who was in charge of the negotiations and probing with Si Teng. He tried his best to tactfully reply to Si Teng’s words: “Speaking of which, I also want to thank Miss Si Teng for showing mercy. The house was sealed off inside and out. If the poison had been a little stronger, I’m afraid there would have been a whole lot more deaths. Miss Si Teng could kill but didn’t, so she must have some requirements.”

Si Teng didn’t answer directly: “Who are those masters over there?”

Seeing that no one objected, Bai Jin introduced the sects present. Si Teng was polite and said, “I’ve heard a lot about you.” However, when she heard about Magu Cave, she paused for a moment and asked, “How long did Chen Cuiqiao, the immortal from Magu Cave, live?”

The question was so abrupt that Bai Jin was baffled, unsure how to respond. Chen Yindeng replied coldly, “My great-grandmaster died before he was thirty.”

Si Teng sighed, “What a shame he died so young.”

Chen Yindeng’s blood boiled, and she wanted to say something, but her heart tightened again. She tightly clutched the corner of her clothes to hold back her anger. Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple, watching nearby, felt his heart skip a beat. Si Teng must have had some unpleasant experiences with Magu Cave. What about him? He had met Si Teng before, and she hadn’t reacted in the slightest. Was it because he was too young to remember, or was she deliberately keeping it a secret?

After the introductions, everyone’s patience was almost exhausted. With their life or death hanging in the balance, who would have the time to exchange pleasantries with her? Taoist Master Ma Qiuyang was the first to ask, “Poisoning and plotting—what exactly do you mean?”

Si Teng smiled at Qin Fang and said, “He asked me what I meant. What do you think I meant?”

Baffled, Qin Fang wanted to roll his eyes, but after much thought, he restrained himself. “How would I know what you mean? It doesn’t seem like you want to treat anyone to a meal.”

Si Teng said, “Yes, I do.”

She leaned in close to the phone, choosing her words carefully and speaking earnestly, “The Four Gates, Seven Caves, and Nine Streets were once renowned Taoist sects. Those who cultivate and admire the Dao would be honored to see their true faces. It’s a pity that the whereabouts of these masters are so elusive that ordinary people may only encounter them once in their lifetime. So, how can we possibly invite you Taoist masters to dinner without resorting to extraordinary means?”

“I’d be damned if I believed you,” Ma Qiuyang said coldly, “A last meal?”

“Master, you’re worrying too much. Firstly, I’m not interested in your head. Secondly, you’re all leaders in the Taoist sect, elites of education. I’d be disrespectful to you all and would even be making an enemy of all Taoists. I’m just a small demon, so insignificant that I wouldn’t dare do such a thing.”

So you know the taboos, Ma Qiuyang felt a little proud. Bai Jin, however, was a little skeptical and confirmed with her, “Miss Si Teng, are you really treating us to dinner?”

“I really want to treat you to a meal.”

***

After hanging up the phone, Qin Fang asked the same question: “Are you really treating them to dinner?”

“I really want to treat them to a meal.”

Qin Fang was speechless. After a pause, he said, “Si Teng, our lives are tied together, and we’re considered family. It’s fine if you say that to those Taoists, but to your own people, I don’t ask you to reveal everything, at least a few. Is it fun to keep others in the dark? Does it make you look smart?”

After spending the entire night worrying about Wang Qiankun, she sang Xiang Zhuang’s sword dance aiming at the Duke of Pei. Qin Fang was furious.

Si Teng looked up at Qin Fang. “Don’t you understand what I’m saying? I’m treating you to dinner. As an assistant, what should you do now? You should decide the time and place, choose a restaurant, reserve a private room, inform everyone when to arrive and where to eat, and even arrange transportation if necessary. My instructions were so clear, and you’re still asking questions. If it were someone else, such a stupid assistant would have been kicked out long ago.”

“You’re the only one who’s smart! Your whole family is smart!” Qin Fang thought angrily; he almost vomited blood. Knowing that arguing with her would lead to nothing good, he swallowed his anger and turned to go back to his room.

She added, “Choose a more upscale restaurant. Don’t let those Taoists accuse me of being stingy.”