Si Teng (Rattan) – CH 019

Chapter 19

If it were you, would you believe a demon would go to so much trouble, even holding your life in its hands, just to treat you to a meal?

Bai Jin’s words made sense. If she wanted to kill, she would have done it long ago. “Can kill but doesn’t” must have a purpose. This banquet was full of drama, but the whole story would unfold only after watching it. It was getting late, and Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple ordered his men to rest. He repeatedly instructed them to keep this matter confidential and not to leak it. The disciples gradually dispersed, leaving only the leaders of each sect and Yan Furui. Taoist Master Zhang Shaohua from Qingcheng Mountain was over sixty years old, thin and vigorous, with a long beard, and had the demeanor of an old-school Taoist Priest. He was usually a man of few words, but he was very discerning when it mattered. He suggested calling Old Lady Huang Cuilan. She had provided the solution to the vine-killing spell, and she must know something about Si Teng. Perhaps they could get more information from her.

The night was getting quieter, and the other party was very unhappy about the disturbance, but he let Old Lady Huang answer the phone anyway. Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple turned on the speakerphone and recounted what had happened. Old Lady Huang was also visibly surprised. “My mother never mentioned Si Teng’s poison. She might not even know.”

Old Lady Huang’s mother was Huang Yu. She had been invited to help Taoist Master Qiu Shan kill Si Teng, and later came to Sichuan, where she had a close relationship with Qiu Shan. She must have known a lot of inside information. When pressed further, Old Lady Huang became hesitant, stopping herself several times before sighing, “That’s all in the past. Speaking of it would probably damage Taoist Master Qiu Shan’s reputation.”

What did this have to do with his own master? At the mention of “reputation,” Yan Furui immediately grew nervous.

Old Lady Huang’s nagging annoyed Liu Jinding, and his words became somewhat blunt. “Grandma Huang,” he said, “Taoist Master Qiu Shan has been dead for so many years, and we don’t even know his details. Which is more important, the reputation of a dead person or the life of a living person?”

As he spoke, he pushed Yan Furui forward again. “Master Qiu Shan’s disciple is right here, and he has no objections. If you have anything to say, just speak frankly.”

Old Lady Huang laughed, her voice hoarse and aged. “Don’t lie to me, an old woman. How could Master Qiu Shan have a disciple?”

What a lie! Yan Furui quickly clarified, “Master Huang, Master Qiu Shan is my master. He raised me.”

Old Lady Huang smiled. “Yes, ‘he raised me,’ but you certainly haven’t entered the Dao. You know, Master Qiu Shan…can’t accept disciples in the Dao.”

Yan Furui was stunned. This was true. Back then, he and Qiu Shan had lived together day and night; their relationship was closer than father and son, but from beginning to end, Qiu Shan had never mentioned asking him to inherit his mantle.

For a moment, everyone was silent. Old Lady Huang’s words about “damaged reputation” had a negative connotation here. Did Qiu Shan do something that brought shame upon the Taoist sect, robbing him of even the right to accept disciples and spread the Dao?

Sure enough, Old Lady Huang’s next words left everyone stunned.

She said, “Si Teng’s transformation was solely the work of Qiu Shan. In other words, Si Teng was actually raised by Qiu Shan.”

She continued, “My mother said it wasn’t a glorious thing, and we all agreed not to mention it. But even if it was a bad thing, it would be a lesson for future generations. So my mother told me about it. She said there was another reason: she always felt that Si Teng would return one day.”

Everyone knew what the situation was like back then: warlords divided the country, chaos reigned, and in troubled times, evil spirits emerged. And Taoism flourished especially during those times. As the old saying goes, it was a time of great opportunity, when great minds emerged.

However, since ancient times, the Taoist sect has been strictly regulated. The Four Great Mountains, followed by the Seven Dao Caves, and the Nine Dao Streets; and other smaller sects were considered inferior, making it difficult for them to rise to prominence.

Taoist Master Qiu Shan came from a relatively unknown sect. He possessed some skills but was also arrogant. After repeated setbacks, he became angry and humiliated, and his thoughts became demonic. He should never have given rise to such evil thoughts.

He thought if he had a demon to command, with internal and external cooperation, he could write and direct his own drama of demonic rebellion and subjugation. After repeatedly defeating demons, wouldn’t his fame and rise to prominence be imminent?

Driven by this thought, Qiu Shan traveled to southwestern Yunnan around 1910. As the old saying went, “Vines are spirits, and trees are monsters.” These were long-lived, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, and were most likely to transform into spirits. Actually, Si Teng, though a centuries-old vine at the time, was far from being able to transform. After searching unsuccessfully for her, Qiu Shan resorted to the next best thing: using a secret Taoist method to force her growth, which ultimately led to her transformation. To avoid a potential threat, he placed a spell on Si Teng, effectively forcing her to obey his commands but not attack him.

Qiu Shan did this, but it was difficult to get rid of the orthodox Taoist mentality. He regarded monsters as lowly and inferior, looking down on them, but he also wanted to rely on monsters to become famous. His psychology was extremely contradictory, so he treated Si Teng very badly.

My mother said that before Si Teng was ten years old, she was locked in a cage for cats and dogs. Sometimes when it was cold and snowy, Qiu Shan would carry the cage out of the house to freeze overnight. The next day, he would carry it out and drag out the person who was frozen like an ice lump. Si Teng was frozen stiff, and after she recovered, she would crawl into the ash pile in the stove to keep warm. Qiu Shan didn’t care. Suddenly one day, for some reason, he couldn’t stand this anymore, so he lit a fire in the stove and burned her until only a skeleton was left… Alas, Taoist Qiu Shan was really too harsh on Si Teng back then. It was also because she was a monster. If she were human, she would have been tortured to death long ago. I also asked my mother back then why Taoist Qiu Shan, a Taoist, was so cruel to Si Teng. My mother explained that he believed all monsters deserved death, and being ruthless towards them was upholding justice, so nothing could be too much.

When Si Teng was a teenager, her demonic powers grew. She’d been accustomed to being beaten and scolded by Qiu Shan since she was a child, and she’d obeyed his orders without a word. Perhaps this psychological distortion left her with no outlet, so when she teamed up with Qiu Shan to take on different monster guises and wreak havoc, her methods were extremely ruthless. To the point where she actually became famous before Qiu Shan did. Many on the Taoist mountains heard about it and were buzzing with comments: “As expected, in troubled times, several such powerful monsters have appeared one after another.”

Other times, Qiu Shan would subdue other monsters, while Si Teng would hide in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to cooperate. Think about it, monsters were generally not wary of their own kind. She attacked with such audacity, and with Qiu Shan’s guidance, she was unstoppable. Once the monsters were eliminated, wouldn’t all the credit go to Qiu Shan? Taoist Priest Qiu Shan finally achieved his dream of rising to prominence. In today’s terms, he was a rising star within the Taoist sect. Qiu Shan himself was so smug that he boasted of raising a demon dog, and it was truly tame and obedient.

Qiu Shan’s downfall stemmed from this very fact. He treated Si Teng like a domesticated dog, completely unaware that she was a wolf whose wild instincts had not yet been quenched by the smell of blood.

Si Teng was incredibly intelligent. She didn’t understand at first, but after a few tries, she gradually realized she was killing one of her own kind. However, she remained calm, patiently forbearing, and patiently waited for the perfect opportunity.

That opportunity arrived prematurely, triggered by a single word: “Qi.”

Qiu Shan didn’t tell my mother the details of this section, simply saying that Si Teng had accidentally met a wealthy young man who had come to Qingcheng for the summer. They fell in love at first sight and were fond of each other, often meeting privately. When a woman fell in love with a man, it was hard to hide it in her eyes or words. Qiu Shan quickly became suspicious, and when he discovered the clues, he was furious.

As I mentioned earlier, Qiu Shan considered monsters to be of lowly status and low class. The idea of ​​monsters and humans falling in love was simply unacceptable. Qiu Shan sought out the rich young man’s parents and discussed the matter in secret. The elderly couple were almost frightened to death. In the end, they both communicated and found the right opportunity. In front of the rich young man, the evil Si Teng showed up.

It was said that the wealthy young man fainted on the spot. After thanking Qiu Shan, the family left Qingcheng overnight. Si Teng was also beaten nearly to death by Qiu Shan. Qiu Shan said he had intended to kill her at the time because his reputation was already established, and keeping her alive would only cause trouble in the future. However, Si Teng knelt and begged for mercy, tears streaming down her face, kowtowed until the ground was covered in blood, and swore never to do it again. Qiu Shan, momentarily relenting, spared her.

At that time, Qingcheng Mountain intended to extend an olive branch to Taoist Master Qiu Shan, hoping to recruit him to Qingcheng and confer on him the title of Heavenly Master. While Qiu Shan’s illustrious reputation had many supporters, there were also many detractors, who felt that a Taoist of mixed origins was unworthy of the title. Even the Four Gates, Seven Caves, and Nine Streets were divided into two factions, with heated arguments. In serious cases, tables were overturned and swords drawn. Therefore, the invitation was not delivered.

Soon after Si Teng’s incident, the voices of opposition suddenly ceased. Taoist Qiu Shan finally achieved his wish and, on an auspicious day, officially entered the Qingcheng Sect.

That day was likely the most glorious and also the most shameful of Taoist Qiu Shan’s life. In a single day, he fell from the pinnacle of his life to an irretrievable descent.

Qingcheng Mountain widely distributed invitations to heroes, inviting prominent Taoist figures to attend the ceremony. The initial altar-raising, fasting, incense burning, and shrine-lighting rituals were all normal. But when Taoist Qiu Shan came to receive the Qingcheng Taoist robe, someone suddenly shouted, “Wait!”

The speaker was the then-headmaster of Longhu Mountain. He handed the Qingcheng Sect master a letter, stating that it would be clear to the Qingcheng Sect master that Taoist Qiu Shan was not only unworthy of the title of Heavenly Master but also a despicable villain with a ruthless heart.

The head of the Qingcheng Sect also knew the seriousness of this matter. Ignoring the murmurs of the spectators, he hastily interrupted the ceremony and brought only Qiu Shan and the heads of the Four Gates, Seven Caves, and Nine Streets into the room to discuss matters. The letter pointed out that Taoist Master Qiu Shan was ambitious and had written and directed a story about raising demons to cause trouble, a truly shameful act for the thousand-year-old Taoist sect.

Taoist Master Qiu Shan knew something was amiss, but he remained composed, defending himself by saying that his words were empty and that he could easily find a pretext to accuse him. However, the other party sneered and soon had Magu Cave’s Master Chen Cuiqiao lead someone in.

Si Teng.

Qiu Shan had placed a talisman on Si Teng, so he had never been overly wary of her. Unexpectedly, before the Qingcheng Mountain ceremony, Si Teng approached the sect leaders who opposed Qiu Shan’s ordination and promised them that if they could remove the talisman, she would reveal a secret about Qiu Shan that would make the Taoist sect scorn him for the rest of his life.

The sect leaders were hesitant about the deal with the demon. After weighing the pros and cons, they decided to agree to her request and then subdue Qiu Shan once she exposed him, thus eliminating both the monster and the evil at the same time.

Unexpectedly, as she exposed Qiu Shan, Si Teng, taking advantage of the crowd’s excitement, secretly unleashed her vines. These vines were so thin they were hard to discern. They first attached themselves to clothes and hair, then suddenly penetrated through the nose, mouth, and ears, catching everyone off guard. Si Teng took this opportunity to escape, but Chen Cuiqiao gave chase. Unfortunately, the vines unleashed their force as she attacked, severely injuring her.

Fortunately, Taoist Priest Qiu Shan knew the solution to the Teng Sha attack, averting a catastrophe for the Taoist sect. However, accepting him into the sect was no longer possible. Those banned by the Four Gates, Seven Caves, and Nine Streets were effectively doomed to fail. Knowing his fate was lost, Taoist Priest Qiu Shan swore a solemn oath before the other sect leaders: he had created this demon, and he would personally slay it. He only hoped the sect leaders would spare him some respect and not publicize his scandal. The sect leaders, grateful for his life-saving grace, promised to keep the matter a secret, stating that everyone has their own ambitions. Taoist Priest Qiu Shan, a free spirit, refused to be bound by the Taoist sect. They also explained that he shouldered the responsibility of righteousness and was determined to slay Si Teng, the most powerful demon at the time.

These words naturally reached Si Teng’s ears. The next day, someone discovered a stone inscription by Si Teng on a rock on the Moon Watching Terrace in the back mountains of Qingcheng. The inscription read: “I cannot repay the kindness of raising me. How dare I die before the Yellow Springs? I will tremble with fear and leave this useful body. A hundred years from now, I will clean the grave of my benefactor, burn incense before his tomb, and kowtow once more. A demon never makes a promise lightly, and my oath is as strong as a mountain.”

Everyone understood clearly what this meant: Qiu Shan, don’t even think about killing me. I will outlive you no matter what, and I will visit your grave someday. The head of the Qingcheng Sect sent many people and took great pains to finally carve away the words.

From then on, no one heard of Si Teng again. Taoist Qiu Shan left Qingcheng, searching for the demon. Not long after, I heard that Chen Cuiqiao, the master of Magu Cave, had succumbed to her injuries, having died before the age of thirty.

Until 1946, so much had happened in those years—national upheavals, family upheavals, even the world itself—that everyone had nearly forgotten this incident. One day, Taoist Qiu Shan suddenly visited my mother, Huang Yu, and announced that he had discovered Si Teng’s whereabouts.