Si Teng (Rattan) – CH 023

Chapter 23

Qin Fang returned to his room, distraught. Si Teng was still sitting facing the mirror, seemingly recovered. Hearing the noise, she asked casually, “Did you catch her?”

Qin Fang hesitated for a moment: “She ran away.”

“So what if she ran away? There are so many people here. If we catch her, it’ll be embarrassing for everyone.”

Qin Fang’s heart skipped a beat: “Do you know who she is?”

“Who else could it be? Chen Yindeng.” Si Teng stood up, signaling Qin Fang to leave. “To be more specific, Magu Cave and I have a grudge. That night, when I called and introduced her to Master Cang Hong, Chen Yindeng was clearly there and even spoke to me. How could she not come to our meeting today?”

She looked at the one-way mirror. A banquet attendant smiled. “They arranged a feint from the east and an attack from the west, hiding behind the oriole. It seems those young Taoist priests aren’t all fools.”

***

After dinner, Yan Furui returned to Qingcheng Mountain with Wafang. He hadn’t been poisoned, and now he had come back, so he had escaped unscathed. He said goodbye to everyone before leaving. Except for Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple and Wang Qiankun, everyone else was very cold. Not far away, he heard Liu Jinding sneer and say, “His master caused this trouble, and we’re unlucky, but he’s fine—does he really think that monster will let him go? If I were Si Teng, I’d go after him first.”

These words made Yan Furui feel uneasy, but the second blow soon came: the Tianhuang Temple, where he and the Wafang had lived, was demolished.

Engineer Song was directing workers on-site, pushing carts to clear the rubble. Seeing Yan Furui from afar, he quickly donned his hard hat and, with two workers armed with shovels blocking his way, shouted to Yan Furui through the “human wall.” He explained that he’d checked with the Housing Management Center and learned Yan Furui didn’t even have a property certificate. Back then, management was lax, and he and his apprentice had exploited loopholes in the policy to build on the land, taking advantage of the state for years. Qingcheng Mountain belonged to the state, and if everyone else followed his example, grabbing land and building houses there, would there still be any law?

This was the plan Engineer Song had prepared. He planned to use a mix of kindness and force, first intimidating him, then reassuring him by saying, “We’ll still give you some compensation.” But before he could finish his words, Yan Furui turned and walked away, holding Wafang.

This wasn’t like Yan Furui. Had he changed his ways? Engineer Song was baffled. One of the workers with a shovel said to him, “Boss, please be careful these days.”

Engineer Song agreed and suddenly felt a chilling wind blowing from all directions.

***

In the evening, Qin Fang received a call from Yan Furui, saying he wanted to visit Miss Si Teng. Qin Fang was worried Si Teng wouldn’t agree, but after a moment’s thought, she said, “This Yan Furui has come to visit me once or twice, so let him come. I’ll see what he’s up to.”

Yan Furui arrived with Wafang in his arms. In his right hand, he carried a fruit basket filled with apples, bananas, and kiwis, and in his left, a large box of Madam beauty oral liquid. Qin Fang collapsed when he saw it. Yan Furui carefully explained, “I know Miss Si Teng isn’t married and can’t be called Madam, but there are these in the supermarket. I looked, and it’s available for anyone over 18, so it doesn’t necessarily mean Madam.”

Qin Fang wanted to sigh. Yan Furui was a complete idiot. What else could he possibly do?

Wafang was terrified of Si Teng. He huddled in a corner of the courtyard, flipping through the picture album Qin Fang had bought him. Yan Furui stood hunched over Si Teng, waiting for Qin Fang to hand her the gift before offering her a deep, 90-degree bow.

Si Teng smiled, “Master Yan, what’s going on?”

Yan Furui said, “Miss Si Teng, I know my master has wronged you. I never imagined he would have acted so foolishly back then. If I were you, I’d want revenge, too. But Master raised me from childhood, and I truly treat him like a father. I’ve thought about it, and I don’t know when the revenge will end. If you’re truly upset, just come after me. I’ve accomplished nothing in my life, but if I can help Master pay off his debt and appease your resentment, then my life won’t be in vain.”

These words left Qin Fang confused: Master Qiu Shan wronged Si Teng? Wasn’t it natural for a Taoist to capture demons? Was there something else going on?

The smile on Si Teng’s face slowly faded, and after a moment, she said coldly, “So everyone knows.”

“Yes, Old Lady Huang told us.”

Si Teng reacted quickly, “Which Old Lady Huang? The one behind Huang Yu? Abbot Cang Hong never mentioned this Old Lady Huang.”

Yan Furui quickly explained that Old Lady Huang was very old and paralyzed in bed, unable to go to Wudang Mountain. She had only spoken to them on the phone.

“Is it fun for an old lady to gossip? Why isn’t it her mouth that’s paralyzed?”

Yan Furui didn’t dare say anything, but he vaguely understood why Si Teng was angry: she looked so glamorous today; the people she manipulated with her casual conversation were helpless; so she certainly didn’t want others to know how humble and downtrodden she had been in the past.

The visit suddenly reached a deadlock, leaving Yan Furui in a dilemma. After a moment, he mumbled, “Well… I’ll go back and visit again another day.”

Si Teng didn’t say either yes or no, staring at Yan Furui in silence. Yan Furui felt a chill run down his spine, but she smiled again. “Are you living with Cang Hong and the others now?”

“No, I took Wafang home to live with them, and then…”

Yan Furui hesitated about whether to tell her about his homelessness, but Si Teng interrupted him, “Find a way to go back and stay with Cang Hong and the others.”

Yan Furui didn’t understand: “Why?”

“Aren’t you supposed to pay off your master’s debt? I’ve thought about it, and there’s no way someone like you can… Since you’re so familiar with Cang Hong and the others, why not help me gather information, pass on a message, or something?”

Yan Furui stood there, stunned. It wasn’t until Si Teng returned to her room that he suddenly woke up and asked Qin Fang, “Mr. Qin, I can pass on messages, but as for gathering information, is Miss Si Teng… asking me to be an undercover agent?”

Qin Fang said, “It seems so.”

Yan Furui panicked: “No, Mr. Qin, I… I’m not mentally prepared.”

***

It was almost midnight. Aside from Wang Qiankun, everyone else gathered in the main room of Cang Hong’s lodging, alternately sighing and arguing heatedly. The focus of the debate centered on two main points: should they help her find a monster, and how should they help her find a monster?

The opposing side said, “Lonely? It sounds like a lie. Wafang is small, but what he said makes sense. One demon is already troublesome enough. If we help her find another, and two demons join forces to stir up trouble, will the Taoists still be able to survive?”

Some supported it: “Exorcising demons is the Taoist’s responsibility. We can help find them. Once we find them, wouldn’t it be good to capture them all? Killing two birds with one stone.”

Then the question arose: “Catch them all in one swoop? Do you have the ability to do that? We haven’t even faced these monsters head-on, so how can we know their strengths?”

The supporters sneered, “Why destroy your own ambitions to enhance the prestige of others?” The Taoist sect has been around for thousands of years, and there are hidden talents everywhere. I don’t believe there aren’t masters capable of exorcising demons and defending the Dao.

The conversations were like a swarm of bees buzzing and flies buzzing. Temple Abbot Cang Hong felt overwhelmed. Just as he was about to shout for silence, there was a knock on the door.

Knock, knock, knock—three knocks, neither hurried nor slow.

Ding Dacheng went to open the door, initially thinking it was Wang Qiankun. When the door opened, he was utterly surprised: “Miss Chen, didn’t you leave?”

Chen Yindeng said nothing, walking straight into the living room. She didn’t even sit down but simply stood. She was slender, with a striking waistline. She wore a velvet tracksuit and white sneakers. Her long, straight hair fell to her waist, not a hair out of place. The overhead light shone on her, creating a truly artistic theatrical effect.

Temple abbot Cang Hong felt relieved: “Miss Chen, you’re finally here. Please take a seat. Everyone saw Si Teng today. She gave us three days…”

Chen Yindeng interrupted him: “I know. I was there too.”

“You were?”

“This kind of demon is treacherous and cunning. We can’t just do whatever she tells us to do. That’s why I followed in the dark, wanting to find out what Si Teng was up to.”

Ding Dacheng was the most anxious: “Did you find out?”

Chen Yindeng thought for a moment, then shook her head slowly. After a moment, she seemed lost in thought: “She didn’t say anything, but I did hear… Qin Fang said to her, ‘Aren’t you going to take revenge and endure hardships?'”

Master Cang Hong was shocked, his mind blank, and he didn’t know what to say. In a trance, he heard Taoist Master Ma Qiuyang’s shrill voice: “‘Let the bygones be bygones.’ What’s the point of being magnanimous and reasonable? You just know that the words of monsters can’t be trusted!”

Master Cang Hong calmed down and said, “What do you think, Miss Chen?”

Chen Yindeng was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly knelt on the ground. Zhenren Zhang Shaohua, who was closest to her, was startled and instinctively reached out to help her. Chen Yindeng’s face turned pale, and she brushed his hand away, then kowtowed three times to everyone in the room.

This was completely unexpected. Everyone looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.

Chen Yindeng said, “Si Teng’s grudge against the Taoists is simply due to her suffering at the hands of Taoist Priest Qiu Shan. However, she and my Magu Cave truly share a deep-seated blood feud.”

Bai Jin roughly guessed that what she was about to bring up was related to Chen Cuiqiao. Of the group, he was the most worldly-wise and less influenced by the Taoists, so it was difficult for him to understand the obsession of Chen Yindeng and the others. He advised her, “Miss Chen, your ancestors’ misfortune was indeed unfortunate, but it’s in the past. Now that Si Teng wants to pursue her vengeance, you’re bringing up the Magu Cave case. Why bother?”

Chen Yindeng sneered, “In the past? It didn’t happen to the Bai family in Jinling. Professor Bai certainly can’t empathize. In recent years, each Taoist sect has operated independently, with little interaction. I’m afraid you all don’t know what transpired between my Magu Cave and the Chen family, right?”

Bai Jin was speechless. Master Zhang Shaohua frowned and asked, “What happened to your ancestors? Miss Chen, could there be more to the story beyond the fatal injury to Chen Cuiqiao?”

Chen Yindeng’s face was grim. After a long silence, tears welled up in her eyes, yet she couldn’t suppress her hatred. “Si Teng said she would never bring harm to her descendants? She cursed our Chen family. After my great-grandmother passed away, my grandmother and mother both died in childbirth, all before the age of thirty. Both were born separated from the living and the dead. While the Magu Cave’s Taoist techniques aren’t unparalleled, they still require oral transmission. The written materials are difficult to understand, making them difficult for later generations to grasp. As a result, the Magu Cave’s techniques have been nearly lost. On the surface, she severely injured my great-grandmother, but in reality, she severed the Magu Cave’s lineage!”

This news was like a bombshell. Everyone was nearly speechless, remembering Si Teng’s words at the banquet that day about being “magnanimous and sensible.” Her words were so nice, yet her actions were so ruthless.

Bai Jin almost guessed what she was about to say. He wanted to dissuade her but felt it was inappropriate: “Then Miss Chen wants…”

“If she doesn’t show up, I’ll never find her, and the Chen family will forever live with this curse. Now that she’s revealed herself, I must kill her.” Her face was fierce and her words were sharp, but then a touch of kindness suddenly appeared on her face. She gently stroked her right hand to her belly and whispered, “Even if not for myself, then for… the child in my belly.”