Si Teng (Rattan) – CH 029

Chapter 29

In the middle of the night, Yan Furui woke everyone in the hotel. He was truly terrified, his hands and feet trembling as he babbled incoherently, “The child’s gone! The child’s gone!”

How could he be gone? He went to the front desk to ask, but the clerk replied that they hadn’t seen the child leave the hotel at all. He was definitely still in the hotel, probably having wandered off for fun. He suggested searching the restaurant, guest rooms, and other amenities.

Yan Furui was nearly crying with anxiety, running around like a headless fly, searching only to be disappointed wherever he looked. His final word—”Nothing”—was tinged with tears. Seeing a man of his age acting this way was incredibly distressing to anyone who saw him. Everyone gathered around him, offering advice. Liu Jinding’s eyes widened, his forehead dripping with sweat, and he insisted, “It’s definitely an insider! He’s probably still in the hotel! Search every room, room by room! I just can’t believe a child that big could have escaped through a window!”

Amid the chaos, Professor Bai Jin suddenly realized and pointed to a camera high in the corner, reminding everyone, “Hotels have 24-hour surveillance. Check the cameras to see if there was anything wrong. We’ll find out.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Yan Furui was like a drowning man grasping at a straw. Led by the duty manager, a group of people rushed to the monitoring room. There was only one security guard in the room, dozing off. After hearing the whole story, he yawned and pulled up the video from the camera in the corridor outside Yan Furui’s room. He quickly rewound the video, but he didn’t know which frame he was on when the image of a person, Wafang, suddenly appeared on the screen. Everyone shouted in unison, “That’s it, that’s it!”

The security guard rewound the video again. The screen flickered for a moment before returning to normal. The lights were dim, and the corridor was dark in the middle of the night, like a scene from a horror movie, making people feel creepy.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and Wafang emerged, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He looked around vacantly, his lips moving as if he were calling for his master. Yan Furui then realized that he hadn’t forgotten to close the door when he returned. It wasn’t that he had forgotten, but that Wafang had suddenly woken up in the middle of the night and, unable to find him, had opened the door and come looking for him. Yan Furui felt a chill in his heart. Wafang usually slept soundly at night, rarely waking up.

Wafang took two more steps, tilted his head back, and yawned profusely. Almost instantly, a black mist suddenly rose from the screen and quickly dissipated. It lasted only a second or two, and if you weren’t paying attention, you’d think it was a black screen malfunction. And Wafang had vanished, just like that.

The scene shifted back to a silent corridor. Yan Furui, stunned, staring intently at the screen, asked in a hoarse voice, “Where’s the person?”

A few seconds later, as if in response to his question, the door of a nearby room flew open. The short Pan Qinian, clutching a gourd, rushed out, knocking excitedly on each door, followed by none other than Yan Furui.

Yan Furui stared blankly at his own image on the screen. He remembered that when Pan Qinian, clutching the gourd, yelled, “There’s an evil spirit! Everyone, get up! There’s an evil spirit!” he had followed behind, urging Master Pan to keep his voice down. It was late at night, and the other guests might object.

So, at that moment, only seconds had passed since the Wafang disappeared. Wasn’t it said that close people have a telepathic connection? Why didn’t he sense anything unusual?

The duty manager and hotel staff who were watching were also shocked. A timid waitress hesitantly asked, “Wasn’t this a ghost?”

The duty manager, somewhat experienced, rebuked the scene, saying it was nonsense and asking where ghosts could come from. He also said this must be a new tactic used by human traffickers, probably using black smoke to block the cameras and conceal their crimes. No, they would need to call the police.

Regardless of whether to call the police or not, Yan Furui’s mind was buzzing, and he allowed himself to be led away in a daze. When he regained awareness, he realized he had arrived at Cang Hong’s chamber. Everyone was there, their expressions grave. Taoists viewed this matter differently than ordinary people. Furthermore, the magic gourd, the gold and silver sword, the bronze abacus, and the thunder-struck wooden seal had indeed moved. Temple Master Cang Hong hesitated and said, “It can’t really be a demon, right?”

No one spoke until Wang Qiankun raised a question. He said, “Miss Si Teng had indeed held Wafang hostage before, but everyone would be visiting her tomorrow. What’s the point of her taking Wafang now?”

This sentence reminded Yan Furui, “Si Teng!”

***

Qin Fang slept in the middle of the night when he was awakened by banging on his door. He put on his clothes and came out to see Si Teng sitting calmly in a chair under the eaves, flipping through a book. This time, she was reading “The Deer and the Cauldron,” and she seemed quite engrossed. Qin Fang gestured towards the door and asked, “Why didn’t you open it?”

Si Teng asked curiously, “Why should I? I have servants. Why would I do something as undignified as opening the door myself?”

Servant? Okay, whatever she said was true. Qin Fang didn’t bother to argue.

As the door opened, Yan Furui practically fell in, tears streaming down his face. He was so anxious he’d completely forgotten about calling Qin Fang. He rushed from the hotel in one breath, his legs trembling. He clutched Qin Fang’s arm and spoke incoherently, “Miss Si Teng wanted Wafang as a hostage. Just tell me and I’ll send him over. Why kidnap him in the middle of the night… Wafang is just a little kid; he doesn’t know anything… I know it’s my fault. I haven’t been able to help Miss Si Teng gather any useful intelligence lately… I’ll try… but Wafang has nothing to do with it…”

He nearly collapsed, clutching Qin Fang’s arm and sobbing. Qin Fang was completely bewildered. Si Teng also came over, listened for a moment, and asked, “Wafang, is that the kid?”

Hearing Si Teng’s voice, Yan Furui quickly looked up, wiped his tears and snot from his face with his sleeve, and asked Si Teng to return Wafang to him.

Si Teng looked at him coldly. “Why would I kidnap him? He’s not good-looking, and he’s not likable. Do you think everyone is like you, treating a dirt clod like a treasure?”

Yan Furui was anxious. “Miss Si Teng, why are you denying it? We all know you went to the hotel tonight. Who else could it be if not you?”

“Did you see me with your own eyes?”

This stumped Yan Furui. After a long pause, he asked, “Wasn’t it you?”

Only then did he calm down and think carefully. Sneaking around in the middle of the night to kidnap someone was indeed unlike Si Teng. She was so arrogant that she’d openly take anyone she wanted to kidnap. Besides, why would she kidnap Wafang? He was working for her now, an “undercover agent” for her, one of her own. But if it wasn’t her, who could it be?

He frowned, deep in thought. Heaven hadn’t gifted him a brilliant mind, and even though his thoughts were unpleasant, they were still a mess. Si Teng had long since left him and returned to her room. Qin Fang stayed with him a little longer, wanting to ask for more specific information about the Wafang, but Yan Furui was apathetic, only responding with “hmm” and “ah.” Qin Fang quickly lost his patience and left him to fend for himself.

Yan Furui sat there, staring blankly at the sky above the eaves of the house as it turned from inky black to pale white and finally to bright light. A commotion rose around him, and someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up and saw it was Professor Bai Jin.

Looking again, everyone had arrived. Were they there to show concern for him, Yan Furui? No, no, no, today was the day they were going to visit Si Teng.

Professor Bai Jin said, “You were away in the middle of the night, and the police arrived. They checked all the video footage and confirmed that Wafang hadn’t left the hotel. They checked every room, but…”

He sighed and didn’t say anything else. Yan Furui’s mind was filled with a single voice. “Monster, it must have been a monster!”

***

Si Teng lived in an old-style house, and the living room was also old-style. There was a central hall on the opposite wall, with banners on each side. There was a pearwood table against the wall, and under the table was Si Teng’s main seat. The guests were seated on both sides, with different seats. It really had the flavor of an old-fashioned gathering. Chen Yindeng approached with the sealed box in her hand and stopped about ten feet in front of Si Teng.

Si Teng gestured for Qin Fang to take the box. “Is this the Red Umbrella’s Blood-Soaked Mud?”

Chen Yindeng said, “Things happened so quickly that day. I only had a brief encounter with it. Saying it was the Red Umbrella was a posthumous speculation based on some old records.”

Master Cang Hong and the others exchanged glances, silently praising Chen Yindeng for leaving room for maneuver. In any situation, as long as one didn’t reveal a fatal flaw, one would have a way out. Whether it benefitted others or not was unknown, but it would definitely benefit oneself.

Si Teng took the box and hesitated before unsealing it. Qin Fang didn’t notice at first, but seeing her sudden hesitation, a sudden thought occurred to him, and he subconsciously warned, “Be careful; what if…”

What if it was poisonous?

Si Teng smiled at Qin Fang. “If it’s poisonous, bury me and the other Taoists somewhere beautiful. A beautiful view is the only way to die.”

The conversation was gentle and cheerful, but undercurrents surged. This was a warning to them not to act rashly; otherwise, they would trigger the Teng Sha and perish together, with no one suffering.

Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple smiled awkwardly, a sudden pang of regret rising in his heart: What if Chen Yindeng couldn’t kill Si Teng as planned? The consequences would be… unimaginable.

The lid was lifted a little, and as Si Teng approached, she frowned and covered her nose. Even from a distance, Qin Fang could smell the stench, and the thought made him want to vomit.

Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple’s entire family felt their hearts rise to their throats, trembling with fear and indescribable anxiety. Life or death depended on her judgment, but annoyingly, she remained silent.

Chen Yindeng lost her temper. “What do you think, Miss Si Teng?”

Si Teng casually pushed the sealed box onto the table. “It’s hard to say.”

Chen Yindeng was a little excited. “Miss Si Teng is a monster. Is it so difficult to identify which of her kind it is? This soil was taken from Qiandong. If the blood is not from Red Umbrella, it must be from another monster. If you go to Qiandong, I can even take you to see it in person. It’s hard to explain. I really don’t know where to start.”

Si Teng smiled. “I know what is true and what is false. All the Taoist priests, please go back and wait for my news.”

When Master Cang Hong and the others heard the words “I know what is true and what is false,” it was like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads. All they could think of was: It’s over. They felt like they were floating on clouds, not knowing how they had walked out of the gate. Taoist priest Ma Qiuyang’s face turned grim. At his utmost, he sneered repeatedly, “Are you all satisfied now? Go back and wait for death.”

Ding Dacheng couldn’t stand his sly tone. “Master Ma, you agreed when we all discussed this. Why are you making sarcastic remarks now?”

Master Ma Qiuyang, seething with anger, vented his anger on Chen Yindeng. “It’s all because of you. The family grudge of Magu Cave is really going to bring down the entire Taoist sect.”

Chen Yindeng, who had been following the others, stopped short, her face livid, and she said, “No way! I’m going to find Si Teng and ask her for answers!”

She was stubborn and turned to leave. Everyone was preoccupied, so no one tried to stop her. They thought: If we stick our heads out, we’d get hurt too; let her make a fuss. Maybe there’d be a ray of hope, a glimmer of hope.

***

After Temple Abbot Cang Hong and the others left, Si Teng took the sealed box and peered closely at the dirt inside through the transparent glass. Curious, Qin Fang asked, “Is this Red Umbrella’s blood or mud?”

“I don’t know.”

“Didn’t you smell it?”

“Do I have a dog’s nose? Can I tell whose blood it is just by smelling it?”

Qin Fang choked, and after a long pause, he asked, “Then how do you identify it?”

“I can’t identify.”

Qin Fang was stunned. “Do you mean ‘can’t identify’ by that ‘can’t identify’?”

“Does ‘can’t identify’ have so many meanings in this world?”

Qin Fang was practically pissing blood, yet Si Teng still chose her words carefully. “Is this the first day you’ve known me? The first day you knew I’d lost my magical powers? I don’t care if it’s blood-soaked mud or blood-stained cloth; I can’t identify it.”

She knew she couldn’t identify it, yet she still insisted on asking Master Cang Hong for evidence. This was a perfect, impeccable trick. Qin Fang was stunned. Just as he was about to say something, a text message came in from an unfamiliar number, but the content of the message suddenly made his heart skip a beat.

“I’m Chen Yindeng. Would you be free to chat?”