Si Teng (Rattan) – CH 032

Chapter 32

Qin Fang rented a car in Guiyang and headed southeast according to the address given by Master Cang Hong. At first, he passed through counties and cities. After passing Kaili, he officially entered the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. The road became more mountainous, with towering mountains and dense forests on both sides. The distribution of villages was irregular. Sometimes, after driving for a long time, he would suddenly turn a corner and see a river formed by the confluence of mountain streams. There were also Miao stilt houses scattered layer by layer along the river. However, there were only a few of them, no more than a few dozen.

The Thousand Household Miao Village, as the name suggests, was a large village where the Miao people lived. Qin Fang imagined the scene of one or two thousand stilt houses densely packed across the mountains and felt a sense of dense and terrifying discomfort.

Halfway through the journey, a downpour began. The Guizhou proverb “There’s no such thing as a sunny day for three days” was indeed true. Si Teng rolled down the window halfway and said, “The mountains here are very similar to Qingcheng.”

Qin Fang glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “You still have the heart to enjoy the scenery?”

Si Teng didn’t look at him. She rested her arm on the window, her scattered hair flying in the wind. “What do you mean?”

“You have no demonic powers, yet you came to Qiandong so brazenly. The Taoists arrived before us, and we have no idea what trap they’ve set for you. I don’t know if you feel this way, but I’m becoming increasingly uncertain. I’m becoming more and more cautious in what I say and do, fearing they’ll catch me if I’m not careful. There are so many of them, and they could kill us in this desolate wilderness and bury us somewhere… It’s so frustrating to think about it, to die in such an unclear way.”

“What are you feeling aggrieved about? It’s your great honor to be buried next to me.”

How shameless was that? Was she a dragon vein? Why would he be so obsessed with being buried next to her? Qin Fang was choked and speechless for a long time. Finally, through gritted teeth, he said, “Thank you, I’m truly honored.”

“You’re welcome.”

***

The Miao village where Chen Yindeng lived was called “Rong Bang” locally, and for convenience they called it Rongbang Miao Village. It was home to two or three thousand households, far exceeding the thousand-household Xijian village, and had been planned as a tourist hotspot. The village was built into the mountainside, making it inaccessible by car, and there were dozens of narrow stone paths leading up the mountain.

Qin Fang left Si Teng in the car while he went to find a place to stay. Although Rongbang hadn’t been developed on a large scale, in an information society where resources were shared, word spread to others and then to hundreds and thousands more. It was already showing signs of the early development of famous ancient towns like Lijiang and Wuzhen, with inns and shops beginning to take shape. Qin Fang quickly found a nice family-run hotel and requested to book it. The owner was quite honest, saying it was the off-season and that no one would come for ten days or half a month. He said there was no need to book it, and the guests could just stay.

After settling in, Qin Fang called Temple Master Cang Hong. At first, the signal was poor, and the call went unanswered. When it finally connected, the voice on the other end sounded hoarse, and the abbot appeared to be out of breath. “We’ll follow Miss Chen and use the magic tools to search around the area where she encountered Red Umbrella. We should be able to find Red Umbrella’s lair… After we return, we’ll discuss the matter with Miss Si Teng.”

***

After hanging up, the abbot felt sweat beading on his forehead. He wiped it with the back of his hand and took two steps forward. Ahead lay a cliff, but it wasn’t very steep. The terrain sloped all the way down. The mountaintop was covered in fog. Rongbang Miao Village lay beyond the fog, like a tactile landscape painting, within reach.

Just as he was sighing, someone called from behind, “Temple Master, Miss Chen wants to discuss something with you.”

Master Cang Hong turned and saw a cave entrance shaded by vines. Wang Qiankun poked his head out, waving at him.

Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple responded and walked over, holding Wang Qiankun’s arm as they shakily descended. The cave entrance was a slope, and every time they entered or exited, their feet kept slipping. Finally finding their footing, Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple sighed, “Thank goodness Miss Chen found a place like this.”

Wang Qiankun added, “It would take a place like this to deceive Si Teng.”

This place was separated from Rongbang Miao Village by a valley. According to Chen Yindeng, she once went to this mountain with her friends as a child and had too much fun. They ran around too fast and got lost, and stumbled upon this place by chance.

The cave was quite deep, and the temperature inside was lower than outside. The rock walls were seeping with water and covered in moss. A strange odor was immediately noticeable upon entering. Using a flashlight to peer closely, they saw something resembling animal feces and the bones of pigs and cows. The entrance was narrow, but the interior was spacious, branching into several branch caves. These branch caves merged into a large cavern at the end, about four or five meters high. A bell-shaped stalactite hung from the ceiling, corresponding to a stalagmite below. Both the bell and the stalagmite were still growing, and it was estimated that in another 1,800 years, they would connect to form a stone pillar.

Besides the Taoists, there were also quite a few local men dressed in Miao attire, all with thick waists and busy hands wielding chisels, axes, and hammers. Chen Yindeng, feeling anxious, was whispering something to the leader when he caught sight of Temple Abbot Cang Hong entering and hurried to greet him. “Has Si Teng arrived already? Master, please try to delay her for a few days—to be absolutely certain, I need to make some more preparations.”

“That’s not difficult. Si Teng is very suspicious. If you tell her you’ve found Red Umbrella’s lair, it’ll only make her suspicious.”

Chen Yindeng sighed. “Master, are you going to visit her today? Then you should go back early and leave me here. These are all craftsmen from our village. I’ll arrange for them, and things will go faster.”

Indeed, they sometimes spoke in dialect, which Master Cang Hong couldn’t understand, but he remained polite. “Miss Chen, take care of yourself. You’re pregnant now, and you need to be careful not to overexert yourself walking up and down the mountain.”

Chen Yindeng smiled, reaching out to stroke her belly, saying softly, “It’s all for this child. A little hardship now doesn’t matter. I’m just afraid that after he’s born, mother and child won’t even be able to see each other.”

Hearing this, one of the younger men, busy at work, looked at Chen Yindeng curiously. He wanted to say something but held back. After Temple Abbot Cang Hong and the others had left, he happily ran over and pulled Chen Yindeng aside. “Sister Yin, are you pregnant? I haven’t heard Brother Yangbo mention it.”

Chen Yindeng raised her finger and shushed him, a covert smile on her face. “No, I lied to them.”

***

It was only after arriving at the Miao village that Yan Furui discovered that Chen Yindeng was married.

Chen Yindeng’s husband, Yangbo, was a tall, handsome Miao man with inherited silversmithing skills, running a silverworks shop. No wonder, when he first met Chen Yindeng, he noticed all the exquisite silver jewelry she wore was crafted by Yangbo himself.

However, Yangbo wasn’t much of a businessman; he was more of a dedicated silversmith. This time, when they arrived at the Miao village, Abbot Cang Hong and his companions even brought Wang Qiankun with them, but Yan Furui—still being ostracized—was left alone. He could only squat in the courtyard, watching Yangbo forge silverware. He encountered so many unfamiliar tools. After asking Yangbo, he learned they were welding torches, leather tigers, refractory bricks, ring sticks, and even wire drawing boards for necklaces. It was incredibly novel. If Wafang saw this…

Wafang, yes, Wafang. Only by helping Miss Si Teng gather information could they find out where Wafang was.

Finally officially embarking on his “spy” journey, Yan Furui’s heart pounded. He feigned anxiety, peering toward the village entrance and asking Yangbo, “Where’s Miss Chen Yindeng?”

“She said she was taking the Taoist priests for a walk around the area.”

“She’s been gone for a long time; I hope they don’t get lost.”

Yangbo laughed heartily, carefully brushing off the silver flakes on his board. “With Ah’Yin here, they won’t get lost. She’s been gone for so long; she’s most likely headed for Blackback Mountain.”

He stood up and pointed to Yan Furui. “There’s a mountain across the valley. Few people go there. Blackback Mountain. At night, it looks like a black bear’s back. Ah’Yin would go there. Her mother and grandmother are buried there.”

Yan Furui asked him, “Why do so few people go there?”

“Because…” Perhaps few people asked this question. Yangbo pondered for a long time. “When I was a child, my grandfather told me there were man-eating monsters on the mountain. Their mouths were as big as washbasins, and their teeth were sharp, like the Yi people’s knife ladders… Then I thought they were just scaring children. There must be wild animals on the mountain, and the elders were afraid that children would run around and get into trouble. But this has been passed down from generation to generation, and the people in the village have grown accustomed to not going to Blackback Mountain. Ah’Yin is Han, so she doesn’t have this taboo.”

“Then why take the Taoist priests there? Is the scenery there beautiful?”

How should he answer this? Yang Bo thought for a moment, then laughed and said, “Maybe there’s a monster on the mountain. Don’t Taoists catch monsters? Maybe Ah’Yin took them there to find it.”

***

It was not easy. Yan Furui finally provided some valuable information. At least, if he hadn’t said it, he wouldn’t have known that Master Cang Hong and his group were heading to Blackback Mountain.

After asking the shopkeeper, Qin Fang pointed Si Teng in the direction of Blackback Mountain. Si Teng said, “Dense forests, deep mountains, seldom visited. And there are legends of monsters eating people. It certainly looks like the location of Red Umbrella’s lair.”

As usual, when a story seemed flawless, it was easy to raise suspicions. Qin Fang looked at Si Teng and said, “Don’t you think things are going a little too smoothly? You wanted to find a monster like you, and they found Red Umbrella. You wanted evidence, and they provided it. You wanted more detailed information, and they went to find Red Umbrella’s lair. I’m guessing they’ll call soon to tell you they’ve found Red Umbrella’s lair…”

Before he could finish his words, the phone in his pocket rang. Qin Fang smiled at Si Teng and said, “It’s rare for my predictions to be so accurate. Mention Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.”

Si Teng shook her head. “I don’t think so. Even if Cang Hong wanted to call, he wouldn’t have called so soon. It’s unlikely to be him. Even if it were, he wouldn’t be talking about the incident you suspected.”

Qin Fang took out his phone. As expected, Si Teng was right again. It was Shan Zhigang.

Qin Fang glanced at Si Teng guiltily. Si Teng, with the air of a victor, gave him a sympathetic glance before calmly turning back to her room.

She had taken two steps when she heard the sound of something falling behind her. Si Teng instinctively turned back. It was Qin Fang’s phone.

Looking at Qin Fang again, in just a second or two, his face had turned a frightening pale. His lips moved slightly, and his right hand, held to his ear, remained in the position of holding the phone.

What did this mean? Si Teng eyed him suspiciously for a moment. Seeing that he showed no sign of moving, she bent down to pick it up herself. The call was still going on on the other end. As she got closer, she heard Shan Zhigang’s incoherent voice, tinged with tears.

“Qin Fang, Qin Fang, why aren’t you saying anything? Qin Fang, come back soon! An Man is dying; she’s dying…”