Chapter 50: The amorous are angered by the heartless (XI)

After the period of another tea’s steeping, they arrived at the military gentleman’s residence.

The military gentleman’s surname was Lu; people called him Master Lu, though it wasn’t known, in the end, which group he was from; it was said that a commanding officer surnamed Sun was at the head.The office managed had to be neither large nor small, and they didn’t dare to engage in tyrannical abuse; taking people to go disrupt a public venue, in the end, was just the sort of thing to end up being blown up into something impressive by tabloid papers, and not out of much care for Yunyun.

The residence bordered the French Concession, and it had been gifted by the Green Gang^[1] when newly arriving in Shanghai, an exceedingly old party, which, in the dead of night, caused people to be in terror; the military gentleman commanded for all the lamps to be lit, and invited Li Shiyi in; after imbibing half a pot of tea, he once more led her to take a tour of the courtyard.

Li Shiyi made up a talk full of fengshui jargon, neither her face reddening nor her heart jumping. The astrological birth numbers were laid out clearly and logically, and while they praised name and character, they also brought a degree of honest flaws; Master Lu, hearing it, was incredibly satisfied, and asked about spilling blood to prevent disasters, committing each to memory; originally, he had wanted to put her up as a guest, but Li Shiyi was determined to take leave, and Master Lu didn’t dare to pressure a female gentleman, fearing that it was bad conduct and morals, and ordered his servants to bring a box of silver-valued banknotes.

If it wasn’t taken, it would cause him to suspect evil intentions; if it was all taken, then it would cause the gentleman’s supernatural and mortal skills to be devalued; Li Shiyi pushed the box aside with a smile, taking out a couple from the top, and in a flash, tore them up and put them in her pocket, and then, after pondering a moment, said, “That Eighth Concubine, I don’t know how Master Lu will deal with her?”

Master Lu replied, “For now, confined to the firewood room; I don’t know how best to expel it; burn it? Would that be efficacious?”

Li Shiyi shook her head. “A ghost this fierce cannot be simply dealt with; if Master Lu agrees, hand her over to me to take away, and I’ll lead her to a cemetery to create a cenotaph, and then once more send her off with an incantation for rebirth, to allow her to reincarnate.”

That was exactly what Master Lu had been looking for. “That’s actually very good.” He paused, then waved away his servants, only the aide-de-camp remaining alone, and covered up half his face to say quietly, “I still have another matter. That Eighth Concubine and I…” He shook away the gooseflesh of recollection, waggling his brows to throw out a well-understood expression, coughed for half a breath, and continued, “These past few days, I’ve been quite a bit dizzy; I don’t know if that’s the reason.”

Li Shiyi raised her brows, understanding tacitly; and her expression passed over his weakly swelling eyes; she said, “Cease sexual intercourse for three months, and take shredded ginseng root cultivated for a hundred days; that will be it.”

Master Lu went from the tips of his toes to his heels, and agreed. “Ai.”

Li Shiyi nodded, and, along with the servants, went to the firewood room. Master Lu tilted his head upwards, following her with his gaze, his double chin pressing against his neck, still stroking his leather belt as was his custom, and said to his aide-de-camp, “There was a phrase, this venerable one didn’t dare to ask.”

The aide-de-camp hurried forward to ask. Master Lu’s mouth twisted and he furrowed his brows. “This madam-xiansheng, what is she doing dragging along a female ghost?” It frightened the venerable one…“We didn’t even finish eating,” he cursed, turning his head and firming his stomach, and ordered the aide-de-camp to prepare another table.

“Li Shiyi.” At the head remained only the sound of the leading servant’s scattered footsteps; Song Shijiu tugged at Li Shiyi’s arm, blinking her eyes and calling out for the person by her side. In fact, her name carried her surname. Li Shiyi lowered her head to look at her. Song Shijiu furrowed her brows, her expression doubtful and solemn. “Just now, you said—sexual intercourse.” She wasn’t very happy that Li Shiyi had said these two characters to someone else, yet also felt that when Li Shiyi spoke them, there was a subtle sense of a taboo of desire being released, and it caused her thoughts to become complicated; for a while, she couldn’t put on an appropriate expression.

Li Shiyi cast a look at her; her expression was tranquil.

Retrieving Yunyun, they bid farewell to the Lu residence; Li Shiyi pressed a talisman to Yunyun’s shoulder, and tied Yunyun up once more with the red string, one end connected to her wrist, one end wrapped around her pinky finger three times, reciting an incantation as she led her along out.

So there was this sort of method of dealing with ghosts, yet last time Tu Laoyao had been called to carry it for the journey; Song Shijiu had some suspicions, and gazed at Li Shiyi’s thin lips, opening and closing in chant, and, with a clear conscience, came to the realisation—if Li Shiyi had to expend energy to chant incantations, naturally it was better to let Tu Laoyao tire himself out. She clung to Li Shiyi’s sleeve, cheerfully and diligently walking back alongside her.

Li Shiyi had never, in fact, meant to return to the residence, and in fact took Yunyun to a noodle shop between two roads; the owner of the noodle shop wore a guapi hat, and was just on the verge of dozing off, hands on a white towel; seeing the arriving people, who weren’t the usual night watchmen, hurriedly straightened and roused the spirit, welcoming the three women in.

The tallest of the women had a cold face, yet her attitude was very courteous, and was looking for the most hidden, dark corner, and wanted a bowl of tripe noodles, and also a pot of heated Shaoxing yellow wine, and handed over the money without any other words. The shop proprietor was very good at understanding signals, and with a brief greeting, served tea and left the room to the customers, covering up a yawn and going to cook the noodles.

Li Shiyi led Yunyun to sit, and glanced at her, and tore the talisman on her back off, and the face which had gone a withered grey like a dead tree regained some liveliness, and with a fluid glance, the captivating charm of before returned; Yunyun turned her rigid neck left and right, eyes weakly blind, like a white snake that had woken up from its hibernation. She was still in that pale, moonlight qipao from the first meeting, the openwork lace showing a snow-white texture, and, under the light of the oil lamps, her features were even clearer than on the dance floor; her lips were slightly full, and her eyes were placed slightly wide, her eyes slender and had a trace of coquettishness. “Li-xiaojie even has this sort of capability.” She turned her hand over to touch her shoulder, which still had the remnants of a painful heat, her tone drawling, the pleasant sound of a locally born and raised Wu dialect, and the rebuke caused one to be unable to become angered.

A pot of Shaoxing yellow wine was placed on the table; Li Shiyi raised her hand to stop the owner from turning over the cups and filling them with wine, and after politely and tactfully declining, picked up the pot herself, and filled a cup for Yunyun. “You know that I was a ghost from the start?” Yunyun gazed at her hand, offering wine, and didn’t take it, only inclining her body to curl against her.

“Yesterday, when bidding goodbye, I introduced my good friends,” Li Shiyi said. “The woman in the cheongsam whom you shook hands with is skilled at searching bones.”

“Ai?” Song Shijiu’s gaze was pulled from the fragrance of the wine, and she stared at Li Shiyi with wide eyes. Li Shiyi didn’t look at her; she filled the other cup up, and placed it in front of her.

Cheat. Song Shijiu was indignant.

Li Shiyi’s eyes held back an indistinct smiling expression, and saw that Yunyun was a bit entranced; her head supported by her luminous wrist, she gazed at Li Shiyi, and said, “Then, Li-xiaojie sought me out intentionally.”

Li Shiyi nodded, index finger crooking on the table; accompanied with her cordial expression, it was like a wordless, actionless apology; she opened the door to the mountain, getting right to the point, and clarified her purpose in coming. “Please, be at ease; I really don’t capture ghost; the difference between people and ghosts doesn’t have any relevance to me; it’s only that there’s a matter I want to ask about; originally, I wanted to dance for a few days, then carefully speak; unexpectedly, today there was an incident, and just now…but there was a plan to get away.”

Yunyun unexpectedly wasn’t very angry, as if not taking much offence to Li Shiyi confining her for a few shichen; her expression was light and wild, and she didn’t take Li Shiyi’s words, only asking her with a smile, “Today’s debt, let’s set to the side; of Li-xiaojie’s seduction from before, what can be said?”

Li Shiyi was struck at a loss for words. Song Shijiu’s cheeks bulged as she took joy in calamity and delight in disaster.

Although Li Shiyi had clearly stated there was no malicious intent, Yunyun was absolutely taking on her skill; gentle methods and force at once, which couldn’t be firmly rejected; the dancing lady adapted most quickly to the circumstances; a phrase as a bridge brought back the scene, and the svelte elegance followed off the stage, raising the wine and taking a mouthful, and asked her, “What matter are you seeking me for?”

Li Shiyi held the wine cup in her hand, indifferently smoothing her expression. “I have an important matter; I desire to find the place where the Teng serpent is hiding; before, I found out that the Teng serpent had appeared at Xianyuesi, and I know that your body has the traces of spiritual animals on it; so, I wanted to ask, whether or not you know the Teng serpent’s whereabouts.” She still kept half the words hidden and unsaid; the Teng serpent had appeared at Xianyuesi a month before, and Yunyun was the dancing woman of this place, and her temperment was light and wild; perhaps the same as A Yin, she’d received the Teng serpent’s spirit, and that was why she’d fallen into prostitution; if it was so, inquiring whether Yunyun had had had any accidents these past few days, perhaps the place where the Teng serpent was currently staying could be found. Previously, she’d comprehended A Yin’s state too late, and the Teng serpent had left cleanly long before; now, it was right before her eyes, and she was a bit tense, unconsciously pressing her lips together.

Yunyun furrowed her brows as she listened to her words, her eyes bewildered as if by fog, and she thought it over a good, long while. Li Shiyi didn’t urge her, only silently taking another two sips of wine. Only after not many minutes, Yunyun’s brows loosened, the warm wine entering her lungs, signs of intoxication sighing from her throat; she held the mouth of her cup in her hand, turning it, and only after a while said, “If it’s like this, then it truly is a misunderstanding. My body does have the traces of a spiritual beast, but not the Teng serpent.” She set the wine down, a complicated smile on her mouth as she gazed at Li Shiyi.

Li Shiyi raised her gaze to look at her, the space between her brows a towering gorge. This was the first time that Song Shijiu had felt her sense of frustration; even though it was only an extremely small flash, it appeared on Li Shiyi’s calm and composed form, and it was even more conspicuous than the furrow between her brows. “Not the Teng serpent?” Song Shijiu asked in Li Shiyi’s place. “Then what is it?”

Yunyun’s lips pulled into a smile, a breathtaking period of misery and oppression resulting in quiet desolation; it was always easy to incite peoples’ desires to say everything; she brushed her loose hair back, and said, “If a reason has to be said, then it would actually be a matter from one or two hundred years ago.” In the midsts of the speech, the shopkeeper brought steaming hot tripe noodles, the muscle stewed in soy sauce and spices, the spicy meat and the meandering beige, thin noodles’ unique fragrance sweeping over everyone, and accompanied by a mouthful of pickles, it was the most filling meal in the night. Li Shiyi’s spirit returned from her daze, though she still didn’t speak a word; taking the chopsticks, she mixed the noodles in the steaming broth, and placed it before the greedily gazing Song Shijiu.

Yunyun watched her movements as if she had some thoughts, and from the stockings beneath her qipao, came out with a carton of cigarettes, plucking one out and holding it between her fingers, asking the proprietor for a light, and narrowed her eyes, sighing deeply. “Originally, I wasn’t called Yunyun. I was called Yun Niang.”

-

< LAST | HOME | NEXT >

-

Translator's notes:

[1]: A prominent Chinese secret society and criminal organisation, active in Shanghai in the first half of the 20th century.