Chapter 79: The Suihou Pearl part 1
The moment she knelt, Jiang Si stepped aside to avoid the gesture. He felt a headache coming on. “I am begging you, with your age, you could be my ancestor. Stop kneeling to me; you’re going to shorten my lifespan.”
The figurine spirit stood up obediently, her hair sliding off her slender shoulders. With a dainty chin, round face, and phoenix eyes, she was the epitome of classical beauty. As she lifted her head, her face was fully exposed to the light—a face of breathtaking beauty.
Jiang Si’s pupils dilated slightly, but not because of her beauty. He had spotted a long scar on her neck, peeking from her collar, winding back like a snake.
“My Lord—”
“Don’t call me that.” Jiang Si cut her off immediately. “It’s the 21st century; we’ve moved into a modern society. There are no ‘Lords’ here. My name is Jiang Si; just call me by my name.”
The spirit paused, then adjusted seamlessly. “Jiang Si.”
“You mentioned a sister?” Jiang Si tossed his car keys onto the coffee table and sat down, pouring himself a glass of water. “I haven’t even come looking for you yet, and here you are asking for favors. Let’s take this one step at a time. Shi Danhang died this afternoon. You had something to do with that, didn’t you?”
The spirit remained silent for a few seconds. “It was my doing.”
“Who ordered you? Gong Tianye is in custody, suppressed by talismans. He has no way to contact the outside world. Why did you choose to strike now?”
“Wait a moment.” The spirit reached her hands out from her sleeves and threw a hand seal into the air. Instantly, the curtains fluttered without wind. The faint sounds from outside were completely cut off.
“This silencing spell will only last for half an hour. I will explain as quickly as I can. I have a blood contract with Gong Tianye; as long as he lives, I can feel his control. Even if you seal his body with talismans, it makes no difference.” The spirit continued, “He saw that his plans were exposed and couldn’t wait any longer, so he ordered me to kill Shi Danhang and retrieve the Suihou Pearl.”
Hearing this, Jiang Si sat up straight. “Where is the pearl now?”
“In my hand.” The spirit opened her palm. A flash of light appeared, and a bead the size of a marble rested in her pale hand. “Gong Tianye told me to keep it for now. He will find a way to escape and collect it.”
Seeing the legendary treasure suddenly appear before him, Jiang Si found it hard to believe. He stood up and approached, staring intently at it. After a moment, he frowned. “In the legends, the Suihou Pearl is pure white. Why is this one pale red?”
The spirit looked at it and used her hem to wipe it. “It is white. The red is Shi Danhang’s blood. I didn’t wipe it clean.”
“…” She really said that.
Jiang Si was silent for a few seconds. “Oh.”
“If you are willing to help me, this Suihou Pearl is your reward.” The spirit was slightly taken aback by his reaction, but she finished her sentence, certain that Jiang Si would be tempted. She had seen Gong Tianye’s obsession with the pearl and was convinced no one could refuse a treasure that could change one’s destiny.
To her surprise, as soon as she finished, Jiang Si’s gaze shifted away from the pearl. He gave a cold, eerie laugh. “Illegally possessing national cultural relics is a serious crime. You couldn’t get me with ghosts, so now you’re trying to send me to prison?”
He glanced at the pearl again and added, “With a treasure like this, the sentence would be heavy enough for the firing squad.”
After all, this was the Suihou Pearl, which shared its fame with the Heshibi. Anyone with a modicum of education knew of the “Sui Pearl and He Jade.”
The spirit tried to argue, “If you don’t tell, no one will know.”
“I prefer the saying, ‘If you don’t want others to know, don’t do it.’ Believing this bead can change fate is as crazy as believing I’m the First Emperor.” Jiang Si said.
“The King of Qin was a tyrant; how can he be compared to the Suihou Pearl?” the spirit retorted.
Talking to a literal antique that was just dug out of the ground made Jiang Si feel a sudden loss for words. After a long silence, he said, “Giving it to me is out of the question. But we can hand it over to the state.”
“Will the state help me?”
“The state doesn’t abandon its people.” Jiang Si paused, remembering she wasn’t human, and added, “And it doesn’t abandon its cultural relics.”
“I see.” The spirit pondered this. She tucked the pearl away and said solemnly, “Then I wish to see the authorities. I wish to plead for help.”
Jiang Si asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask—you’re a figurine spirit, where did you get a sister? And how did you end up with a Japanese man like Gong Tianye, doing his bidding?”
“I was originally a funerary figurine in the tomb of the King of Yueling in the southwest. I slept underground until a ‘mountain dragon’ turned over, and the earth shook. The tomb was discovered and plundered. I wasn’t the only one; there was also a winged figurine and a fish-shaped tomb-guardian beast. Though we were made of wood and stone, after thousands of years in the tomb, we developed spirits and kept each other company. In human terms, we called each other sisters.”
“Was the grave robber Gong Tianye?”
“No, it was a Chinese man.” The spirit said, “But they must have known Gong Tianye, because they handed me and my sisters over to him.”
Collaborating with foreigners to rob tombs and sell national treasures? Jiang Si’s jaw tightened, a surge of anger rising within him. He suppressed his frustration and continued, “Since you’re in Rongcheng, where are the other figurines?”
“Except for me, they are all in Japan.” The spirit said, “Because I am in human form, I have no use other than my intelligence. But the fish and the winged figurines are much more useful. The fish can grant resurrection, and the winged one can grant longevity. Those Japanese were naturally greedy for them; why would they ever return them to China?”
In the Classic of the Mountains and Seas, it was recorded that winged people resided in the “immortal lands.” Winged figurines were always a symbol of immortality in traditional culture.
“Heh.” Jiang Si gave a cold, silent laugh. “They certainly have a clever plan.”
His phone had no signal, so he used his own methods to break the spirit’s silencing spell and called Shen Hu. He turned and warned her, “One thing at a time. The matter of you killing and slicing a man open won’t be easily overlooked. If you want to redeem yourself, cooperate with the investigation.”
“And my sister—”
“Our relics will eventually be brought home.” Jiang Si said seriously, “Rest assured, no matter how difficult, we will bring them back to their ancestral land.”
Shen Hu was tied up with other matters. The figurine spirit returned to her physical vessel, and the living room fell silent again. Jiang Si pushed open his bedroom door and found Wang Zhao playing games on his computer, passionately yelling at his teammates.
He was a perfect example of a screenwriter applying his linguistic skills to real life.
Seeing the round end, Jiang Si stepped forward and minimized the game. “Big brother, I was just being polite. You actually came here to play games?”
“Crap!” Wang Zhao was startled by the sudden screen change. On the monitor, a terrifying ghost was staring right at him.
“Why do you walk so quietly? You nearly gave me a heart attack. My heart, man…”
Jiang Si laughed and pushed his shoulder. “Fine, let’s get to work.”
“Tsk, it’s a waste not to play games on this computer. Such high specs, sigh.” Wang Zhao reluctantly yielded the chair to Jiang Si, watching as he pulled up a video file. “Is this a new edit?”
“Close enough.” Jiang Si clicked play. “Look at this version. I’ve buried more foreshadowing in the plot; it feels more natural.”
Wang Zhao entered work mode immediately, watching intently. Suddenly, he felt something rubbing against his leg. He didn’t want to look away, so he complained, “Old Jiang, if you’re watching, watch. Stop touching me!”
Jiang Si shot him a sideways look. “Am I crazy? Why would I touch you?”
“Then who was it?” Wang Zhao clearly felt something sliding around his feet. There were only two of them in the room; who else could it be?
He froze, suddenly remembering that Jiang Si seemed to keep some “unmentionable things” at home. His body went rigid as he peeked down out of the corner of his eye.
He didn’t see any ghost hands, but—
“Holy mother of—! Since when do you have a snake in your house?!” Wang Zhao nearly jumped three meters into the air, lunging into Jiang Si’s arms. “Old Jiang, save me!”
A slender white snake slithered gracefully across the floor, coiling itself around a table leg. Its red tongue flicked in and out, revealing sharp fangs.
“Aaaaah—!” Wang Zhao screamed in terror, trying to bury himself in Jiang Si’s chest, his arms locked around Jiang Si’s neck.
Jiang Si’s ears were ringing from the scream. “Stop yelling! You’re a grown man; why are you afraid of a snake?”
He then scolded the snake, “Are you here just to scare people?”
The white snake flicked its tongue and spoke, “I just came to see how you were doing. Hmph, ungrateful human.”
The only thing scarier than a snake appearing out of nowhere was a snake that spoke.
Wang Zhao pointed at the snake, nearly biting his tongue off. “This… this snake… it’s a snake demon—”
Jiang Si quickly covered his mouth before he could finish.
Was he kidding? Calling a Willow Immortal a “snake demon” was as insulting as calling a person a beast to their face.
“Calm down. It won’t hurt you, I promise.” Jiang Si said, “Nod if you understand.”
Wang Zhao nodded tentatively, and Jiang Si let him go.
Bai Qiniang transformed into her human form at that moment, laughing heartily. “Your friend is hilarious. So much fun.”
She was wearing a white cheongsam today, her hair pinned back to reveal her sharp features. Aside from her narrow, long eyes, there was no trace of the snake left.
Wang Zhao felt she looked familiar. He froze and stammered, “This… this is… Old Jiang, is this the lead actress?”
Jiang Si sighed and nodded. “That’s her.”
“Why is she a snake?!”
“I told you she wasn’t human.”
“But you didn’t say she was a snake! I thought she was a… a ghost or something.” Wang Zhao was having a breakdown. “How am I supposed to film with this?”
“We film the way we always do.” Jiang Si said, “You said it yourself—everyone’s a colleague.”
“…” Wang Zhao was speechless.
Bai Qiniang smiled. “Exactly, we’re all colleagues. I won’t hurt you. Besides, you look very… safe. No need to worry.”
Jiang Si ignored that and introduced the two. With a snake in the room, Wang Zhao was on edge. As soon as Jiang Si finished talking, he didn’t stay for a second, grabbing his things and bolting out the door.
Jiang Si and Bai Qiniang were left staring at each other.
Bai Qiniang curled her lip. “Am I really that scary?”
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