Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 27.1

Chapter 27.1

Wang Peter was eavesdropping on their chat and quickly turned to He Yunqin. He was really curious about the formation’s secret. After waiting a while with no reply from He Yunqin, he opened the door and told Qin Xuekai, “Honestly, the reason Miss Yu is asking about this weird technique is that I have a case I can’t crack, and I asked her to help. Now that we’ve found someone who can figure out the formation, could you please take us there?” 

Qin Xuekai was taken aback and looked at Yu Hongdou for her approval.

Yu Hongdou, quick on her feet, chimed in with a grin, “Exactly, Inspector Wang has a case linked to the strange arts in this book. Sadly, we can’t make sense of the formation, so we need to ask for help.”

Qin Xuekai nodded, realising it was related to solving a case. Qin Xuekai nodded his head excitedly. “Alright, I’ll take you to find Senior Deng.” 

With that, Yu Hongdou, Wang Peter, and the other four all turned their attention to He Yunqin.

He Yunqin was still chatting with He Zhuyun. But he realised he should probably follow Wang Peter’s advice and track down the so-called senior Deng. But thinking about how Qin Xuekai was the one who found this person made him feel a bit uneasy.

With not much left to say, he turned back, keeping a calm face.

Wang Peter shot him a knowing glance and said, “Let’s get going.”

He Yunqin looked over at Qin Xuekai, who was next to Yu Hongdou, and rubbed his chin. “Where’s that senior student?” he asked after opening the car door.

After Wang Peter got in, Qin Xuekai followed and replied, “It’s right by Xiangshan Lane on Nixin Road.”

Since Wang Peter was in the front, Yu Hongdou ended up sitting next to Qin Xuekai.

He Yunqin suddenly reminded her, “Miss Yu, your first class is Chinese, and you can’t be late or skip it. Inspector Wang and I will go check it out. You should focus on your studies.”

These words snapped Yu Hongdou back to reality. She turned to see He Zhujun looking at her, puzzled. Maybe because of her upbringing, she held back her questions for a bit.

There was another gaze on the back of Yu Hongdou’s head, and it was easy to guess it was from the eldest daughter-in-law of the He family. So Yu Hongdou quietly withdrew her hand from the door handle and said with a smile, “Look at me. I totally forgot about my classes while helping Inspector Wang with the case. Since Senior Qin can show the way, I’ll go to the class.”

After that, she waved goodbye to He Yunqin and the others in a very cheerful manner, turned around, and said to He Zhuyun, “Miss He, what is your first class?”

He Zhujun’s doubts were gone, and she smiled and said, “It’s also Chinese class. I was afraid that Master Yan would call the roll in advance, so I came so early.”

***

On the way, Qin Xuekai exchanged a few words with Wang Peter but suddenly felt a bit lost. He was supposed to be heading out to find Senior Deng with Yu Hongdou, so how did he end up crammed in a car with two grown men? 

Remembering that he had bumped into Yu Hongdou, He Yunqin, and Wang Peter at the entrance of Yu Hongdou’s uncle Pan Mansion yesterday, he took another serious look at He Yunqin.

Even though He Yunqin was an associate professor, he was only a few years older than them. At the last tea party, he overheard some students from the same department chatting about He Yunqin. One girl, who had a thing for ancient poetry, mentioned that just looking at He Yunqin made her feel like she was gazing at a ‘Jade Mountain and Beautiful Tree’. 

‘It is clear how striking and charismatic He Yunqin appears to the girls. No wonder his lectures were always packed.’ Ever since Hongdou disrupted Wang Peter’s bridge game at the last tea party, she has taken on the role of Wang Peter’s assistant. If she is going to tag along with him to solve cases, she’d inevitably have to interact with He Yunqin frequently. I wonder what she thinks of him. But then again, Hongdou has always hated being tied down. Even if she is now Wang Peter’s assistant, I doubt she’ll stick with it for long. Plus, He Yunqin has been back in China for almost a year now. With his looks and family background, he must have a girlfriend by now.’

Just as Qin Xuekai was daydreaming, he heard He Yunqin say, “We’ve arrived at Xiangshan Lane. I wonder which room Mr. Deng lives in.”

Qin Xuekai leaned out to take a look, then quickly opened the car door and said, “It’s the first one at the entrance of the lane.”

When they got to the house, Qin Xuekai knocked on the door and asked a servant to pass a message. “I have a meeting scheduled with Senior Deng earlier. Please let him know that I’m Qin Xuekai from St John’s.”

The servant took a few people inside, and a man in his early thirties emerged upon hearing them.

He had thick eyebrows, a prominent nose, and sharp eyes that sparkled like stars. Dressed in a nice blue silk cotton robe, his hair was a bit of a mess, resembling a chicken coop. That was Deng Guizhuang.

Upon seeing the three men, Deng Guizhuang looked surprised and asked Qin Xuekai, “Who are these two?”

Qin Xuekai quickly explained why they were there and introduced everyone.

Without waiting any time, He Yunqin pulled out the Xuanzong Wild Records and asked Deng Guizhuang to take a look. “Not long ago, a woman was murdered. Seven wooden nails were found in her body, and the way she died is similar to a strange technique mentioned in this old book. We hope to get your insights on this case, Mr Deng.”

Deng Guizhuang began reading the book, but inside, he was quietly thinking about He Yunqin. Even though He Yunqin only mentioned his name without further introduction, Deng Guizhuang had already figured out he was from the influential He family based on his demeanour and appearance.

Deng Guizhuang never liked rich people; still, he was super polite and never made anyone feel uncomfortable. After a long pause, he adjusted his gold-wire glasses and said, “This book is part of the fellowship I started a decade ago. I’m not worried about you guys laughing at me. I got really into studying some odd mystical sciences and almost gave up on my studies. This book isn’t really Taoism or Xuanzong from our sect; it actually came from Siam. Back in the late Qing Dynasty, there was a chaotic fight with eight foreign devils, and wars broke out everywhere. This book made its way to our country during that time and was later picked up by a Taoist priest here. To study it, the priest had someone who spoke Siamese translate it. But the translator didn’t know Xuanshu, and the Xuanshu expert didn’t know Siamese, so the translation turned out terrible. So I didn’t know the full story.”

Hearing that, Qin Xuekai looked disappointed.

He Yunqin waited patiently for what would happen next.

Sure enough, after Deng Guizhuang finished speaking, he turned around and rummaged through the bookshelf, quickly finding an old, dusty book from the top of the cabinet. “Later, when I visited Peking, I went to Baoguo Temple to hunt for old treasures. By chance, I stumbled upon the original Siamese version of this book. I spent six months carefully translating it again, and that’s when I finally grasped its true meaning.’

He flipped to the page about the wooden nail technique and showed it to the group. The margins were packed with Siamese text, and there was a lot more info than in the last edition.

[Tl: The term “Siamese language” refers to the Thai language, which is Thailand’s national language. It refers to the Central Thai language, which is spoken in Thailand’s central area as well as by many Thai Chinese populations.]

Deng Guizhuang explained, “This dark magic is known as the Three Underworld Sacrifice, which lies somewhere between fortune-telling and black magic. The book claims that if done right, the sacrifice can be used to negotiate with the Underworld King for someone’s life.”

Qin Xuekai gasped in disbelief, while Wang Peter scoffed, “That’s nonsense. Who in their right mind would even think this?”

“Well, since it’s called a ‘sacrifice’,” He Yunqin said, glancing at Deng Guizhuang, “it implies that something has to be given up.”

Deng Guizhuang nodded and grabbed a blank piece of paper from his desk. He pulled out a fountain pen from his robe and started writing. “We need to choose three Yin people as sacrifices, and they have to be ‘unclean’ ones. In the Siamese Xuanzong tradition, these unclean Yin people are really looked down upon by the master of ceremonies, making them the top choice for sacrifices. The ritual performer will line up the three Yin people based on their birth months. First, they’ll seal the seven orifices of the first person with a wooden nail and place their body by the water, which is referred to as ‘asking for directions’. After seven days, they’ll seal the seven orifices of the second person, known as ‘exploring the bridge’. Then, another seven days later, they’ll seal the last Yin person’s orifices, called ‘completing the sacrifice’. Meanwhile, the person in charge will write down the eight characters of the individual whose life is to be extended on a talisman paper and burn it. Only then will the evil magic be finished.”

[Tl: In the context of Chinese philosophy, specifically Yin and Yang, “Yin people” are those who are more aligned with the Yin principle. Yin is commonly connected with darkness, femininity, passivity, coldness, and receptivity, whereas Yang is associated with light, masculinity, activity, warmth, and assertiveness.]

Wang Peter and He Yunqin exchanged looks and said, “The first victim’s body was discovered on August 29th. Today marks exactly seven days. So, the second person’s ‘bridge exploration’ has to be done before tonight, right?”

“Exactly. Unless absolutely necessary, the person who created this formation wouldn’t resort to such a dangerous tactic. Once it’s triggered, I believe he’s committed to the end and won’t back down. If he does, he risks failing to make the sacrifice and facing the wrath of the black magic. With the first victim already discovered, the second sacrifice needs to be ready by tonight, and the third one in seven days. I’m curious about where the first victim was found,” Deng Guizhuang remarked with a serious expression.

He Yunqin replied, “It was just under the bridge by the river, not too far from the pier.”

Deng Guizhuang nodded and said, “Right. It seems this person is skilled in the Taoist practices of Siam. He set up the formation perfectly according to the Taoist principles, without any errors. Zhongshui, Xishan, and Dong are for the Dujie. The three sacrifices align in different directions. Using the Yin people as keys, they each knock on a Yin door. Since the first sacrifice has been made, the second should be hidden in the West Mountain as per the texts. The third should be in the east. Unfortunately, my knowledge of Siamese Taoist texts is limited. While I understand the concept of this formation, I’m not sure where exactly to place the sacrifices.”

Wang Peter frowned and asked, “Mr Deng, based on what you just said, the other two sacrifices not only need to be hidden in different locations but also must die at the right time?”

Deng Guizhuang said seriously, “That’s right. So if you want to find the other two victims alive, you need to find their whereabouts before midnight tonight. Otherwise, even if you find them, the second victim will probably be killed.”

Have a nice day!