TBTTSP - Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Shang Yi Has a Story (5)
When Shang Yi met Xu Wanqing, she was looking at Zhang Xu's face.
What she found hardest to accept at times was seeing Zhang Xu's face—the face of a junior—uttering such outrageous words.
For instance, "Younger Sister Shang."
Shang Yi could understand that Xu Wanqing, believing herself to be an ancient, acted with impunity. She could even somewhat comprehend the mischievous mentality of a young girl who enjoyed getting the upper hand. After all, with a several-hundred-year age gap, being called "younger sister" wasn't a real loss. She could manage.
But every time she looked up and saw that face, no matter how moving or graceful the expression, she felt as if Zhang Xu had touched a raw nerve.
It made her, a woman of her age, feel as irritable as a slapstick comedian every single day.
Ugly Boy said, "Do you need a sedative?"
Old Girl said, "Do you want to go beat her up? She's in Zhang Xu's body. That would be corporal punishment."
The two of them grew increasingly absurd, and Shang Yi shooed them away.
Back then, she had been occupying Zhang Xu's body, sitting in her own apartment and doing what needed to be done. Seeing her own body lying nearby was strange, like holding a vigil for herself. So she went out for a drink of water and ended up taking a call.
"Right. Mm, okay. Do I have to go in person? Send the photos over. I can't make it right now."
She scrolled through the photos, her expression grave as she examined the details, then calmly turned off the screen.
"Ugly Boy, I have to go over there tomorrow. Make the arrangements."
That place was one of Shang Yi's less-than-legal sources of income.
That was why she had to rush back to the county that day, to ensure Zhang Xu would wake up in her own home.
She couldn't afford to worry about the kid's social life anymore.
On the way back from the city to the county, Shang Yi, not wanting to draw attention, quietly took the bus. Lost in thought, she made a call. "Seal it up. Don't touch anything for now."
It was another agonizing half-day. Zhang Xu had quit her hair-washing job at the barbershop. With time on her hands, she tidied up the house, tutored her younger cousin in English for two hours, and waited to return to her own body.
The project had dragged on for two years with no tangible results, and had even cost the lives of a worker and his family member. Stepping onto the site again, she felt nothing but anger. A dark-skinned man following her explained hurriedly, "It's really haunted! President Shang, I'm not lying, I'm really not! There's someone singing inside! We thought someone was trying to scare us, but we can't even get in—we get lost no matter which way we go. It's like we've hit a ghost wall!"
A firm materialist, Shang Yi waved a dismissive hand, not believing such nonsense. When they reached a secluded spot, Ugly Boy said, "All the workers are saying more or less the same thing. Once the tomb is opened, they get lost no matter which way they go. And since you said not to just blast it open, they've all quietly pulled out."
"This isn't the tomb of some emperor or general. How big can it be? We clean out the valuables, give the rest to the government. Are you telling me you expect me to pour money into this for two years only to hand it over to the state without seeing a single cent in return?"
Shang Yi stood for a moment, one hand on her hip. Ugly Boy nodded, suggesting that cutting their losses now would be for the best.
With no other choice, Shang Yi's mind began to turn. "Let me think about it."
That evening, she remembered she was due to soul-transmigrate again the following afternoon. It would be inconvenient to leave her body here, so she prepared to depart.
Just as she got into the car, a man's shout suddenly rang out from up ahead.
Shang Yi frowned. "Go take a look."
"A ghost! There's a ghost!"
"Did you get it on camera?"
Shang Yi silently watched the playback from the recording device. A few frames were identical to what she'd received earlier: a faint, human-shaped shadow, flickering in and out of view in a narrow passageway.
Shang Yi made her decision. "I'm going to take a look."
Old Girl said, "Sis, don't make this hard for me. I'm a bodyguard. I can fight people, not ghosts. I'll find you a Taoist priest."
Ugly Boy said, "Get a Buddhist monk."
"…"
Shang Yi's head was splitting. She turned off her phone, grabbed a walkie-talkie, and headed back down into the tomb passage with the workers.
Old Girl stuck by her side to protect her, draped in Maitreya Buddha amulets. Ugly Boy, however, didn't dare to follow, remaining outside on standby to call for help.
Shang Yi believed the men were lying, so she was determined to see for herself.
Besides, the site was nothing like in tomb-raiding novels. There was no massive tomb promising a near-death experience; if there were, you could build an entire underground city with all of them across the country. The passage here was ordinary, even propped up with steel frames for convenience. And she was a capitalist, not a conservationist. She figured there were no murals or well-preserved corpses worth studying; they were mostly digging for small, portable artifacts.
Every minute, a voice from above came through the walkie-talkie. The signal was strong.
Shang Yi said, "Let's stick to materialism. A few of you are Party members, aren't you? Can we cut out all this superstitious nonsense?"
The words had barely left her mouth when several of the men's eyes widened, and they raised their tools, pointing them at Shang Yi.
"Hey… I was just talking. I haven't stiffed you on your wages. Why are you getting so aggressive?"
"Sis… Sis… turn around." Old Girl tugged her sleeve in terror, shrinking into a corner.
The whole group shrank back, and for a moment, even Shang Yi was startled by the sight. Then she snorted. "Trying to scare me?"
She glanced behind her. A figure stood not far ahead, shrouded in a thick white mist, looking like something out of a ghost movie.
She clicked her tongue dismissively. "Who's there?"
The figure gradually faded.
Shang Yi started forward, but Old Girl grabbed her around the waist. "Sis! Your life is more important!"
"Let go. I have to see." She tried to shake them off, but the group held her fast.
"President Shang, it's not that we haven't tried chasing it. When we do, we just end up going in circles and returning to the same spot… You don't have experience with this. It's better if you don't."
Shang Yi was the type of person who would sharpen her blades and charge up a mountain even knowing there was a tiger on it. She agreed verbally, "Alright, alright," but the moment the men turned their heads, she took off after the figure on her own.
Passing through the mist, she found herself in a tomb chamber. The smell wasn't pungent, just cool with an earthy scent.
Shang Yi didn't take a careful look around, only noticing two coffin-like objects. One was already open.
Oh? A real zombie? Like the ones in the TV shows?
Shang Yi pulled out her walkie-talkie. "Hello? Hello? Ugly Boy, can you hear me?"
The other end was mostly static.
When technology failed her, Shang Yi's thoughts briefly drifted toward the supernatural.
But she'd never feared ghosts or gods, so to suddenly start worrying about it now felt absurd.
Her eyes fell on the unopened coffin, and an idea formed.
She patted the coffin. "Your companion scared me. It's not that I don't want to let you rest in peace, but since I'm here, I hope you're a wealthy one."
She looked around for a suitable tool but found nothing. There was a pile of rusted ironware in a corner, and some intact porcelain she was reluctant to break.
To her delight, she found a Swiss Army knife in her pocket.
Sure enough, a figure emerged quietly from a corner. "Younger Sister Shang, you mustn't."
A chill shot down Shang Yi's spine, and the knife clattered from her hand to the floor.
Fuck.
She cursed under her breath.
The newcomer was covered in dried yellow mud that looked like it had just been rubbed off. Their face was so dusty their features were indistinct. They wore a front-fastening long robe of an indiscernible color. The figure bent down, picked up the knife, and placed it in her palm. "Do not use such vulgar language."
Xu Wanqing?
Before Shang Yi could recover, the person opposite her raised their eyes, studying her with an intensity that seemed to etch her image into their mind, then lowered their head. "You don't recognize me, either. This must be another dream…"
Suddenly, several people rushed into the tomb chamber. "President Shang!"
"It's… you!" In a panic, Shang Yi quickly pretended to recognize her. "I was wondering!"
The woman opposite her murmured, "Ah?"
"Oh, right, it was about that business last time, wasn't it? I forgot. My apologies. Look how you scared us all. I was wondering who could have possibly gotten in here. You've worked hard, really. Now that this passage is open, you have to come visit. My treat."
Shang Yi improvised, her mouth dry as she pretended to be a close acquaintance of Xu Wanqing's, acting as if it were perfectly natural for her to be in the tomb.
She grabbed Xu Wanqing's arm and squeezed, signaling her to keep quiet. Still in a cold sweat, she began to spin a tale. "This here is an expert I brought in when we had that incident before. Remember the cave-in? She got trapped inside. We just happened to run into her today. Gave you all a big scare, didn't she? This is my friend, Old Xu."
Xu Wanqing's eyes lifted, a faint smile playing on her lips.
After another round of parched-mouthed excuses, she shoved Xu Wanqing into the car.
"Transfer the project to the government. Pay everyone to keep their mouths shut… I don't feel like talking right now. Ugly Boy, you handle it. Get our story straight. This is Xu Yijiu, a Mojin Xiaowei—you know, one of those experts from the TV shows. Remember that other incident before the cave-in? I brought her in then to work the problem from two angles, but she got trapped in the collapse. We ran into her again today and discovered the tomb has already been emptied by grave robbers. Got it? If anyone has doubts, buy their silence. This absolutely cannot leak."
Shang Yi slumped against a small stuffed toy in the back seat. Beside her, Xu Wanqing reeked of earth from head to toe. Shang Yi could neither ignore the woman nor her own massive financial loss, so she could only blame herself.
"Younger Sister Shang."
"Shut up."
Xu Wanqing herself was a slender, timid thing with a graceful figure. Even covered in dust, her lips were red, her teeth were white, and she looked gentle and lovely.
The fact that she'd emerged from a tomb wasn't enough to convince Shang Yi she was an ancient.
But when she walked, her steps were so light that a string of bells tied to her wouldn't have made a sound. Then, Shang Yi happened to glimpse a pair of impossibly small feet beneath the tattered hem of her dress. A rush of blood went to her head. She was convinced. This was a genuine ancient.
They rushed back to Pingdu that night. She sent Ugly Boy out to handle matters while Old Girl stayed to ensure her safety.
In the apartment, she ordered Xu Wanqing to take a bath, too exhausted to speak.
Xu Wanqing stood up. "Younger Sister Shang, you remember me? I thought no one did."
Shang Yi raised her eyes wearily. "Oh? Who else is there?"
"Zhang Xu came earlier, but she didn't recognize me. Then complications arose. I wasn't strong enough, so I could only push her out by herself."
"You can erase memories, too? She doesn't remember any of this." Shang Yi struggled to sit up. "And what was that about the ghost wall?"
"The tomb's layout is merely complex, and having been inside for so long, I know it well. I simply led your men in circles. I am no sorcerer, I am not skilled in—"
"Alright, alright." Shang Yi slumped back down. "Go take your bath. Let me recover. You scared me."
"There isn't enough time." Xu Wanqing pointed to the wall clock, then slowly took Shang Yi's hand and held it in her own. "In a moment, I fear I will be inside Zhang Xu's body. Only, the me of that time has not yet been interred—you must remember that."
"You—" Shang Yi began, trying to pull her hand away, but the other woman's hands suddenly went limp and dropped.
Xu Wanqing's eyes closed, and she collapsed onto the soft carpet like a lifeless doll.
A scam?
A setup?
Shang Yi couldn't sleep, couldn't think. She kept a three-step distance from the body, pressing hard on her temples to keep herself from screaming.
"Ugly Boy, make an appointment with my therapist… Yes, I think I'm going crazy. I might be having hallucinations. Yes, the sooner the better."
"It's not, Sis. Xu Yijiu is real, I'm not kidding. Old Girl and I both saw her. She was in the back seat. She has a very classical, pretty look, with eyebrows like Lin Daiyu. She's about one-point-six meters tall, with bound feet. Her clothes were probably light pink originally, but they look gray now. Her hair is in a loose bun—I don't recognize the style, I'll look it up later. She has a jade bracelet on her wrist. Am I right? It's not a hallucination, Sis. I did make an appointment with the doctor for you, though. The day after tomorrow at nine a.m. in Pingdu. Is that okay?"
"Okay," Shang Yi replied faintly, sitting motionless on the sofa.
Xu Wanqing lay on the floor.
Not in Zhang Xu's body. It was Xu Wanqing herself.
She studied her from a distance for a long while before finally going over and hoisting the woman up. Out of courtesy, she placed her on her own bed.
A little dirt didn't matter. If she just started ripping the clothes off, this ancient would probably strike her.
Still, she pulled off the woman's shoes and, driven by curiosity about her bound feet, removed her socks.
"…"
A disabled ancient, at that.
She covered her with a blanket, tucking it in. Shang Yi felt a surge of gratitude for living in the modern era.
"Dr. Li, yes, I'd like to ask for a consultation. Let's say, for example, that I've bound my feet—yes, the three-inch golden lotus kind… I'm not being impulsive, just asking. For example, if they'd been bound for several years, could they still be treated…"
"President Shang, you need to get your head examined," came the sincere reply. "Are you insane?"
"It's a hypothetical! I haven't—I haven't bound my feet! I'm saying, what if, for example, my grandmother had bound feet and wanted to reverse it? Is there any way to restore them to how they were?"
"…President Shang, would you like to see a doctor?"
Shang Yi hung up.
The Swiss Army knife Xu Wanqing had picked up for her was still in her pocket. She silently set it aside and sat on the edge of the bed, staring for a long time.
First, she had looked at Zhang Xu, a left-behind child, and felt sympathy for the orphan.
Now, she felt a deep sympathy for this woman who had suffered under the oppression of feudalism's worst traditions.
"So ugly," she commented to herself after watching for a while.
But she had to admit, she'd never seen anyone with such beautiful monolids.
A delicate appearance, the kind that inspires pity and protectiveness.
About five hundred years her senior.
She didn't see Zhang Xu that day. By the time she came to, Xu Wanqing had already bathed and, dressed in pajamas, was changing the bedsheets and duvet cover. Her own body had been placed on the sofa.
"It is fortunate you did not see me today. And you must not let the me inside Zhang Xu's body know that I exist."
Shang Yi struggled to turn over. "Huh?"
"If I were to know my own fate, I fear I could not live my days in peace." Xu Wanqing finished putting on the duvet cover and folded it neatly. "I must trouble you to keep this hidden for me."
"What fate?" Shang Yi asked dismissively.
Xu Wanqing smiled without answering, only turning back to say softly, "For me, seeing you again is more than enough."
Ugh.
What was that? A confession?
Shang Yi cringed at the cheesy line, but she'd heard enough confessions to have developed an unusually thick skin. She retorted, "Well, seeing you again has made me very unhappy."
"This is the first time you have seen me," Xu Wanqing corrected.
Shang Yi said, "Ah, fine, fine, the first time seeing you."
"Are you willing to take me in?"
"You have nowhere else to go, so just stay," Shang Yi said with a wave of her hand. She thought for a moment, then turned her head abruptly. "But I don't have any books here; they were all sent to the county. If you want to read, have Ugly Boy buy some for you. Do you know how to use the internet? Go surf the web. Find something to keep yourself busy. Just don't loiter in front of me."
"My thanks, Younger Sister Shang."
The goosebumps returned, rising and falling like a concerto.
"Don't call me that!"
"I am over five hundred years your senior." This time, Xu Wanqing truly had her beat on age.
"What were you doing for five hundred years? Counting monkey hairs?"
Shang Yi was referencing Journey to the West, and Xu Wanqing caught on quickly. She replied in a soft voice, "Waiting for you."
"I'm not the bald monk Tang Sanzang," Shang Yi muttered as she walked away. "Such a sharp-tongued little wench."
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