The two stared at each other across the car.
Finally, Zong Hang asked: “Why are you here?”
Ding Yudie said: “The Three Families urgently summoned me. I flew directly from Taiyuan to Golmud, and then the car came to pick me up.”
He patted the car’s body as he spoke, implying: See? Private car service – only the elite among water ghosts get this treatment.
Zong Hang knew he had been urgently called over, but hadn’t Yi Sa said “things have concluded”? Theoretically, if things had concluded, this arrangement should have been canceled.
The nearest city to the camp was actually Yushu, not Golmud. Taking the longer route to Golmud was apparently to facilitate picking up Ding Yudie.
No wonder they arranged two different hotels – they were afraid he’d discover this.
Zong Hang suddenly realized that after all these experiences, his mind had become sharper; figuring this out wasn’t too difficult after all.
Ding Yudie looked around: “Why are you here too? Where’s Sa Sa? Were you both called here as well?”
Zong Hang gave a vague response while quickly calculating how to keep this from Ding Yudie.
Ding Yudie would never do anything to harm the Three Families, but he was very eager to witness others’ drama and help cover up romantic secrets – back on that boat at Poyang Lake, he had enthusiastically helped hide his identity, mistakenly thinking he was Yi Sa’s secret boyfriend.
Zong Hang said: “Yeah, I’m here about the Drifting Cave too, but Yi Sa dumped me.”
Ding Yudie stared at him with a strange expression.
Upon closer reading, it was a complex expression mixing schadenfreude, detached amusement, and a failed attempt at appearing sympathetic out of courtesy.
After a while, he came around from the other side of the car and began sharing his thoughts.
“I knew this would happen! Sa Sa isn’t the type for relationships! Who could put up with her temper? When I saw you on the boat last time, I wondered about it, thinking how this suddenly happened, must be just trying something new for fun, definitely wouldn’t last! Sure enough!”
After delivering this lengthy commentary, Ding Yudie finally realized that the disappointed needed comfort: “So now… what are your plans?”
Zong Hang hung his head: “I know you’re going over there, could you take me with you? I want to find a chance to try and make things right.”
He sighed before finishing, projecting dejection as best he could.
Ding Yudie hesitated: “The car has enough space, but the Drifting Cave matter is secret, you’re an outsider…”
Zong Hang beckoned him closer.
Ding Yudie suspiciously leaned in: “What?”
Zong Hang said: “Do you think you were chosen by Ding Panling to participate in the Drifting Cave secret just because you’re a water ghost?”
Ding Yudie snorted.
Wasn’t that obvious? Only the excellent qualify for confidential matters. He wasn’t just a water ghost, but the cream of the new generation – who else would they turn to for important matters?
“You’re just a backup. On Ding Panling’s side, they’ve already been down to the Drifting Cave once. Ding Xi went down, and Yi Sa and I went down too. I can tell you everything about what’s in the Drifting Cave, want to believe it? Want to hear it?”
At this point, he nodded toward the hotel: “Want to talk somewhere else?”
Ding Yudie gritted his teeth.
He could tolerate Yi Sa going down, after all, they were both water ghosts – a gentleman doesn’t compete with a lady, so ladies first.
But Ding Xi? That bastard who had messed up his pigtails – what right did he have?
Ding Yudie spat out one word through clenched teeth: “Let’s go!”
Nightfall.
With half the people gone to chase the Drifting Cave, the camp felt especially quiet. Half the tents were empty. Yi Sa was bored, the Shou Ma injection was already prepared, just waiting for the right time to inject it. She took out a cigarette stick, lit it, and smoked slowly.
A faint sweet fragrance filled the tent.
Ding Panling’s voice came from outside: “Sa Sa, are you in there?”
Yi Sa made an affirmative sound.
Ding Panling opened the tent flap, smelling the smoke before seeing anyone: “You smoke?”
Yi Sa took one out and offered it: “It’s not tobacco, it’s a smoke stick from the Yunnan mountains. No harm to the body, want to try?”
Ding Panling took it to look.
It was just a thin piece of redwood. Smelling it up close, it had an indescribable strange fragrance.
“I never saw you smoke before.”
Yi Sa said: “Who said that? I smoke often, when I’m feeling low I use it to pass the time…”
She suddenly stopped speaking.
She used to smoke often, and would even chew on it unlit, as if time couldn’t pass without it, but recently, she seemed to have stopped.
When did it start?
It seemed to be after Zong Hang came into her life, that she had found a new focus: suppressing him, bullying him, watching him practice, guiding him, teasing him, mocking him, slowly growing to like him…
Zong Hang had such a good temper. Anyone else would have probably lost their temper long ago, or stayed far away – if you can’t beat them, avoid them, right?
But he never got angry, at most just sighing pitifully, or using water ghost moves to chop at her back a couple of times.
Yi Sa became slightly lost in thought.
She should have been nicer to Zong Hang, but it was just this unyielding temperament, never learning what it meant to be soft since childhood.
Ding Panling cupped the smoke stick in his palm, not interested in trying it: “Now that you’ve sent Zong Hang away, what are your plans?”
“Me?” Yi Sa held the smoke stick between her fingers, “I’ll stay, and see what this thing is. My whole family – father, sister, and myself – basically all fell to it. How could I rest in peace without finding out? Anyway, I have no attachments now, nothing to worry about, nothing to fear, just taking it one step at a time.”
At this point, she suddenly remembered the main topic: “Did you need something? Uncle Panling, you’re not really this bored, coming specially to watch my blood vessels burst?”
Ding Panling smiled: “Of course not, I just wanted to confirm with you – since you’ve admitted you’re the same as Zong Hang, then back at Jin Tang under Poyang Lake, you went in yourself, right?”
Since everything was exposed anyway, there was no point in hiding. Yi Sa was very straightforward: “That’s right, I was there, Zong Hang was there too. My sister actually died in Xi Chao, killed by Jiang Jun. Zong Hang isn’t from the Three Families, the ancestral tablets don’t affect him much. Those so-called fragmentary scenes were all flashing through my mind.”
“Then that time going down to Jin Tang at Hukou, from entering the water until you woke up, could you describe what happened? I need the most accurate details.”
Hukou and Jin Tang again – did Ding Panling have some obsession with Hukou? He had mentioned Hukou this morning when sending off Zong Hang too.
Seeing Yi Sa not answering, Ding Panling explained: “I’m reconstructing the entire incident, some details are very important, so I need accuracy.”
Yi Sa let out a breath, speaking word by word: “Hukou’s current was too strong, and I was a fake water ghost, so after entering the water, I was afraid of getting separated from Ding Yudie, so I instructed Zong Hang beforehand to hold tight onto Ding Yudie’s legs, one person… grabbing one leg.”
The scene was laughable just thinking about it, making Ding Panling both amused and exasperated.
“Who knew that when I grabbed Ding Yudie, the ancestral tablet’s power passed through his body and affected me too? My body was thrown back, but fortunately, I managed to grab onto Zong Hang’s leg.”
Ding Panling pursued: “So when Zong Hang woke up, you weren’t sitting like Ding Yudie?”
Yi Sa thought back: “Zong Hang’s exact words were that he struggled to get up and saw me holding his leg, while Ding Yudie sat like a wax figure to the side.”
Whether it was her imagination or not, Yi Sa felt that when she finished speaking, Ding Panling’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Just past seven o’clock, the front desk called with the wake-up service.
In the Tibetan region at this hour, it was still dark outside. Ding Yudie, full of morning anger, threw off his blanket to get dressed, knocking over a chair and two cups before returning to normal.
Zong Hang watched the whole process from the sofa.
After finishing his washing up, Ding Yudie grabbed his bag to go downstairs, instructing before opening the door: “I’ll go to the restaurant first and get takeout for you. Wait for my WeChat message, then I’ll cover for you to get into the back of the car.”
Zong Hang nodded – to deceive the driver, they had to take such a roundabout approach.
After Ding Yudie left, Zong Hang sat down on the bed, waiting until the time was right. He turned the phone toward himself and, after silently rehearsing the words he’d prepared last night, picked up the receiver and dialed.
It connected, but no one answered.
Zong Hang waited patiently: at this hour, Tong Hong and Zong Bisheng would still be in bed. Usually, Tong Hong would be the one who couldn’t wait, grumbling as she got up and hurried to the living room.
Sure enough.
Someone picked up the receiver: “Who is it?”
Zong Hang’s eyes quickly misted over: it was Tong Hong’s voice, and it had aged somewhat.
He stammered: “Mom.”
Tong Hong seemed not to have processed it or perhaps wasn’t fully awake. After a long pause, she hesitantly said: “Hang Hang?”
Zong Hang said: “It’s me.”
His hand holding the receiver trembled slightly.
Tong Hong’s breathing and voice became urgent: “Hang Hang, are you okay? Where are you?”
Zong Hang sniffled, trying to control his emotions: “Mom, I’m fine, I’m okay. I almost died, but someone saved me, saved me more than once, so I’m perfectly fine now.”
Tong Hong couldn’t quite keep up with his pace. Words like “almost died” and “saved” each exploded in her mind like bombs. She just kept nodding, then suddenly realized Zong Hang couldn’t see her nodding, so she kept making affirming sounds.
“I was supposed to come home these days, but things aren’t finished. The person who saved me might be in danger, so I want to stay a few more days and see if I can help. Mom, they helped me, I should repay them, shouldn’t just leave like this, right?”
Tong Hong said: “Yes, yes, Hang Hang, that’s right. The person who saved you is good, we must thank them properly.”
Zong Hang made an affirmative sound: “Then Mom, you and Dad take care of yourselves, I’ll be back in a few days.”
He hung up.
Tong Hong stood holding the receiver for a while, looking at the early morning light seeping into the living room, at the elegant dark brown rosewood furniture, at the wall clock.
Seven-thirty, daylight had come – it shouldn’t be a dream.
She hung up and walked unsteadily back to the bedroom, lifted the thin blanket, and got into bed. Zong Bisheng had also woken up, asking drowsily: “Who was it?”
Tong Hong didn’t speak, didn’t lie down, just clutched the blanket and leaned against the bed, lost in thought.
Seeing no answer, Zong Bisheng thought it unimportant and closed his eyes to sleep more.
In his hazy state, he heard Tong Hong call: “Old Zong.”
“Hmm?”
“Hang Hang called.”
“Oh.”
Zong Bisheng buried his face in the pillow, and then suddenly his back tensed.
Hang Hang? Zong Hang?
He sat up abruptly: “Where is he? Where did he call from? Where is he now? Was it him or someone pretending? What happened to him? Is he okay?”
Tong Hong was overwhelmed by these rapid-fire questions, and after a long while only managed to reply: “He seems fine.”
Heavens, Zong Bisheng was about to faint from her lukewarm attitude – one look and he knew he couldn’t count on her.
The phone, yes, phones have caller ID, they could trace the location! Had to check quickly – check the source, check surveillance, check everything!
Zong Bisheng threw off the blanket, not even bothering with shoes, and ran out barefoot.
Tong Hong still sat on the bed, pulling the blanket up slightly, murmuring: “Our Hang Hang is still alive.”
Not only alive, but from his tone of voice, he seemed much more mature than his previous careless self, and what he said made sense: others saved me, I should repay them, right?
How wonderful, he was her good child.
How wonderful, life had hope again.
Still no news about locating the Drifting Cave. Yi Sa spent another day in complete boredom, consuming over ten smoke sticks.
Shortly after dark, she heard cars entering the camp, and then people shouting that Ding Yudie had arrived.
Good – although it was just the moth-head, having someone to talk to was better than nothing. Yi Sa was about to go out to greet him when someone came with a message saying Ding Panling wanted to see her.
Wondering what it could be about, Yi Sa went with suspicion.
At the entrance, she heard a voice from inside that vaguely sounded like Zong Hang. Yi Sa was startled and rushed in.
It wasn’t him – Ding Panling had just finished listening to a voice recording on the computer. Seeing her enter, he beckoned her closer: “I just had someone call Ding Yudie too, told him to come over after settling in. Listen to this first.”
He pressed the replay button.
Yi Sa listened carefully.
It was Zong Hang’s voice, probably recorded when he was reporting back to Ding Panling after safely returning from Jin Tang at Hukou.
“…like a big spiral cylinder, getting knocked and bumped around inside, got dizzy. Then I crashed to the ground and felt like my bones were falling apart. I managed to get up with difficulty and saw Ding Yudie sitting to the side like a wax figure, really creepy, Yi Sa was the same…”
The recording stopped there.
Ding Panling looked at Yi Sa: “The actual situation was that Ding Yudie was sitting to the side, and you were holding Zong Hang’s leg, right?”
Yes, why had they been fixating on this one issue for two days straight?
Ding Panling smiled: “You’ll understand soon…”
Before he could finish, Ding Yudie’s excited voice came from outside: “Uncle Panling!”
Then he burst in.
Seeing Yi Sa, Ding Yudie felt a complex mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Zong Hang hadn’t lied – Yi Sa and Ding Xi had come earlier, while he was just second-string, a backup.
Just thinking about it made Ding Yudie sour inside.
Ding Panling didn’t know about all these twists in his mind, just gestured for him to sit across the table, then pushed over a blank paper and a pen.
What was this about? Ding Yudie was puzzled, sneaking a glance at Yi Sa, who looked equally confused.
Ding Panling said: “Ding Yudie, now draw a computer, the kind with a screen and base.”
At these words, Ding Yudie was fine, but Yi Sa’s mind exploded, her face changing color.
Ding Yudie asked strangely: “A computer?”
Coming all this way, barely settled in before being called for important matters, and the first thing was to draw a computer?
“Yes, just draw what I tell you, I have my reasons.”
Ding Yudie swallowed his doubts and bent to draw: fortunately, he always held himself to high standards – either don’t do something or once you start, if not mastery, at least do it properly.
That’s why he could handle any abrupt or strange test. See, whatever he drew looked right, no slacking.
Just as he was about to hand in his work, Ding Panling added: “Add a few more strokes – this computer has arms spread out, grabbing someone, swallowing them into the screen – no need to draw the head, it’s already been swallowed.”
Ding Yudie made an “oh” sound – this requirement was a bit complex, but it was fine, as long as it conveyed the idea.
After he finished, Ding Panling took the drawing aside and pushed over a new sheet: “Draw another one, someone with their back to the computer, and the computer is smiling at them.”
“A smile?”
“A sinister grin.”
It sounded creepy like the computer had come alive, Ding Yudie thought to himself but still drew as told.
When he finished, Ding Panling didn’t even comment: “Fine, you’ve had a long day of travel, go rest early. I’ll discuss details with you tomorrow.”
Ding Yudie was bewildered but couldn’t say anything, so he left with a confused expression.
After he left, Ding Panling spread out the two drawings and placed two photos alongside them, asking Yi Sa: “Do they look similar?”
Those were the rock paintings that Zong Hang had photographed with the film camera in Jin Tang cave at Hukou.
While not identical, the stroke style was similar, the artistic style was similar, and even the sinister grin was similar.
Ding Panling let out a long sigh: “In the ancient carved tunnels, we found two paintings that didn’t belong. If they weren’t drawn by someone from the previous civilization, they must have been done by someone who came later.”
“Who could it be? I checked the records – the last time Jin Tang at Hukou was opened was sixty years ago. I wasn’t even born then, Uncle Hai Jin was barely in his teens, and they couldn’t have seen computers. So finally, I thought about you three.”
“First I asked Zong Hang, who admitted he wasn’t conscious the whole time, that he had blacked out for a while.”
“Then I asked you, and had you listen to Zong Hang’s recording. You thought I was focused on whether you were sitting or holding Zong Hang’s leg, but that wasn’t it. What I focused on was: in all versions, one point was consistent – Ding Yudie always sat like a wax figure.”
“In those chaotic rapids, you told Zong Hang to hold tight to Ding Yudie’s legs. He always listened to you, so he must have held on desperately, and wouldn’t let go even if unconscious – evidence shows that when you passed out, you were still holding Zong Hang’s leg. So why couldn’t Zong Hang hold onto Ding Yudie? Why was Ding Yudie able to sit calmly to the side?”
“This shows that Ding Yudie was controlled to break free from Zong Hang, did something while you were both unconscious, then returned to sit there, waiting for you to wake up.”
“Those two paintings were drawn by Ding Yudie.”