“I merely chanced upon a creature resembling the legendary Vampire Carpet,” Jing Lan recounted, his mind drifting back to the monster that had writhed on the ground outside Old Feng’s home that night, capable of devouring living beings. “Compared to the mythical Vampire Carpet, this thing seemed even more horrifying.”
“Ah, I apologize. I shouldn’t have made you recall such terrifying things. However, my curiosity isn’t idle; in truth, I didn’t come here for leisure.”
Ye Yin Fengqizi appeared to ponder how best to phrase her next words, finally stating, “Come with me. I have something to show you.”
The two made their way to a tent pitched beside a bonfire, where a kind-faced, stout man was busy repairing a motorcycle.
Upon seeing Jing Lan approach, he offered a friendly “Hello.”
“Hello,” Jing Lan returned the greeting.
“Teacher Ye Yin Fengqizi is about to show you her family heirloom. Most of us here have already seen it,” the stout man continued his work as he spoke. “It seems these ‘little devils’ are naturally quite interested in our culture.”
Jing Lan felt a flicker of surprise that he dared to use the term “little devils” directly in front of a Japanese person.
Ye Yin Fengqizi, however, seemed utterly unconcerned, walking straight into the tent to retrieve a nylon bag.
From within, she produced a box, which, upon opening, revealed a small, extremely aged notebook.
Alongside it lay a stone fragment, appearing to be a remnant of a polished artifact.
“Buddy, don’t mind Sister Ye Yin Fengqizi too much; her thought process is quite peculiar,” the stout man, having apparently finished his work on the motorcycle, wiped his brow and straightened up. “By the way, are you new here? Haven’t seen you around. I’m Wen Hao, and I do odd jobs for Boss Leng.”
Jing Lan offered a brief introduction of himself.
“Hey, wait a minute, I’ve heard of your band,” Wen Hao said, wiping his hands with a rag. “I’m from the Class of ’19 at National Middle School, your sister’s senior. Speaking of which, your sister’s family seems to have a long history of operating in the rubber industry around here. And wouldn’t you know it, Boss Leng’s visit to this autonomous prefecture is actually to get his hands on the local rubber industry.”
Upon hearing this, Jing Lan let out a bitter sigh.
“For his subordinate, you certainly don’t mince words, using ‘get his hands on’ so freely. In that case, I suppose I should thank the zombies. Boss Leng no longer has the leisure to consider the rubber plantations. Otherwise, our family might very well have seen him as a competitor.”
“What do you think of him?” Wen Hao pressed on.
“He’s very intelligent. His father likely intends to pass the family business to him.”
“Intelligent, yes, but I should give you a small heads-up. I just think… his mind isn’t quite right.”
Noticing the two men engrossed in their own conversation, Teacher Ye Yin Fengqizi grumbled softly, displeased, “Can we talk about my matter first?”
“I won’t say more! Little Jing, you’ll understand once you talk to him yourself tomorrow!” As the stout man spoke, Ye Yin Fengqizi had already opened the ancient notebook from the box, turned to a specific page, and presented it to Jing Lan.
“Do you recognize this?”
What Jing Lan saw was a small figure drawn on one of the notebook’s pages.
The artist’s skill was exceedingly abstract; the figure was rendered with wild, bristly hair and indistinct features.
Perhaps due to it being drawn in pencil, some graphite particles had flaked off the paper.
Jing Lan searched his memories, but found nothing.
He replied, “I think it looks a lot like Naruto Uzumaki.”
Ye Yin Fengqizi lightly tapped his head with the notebook.
The stout man chuckled beside them. “Well, you see, this notebook is a relic of Teacher Ye Yin Fengqizi’s great-grandfather, Ye Yin Jiro.”
‘Oh, they should have said so earlier, instead of being so mysterious,’ Jing Lan thought. ‘Had I known, I certainly wouldn’t have joked.’
Ye Yin Fengqizi’s expression suddenly dimmed, and she continued, “My great-grandfather participated in World War II—a wicked and pointless war of aggression. After his unit was defeated by your country’s expeditionary forces in Songshan, he and a few like-minded friends decided they would no longer sacrifice their lives; they deserted. They became lost in the forests along this border, but were later saved by mysterious indigenous people. This drawing is a portrait of one of those indigenous people.”
Jing Lan’s interest was piqued. ‘So Konoha Village was actually in China? Interesting,’ he mused.
However, then considering the current state of the world, he found it peculiar that Teacher Ye Yin Fengqizi was still concerned with indigenous people.
“But what does this have to do with the Vampire Carpet?” Jing Lan inquired again.
No sooner had the words left his lips than a flash of insight sparked in his mind.
“Teacher Ye Yin Fengqizi, have you perhaps read a book called ‘Ten Border Secrets’?”
The female teacher’s face registered surprise.
She promptly pulled a copy of ‘Ten Border Secrets’ from her backpack. “Exactly, exactly! It seems I might be very close to the truth!”
Jing Lan’s expression, however, was far from pleased.
“Sister, do you truly not realize what’s happening in the world right now?”
“Of course. The plague.”
“How can you speak of it so casually…” Jing Lan’s mind once again drifted to the tear-streaked face of his deceased friend, and his fingers involuntarily dug sharply into his palm.
“You must think your great-grandfather encountered the ‘Snowman Night Emperor’ from the border secrets. To be honest, I’ve always been interested in such things. But right now, all of humanity has no time to care about these mysterious creatures. We can’t even guarantee how long we’ll live ourselves, much less have the time or energy to research these supernatural oddities.”
Listening to Jing Lan’s somewhat agitated outburst, Wen Hao, standing nearby, merely shrugged.
“Little Jing, most people react pretty much the same way as you. That’s why I said this big sister has a rather peculiar way of thinking; try to understand.”
Ye Yin Fengqizi did not give up, continuing, “I’m not entirely convinced either. But since you’ve personally witnessed the Vampire Carpet, it means the border secrets have a high degree of credibility!”
“This isn’t about credibility, Sister. Even if it’s true, we have no time to attend to it now. You should be glad you’re part of a team like this, with people protecting you. Otherwise, with your paltry, amateurish ninjutsu…”
The more Jing Lan spoke, the more he suspected this Japanese teacher was suffering from a severe case of chuunibyou.
‘The world is ending, and she’s still thinking about fulfilling her ancestors’ dreams.’
‘My comrades also had many dreams, but now they are…’
“Regarding the Snowman, I don’t know anything more. If ‘Ten Border Secrets’ doesn’t offer more clues, I can’t provide them either. But you’d do well to understand and let it go. In this current climate, continuing to investigate such matters will only lead to your demise.”
Ye Yin Fengqizi sighed softly.
After a moment of hesitation, she placed the small notebook back into the box.
Then, with both hands, she offered the box to Jing Lan.
“This is for you. Feel free to look through it when you have time.”
Jing Lan was completely taken aback by this woman’s actions.
‘If fulfilling her great-grandfather’s wish was so important, why would she hand over his relic to someone else?’
“Even if you’re trying to bribe me with an antique, I can’t help!”
“It’s not a bribe. I’d like you to read my great-grandfather’s diary. Just return it to me when you’re done. This matter truly means a great deal to me.
Even if it’s truly the end of the world, I must do this.”
Jing Lan didn’t wish to become further entangled with this woman.
However, recalling the Japanese penchant for elaborate etiquette, he knew refusing her would likely involve an even more convoluted back-and-forth.
The thought alone gave him a headache, so he accepted the box.
“I’ll just glance at it; I can’t really help you,” Jing Lan dismissed her casually, though he had no actual desire to look.
****
Returning to Leng Yu’s RV, Jing Lan found him arguing with his uncle once more.
Jing Lan’s mind was a tangled mess, and all he wanted was to go to sleep.
Yet, remembering Wen Hao’s earlier comment about Leng Yu being “not quite right” (though the specifics hadn’t been clarified), he felt disinclined to sleep in his RV, otherwise, he feared some ‘let me see’ scenario might unfold.
Spotting several new sleeping bags beside the RV, he took one.
Returning to the stout man who had been repairing the motorcycle, he was invited to rest by a nearby bonfire.
Once settled comfortably in his sleeping bag, Jing Lan asked the stout man what exactly was “not normal” about Leng Yu.
“Don’t tell him I told you, alright? That guy, tsk, it’s hard to explain in a few words. Simply put, he wants to be an emperor…”
“Isn’t he already a super rich second-generation heir? A young master set to inherit a top 500 national enterprise—how hard could it be to be an emperor then?”
“Tsk, that’s not what I mean. Ugh, I’m so sleepy, let’s talk tomorrow.” The stout man yawned widely, and soon snores echoed from his sleeping bag.
Feeling a sense of unease within this unfamiliar group, Jing Lan silently resolved to wake up early the next morning and scout the area for the seaplane.
As for the Snowman that Ye Yin Fengqizi was so curious about? ‘Enough already,’ he thought. ‘It would be better to research the zombies right in front of us.’
The Snowman, a mysterious race said to be widely active in the mountains along the southwestern border, also known as the “Night Emperor.”
They were rumored to possess snow-white fur, blue or green eyes, a small stature, yet moved with incredible swiftness.
Some described them as ferocious, while others claimed they were as beautiful as celestial beings…
‘Never mind, what’s the point of thinking about all this?’
‘Like the Vampire Carpet, I’ll deal with it if I ever encounter one.’ Jing Lan yawned and drifted off to sleep.
He certainly didn’t believe he would ever encounter a Snowman.