Chapter Fifteen: Li Ruoke

“I still think we should call the police as soon as possible. No matter how unbelievable the whole water corpse thing is, the kidnapping itself is real, and they had guns!” After soothing his sister’s agitated emotions, Li Lan proposed this idea.

A cold laugh cut through the air. Qi Yan set down the cup in his hand and sat in a chair, fingers interlaced, eyes fixed on Li Lan. “Genius, let’s say I’m a police officer. How would you explain this to me?”

Li Lan was briefly stunned, but quickly answered, “I… you and I were abducted at the airport, taken deep into the mountains where they tried to kill us for money. Our phones and everything else were stolen, which is enough to accuse them of robbery. I even made sure to remember their license plate number.”

Qi Yan clicked his tongue and shook his head. “First of all… remember the license plate? Let me stress this again: these people planned everything in advance, got hold of your return flight through some special means, and snatched you near the airport. They had guns. Criminal organizations like this, desperate and ruthless, don’t fear the police. At least, not the local detectives.

Second… Even if the criminal investigation team takes your case and files it, what will you say when they show up with a whole squad at the cold pool in Haimu Valley to investigate? Four kidnappers, all dead in horrifying ways—the one called Zhao was the worst, cut in half and hung from a tree—and both of us walk away unharmed. Are you really going to tell the police what happened? Supernatural events? And how do you explain the two of us making it out alive? You’d better think of a plausible explanation first.

Lastly… Even if the police believe every word you say, don’t forget, not all of them are dead—both our IDs are still in their hands. Aren’t you worried that, if we call the police, they’ll get desperate and do something even crazier?”

After listening, Li Ruoke calmed down as well, putting down the kitchen knife and taking a deep breath. “You’re right, we can’t call the police… because those people are beyond the police’s reach. This isn’t a case that can be resolved through normal channels.”

Her tone was markedly wary as she spoke, quite different from her earlier fierce demeanor—perhaps the product of her having weighed the risks now that she’d cooled down.

Li Lan was at a loss for words, but still objected, “Then what are we supposed to do? Just sit and wait, stay passive? I think they’ll come after us for revenge—after all, they know where we live and all our information.”

Qi Yan rubbed his temples, sighing. “I’m out of ideas—I’ve never been through anything like this. If you two have a foolproof plan, I’m all ears. But to be fair, Li Lan… they may have made us suffer, but in the end, four out of six of them died miserably, and we only got a couple of electric shocks and some minor injuries. If we’re talking about losses, theirs are much worse. If their accomplices have any sense, after something like this, they’ll lay low or run for their lives. Honestly, you’re just a college student—there’s no need for them to risk everything in a vendetta against you. They’d have nothing to gain.”

Li Ruoke’s expression grew even darker, as if a storm was brewing in her eyes. Finally, she waved her hand. “Enough, enough. Leave this to me. You two go take a shower and change into something clean. We’ll deal with the rest after you’ve had a proper rest.”

There was only one bathroom in the house. After taking off his dirty clothes, Li Lan went in first to wash up, while Qi Yan remained in the living room, watching as Li Ruoke made a phone call in her room.

He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but seeing how composed she seemed, Qi Yan found himself quietly impressed. These siblings… they weren’t as simple as they appeared. The brother had that strange spirit-attracting constitution, and the sister… she was probably far more formidable than she let on. For ordinary people, an ordeal like this would leave them panicked and helpless, scrambling like ants on a hot stove, not calmly working out a solution.

Li Ruoke’s phone call lasted a long time. When she finally emerged, she looked exhausted as she sat back down at the table and began to speak with Qi Yan. “Thank you. From what Lan just told me, if it weren’t for you, he’d probably be buried in the wilderness right now.”

Qi Yan was honest. “Don’t thank me. Truthfully, if I could do it over, I wish I’d never spoken to your brother at the airport. I wouldn’t have been dragged into this nightmare.”

Li Ruoke gave a bitter laugh, her gaze lingering on the decorative crystal ball on the table. “There are things Lan doesn’t know. He’s always had that constitution, and I imagine you, though an ordinary person, have seen enough in the past several hours. After our parents died, I tried to protect him my own way, but… one moment of carelessness, and this happened. You guessed right—the people who kidnapped you don’t fear the authorities. In fact, their true strength is far scarier than what you saw… I won’t say more, but rest assured, at least for you, this ends here. Those bastards shouldn’t trouble you again. You’re an outsider, after all.”

She composed herself and changed the subject. “By the way, I heard earlier that Lan spoke to you because you have a very special Buddhist amulet?”

Qi Yan wrinkled his nose and took the amulet from around his neck, placing it silently on the table.

Li Ruoke had intended to pick it up right away but hesitated. Instead, she wrapped it in a couple of napkins before examining it closely.

She scrutinized it for a long time, not missing a single detail, her brows furrowed throughout.

“Where… did you get this?”

Qi Yan rested his chin in his hand, looking a bit awkward. “You probably won’t believe it, but two days ago…”

He recounted how he had acquired the amulet by chance. When he finished, Li Ruoke’s reaction was even more astonished than Li Lan’s had been, but at least she kept her composure.

“My goodness… That’s really something.” She pressed on, “So, you’d never been involved with Thai Buddhist amulets or anything like that before? Do you know what this one is called?”

Back at the Black Temple, the mysterious old monk had said nothing about the amulet, but in the hospital, the amulet had revealed its name to Qi Yan in a way more memorable than any word or written note—branding it onto his heart in an unforgettable instant.

“Mama.”

Li Ruoke raised an eyebrow. “Tsk, don’t call me that. I’m not nearly old enough to be your mother.”

Qi Yan immediately bristled, pointing at the amulet. “Hey! I’m saying it’s called ‘Mama’… Why are you taking advantage?”

“Oh, come on… You should’ve said the amulet’s name is ‘Mama’—just blurting out a word like that, how was I supposed to know what you meant?”