He Bang hid in the water and watched for a while. She naturally recognized Qingxuan — the fragrant smell of chive dumplings floated and drifted straight into her nose. She swallowed, hesitating and unwilling to draw closer. Zhuang Shaoqin led his two disciples using an invisibility technique, concealing themselves behind a dark reef.

He Bang swam back and forth in the water. If it were only Qingxuan alone, she could definitely snatch the chive dumplings and escape. But Rong Chen Zi was injured — she didn’t know if he was dead or not — so why would this little Daoist come here to make chive dumplings?

She lingered indecisively in the water, while Qingxuan showed not the slightest urgency. He laid out the chive dumplings one by one, arranging them inside a food box. He Bang’s stomach rumbled. She approached again and again, only to dart away each time. Seeing that there truly was no one around, she finally shot forward, snatched the food box, and ran.

Qingxuan did not give chase. That day, He Bang still wore her water-blue dress — the front hem barely covering a third of her thighs, while the trailing skirt dragged long across the surface of the sea. The near-translucent hem was lifted by the sea breeze, great blooms of ocean flowers upon it competing in splendor, vivid and blazing in their beauty. Her waist was soft and slender, as though it could barely be clasped in one hand, yet her legs were long and shapely.

The sight of those full curves and narrow waist made Zhuang Shaoqin — hidden behind the dark reef — stare wide-eyed. He sucked in a sharp breath: “Truly a rare beauty. No wonder even Senior Brother was enchanted. It seems Senior Brother’s taste is perfectly normal after all.” He smacked his lips, then murmured to himself, “Only the eating habits need some refining — she’ll need to be taught slowly. You two need not make a move — clumsy and careless as you are, don’t go injuring the beauty.” He gave his disciples a casual reminder.

As it turned out, demons and humans shared much in common. The more beautiful a demon’s outward appearance, the less formidable her cultivation tended to be — for the vast majority had no need to toil in bitter practice. Armed only with such a face, countless humans, ghosts, and spirits would willingly offer provisions and patronage, guaranteed to live free of want, untroubled and carefree.

The beauty before him was so enchanting and alluring — that delicate face as though a pinch would draw water — Zhuang Shaoqin simply did not believe she could possess much real power.

He Bang was still sitting on a reef, eating her chive dumplings. Her long skirt spread out in layered folds around her, and as the sea breeze gently stirred it, she looked like a flower crystallized from the emerald sea.

She cultivated internally, making her acutely sensitive to spiritual techniques. Zhuang Shaoqin had laid a fishing net beneath a palm tree at the shore, intending to snare her directly. He Bang came four times. When she reached for the food box on the fifth visit, the net suddenly dropped. He Bang started in fright, rolled aside — but rolled in the wrong direction — and found herself caught within the net.

Zhuang Haotian and Zhuang Haoyu came out to haul in the net. He Bang looked at Zhuang Shaoqin, her voice both sweet and clear: “I recognize you — you’re the Daoist who rescued Rong Chen Zi that day!”

Zhuang Shaoqin felt a pleasant shiver go through his bones. He stood before He Bang, sizing her up from every angle, murmuring under his breath: “A rare enchantress — a peerless enchantress indeed.”

He Bang didn’t understand. She hastily finished the chive dumplings remaining in the food box — both cheeks puffed high, her tongue unable to move for quite some time — yet she still gave a cold snort: “Out of consideration for the fact that you are Rong Chen Zi’s friend, this seat shall spare your life.”

Zhuang Shaoqin wanted to laugh — this He Bang demon was truly interesting. But He Bang simply dusted off her hands, and suddenly, like flowing water, she rapidly dissolved, dissipating in just a few breaths until she had entirely turned to water and seeped out through the fishing net.

Watching the stream of water about to seep into the sand below, Zhuang Shaoqin formed a hand seal with one hand, and catching it off guard, used his demon-capturing vial to collect the wet sand within it. He then quickly produced a box of pale green powder, lightly flicked a pinch from his fingertip, and blew it into the vial.

Qingxuan watched curiously: “Martial Uncle, what is this substance?”

Zhuang Shaoqin gently shook the demon-capturing vial, his voice unhurried: “Powder ground from Song-Treading Stone. Song-Treading Stone has the effect of confounding demons — its powder can put demons into a dream state from which they will not wake for a short while.”

Just as he finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed. He abruptly hurled the demon-capturing vial in his hand far away. The small vial had not yet hit the ground when it suddenly shattered, fragments scattering in all directions. He Bang slowly condensed back into her original form. Zhuang Shaoqin’s gaze turned sharp: “Her spiritual consciousness is very strong.”

Qingxuan was not especially surprised: “She cultivates internally.”

Zhuang Shaoqin swiftly raised his right hand. The sword at his back unsheathed itself, and in the same instant, he shifted his stance and closed in on He Bang. He Bang fixed her gaze on him, her voice like honeyed wine — soft and lingering: “Daozhang.”

Zhuang Shaoqin’s mind was struck by a mighty tremor. Just as he was about to draw in his spiritual consciousness, He Bang gave a faint smile — like the passing of winter into spring, a thousand trees in full bloom with pear blossoms. Before Zhuang Shaoqin’s eyes, only a vast and formless expanse of white remained. The veins at his temple throbbed and jumped, his Baihui acupoint suddenly swelled with pain, as though his very soul was about to burst outward and escape.

He Bang stepped slowly toward him. Behind her, the emerald sea was like poetry, the vermillion sun like a painting. With each step, lotus flowers seemed to bloom beneath her feet, her grace and bearing utterly captivating. Zhuang Shaoqin stood transfixed in place, as though all the light and spirit had been drawn from his eyes. The sword in his hand fell to the ground with a resounding clang.

He Bang hesitated no longer. She turned and plunged into the emerald sea, vanishing in an instant amid the boundless rolling waves.

The three younger disciples stood dumbfounded. After a long while, Zhuang Haotian rushed to Zhuang Shaoqin’s side, his face still bearing a look of lingering shock: “What terrifying sorcery — Master, what manner of technique was that?”

Zhuang Shaoqin was drenched in cold sweat, his heart so astonished it defied all words. Without question, he had truly underestimated this demon spirit. Even after his brush with death, his heart still itched with fascination: “Soul-Seizing Art. Interesting… Ha! Interesting. I simply won’t be satisfied until I’ve gotten hold of her and tried it myself.”

He Bang fled back to the Sea Emperor’s Palace. Chunyu Lin had already returned — having completed his patrol of the sea territory, he had prepared a few simple dishes and was sending them over to He Bang. He Bang had eaten only half her fill earlier, and now at the sight of him, her eyes lit up like gems: “Chunyu Lin.”

She flung herself toward him. Chunyu Lin had not yet let go of his lingering anger, and at once sidestepped her, set the dishes on the crystal table, and turned to leave. He Bang hesitated and called out to him: “Chunyu Lin…”

Chunyu Lin’s manner was cold and indifferent: “What is the matter, Your Majesty?”

He Bang had lunged and missed, her expression meek and timid: “I… can I have an extra plate of skewered shrimp today?”

Chunyu Lin made no reply and walked away. By the time He Bang had eaten halfway through her meal, a guard brought in a portion of skewered shrimp. He Bang ate alone, and suddenly found herself rather missing the dining hall at Qingxu Temple — there had been so many little Daoist disciples there, so lively and full of cheer.

On the fourth day after his injury, Rong Chen Zi still could not get out of bed, though his condition had been brought under control. Throughout these days he spoke very little, and Ye Tian and Zhuang Shaoqin — mindful of his injuries — had not pressed him with many questions. Even the morning and evening devotional recitations at Qingxu Temple were now being handled by Zhuang Shaoqin.

It was on this particular day that, after Rong Chen Zi woke, he summoned both Zhuang Shaoqin and Ye Tian to the side of his bed: “Shaoqin, the case of the rabid dog attacks at Liji Village hasn’t been resolved yet. Since you are already here, go take a look. Also, search the local gazetteers of Liji Village and Lingxia Town — look into the origins of Changgang Mountain between the two places. I suspect something was once sealed beneath Changgang Mountain. If I am not mistaken, the killings at Liji Village may be connected to whatever lies within.”

He had said so much in one breath and began to cough again. Ye Tian feared he might tear open his wound, and could only keep patting his back to ease his breathing: “Senior Brother, you’re wounded like this and you’re still thinking of nothing but others! Can’t you pay a little more attention to yourself?!”

Zhuang Shaoqin handed over a bowl of ginseng tea. There’s an old saying that the eldest brother is like a father — Zhuang Shaoqin still heeded Rong Chen Zi’s words: “I’ll go see to it within the next couple of days. Senior Brother, rest easy.”

Rong Chen Zi drank half the bowl of ginseng tea and finally caught his breath: “Xiao Ye, go to Grand Secretary Liu’s residence again. Last time that demon actually impersonated me to enter Qingxu Temple — there’s no telling it won’t impersonate someone else. Keep a close watch on the Liu household. My only concern is that the case of the missing infant at the Liu family might be connected to her. I hope she has nothing to do with the Three-Eyed Snake.”

Ye Tian sighed: “I’ll go — I’m going right now, alright? You focus on healing, and stop worrying about these things.”

Rong Chen Zi’s complexion was pale. He Bang’s ice arrow had injured his lungs, and Zhuang Shaoqin had cut open the wound to extract the powdered pearl — the wound on the front of his chest was too extensive to recover quickly: “Mm. Both of you go do what needs doing. Don’t hover over me — I’m not going to die.”

Both Zhuang Shaoqin and Ye Tian knew his temperament. Ye Tian promptly covered his mouth and helped him lie back down: “We’ll be on our way right now. Don’t speak anymore — rest and recover in peace.”

Rong Chen Zi nodded and closed his eyes. Ye Tian and Zhuang Shaoqin stepped outside. Zhuang Shaoqin had nearly reached the door when he suddenly turned back: “Senior Brother — in truth, that He Bang demon has long been cultivating the Soul-Seizing Art, and her cultivation runs unfathomably deep. That you were briefly thrown off earlier was surely only because you were momentarily unprepared and caught by her technique. Do not take it to heart.”

Ye Tian tugged at his sleeve, gesturing for him to say no more. He gave a slight nod and strode away in long steps. The door closed, and an immediate quiet settled within the room.

For the first time, Rong Chen Zi felt that this room was somewhat empty. On the low cabinet beside the bed lay the rain-flower pebbles He Bang had gathered from a mountain spring; the little paper donkey Rong Chen Zi had folded had been too adorable for her to bear eating, and now that its spiritual energy was spent, the thin paper talisman still lay flat and neatly on the low cabinet. On the table were the snacks she loved to eat, a cup of water, and beside them the dress purchased in the town below. In the corner were the flower hair ornaments she had braided from flower vines, a loofah for scrubbing and washing her shell, and a wooden basin.

So… it had merely been her technique acting on him…

Rong Chen Zi reached out and took hold of the small stone with its delicate patterns. After a long while, he called Qingxuan in: “Clear out all the unnecessary items from your Master’s room.”

Qingxuan started slightly, then immediately nodded: “Your disciple obeys.”

He gathered together that person’s clothes, snacks, and all the little trinkets collected from who-knew-where, loaded them into a bamboo basket, and carried them out.

What remained in Rong Chen Zi’s bedchamber were only a few volumes of scriptures and several spiritual tools he frequently used. He silently recited the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness, and was unwilling to think of anything else.