When he finished scrubbing He Bang’s shell, Qingxuan took the wooden basin away. Rong Chen Zi dried her and carried her to the bed. He Bang shifted back into her human form, and was not shy at all: “Zhiguan, would you nourish me once more with your vital essence?” Rong Chen Zi’s face flushed red. He Bang clung to him like an octopus: “We’ll definitely have to go deal with the three-eyed snake in a few days — the sooner I recover, the sooner I can go with you.”

Rong Chen Zi understood the reasoning well enough, but he had not yet sorted out in his own mind whether or not he should simply settle into this arrangement with her — so how could he…. He Bang carefully climbed up onto his chest, eyes bright and gleaming as she looked up at him: “Zhiguan, I promise I’ll be obedient from now on. Tell me to strike east and I’ll never strike west; tell me to go after a dog and I’ll never go after a chicken. Will you please keep taking care of me?”

Rong Chen Zi lowered his eyelids and said nothing. He Bang was easy-going by nature: “Then I’ll take that as a yes?”

The last time Rong Chen Zi had grabbed her by the throat, the memory still left her with a lingering unease. For now she simply lay sprawled across his chest and looked at him quietly. Rong Chen Zi’s mind was in turmoil — he did not know whether he should follow his heart, or push her away. On top of everything, with the serpents still undefeated, there would certainly be further need of an inner cultivator. He was irresolute. He Bang licked a slow path along his throat. Her small and delicate hands softly worked at the fastenings of his robe, and she trailed her tongue in a path downward along his firm chest. Rong Chen Zi’s muscles tensed and flinched. He caught He Bang up in his hands and said, his voice gone hoarse: “Not tonight.”

He Bang squirmed. He, still afraid of hurting her, did not dare use force. He Bang wriggled free of his restraining hold and clambered back beside him: “Why not? I feel quite well already.”

She was not considerate in the slightest. Rong Chen Zi was, after all, a mature man, and having had a taste of this once before, after so long an absence — even if he focused his mind and steadied his breath, how could he guarantee that desire would remain unmoved, that his vital essence would stay pure?

“Zhiguan!” He Bang clutched his arm and squirmed against it. Even through the fabric he could feel her soft and smooth warmth. Rong Chen Zi’s breathing grew unsteady: “Be good — tomorrow I’ll…”

“Absolutely not!” He Bang drew his hand and made him touch her small foot. “When it comes to dealing with the three-eyed snake, of course one day sooner is better!”

Rong Chen Zi’s breathing gradually quickened. He knew full well this was not right, yet in the end he sank into it like a man swallowed by a bog, unable to help himself. He covered her with his body, careful not to crush her, bracing his weight on his elbows. His voice came out rough: “If you feel any discomfort, tell me at once.”

He Bang cried out with joy, and kept nuzzling and licking at his neck. Rong Chen Zi’s whole body was taut, beads of perspiration gathering at his brow. His calloused palms traveled slowly upward along her bare legs. At first, He Bang was somewhat uncomfortable — her body was too tender. She shifted and squirmed to avoid it: “Zhiguan, please be gentler.”

Rong Chen Zi’s jaw clenched tight. After several careful attempts he finally found his way. Their bodies fitted closely together. He forcibly gathered his mind. After a few further moments he abruptly withdrew, rolled off the bed, and He Bang, thinking he was angry again, sat up quickly: “Zhiguan?”

Her body in its current state simply could not withstand vigorous exertion. Rong Chen Zi, breathing heavily, soothed her: “It’s nothing. I’ll be right back.”

He Bang waited through two quarters of an hour before he finally returned, carrying a chill on his body. He Bang touched him and immediately cried out: “Zhiguan, you’re freezing!” Rong Chen Zi gave a low sound of acknowledgment, told He Bang not to move, and turned back to her once more. That firm body was cold as if it might turn to ice. He Bang stroked him inch by inch: “Did you take a cold bath?”

Rong Chen Zi’s mind was now fully clear, his self-control considerably stronger, and not so much as his tone shifted: “It’s nothing.”

The cold hardness pressed into her body. He Bang, for once, was obediently still: “Zhiguan.” She put her arms around his neck, their skin pressed together. Rong Chen Zi pulled her hands away: “Don’t — you’ll catch cold.”

He Bang drew the stored water from within her body to warm him, that water carrying her own warmth. Rong Chen Zi felt a gentle, all-encompassing warmth spread through him, like basking in spring sunlight.

“How do you feel?” His movements were as careful and tender as he could make them. He Bang lay at ease and comfortable: “Very good. Work hard, Zhiguan.”

Rong Chen Zi didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh, and had no choice but to truly put his head down and work.

As the time stretched on with nothing to fill it, Rong Chen Zi turned his mind back to what had been bothering him: “Jiang Haoran… what is he to you?”

He Bang had her legs looped around his waist and answered with perfect composure: “He was my martial cultivator, from before.”

Rong Chen Zi was not a gossip by nature, but faced with this Jiang Haoran who had appeared out of nowhere, the matter remained like a bone caught in his throat: “Then why…”

He Bang reached out to touch his broad chest. He promptly moved her hand away: “Don’t fidget.”

“He took another inner cultivator, so I left.” He Bang stifled a yawn — she clearly had no desire to dwell on the subject. Rong Chen Zi had no choice but to ask no further.

The following day, the snow still had not stopped. Word came from Zhuang Shaoqin’s side that the serpents had made absolutely no movement these past few days, and even the people from Daozong were beginning to wonder — could the cave-in have buried and killed them all? Rong Chen Zi went to join Xingzhi Zhenren, Yuyan Zhenren, and the others to discuss plans. He Bang was feeling a little better, and went out to play in the snow in the courtyard. Rong Chen Zi only told her not to play too wildly, and made no further attempt to stop her.

Her small hands had gone red from the cold, her cheeks flushed rosy, and she was pressing a red chili pepper onto the face of a snowman to serve as its eye when she suddenly went still. A voice sounded behind her — deliberately softened, yet unable to conceal the weight of power beneath it: “So you really are here. Do you know I have been searching for you all these years?”

A ripple of water spread outward from He Bang in a ring. She glared, her round eyes wide: “You have the nerve to come looking for me — what do you want?”

The newcomer drew gradually nearer. On the snow-blanketed ground, with snow knee-deep, his footprints were barely a fraction of an inch deep: “Panpan, how many times must I explain? Stop being so selfish all the time.” He stepped closer. He Bang turned and bolted for the Yuanfu Palace.

Rong Chen Zi was there in the Yuanfu Palace with Xingzhi Zhenren and the others, in the middle of a discussion about how to deal with the serpents. Without warning the doors were kicked open, and He Bang came rushing in, half-covered in snow. She ran to Rong Chen Zi without looking at anyone else and burrowed into his arms. Rong Chen Zi’s brow creased slightly, and he was on the point of pushing her away when he caught sight of Jiang Haoran in his gold robes, following close behind through the palace doors. Without thinking, the arm around He Bang tightened. His voice carried a thin edge of anger: “What has happened?” He Bang said nothing. He, being a person of straightforward character, rose to his feet at once — his full formal bearing, as towering and unyielding as a mountain peak: “Patron Jiang — in broad daylight, within the walls of this temple, you pursue my female guest. What is the meaning of this?”

Jiang Haoran was a lord in his own right, and his face immediately showed the strain. Jiaye Zhenren, slow as he usually was, was now perfectly capable of guessing what Jiang Haoran had truly come for — but he did not know how to smooth this over. The two men were locked in a tense standoff when He Bang looped her arms around Rong Chen Zi’s neck: “Zhiguan, I built a snowman! Come look and see if it’s a good likeness!”

Seeing her as lively as ever, the tension in Rong Chen Zi’s face eased somewhat. Jiaye Zhenren at last pressed his palms together: “Zhiguan, there must surely be some misunderstanding here. Better not to let it harm the peace between you.”

Jiang Haoran also gave a dry cough: “I meant no offense… Zhiguan, please do not take it amiss.”

Rong Chen Zi sat down, but he held He Bang firmly within the circle of his arms. He was by nature an upright and traditional gentleman, and the fact that he was willing to display such open affection before others made his warning unmistakable. Jiang Haoran ground his teeth, but in the end said nothing more to He Bang.

Lunch was taken in the dining hall. He Bang sat naturally beside Rong Chen Zi, with Ye Tian on her right. As Rong Chen Zi spoke with Jiaye Zhenren, he dissolved a protective talisman into a bowl of talisman water. Qingxuan immediately brought over some granulated sugar. Rong Chen Zi stirred it into the talisman water and set it in front of He Bang as though nothing were out of the ordinary. He Bang drank it all down, and only then did he pick up his chopsticks and place a few choice morsels into her dish. Jiang Haoran occasionally joined the discussion about the serpents. The most pressing matter at hand was, of course, destroying the serpent eggs below the mountain to prevent another spread.

Jiang Haoran had barely spoken three sentences before he was looking at He Bang again. Rong Chen Zi’s displeasure grew considerably, the sensation resembling the fury of a man whose wife was being looked at inappropriately by someone else. He immediately took He Bang by the arm and rose: “Qingxuan, escort Haihuang back to her room. Have the food sent there.”

Qingxuan acknowledged the instruction. He Bang put her arms around Rong Chen Zi’s neck, her voice soft and bright: “Zhiguan, I want to eat together with you.”

A faint flush crossed Rong Chen Zi’s face, but he still answered her gently: “Go back to the room first. I’ll come join you shortly — all right?”

He Bang was pleased at last, and followed after Qingxuan with a bounce in her step, hopping and skipping in the direction of Rong Chen Zi’s quarters. Rong Chen Zi frowned: “Walk properly!”

At the table, Gao Bixin had long since gone pale with fury as she watched where Jiang Haoran’s gaze was following. With a sharp clatter, she slammed down her chopsticks and walked away. Jiang Haoran offered a word of apology and followed her out of the dining hall. Jiaye Zhenren found himself with a headache. It was Xingzhi Zhenren who spoke, his expression thoughtful: “This Patron Jiang and that Haihuang — they do appear to be old acquaintances.”

Ye Tian let out a cold snort. She took one look at her senior brother’s expression, and the irritation rose in her at once: “I’m stepping out for a moment!”

He Bang was helping herself to refreshments when Ye Tian came storming in, murder in her eyes: “Did that surnamed-Jiang bother you?”

He Bang swallowed a mouthful of pastry with some effort: “What for?”

Ye Tian’s expression was vicious: “Listen carefully. If you’re going to follow my senior brother, it has to be with your whole heart and nothing less. If you dare to be fickle — I will chop you into forty-nine pieces! And if you didn’t provoke him and he still dares to come lurking around my senior brother’s things, I’ll chop him into eighty-one pieces first!”

He Bang took a bite of a peach slice: “That’s a bit gory… not everything has to be solved with violence…” She took another bite of the peach slice and then leaned close to Ye Tian and whispered something.

That afternoon, Gao Bixin was touring the temple’s shrine hall. Ye Tian lit incense beside her: “Looking at you, you seem like someone of great beauty and refinement — how did you end up following that heartless Patron Jiang?” A flash of fury crossed Gao Bixin’s eyes, but Ye Tian’s next sentence made her blood boil with rage: “He only caught a glimpse of my senior brother’s inner vessel today, and do you know what he said? He said that compared to my senior brother’s inner vessel, you look like nothing but a heap of cow dung…”

Gao Bixin was incandescent with fury, but she still had enough presence of mind not to cause an open scene: “You are a person of religious vows — how can you speak such provocative words?!”

Ye Tian shook her head, sighing: “I didn’t want to say anything either, but I simply can’t stomach my senior brother’s inner vessel. My senior brother is guileless and sincere; it’s one thing that he treats her like a treasure and puts her on a pedestal — but now this surnamed-Jiang has a beauty right beside him and doesn’t know how to cherish her. It truly makes one indignant.”

When these words left her mouth, Gao Bixin’s fingers crushed the incense sticks in her grip to pieces: “That surnamed Jiang — you treated me this badly all for the sake of that He Pan woman?!” She did not even finish lighting the incense. She turned and swept out of the shrine hall in a fury.

The great river clam leaped out from behind the altar statue, watching her departing figure with a grin, murmuring to herself: “Jiang Haoran, oh Jiang Haoran — this is what they call turning a man’s own weapon against himself. Take care of yourself.”

Ye Tian couldn’t help but give in to her curiosity: “She seems to absolutely despise you. Whatever did you do to make her loathe you so?”

He Bang stifled a yawn: “Jiang Haoran is formidable — Zhiguan will still need him to deal with the three-eyed snake. So now is not the time to pick a fight with Gao Bixin. But old debts will be settled sooner or later.” As she reached the end of her sentence, a thread of cold menace crept into her voice. Ye Tian turned to look back at her and couldn’t help but give a small shiver.