The young woman’s long hair had at some point been done up into a pair of buns — the customary mark of an unmarried young woman of the present dynasty. Her smooth, bright face, though still slightly pale, had lost the bone-deep ghostly chill that had hung about her when they first saw her.

A wide-sleeved, bright outer robe in deep red with lotus patterns, a lotus-pink silk sash gathered at her chest, and around her neck a burnished golden circlet, from which hung three perfectly round bells. In the moonlight, they shimmered and rotated gently, effortlessly lending the young woman an air of gentle richness and playful charm.

A strange feeling rose in the hearts of Lin Xiao and his men alike. In their hurried glance before, none of them had examined her dress closely — who would have imagined that this young woman appearing inexplicably in the depths of the mountains was dressed in the very latest fashions of Chang’an?

And when had she crossed over? With so many trained and seasoned fighters on this side, not a single one had noticed.

Chang Rong felt deeply affronted. He sprang to his feet. “Who are you? What is your purpose here?!”

His eyes darted to check behind the young woman — wait, she had a shadow. So… most likely not a ghost, then?

The young woman was entirely indifferent to the hostility in Chang Rong’s tone. Her eyes remained fixed on the wine flask in Wei Bo’s hands. She smiled: “What a delightful fragrance! — The wind in this valley cuts like a blade, and I am terribly cold. I wonder whether any of you gentlemen would mind if I came over to beg a sip of wine?”

Her tone was as easy and familiar as if she’d known them all her life.

Lin Xiao observed the young woman in silence. The composed and elegant manner, the beauty that was beyond question, and that expression faintly touched with childlike innocence — this young woman clearly understood very well the art of winning hearts.

If Chang Rong and the others had been any less guarded, they would probably have lowered their defenses toward her with very little effort.

The Daoist sidled quietly over to Lin Xiao and murmured in a low voice: “Young master — by the look of it, this supernatural creature has considerable cultivation and is quite skilled at bewitching people. Do not be taken in by its outward appearance.”

Lin Xiao had a tall, slender, upright build, while the Daoist was somewhat short and stout; standing beside Lin Xiao, the top of his head barely reached Lin Xiao’s chin.

Lin Xiao disliked strangers standing too close to him, and he frowned slightly, unobtrusively putting more distance between them. He was just about to speak when his mind lit up as though a flash of white light had illuminated it — a thought rising through the surface of his consciousness like the tip of a lotus breaking free of the mud.

In that split second of clarity, he made a decision.

“If the young lady (Note 2) does not find our wine too humble,” he smiled, making a gesture of welcome, “please do come and drink a few cups with us.”

Chang Rong and the others gaped in astonishment. How could this be? This young woman was suspicious at every turn — almost certainly not a benign presence. Their master always had a plan in hand and his wits about him — how could he be taken in by a few words from her?!

The Daoist too showed a panicked expression. “Young master!” He watched, his complexion worsening by the moment, as the young woman walked over and sat down by the fire. It was clear that Lin Xiao had made his decision and nothing would easily change it now — the Daoist felt a crushing, helpless sense of defeat and sank to the ground, his face drained of color.

Wei Bo came to himself, and with an expression full of wariness passed the wine flask to the young woman. She accepted it with a cheerful smile and tilted her head back for several generous swallows.

Lin Xiao appeared entirely oblivious to the anxiety and warning signals in Chang Rong and the others’ eyes. He watched the young woman drink with evident interest, and asked in a leisurely tone: “From the sound of your accent, young lady, you appear to be from Chang’an?”

“Mm—” The young woman smiled and nodded in response, her eyes darting around to settle on the tent that Chang Rong and the others had pitched.

“Are you spending the night here?”

“Yes.”

“Including him?” — The young woman suddenly turned her head and extended a jade-white finger, pointing at the Daoist.

The Daoist had been scrutinizing the golden bells on the young woman’s chest with intense concentration, and was caught completely off guard by having a finger suddenly pointed at him. His expression changed violently; he gave a sharp flick of his sleeves and stalked off in great offense.

The young woman’s gaze followed the Daoist until she saw him disappear into one of the tents, then she withdrew her gaze unhurriedly.

She turned her head and found Lin Xiao watching her without blinking. Looking a little embarrassed, she smiled and said: “The nights in these deep mountains are both cold and long, and I have long heard that this mountain has some peculiar qualities. Being here alone, I am genuinely frightened. Does the gentleman happen to have a spare tent to lend? Might you allow this humble girl to take shelter nearby for the night?”

Hah! — who was it that was just sitting alone in the deep mountains earlier? Was she afraid? Who did she think she was fooling?! And using that foxy, beguiling manner to enchant their young master on top of it! Have you no shame! Mother always said that foxes and vixens were best at bewitching men — with the way she looks, all coquettish and seductive, she must be a mountain demon in human form. Yes! Most likely a fox spirit!

Chang Rong watched from beside them, growing more furious with every moment, nearly at the point of jumping up to run her through with his sword.

Lin Xiao, however, appeared to find the young woman’s soft and coquettish manner quite agreeable. He raised an eyebrow and smiled: “What difficulty is there in that? Chang Rong — set up another tent for this young lady—” He turned his head, found Chang Rong glaring daggers at the young woman, and shot him a warning look. “Set it up right beside mine.”

Half a short hour later, Chang Rong lifted the tent flap with an irritable flourish and stepped inside, saying to Lin Xiao: “My lord, why did you let that demon woman use our tent? Is this not leading the wolf into the house?”

Lin Xiao inwardly sighed, having no interest in arguing with Chang Rong, and without a word he lay down and went straight to sleep.

Chang Rong had a stomach full of words that were promptly smothered back before they could emerge. He stared at Lin Xiao with a puffed-up, sulking expression. From the look of it, his young master had no intention of explaining anything to him.

Come to think of it — ever since the Wang consort had passed away the year before last and the prince had taken a new wife from the Cui Family, his young master’s temperament had grown increasingly strange.

And no wonder. The new Wang consort was only two years older than the young master, and ever since she had entered the household, she had stirred up no end of trouble. Early last year, the new Wang consort had become pregnant, and from then on had come to regard the young master as a thorn in her eye and a splinter in her flesh — flattering the prince to his face while ceaselessly making things difficult for the young master behind his back.

Thinking of that beautiful, viperish, vicious woman, Chang Rong ground his teeth with hatred. Beautiful women were generally not good people — just like that demon woman tonight, skin like snow and jade, yet probably the very “painted skin” monster from the old tales! — Wait, had the young master behaved so strangely today because he had genuinely taken a fancy to her?

He raised his head and studied Lin Xiao’s exquisitely handsome face in the candlelight. His young master was the same age as himself, not yet seventeen — old enough, when one thought about it, to understand the matters of men and women. If he truly fancied a woman, there was nothing to stop him from bringing her home as a concubine — who would dare say a word?

No, no, no! What a supremely noble standing their master held — he had never even given a second glance to the well-born ladies of Chang’an who had thrown themselves at him. How could he possibly be attracted to a young woman of such uncertain origins?

Chang Rong’s thoughts rambled on in no particular order. He forced himself to stay alert for a while, keeping a watchful ear on the sounds outside the tent — but without warning, drowsiness came surging in like a great, towering wave, and in the blink of an eye swept him down into a fathomless and dreamless sleep.

“Ah—!” A piercing shriek, sharp as a drawn blade, split Chang Rong’s long, murky slumber clean in two.

Chang Rong was disoriented at first, then snapped awake with a violent start. He shot upright, his first thought being to protect Lin Xiao — but when he looked to one side, Lin Xiao’s bedding was empty!

He broke out in a cold sweat. “My lord!” He bolted out of the tent headlong — only to stop short in astonishment, finding Lin Xiao standing perfectly well in front of the tent, sword in hand, with Wei Bo and the others gathered around him. Every face was grave and intent, as though straining to listen for something.

Chang Rong was flooded with shame. Even Wei Bo and the others had been more alert than him — they had made it to their master’s side at the first sign of danger, while he had slept through it all. If the young master had truly been in peril, what right would he have had to go on living?

He ran to Lin Xiao’s side, burning with shame, and had barely opened his mouth when the Daoist materialized out of nowhere, fumbling to tie his clothes and speaking in a panicked rush: “It is that Guard Tan! And one of the other gentlemen — this humble Daoist cannot recall his name — the sounds came from their tent, this humble Daoist heard it clearly and is quite certain!”

At that moment, two more guards came running in from the other direction and called out: “My lord — Tan Qi and Wang Xingzhi are gone! And the young lady is no longer in her tent either!”

It was her after all! That demon woman! Chang Rong raced to the young woman’s tent and, sure enough, found it completely empty — she had disappeared without a trace.

Lin Xiao’s expression went cold. He went around Chang Rong, strode into the tent where Tan Qi and Wang Xingzhi had slept, and scanned the interior. He instructed Wei Bo: “Bring the torches!”

The moment several torches were carried inside, the dim interior was lit up like broad daylight. Lin Xiao swept a rapid gaze around the tent, and suddenly, as if he had spotted something, gathered his robe and crouched to the ground to examine it closely.

Chang Rong had entered by now as well. He leaned in for a look, and his expression sharpened. “Blood!”

The trail of blood wound from inside the tent all the way to the entrance, and vanished at the tent flap.

Despite all their caution, the demon creature had still gotten to them in the end! Lin Xiao forced down the surge of fury, rose to his feet, and said something low and quick into Chang Rong’s ear. Before Chang Rong could even register his expression of puzzlement, Lin Xiao was already striding out of the tent with Wei Bo and the others!

The trail of blood, appearing and disappearing by turns, led them across the mountain stream to a cave not far from the opposite bank.

Its entrance was concealed behind several wild azalea shrubs that had long since withered and died. Without the blood trail to guide them, Lin Xiao and his men would never have found it.

The dead brush had been cleaved apart by some external force, leaving an opening taller than a man. From inside the cave came a wave of putrid, fetid stench.

Wei Bo and the others’ hearts hammered. By the look of things, the creature was almost certainly still inside, and clearly of no ordinary malevolence. If they charged in recklessly, the rest of them could manage — but if the young master came to any harm…

In his desperation, Wei Bo moved to stop Lin Xiao: “My lord, please wait — allow your subordinates to go in and reconnoiter first—”

But Lin Xiao simply raised a hand and cut him off, took his sword in hand, and led the way into the cave.