Not long after Ye Tian had stormed back to her room in anger, she regretted losing her temper at Rong Chen Zi. Since childhood she had held this elder brother in the utmost respect and had never spoken to him so harshly before. After thinking it over for a while, she rose, dressed herself neatly, and went to find Rong Chen Zi to offer an apology.

Rong Chen Zi was not in his room. She frowned slightly — naturally, her thoughts went to one other place. The moment she reached the doorway of He Bang’s room, her face immediately drained of color. The people inside had deliberately kept their voices low, but it was still not enough to escape her hearing.

He Bang’s soft, pampered voice, half-sullen and half-petulant: “Old Daoist, stop pressing against me there — it’s terribly uncomfortable!”

Rong Chen Zi’s voice was rough and low, yet carried with it a kind of masculine allure that made hearts flutter: “Don’t move about — it’ll be over soon. Mm… it’ll be over very soon…”

He Bang squirmed and would not comply: “Zhiguan, give me a piece of meat.”

Rong Chen Zi would not give any — whenever this creature had something to eat, she paid no attention to anything else: “Focus, will you.”

Ye Tian’s lips bit down until they nearly bled. The elder brother of Qingxu Temple, once so upright in conduct and correct in manner — how had he now come to…? What demonic arts had this demoness used to bewitch him so thoroughly?

She held back the tears rising in her eyes. In the room, Rong Chen Zi had already retreated from the field — he pulled himself back and released outside her, leaving no trace within He Bang. He Bang, having neither tasted the satisfaction of the matter nor managed to coax any food out of it, was extremely dissatisfied.

Rong Chen Zi sat down at the edge of her sleeping platform: “Sleep now. I’ll stay until you fall asleep before I go.”

He Bang wanted to press Rong Chen Zi into staying to sleep beside her — if she couldn’t have the full feast, at least some scraps would do: “Hmph — who wants you to stay? Go if you want to go!”

Rong Chen Zi then straightened his hair and robes and put himself fully in order: “Then I’ll head back to my room first — you be good and sleep, and don’t go wandering off.”

He tucked her blanket around her carefully, considerately lit a wall lamp, and then walked out of the room. He Bang was utterly infuriated — this obtuse old Daoist truly had no idea how to read a moment!!

Ye Tian stood in the courtyard. That night, a half-crescent moon hung hazily at the edge of the sky. Qiuyun Courtyard had been planted with countless flowers and trees — chrysanthemums and four-season begonias competing in their splendor.

Rong Chen Zi pushed open the door and immediately saw her — wearing a sky-blue Daoist robe, her hair pinned up high. Though it was the dead of night, she was impeccably dressed and composed, not a single hair out of place.

Rong Chen Zi’s face reddened slightly. He spoke gently: “Little Ye? Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

All of Ye Tian’s pent-up grievances burst forth at once — she longed to throw herself into Rong Chen Zi’s arms. But she was a cultivator, constrained by half a lifetime of propriety; what He Bang did so easily was quite beyond her. She could only stand where she was, her gaze full of sorrow: “Elder Brother.”

Rong Chen Zi naturally noticed her state, and thinking she may have heard something through the room just now, felt a flush of shame rise in his own heart: “Little Ye, I’m sorry — Elder Brother did not know you were outside.”

His voice was warm as always, not a trace of his smile changed from what it had been — and yet Ye Tian nearly broke into tears. She stopped herself three paces from him, then suddenly said: “I’m going back to sleep. Elder Brother, you should rest early too.”

She turned and walked back to her room, her figure tall but forlorn. Rong Chen Zi had it in him to call out to her, but after a moment’s thought, he ultimately could only sigh.

He turned back to his room, sat cross-legged, and recited a passage of the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness — yet his thoughts felt only more tangled. He gave a slight, wry twist of his lips. For so many years he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Dao. Little had he imagined that now he was like some young person tasting love for the first time, his mind full of nothing but those warm and dazzling memories.

He had set out on this trip with the simple intention of taking her for a walk. And yet he had barely even settled in before one improper thought after another refused to leave him. He turned Ye Tian’s words over in his mind once more, and felt a twinge of reproach toward himself. Rong Chen Zi, he thought darkly, she doesn’t know any better — but surely you have not gone muddled in the head as well?

With that, he set about again to clear and calm his heart, to put aside all distractions, and to sit in focused meditation.

The following morning, the attendant brought breakfast. There was good reason for Rong Chen Zi to have chosen Qiuyun Courtyard to lodge in — the pastries here were exceptionally fine, and you wouldn’t find better for ten miles around.

Bearing He Bang’s appetite in mind, he had asked the attendant to send up more than twenty varieties, and at this moment He Bang was standing before the loaded table, eyes gleaming with desire. Rong Chen Zi finished washing up, wrung out a cloth and wiped her face and hands for her, then asked gently: “Why aren’t you eating?”

The creature was in great distress: “Oh! I’m trying to decide which one to eat first!”

Rong Chen Zi laughed. A moment later, he washed his hands, drew a talisman to dispel malevolent energy, mixed it with sugar, and fed it to her. Once He Bang had finished drinking from his hand, he then picked up a piece of fruit-jam gold cake to feed to her. Qiuyun Courtyard’s fruit-jam gold cake was slightly different from elsewhere — the jams alone came in cherry, strawberry, mulberry, passion fruit, and other varieties. She took a bite and found her mouth full of clean fragrance, sweet but not cloying. She immediately defected — she grabbed the entire plate and ate the fruit-jam gold cake ravenously.

Rong Chen Zi had planned to take her out for a walk, but there was absolutely no coaxing her outside this time. He gave a mild sigh: “Then you stay here and eat. I’ll go out with Little Ye and pick out some garments with a softer fabric for you.”

He Bang ate until her chin was smeared with jam and pastry crumbs, looking like a small painted cat. She had no attention to spare for answering; she just nodded repeatedly. Rong Chen Zi then rose, arranged for Qingsu to stay home and keep watch over her, and went out with Ye Tian and Qing Ling to the silk shop.

Ye Tian had not browsed a street market in a very long time; now that she was out with Rong Chen Zi and without that river clam in tow, her mood was as light as a bird in flight.

Lingxia Town was still full of people, very lively. Someone on the roadside was selling sugar figures — the craftsmanship was excellent, the sugar syrup in vivid red, white, yellow, and pink. Rong Chen Zi’s gaze paused unexpectedly on these little trinkets, and somehow his attention drifted — if that river clam were to see these, she’d certainly be delighted.

Ye Tian spent money on a yellow sugar ox, its horns proudly upturned, its tail and four legs clearly defined. She held up the sugar ox and laughed with all her heart: “Elder Brother! Look — doesn’t this look just like you?”

Rong Chen Zi’s birth year was the Year of the Ox. He gave a small smile, and Ye Tian immediately took a big bite and chomped off the ox’s tail. The eating habits had clearly been picked up from that river clam, but she had always been a composed and dignified young woman, and this kind of forced playful casualness felt somewhat strained. Rong Chen Zi gave a dry cough and said nothing.

When they finally reached the silk shop, the proprietor — though unaccustomed to religious patrons — still treated Ye Tian as the main guest. Ye Tian was also seeing so many beautiful silks and fine garments for the first time; she had spent years wearing only Daoist robes, and now she could not help but be somewhat dazzled. Glancing once more at Rong Chen Zi, she made up her mind and immediately selected a set of white inner-tube-style long skirts.

The proprietor was round and plump, and also a very capable businessman. He immediately flattered her: “What excellent taste, young lady!” — and to promote the sale, he dropped the pretense of treating her as a female Daoist entirely. “This is our most recently arrived mulberry silk — feel the texture, absolutely smooth and fine the moment your hand touches it…”

Before he had even finished his compliments, Ye Tian had already indicated to Rong Chen Zi that she liked this set. Rong Chen Zi naturally had not a word of objection; moreover, he was a person wholly unversed in the matter of shopping for clothing. He nodded and purchased two sets, then also selected an extremely soft silk shoe sized to fit He Bang’s small foot. It did not occur to him in the slightest that there might be anything amiss about two women wearing the same outfit.

Ye Tian dragged him around a few more rounds, buying rouge and face powder she had never used before, as well as showy gold, silver, and jade ornaments. Rong Chen Zi, as the Zhiguan of Qingxu Temple, was not short of money — but in his full Daoist attire, visiting this sort of establishment was nonetheless somewhat awkward.

Only because he did not wish to dampen her spirits did he refrain from refusing.

The two of them browsed until evening, at which point Ye Tian was at last fully satisfied and returned to Qiuyun Courtyard. He Bang was still eating pastries; the attendant had delivered three rounds of food, and thankfully Qingsu was quick-witted enough not to let him into the room, sparing the attendant from being frightened out of his wits by this glutton.

Rong Chen Zi had been out for an entire day; though his energy was ample, he was somewhat weary of the bustle. Returning to see this river clam, something in his heart quietly warmed — actually, finding a glutton isn’t so bad at all. Give her enough pastries, and she’d stay planted happily in one spot all day long, without a trace of mischief or trouble.

He handed the skirts and shoes over to He Bang with an instruction: “Wear this set tomorrow. If your feet still hurt, tell me immediately.”

He Bang had no interest in new clothes. She swallowed the pastry in her hand, casually tossed the garments onto the sleeping platform: “It seems that Grand Secretary Liu has returned — that afternoon his people came by asking whether you were lodging here.”

Rong Chen Zi nodded, giving it no particular importance. He tilted the teapot and poured her a cup of water: “I’m going back to my room to bathe. You be good and eat — if it’s not enough, just tell Qingsu to call for more.”

He Bang loved the sound of that, and this ever-pragmatic creature waved her golden thread date cake enthusiastically, nodding again and again: “Oh! Zhiguan, I love you most in all the world!!”

Rong Chen Zi laughed until he was as clear as a stream in flood, and turned back to his own room.

That evening, Ye Tian came to invite Rong Chen Zi out to view the river lanterns. She came out changed into new clothes, wearing the white layered-chest pleated skirt she had bought that afternoon, her hair done up in a Chaoyu Near-Fragrance style, with two loose strands flowing down like water from her temples. If one were to judge only by hairstyle and dress, it was truly the appearance of a refined lady.

Except that she had been practicing the Dao and martial arts since childhood, and was hardly the sort of person accustomed to wearing such garments — all along the way she had no idea how many times the hem had tripped her up.

Rong Chen Zi’s mouth twitched: “Little Ye, you…” The words barely began before he felt that a love of beauty was universal, and besides, this little junior sister had grown up. So he changed tack: “Dressed up like this, you are quite the lovely young lady.”

Ye Tian broke into a sweet smile. She reached out and almost took his arm — ultimately she could not bring herself to: “Elder Brother, let’s go.”

Rong Chen Zi was waiting for He Bang. He Bang had initially been unwilling to go out; Rong Chen Zi painted a vivid picture of all the delicacies at the river lantern fair, and only then did her heart start to wander. He Bang had also put on the pleated skirt, but she disliked the outer garment and wore only the inner top. She casually folded the white gauze into a narrow shawl and draped it over her arm.

Going out, she saw a wild vine blooming beautifully on a pillar of Qiuyun Courtyard. She snapped off a tender stem on impulse and wove it into a bracelet of green leaves and white flower buds, fastening it around her right wrist.

She was an inner cultivator whose five elements aligned with water, and nurturing plants and flowers was second nature to her. The moment the vine touched her body, the flower buds burst into full bloom — once open, the blossoms were as large as a baby’s fist, with double petals and golden stamens, their hidden fragrance faint and lingering, enchanting and lovely.

“Zhiguan!” She came bounding happily out the door and pressed herself straight against Rong Chen Zi. Rong Chen Zi caught the floating floral fragrance from her wrist, and even his stern tone softened with two parts indulgence as he quietly admonished: “In front of others, you may not cling to me — you must keep at least a step’s distance.”

“Go to hell!!” He Bang’s willow-leaf brows flew upward. Rong Chen Zi flicked a finger against her head: “No cursing!”

He Bang gave a cold snort and walked ahead, this time keeping — genuinely keeping — a full step’s distance from him.

Qingsu and Qing Ling followed behind Rong Chen Zi. Ye Tian walked shoulder to shoulder with Rong Chen Zi, exchanging quiet conversation from time to time. A moment later, when Rong Chen Zi looked up again, the river clam who had just been up ahead — cheerfully and enthusiastically watching a dog leap through a ring of fire — had vanished without a trace.