Rong Chen Zi led He Bang down to the mountainside and gave Cabinet Elder Liu a brief account of the situation on the peak. He did not mention the winged creature — he only said the yin energy on the mountain was extremely heavy and that using it as a burial site would be greatly inauspicious.

Cabinet Elder Liu was somewhat disappointed, but it was not really this matter he had his heart set on, so no other expression crossed his face. Rong Chen Zi urged everyone to set off and get clear of this place without delay.

What exactly was sealed in this mountain remained unknown, but seals were generally only employed against deities or demons who were too powerful to destroy outright — whatever this creature was, its strength was surely no trifling thing. If it truly came to a fight, Rong Chen Zi, Ye Tian, and even the great He Bang each had the capacity to hold their own in battle — but Cabinet Elder Liu and the others were after all no cultivators, and would very likely be difficult to keep safe.

Moreover, He Bang had just performed the frost-sealing technique, and the mountain temperature had plummeted. There was also no staying higher up the slope.

The whole party made their way down. Young Miss Liu was a sheltered, delicate creature of the inner chambers. The journey alone had already left her worn to the bone, and the night’s rest on the mountainside had been fitful at best. Now, barely having shut her eyes for a moment, she was being made to travel again — she could not bear it in the slightest.

Nor was a sedan chair of any use on such a mountain. Cabinet Elder Liu had no choice but to order a sturdy older maidservant to carry her on her back. Rong Chen Zi and He Bang walked in front, Ye Tian and Qingsu and Qing Ling brought up the rear.

As they passed through a narrow crevice in the path, a gleam flashed in Cabinet Elder Liu’s eyes. He came to a sudden stop and deliberately stuck out his foot to trip the maid carrying Young Miss Liu from behind.

The mountain path was already treacherous, and with the frost now coating everything in ice, and with a person on her back besides — the maidservant’s foot slipped and she pitched forward. Cabinet Elder Liu reached out as if to catch her, then contrived to stumble himself, and in the process sent Liu Qinfang tumbling straight into the crevice.

The crevice dropped god knew how far below. Liu Qinfang screamed — still a childlike voice.

Rong Chen Zi had already spun around at the first sound. There was no time to think. He leapt into the crevice and plunged after the still-falling young miss. Liu Qinfang was only fourteen — still a child. He swept her into his arms with one swift motion. The crack was too narrow for a flying sword to be of use, so he drove his hand-held sword directly into the rock face to slow their fall.

Liu Qinfang’s face was white with terror. She clung to his neck and would not release her grip no matter what. Rong Chen Zi did not begrudge a child this — and in any case, holding on more tightly right now was for the best. If she truly dropped, it would very likely mean her bones crushed to dust.

He gathered his breath and prepared to spring upward. Then without warning, a great force surged from below — as if a thousand hands were dragging them both down into the depths. He frowned slightly, his left hand moving in a swift blur to bind Liu Qinfang to his body with his belt cord. He vaulted up onto the sword embedded in the wall, his right hand forming a seal — and slashed it sharply through the air.

Those on the mountain heard a tremendous sound like the collapse of the heavens. Then Rong Chen Zi came leaping up with Liu Qinfang in his arms. The young miss was completely unharmed. Rong Chen Zi’s right hand was burst at the tiger’s mouth, soaked through with blood. Without pausing to set Liu Qinfang down, he called out urgently: “Get down the mountain. Now.”

The great He Bang had been eyeing his right hand with notably ill-concealed interest. He sighed and pulled her along at a rapid pace. Only once the whole party had finally made it off the mountain did he let out a breath of relief. Ye Tian’s expression was grave: “Senior Brother, what exactly is hidden in that mountain? That it could actually injure even you…”

Rong Chen Zi freed Liu Qinfang from where she was bound to him and looked at the wound on his right hand. After a moment he held it out in front of He Bang — the great creature was overjoyed and latched on to lick it vigorously. His face remained placid: “I couldn’t get a clear look. But its power is formidable. Fortunately, it grew overconfident and didn’t exert its full strength — I was able to wound its primordial spirit with the Mystic Heaven Nine Thunder technique. Otherwise the consequences would have been dire.”

Ye Tian was also taken aback: “To think that such a creature is sealed inside this mountain. Should we not notify Daozong and take the chance to eliminate it entirely, so it cannot harm the people of the world?”

Rong Chen Zi shook his head: “There is no urgency. We should at least look through the local county records first — find out what this creature is, why it was sealed here, and who did the sealing. Better to understand things clearly before we make any decisions.”

The next day, back at Liu Mansion, everyone washed up and refreshed themselves. Then Cabinet Elder Liu sought out Rong Chen Zi, his expression stricken: “Zhiguan, last night my daughter Qinfang attempted to hang herself!”

A slight change came over Rong Chen Zi’s face: “Why?”

Cabinet Elder Liu sighed heavily: “Fortunately a maidservant discovered it in time and brought her back! Zhiguan, this is a bold thing to raise, and I lay my old face down entirely in raising it — but last night in that crevice, though Zhiguan acted with urgency to save her life, my daughter Qinfang is an unmarried maiden. After being held and carried by Zhiguan in such a manner, how is she to find a husband in the future?”

Rong Chen Zi had not expected it to be this matter at all, and a slight flush touched his face: “This is preposterous. The circumstances at the time, Master Liu is not unaware of. It happened without warning — was I to stand by and watch her fall to her death, with nothing left but shattered bones?”

Cabinet Elder Liu found that the hard blade could not penetrate — so he had decided to use the soft one: “What Zhiguan says, this old man naturally understands. This is in no way Zhiguan’s fault. Yet my daughter is a girl of shallow blessings and thin fortune — she is not worthy of a man of Zhiguan’s stature. A woman’s chastity is of paramount importance, and now that hers is compromised, and since Zhiguan cannot… my daughter has only death before her.”

“…” Rong Chen Zi would not take him for a man of blackmail, and could only reason with him: “Cabinet Elder Liu, there were few people present at the time, and most were Liu household loyalists. If they do not speak of it carelessly, how would outsiders ever come to know?”

Cabinet Elder Liu now put on a most righteous expression: “What has happened cannot simply cease to exist just because one does not speak of it.”

“Master Liu, you…” Rong Chen Zi raised a pointing finger at him, then let it drop in resignation. “This humble Daoist is a man of the cloth. How could such a responsibility rest with me?”

Cabinet Elder Liu had long prepared his lines. His manner was at once humble and ingratiating: “Zhiguan is a great Daoist — this old man harbors no thought of making such an elevated connection. However my daughter came to this, it was Zhiguan who rescued her. I only ask that she might attend at Zhiguan’s side. I would not dare to hope for any formal status.” Worried Rong Chen Zi might still find a way to refuse, he added: “Just as the young lady at Zhiguan’s side now — if she is considered a vessel of the Dao, then one more ought not to matter, would Zhiguan not say?”

Rong Chen Zi was torn between laughter and exasperation. The great He Bang already gave him enough of a headache — adding another, and he might as well abandon cultivation entirely and spend his days sorting out domestic disputes!

“Master Liu! To be frank with you…” Rong Chen Zi, pushed to his limits, invoked He Bang as his shield. “The young lady at this humble Daoist’s side… does not have the most accommodating of natures. Should she learn of this matter…”

He ordinarily never mentioned this beautiful river clam at all. That he brought her up now made clear he had well and truly exhausted all other options. But Cabinet Elder Liu refused to relent. His face actually brightened at the words: “That is wonderful! Master Liu’s daughter, you may not know, Zhiguan, is the most accommodating of girls — I guarantee that no matter how difficult the other lady might be, they will get along perfectly!”

Seeing the look of dismay on Rong Chen Zi’s face, Cabinet Elder Liu said with great satisfaction: “Then this shall be taken as Zhiguan’s consent! Saving one life is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda — Zhiguan has now saved my daughter’s life a second time!” Without waiting for Rong Chen Zi to say another word, he turned and walked out. “This old man will go at once and have the dowry prepared — this is a joyous occasion! A great joy indeed!”

He opened the door and stepped out — and came face to face with the great He Bang.

He Bang was wearing a long sea-rose red robe. The robe was loose, which was bad enough — but she had plainly just woken up, and the garment was obviously a sleeping robe with nothing beneath it. This creature was built in the most extravagant possible way: the parts that should curve out absolutely “defied containment,” and the parts that should curve back had the most shapely lines imaginable.

Cabinet Elder Liu had barely managed a single glance before nearly getting a nosebleed. He felt a pang of private regret — had he fathered a daughter like this, he would have been the Emperor’s father-in-law long ago!!

Rong Chen Zi was also nearly struck by a hemorrhage. He seized the great He Bang and yanked her back into the room, beside himself: “How did you come out dressed like this?! I have said time and again, you must not…”

The great He Bang paid no attention to anything he said. She wrapped her arms around his waist in a sweet, clinging sort of way, her voice so soft it seemed it might drip: “Zhiguan, he was over here first thing in the morning chattering on and on — he woke me up!”

That silken hair spilled soft as silk across his shoulder. Rong Chen Zi found himself unintentionally distracted from the subject: “Would you like to go back to sleep then?”

He Bang yawned: “Only if Zhiguan keeps me company.”

Rong Chen Zi peeled her off himself, though his voice had already softened considerably: “No proper posture… if you want to sleep, go sleep. When you wake, we’ll head back to Qingxu Temple. All right?”

He Bang tilted her head and noticed his brow was deeply furrowed. She reached up to smooth it with her fingers: “Zhiguan isn’t going to marry his daughter, is he?” She pressed herself against him in a flattering way, in the wheedling tone of someone trying to be well-behaved: “I don’t like her.”

Rong Chen Zi nodded: “Not marrying her.”

At that, she smiled like a blossoming snow-covered flowering tree: “Zhiguan needn’t worry then! In fact, solving this really isn’t hard at all.” She pushed Rong Chen Zi down into the chair beside them and climbed entirely into his lap. In private, Rong Chen Zi was not too troubled by her shows of affection — he simply stroked her long hair: “What is your idea? No harebrained schemes.”

He Bang withdrew the many other simpler and more direct methods that had occurred to her: “Just find Ye Tian! Have her deal with it — ten Cabinet Elder Lius would be no match for her.”

Rong Chen Zi hesitated: “Such an embarrassing matter — how can I trouble my junior sister?”

He Bang looked smug: “Mm, well then I’ll go and deal with this annoying business! Yawn.”

And with that, she bounced out the door. Rong Chen Zi watched her full and graceful figure retreat, and after a long moment chased after her, his fury fully ignited: “Get back here — go and change your clothes!!”

Meanwhile, He Bang bounced her way back to her own room. Ye Tian had already risen and was seated at her dressing table. Spotting He Bang, she was mildly surprised — this river clam generally could not be roused even by thunder before the sun was high in the sky.

The great He Bang wore an expression of outrage that was entirely convincing: “This is absolutely outrageous! Utterly outrageous!” Over these past two days, though she and Ye Tian had been sharing an outer and inner room, the two were not on good terms and generally did not speak. Now that she had come to speak first, Ye Tian gave it her attention.

“This Cabinet Elder Liu actually schemed against Zhiguan and is trying to force Zhiguan into marrying his daughter!” He Bang was fuming. “What does his daughter have to offer? She doesn’t look as good as me, she has no real abilities like you do — so why should our Zhiguan have to marry her? This is absolutely outrageous!!”

Ye Tian’s expression shifted drastically at once: “What?! That man Liu dares to defraud my senior brother?!”

He Bang snorted: “Indeed! And what’s more, he said Zhiguan only appears righteous and upstanding on the outside, while inside he’s a hypocrite — a sanctimonious villain who hides his true depraved nature!! I am absolutely furious!”

Ye Tian turned and snatched up her sword: “He has a death wish!”

She stormed out of the room with murderous intent. He Bang yawned again, walked back into the inner room, threw herself down on the bed, and went back to sleep.