Jiang Haoran’s hands gradually began to emanate a pale golden radiance, and the fine hairs of his handsome beard suddenly stood up one by one. Rong Chen Zi stepped in the pattern of the Yubu — treading the path of the celestial stars and constellations — centered and serene, as fluid and natural as drifting clouds. Ye Tian held He Bang’s hand, her palm lightly damp with perspiration. She forced her expression to remain calm, but her voice betrayed a thread of unease: “In your estimation, how good are Senior Brother’s chances against this Jiang fellow?”
He Bang gazed at Rong Chen Zi in the middle of the field. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glistening: “If Zhiguan can’t beat him, we’ll ambush him from the side.”
Ye Tian’s mouth twitched. She lectured her with all due righteousness: “Senior Brother is not a man who revels in fighting and brute force. But since he has given his word, the outcome must be decided between those two alone. How could anyone else interfere?” He Bang was unconvinced: “We can’t even help if he’s losing?”
Ye Tian was frantic: “Of course not. Breaking one’s word is what vile and petty people do!”
He Bang was starting to feel anxious herself: “But what if Zhiguan loses…”
The moment Jiang Haoran and Rong Chen Zi made contact, everyone felt an enormous oppressive force. His palm strikes were like blades — wherever they passed, even the fine hairs on one’s skin would be cut. The junior Daoist disciples scattered out of the way. He Bang cast a water-ripple protective barrier, and Ye Tian benefited from it as well, shielded from the force of his palm winds. Rong Chen Zi channeled energy through his four extremities, responding with spiraling silk energy. The golden light from Jiang Haoran’s palms grew more and more intense, driven by the surging of his inner power. His movements grew faster and faster. Wherever the fierce gale swept, it was dense as a spider’s web — no weapon could come near him. The occasional winter leaf caught in the wind was reduced entirely to powder.
Rong Chen Zi appeared only to be on the defensive, yet his lower body was supremely stable. His feet traced the pattern of the Yin-Yang Bagua, neither advancing nor retreating, always holding the very center of the Eight Trigrams. Ye Tian gripped He Bang’s hand tightly: “Is Senior Brother trying to wear him down until his strength is exhausted?”
He Bang yanked her hand free and kept shaking it out: “That probably won’t work. Jiang Haoran has a thousand years of cultivation, and for over a thousand of those years he has been obsessed with the Blazing Yang Technique — his inner power is unfathomably deep. When it comes to endurance, Zhiguan certainly can’t outlast him.” Though the two in the field were fully absorbed in their contest, her voice was naturally audible, and Jiang Haoran glanced over at He Bang and shifted from palm strikes to closed fists: “Since you know this already, why let him die pointlessly on your behalf?”
He Bang leaned against one of the yellow banner poles with a composed and easy elegance: “Jiang Haoran, the Blazing Yang Technique is a secret art of my lineage. Were it not that my senior brother had passed on and left no successor, I would never have taught it to you. But no matter how profound an inner cultivation method may be, it cannot be without weakness.” Jiang Haoran’s expression shifted dramatically at these words. He Bang began to walk slowly around the perimeter of the field: “You saved my life. I have helped you in return more than enough times — we are now even.” Her expression grew increasingly serious. “Zhiguan, strike his Shenting, Shangxing, Baihui, Qiangjian, and Fengfu acupoints — the five points on his skull!”
Jiang Haoran was startled. Judging others by his own standards, he immediately withdrew his fists and moved to protect his head. But Rong Chen Zi was not the sort to strike a man who had lowered his guard. He had no intention whatsoever of launching a surprise attack on those five skull acupoints. The moment Jiang Haoran abruptly pulled back his fists, Rong Chen Zi landed a single punch directly to the side of his waist. It looked as though he had put little force into it, yet once the power entered the body, it struck hard enough to make Jiang Haoran spit out a mouthful of blood. “You…” He pointed at He Bang, shaking from head to toe with fury. He Bang had already let out a whoop of delight and leapt over to take Rong Chen Zi by the arm: “Yes! Yes! Yes! Zhiguan won! He won!”
Jiang Haoran was unsatisfied: “You used a trick — that shouldn’t count!”
Rong Chen Zi’s face had also flushed slightly. He gently rebuked He Bang in a low voice: “Making trouble again.”
He Bang paid that no mind whatsoever. She clung to Rong Chen Zi’s arm: “The three-eyed serpents still haven’t been dealt with yet — why should Zhiguan bother squabbling over this with him?” She pressed herself warmly against his arm. “Zhiguan may not know this, but that male Ming Serpent is an ancient divine beast — to say nothing of its many treasures, it contains within its body a Celestial Fire Spirit Essence. If that Celestial Fire Spirit Essence were to fall into the wrong hands, that would be a truly catastrophic disaster!”
At these words, everyone in the vicinity drew a sharp breath. Legend had it that Spirit Essences were the origin of all things — rare and priceless treasures that could not be sought but only stumbled upon. The holder of a Celestial Water Spirit Essence, once their cultivation reached sufficient depth, could command all the waters of the world. And if one were to obtain a Celestial Fire Spirit Essence… what extraordinary fortune would that bring?
Even Gao Bixin’s eyes brightened at the news — Spirit Essences could enhance or counteract one another. She already possessed a Celestial Wind Spirit Essence, but if she could also obtain the Celestial Fire Spirit Essence, fire fed by wind would grow ever more powerful. Even that ancient great river clam who had cultivated for thousands of years would have no choice but to be trampled beneath her feet in the end.
Since ancient times, when people set out to capture demons and slay monsters, acting purely for the sake of the common people was all well and good, but rather thin in terms of motivation. However, if there were treasures involved… that was an entirely different matter. And even if one couldn’t obtain the Celestial Fire Spirit Essence, picking up a few ancient magical artifacts along the way would be worthwhile enough…
Some who had wavered upon hearing the imperial court’s decree listened to this and gradually turned around again.
This time, the group cooperated with unprecedented coordination, and a force was quickly assembled. They agreed first to properly settle the hundred-odd townspeople sheltering at the temple, then to set out for Changgang Mountain at first light the next morning.
Everyone went to attend to their own preparations. As evening fell, He Bang was unusually attentive, helping Rong Chen Zi change his clothes and prepare his bath. Rong Chen Zi was not accustomed to this and patted her hands: “All right, I can do this myself.” He Bang paid no heed, poured out some bath powder, and began to scrub his back. Her hands were soft and smooth. Rong Chen Zi soaked in the warm water, enjoying her ministrations, and closed his eyes to rest. He Bang did not disturb him either, obediently kneading his shoulders and loosening his joints.
After about half an hour, Rong Chen Zi finally rose and put on his robe, taking He Bang’s hand: “It’s getting late. Sleep. Tomorrow we’ll set out for Li Family Village.”
He Bang nodded. Her cheeks were flushed pink from the steam, like a winter apple just ripe. Rong Chen Zi suddenly felt an impulse to take a bite. He silently reproached himself, thinking of the important matters that awaited the next day — he must conserve his strength — and carried He Bang to the bed: “Sleep.”
Qingxuan and Qingsu carried the bathtub out. Rong Chen Zi extinguished most of the room’s candles, leaving only one still lit. He had once again lit the demon-warding and calamity-repelling incense, and held He Bang in his arms, intending to sleep.
He had just finished his bath and his body temperature was still high. He Bang slipped her small hand inside his inner robe and slowly traced the firm muscles of his chest. Rong Chen Zi lowered his head to kiss her forehead, and was caught entirely off guard when she turned her lips up to meet his. Their lips met; Rong Chen Zi’s breath caught, and he felt her soft, nimble little tongue slowly slip into his mouth. His breathing faltered. That little tongue was soft and warm, venturing where none had gone before. He Bang’s small hand gently unlaced his neatly tied inner robe. He wanted to stop her, yet somewhere in his heart lurked a secret, lingering reluctance.
While he was still hesitating, He Bang had already pressed herself fully against his firm body. That little hand of hers guided his rougher palm, slipping past the soft feather-light layers of her skirt to touch the most tender place beneath. Rong Chen Zi’s heart beat faster and faster, his face flooded with heat like rushing blood. That skin was smooth as silk against his palm. He swallowed, and turned over, intent on pressing straight to the heart of the matter.
He Bang withdrew her little tongue, but remained draped against him. The tips of her long hair brushed across his skin, a tingling sensation laced with an ineffable pleasure. Rong Chen Zi lay there breathing hard in silence. He Bang lifted her leg to gently stroke his waist, her tongue tracing over his chest, his abdomen, gradually moving lower.
Rong Chen Zi felt a warmth below, and every muscle in his body tensed at once. The stimulation grew increasingly intense. He had no choice but to channel his inner energy to steady and calm himself, prolonging the time. When he had endured to the very limit, he lifted He Bang up and stripped away her feathered robe with near forceful resolve. He Bang was also breathing hard. That instrument which had lorded so imperiously between her lips and teeth now pierced into her body, and she exhaled in a soft, orchid-like breath: “Zhiguan…”
Rong Chen Zi felt the softness beneath him — it was like resting upon clouds. He could no longer hold back. He pressed their bodies fiercely together and, clenching his teeth, fought with her for several hundred rounds. He Bang’s cheeks bloomed like rosy clouds. She moaned softly, stretching out her body fully for him to do with as he pleased, her beauty enough to topple cities. Rong Chen Zi could have dissolved into her entirely.
Their lovemaking was long and drawn out. After the light was extinguished, Rong Chen Zi tossed and turned and could not sleep well. The warmth of the skin in his arms made him reluctant for He Bang to put her clothes back on — he wanted to hold her just like this. He Bang remained still without moving, letting him kiss her lightly and caress her gently. Rong Chen Zi lay awake for a long while, unable to fall asleep. He Bang remembered that her shell still had some qi-replenishing and spirit-calming fragrant herbs hidden inside. She immediately sat up, bare, on the bed. Her belongings were never organized, and so she simply upended a huge jumbled pile of things onto the bed. Rong Chen Zi rose and turned the candle flame up brighter: “What are you looking for?”
He Bang went through her fragrance boxes one by one, talking to herself: “Looking for Thousand-Day Sleep — it helps calm the spirit and bring good sleep.”
Rong Chen Zi helped her search. Her shell held a truly astonishing collection of treasures. The entire bedroom was suffused with a shimmering, hidden radiance. Rong Chen Zi let out a soft sigh. After searching for quite some time, he finally found a red box containing a paste-like substance. He sniffed it and passed it to He Bang. He Bang let out a cheer of delight, took the box, and hopped over to the incense burner. She used her fingernail to scrape out just a tiny bit and added it to the burner. She stood before it waiting for the fragrant smoke to curl gently upward. Rong Chen Zi absently sifted through her pile of treasures on the bed. Suddenly a silver-white jade bottle rolled past him. He picked it up and removed the stopper.
Inside were several white pearl-like medicinal pills. Rong Chen Zi gave them a gentle sniff — and his expression immediately changed. White datura: the fabled flower of corruption, capable of drawing out the most hidden desires in a person’s heart and amplifying them beyond all measure. It was colorless, odorless, and one could even say non-toxic — no matter how high one’s cultivation, it was nearly impossible to detect. Yet once it entered the body, at the mild end it would disorder one’s consciousness, and at the severe end it could transform one’s entire nature permanently. It could make the good turn wicked, and make the wicked descend into madness.
He turned one of the pills between his fingers repeatedly, and felt his heart plunge instantly into a boundless, unfathomable abyss. He thought back to the shaman-woman Fuya, and to his first intimate encounter with He Bang. He had always assumed that his loss of emotional control at the time had been caused by white datura added to the shaman sect’s medicinal preparation. But seeing this now, it was apparent that this river clam had been scheming from the very beginning.
Then his mind moved to many other things — including some he had never wished to examine too closely. This river clam had spent more than three hundred years in pursuit of her goal. Had she truly come all this way just to taste his flesh and blood? A selfish, self-serving creature like her — upon hearing that the Ming Serpents were throwing the world into chaos, she had agreed to help. Was it truly nothing more than the agreement she had made with one or two serpents? Behind her approach to him, might there be a larger scheme — or could she have some connection to the two Ming Serpents sealed beneath Changgang Mountain?
He broke into a cold sweat all over. Coming back to himself, he saw He Bang draped around his neck, murmuring softly to him, beautiful as a flower: “Zhiguan, how do you feel?” She touched Rong Chen Zi’s forehead and stared up at him with her large, round eyes. “Zhiguan, you’re sweating so much!”
The soft shark-silk passed over his forehead. Rong Chen Zi struggled to stop his thoughts from going further down that path. He suddenly seized He Bang’s pale, delicate wrist and abruptly realized that his entire body was trembling. “He Pan,” he called to her with effort, stretching out his arms and pulling her tightly into his embrace. He Bang was languid and drowsy as a cat: “Zhiguan, did you have a bad dream?”
Rong Chen Zi closed his eyes, concealing the fear and alarm in his heart: “You must be good. No more deceiving me.” He said it with the air of someone making a final resolution. Then he opened his eyes, and his expression once again settled into its usual tranquility. Since he had decided to be together with her, what had already passed could be forgiven and forgotten. But truly… please, do not deceive me again.
He Bang nestled in his arms, her voice sweet and bright: “I won’t deceive you… I like you.” Rong Chen Zi pressed his chin gently against the top of He Bang’s head. The beautiful woman in his arms was like wine — intoxicating without a single sip.