The next morning, He Bang slept as usual until the sun was high overhead. Rong Chen Zi had been called out early by the townsfolk to attend to a patient, and returned to keep her company for breakfast. She had put on a jade-white skirt and top, but the neckline was cut too low, and Rong Chen Zi tugged her back and draped an additional shawl over her shoulders before allowing her to leave the room.

The streets of Lingxia Town were exceptionally clean, and the roadside trees had put out fresh new green. Rong Chen Zi and He Bang walked side by side, with Qingxuan and Qingsu carrying their packs behind them. The morning light stretched their four shadows long and slanted. He Bang hopped along the gaps between the blue flagstones: “Zhiguan, where are we going?”

Rong Chen Zi’s voice was gentle: “We are nearly there.”

After turning down two small alleys, they came to a farmhouse. He Bang tilted her head and studied it: “This looks familiar.”

Rong Chen Zi knocked at the door. It was answered by Old Yu Zhusheng’s wife — the family was up early, and by this hour they had already finished breakfast. At the sight of Rong Chen Zi’s party, Old Yu was flustered and didn’t know what to do with himself: “Zhiguan, why have you come? Please, please come in and sit down.”

Rong Chen Zi skipped the pleasantries and led He Bang straight to Old Yu’s pigsty. The pigs had eaten early, and by this time every one of them was asleep — only the last pen, where the black sow was kept, had more than half a trough of pig feed left uneaten.

The Yu family had no idea what was the matter with this sow, and had been discussing these past few days whether to sell it to a pig dealer. He Bang stood before the pen and observed for a moment. The pig had starved itself to near-death and was now pitifully thin, its body a patchwork of old wounds and new, barely distinguishable from one another. At this moment it lay still on the damp straw, barely looking like a living creature.

He Bang suddenly remembered why this place felt familiar.

“Liu Qinfang,” she said softly, the gentle and harmless tone of a cat — as though she were merely passing someone she knew on the road and languidly offering a greeting. Yet the pig shuddered violently. From somewhere it summoned the strength to stand, and came rushing toward the sound of her voice. From eyes half-hidden by wrinkled folds, tears rolled down in rivers.

He Bang reached out, wanting to pat the pig, then thought better of it on account of the filth. In the end, she gripped Qingxuan’s hand and used it to stroke the pig’s head: “So you are still here.”

That pig trembled like a leaf in the wind. It did not dare pull away from Qingxuan’s hand, yet it did not dare draw too close to He Bang and displease her again. It could only stand rooted in place, weeping without end.

He Bang lifted her gaze and took in the surroundings, then also let out a quiet sigh: “This place… it is, admittedly, a little on the simple and crude side. A daughter of a wealthy family would find it hard to be comfortable here — I can understand that much, to some extent. But you will just have to adapt a little more. You get used to it after living here a while.”

The pig in the pen could certainly not take such words in stride, but to everyone’s astonishment, it actually knelt before He Bang. The posture of a pig kneeling was rather odd, but no one could find it in themselves to laugh. Two streams of blood-tears flowed from its eyes.

Only then did He Bang drawl in a languid tone: “After Chunyu Lin left, I have not had anyone by my side to look after me, and I find it genuinely quite inconvenient. I have been thinking of finding a maidservant who is a little more obedient and a little sharper — only, with Miss Liu being of such a noble and distinguished station, I fear she may not be suited for the work of attending on others.”

The pig in the pen seemed to have seized its last lifeline. It rushed desperately to He Bang’s side, letting out a low, continuous cry. He Bang tilted her head and listened for a while. In the end, she produced a conch shell from seemingly nowhere, formed a hand seal with her right hand, and from the pig’s body there scattered ten points of light like stars, which slowly sank into the conch. Rong Chen Zi then took He Bang’s hand, and before leaving, offered Old Yu and his family a few words of consolation as well, paying compensation for the eleven piglets.

Back at the guesthouse, He Bang, for once, did not go to sleep. She poured out the last few treasures she had left in her shell. She carved jade into bones and used water as flesh and sinew, and made herself the body of a young girl. Rong Chen Zi watched from the side, somewhere between exasperation and amusement — he had to admit it was rare to see her so meticulous and careful.

He Bang kneaded Liu Qinfang’s soul into this body, but she made her terms clear in advance: “From today onward, our relationship is that of mistress and servant, for a period of five hundred years. Within those five hundred years, you will be called Yugu. I have no obligation to save you for nothing — so if I am dissatisfied with you in the future, you will go back to wherever you came from.”

The Liu Qinfang of this moment bore nothing of the stubborn pride of the Liu family’s young mistress she had once been. She knelt before He Bang, her body shaking uncontrollably, her limbs not yet fully coordinated. In her desperation, she could not even manage to form words.

He Bang had already begun to assign tasks: “Take stock of everything in my personal belongings, and do everything a maidservant should do. You have half a day to adjust to your current body.”

Liu Qinfang tried to stand several times and failed each time. It was Qingxuan who, seeing her pitiable state, offered her a steadying hand. Once she was on her feet, she stumbled her way out. Rong Chen Zi shook his head with a sigh: “She is still just a child, after all. Be a little more patient with her.”

He Bang had been cutting jade for so long she really was tired. She stretched and opened her wide, round eyes: “I am also a child, yet I don’t see you being patient with me!!”

Rong Chen Zi: “…”

As it turned out, Liu Qinfang — now Yugu — did not wait until the next day to begin fulfilling her duties. She spent one full hour adjusting to her body. She did not dare disbelieve He Bang’s words — she was genuinely terrified of returning to that period of terror and despair.

By the afternoon she had sorted He Bang’s clothes, toys, and other belongings into neat categories. He Bang, for all her laziness, valued cleanliness. The day’s clothes had to be properly washed without fail, and in particular, the garments could not bear any decoration that was too stiff or hard. Beyond that, it was important to have a skilled hand in the kitchen, able to make all manner of delicious things — it would be far easier to win her goodwill through food.

Yugu asked Qingxuan and Qingsu carefully and humbly about He Bang’s daily habits and preferences.

Time is the sharpest of carving knives, always silently wearing away the most jagged edges in the world.

In the days that followed came the Lingxia Town blessing ceremony. In celebration of a new beginning, in addition to eminent Daoist masters delivering teachings and explanations of the law, the town mayor also organized a number of folk entertainment events — chest-breaking with boulders, bending steel rods with the throat, swallowing burning coals with an open mouth, and the like. Naturally there was no shortage of fellows hawking their great vitality pills to add to the merriment. The scene was boisterous and lively beyond measure.

That evening, as He Bang sat eating the grilled squid Yugu had made, a group of people dressed in the manner of the Daozong sect entered the guesthouse. This group was impeccably attired to a man, their expressions composed and severe, and among them was an old man whose very beard had gone white — clearly a figure of consequence in the Daozong. Qingxuan went forward to receive them: “Yuyan Zhenren — what brings you here?”

The arrival was none other than Yuyan Zhenren of Zhengyi Dao. He held an esteemed position in the Daozong, and his sudden appearance here surely meant that something significant had occurred. Yuyan Zhenren swept his gaze over He Bang, frowning: “Where is your master?”

Qingxuan swiftly ushered everyone into the main hall and saw them seated, while servants brought tea. He stood deferentially to one side: “In reply to Zhenren — my master has been presiding over the Lingxia Town blessing ceremony these past days, and is at this moment bathing and changing his robes.”

Yuyan Zhenren gave a slight nod. He and Rong Chen Zi’s master, Zixin Daozhang, had been sworn brothers of deep friendship, and so his manner toward Rong Chen Zi had always been that of an elder. His tone now carried an unmistakable note of reproach: “If he is presiding over a ceremony, how can he still bring along a woman of his household?”

Qingxuan broke out in a cold sweat. Privately, he thought — it isn’t as though Master wanted to bring her, but there was no stopping her from coming…

Hearing of Yuyan Zhenren’s arrival, Rong Chen Zi naturally hurried to dress and come out. Yuyan Zhenren, upon seeing him, launched at once into a lecture: “You have always been a steady and composed person — yet your conduct has been growing more and more outrageous of late. Have you no thought for others’ opinions? Have you no consideration for even a shred of dignity for Qingxu Temple and for old friend Zixin?”

Rong Chen Zi naturally understood what he was referring to, and before he could respond, He Bang on the other side of the room grew displeased: “You unreasonable old Daoist! Since when is bringing a woman along on a journey an outrageous act?” She had absolutely no regard for hierarchy or rank, and made her displeasure toward Yuyan Zhenren quite plain on the spot. “You were also born of a woman, yet you look down on women — does becoming a monk mean one can abandon filial piety?”

Yuyan Zhenren had never in his life been spoken to in such a manner, let alone in front of the other Daozong members. His face went iron-grey. But He Bang was only just getting started: “That scripture of yours says ‘Heaven and Earth are not benevolent, to all things they are as straw dogs’ — since we are all straw dogs, what gives you, one straw dog, the right to look down on me, another straw dog?”

Yuyan Zhenren was so enraged his beard and hair bristled. Rong Chen Zi quickly called out in a sharp, low voice: “Enough — say nothing more!”

He Bang sat back down sulkily and returned to her grilled squid. Rong Chen Zi personally poured tea for Yuyan Zhenren: “She is a wild little creature who knows nothing of the world — please do not take offense, Zhenren.”

Yuyan Zhenren could hardly let himself be genuinely furious with a demoness, and took a sip of tea with a cold snort: “In the area a few li north of Changgang Mountain, at a place called the Great Wind Slope, a number of village girls have gone missing recently. I observed the signs in the heavens and I fear some evil creature has been growing stronger, feeding off the sinister energy left behind by the keel-serpent incident. To prevent further chaos in the world, I have brought people here urgently. Since you are already present, come with me. Let us hope it is not the keel-serpent returned to life. The Daozong has been suffering a decline in talented individuals in recent years, and I have no wish to lose more comrades to carelessness.”

Rong Chen Zi naturally had no objection, and immediately had Qingxuan pack up their things and prepare to depart with Yuyan Zhenren.

He Bang bounced her way after him, also intending to go. The people of the Daozong had heard many times of Rong Chen Zi’s sacred vessel, but very few had actually seen her. Now, seeing that she was indeed as exquisitely and delicately beautiful as the rumors said, they could not help but steal a few glances.

Rong Chen Zi shifted slightly to block her from most of the onlookers’ view, and said quietly: “This time, you will not be coming. Stay here and be good. I will be back quickly.”

He Bang heard this and immediately refused: “I want to go, I want to go, I want to go!!”

Those behind them had never witnessed anything like this, and could barely keep themselves from laughing. Rong Chen Zi said quietly to He Bang: “If this creature feeds on the spiritual essence of women, the scene will inevitably be disturbing. What business would a young woman like you have there?”

He Bang had never been the type to listen to reason — one look at Rong Chen Zi genuinely not planning to bring her, and she wrapped her arms around his, her eyes filling with tears on the spot: “I want to go, I just want to go!”

Rong Chen Zi could not make himself understood, and glancing at the expressions of those around them, cleared his throat softly: “Very well — go back to your room and change your clothes then.” He Bang immediately brightened up, let out a cheer, and went back to her room. Rong Chen Zi followed close behind, with no regard for Yuyan Zhenren’s expression, saying softly: “I must ask all of you to wait just a moment.”

Qingxuan naturally brought out some refreshments to occupy the guests in the meantime.

Back in the room, Yugu was washing He Bang’s hands. Rong Chen Zi gave her a subtle look, and she bowed and withdrew. Rong Chen Zi bolted the door, then helped He Bang wash her face and wipe her hands. He Bang was still musing aloud: “What should I wear? I think this outfit is perfectly fine.”

“Mm.” Rong Chen Zi kissed her on the forehead, and in the same motion picked her up and carried her to the bed. He Bang was the sort who expected to be dressed by others, and immediately spread her arms, allowing him to remove her outer garments. Rong Chen Zi set her skirts and robes to one side and then, in a completely unexpected move, pressed himself over her. The gauze canopy fell, concealing the scene within.

The first time, He Bang rather enjoyed herself. The second time, she realized she had been tricked, and could not stop crying and making a fuss. Rong Chen Zi had spent the last several days studying certain methods from the chamber arts texts, and now found a place to put them to use. In two or three moves he had coaxed her spirits back to life, and at last got what he had wanted. After a long while, Rong Chen Zi dressed and got up. He Bang was still making sounds between crying and humming: “I want to go too.”

Rong Chen Zi fastened the ties on his garments, his voice gentle: “Mm, then get up and change your clothes.”

He Bang did not respond. Rong Chen Zi, fully dressed, bent down to look — she had already fallen fast asleep. The sleeping face was too tranquil and too beautiful. Rong Chen Zi could not help but kiss her on the forehead once more, let out a quiet sigh, and called Yugu in to attend to her.

In the main hall, Yuyan Zhenren had been waiting for some time. Seeing that He Bang had not followed, everyone let out a collective breath of relief. After all, when a group of Daozong members traveled together, having a delicate young woman tagging along simply did not look right.

Rong Chen Zi accompanied the group to the Great Wind Slope. Hearing that eminent Daoist masters had come to eradicate an evil creature, the local villagers all turned out to watch. At the Great Wind Slope there was nothing remarkable — only a great bamboo grove of spotted bamboo growing beside an ancient towering tree, the bamboo extraordinarily tall, its stalks and roots thick and robust. Everyone’s expressions grew serious: “It appears this bamboo grove is at the root of the trouble.” Rong Chen Zi began setting up a formation, while Yuyan Zhenren discovered an opening in the ground beneath a stone. The younger Daoist disciples did not wait to be directed and immediately began swinging picks to dig. The opening was at first no larger than the mouth of a bowl, yet the space inside grew wider and wider. The villagers gathered outside, curious and frightened at once — wanting to approach but not daring to, wanting to retreat but reluctant to leave.

The tunnel had a bend in it. When the digging passed the bend, a wave of foul stench hit everyone so hard that several people retched. Both Rong Chen Zi and Yuyan Zhenren frowned deeply — the smell of rotting corpses. It appeared that the village girls who had gone missing were unlikely to have survived.