By the time the two of them returned to Goats Trampling Through the Vegetable Garden, Ye Tian and Rong Chen Zi’s party had already been waiting for quite some time. Rong Chen Zi took He Bang from Jade Bone’s arms, also puzzled: “Where did you go?”

He knew the Conjoined Cinnabar could sense her whereabouts, and assuming she had simply gone off to play, did not press the matter. On her end, He Bang was in a great hurry, calling into her shell: “Jade Bone, hurry and get a bowl!”

Jade Bone passed a bowl over, and the others watched in amazement as she produced from within her shell: mutton skewers, jianbing guozi, sugar-coated peanuts, and even a piece of cut cake! Jade Bone was utterly staggered: “I… I only carried you past the street stalls on the way here…”

Ye Tian was both exasperated and amused and gave He Bang’s shell a slap: “No stealing things, you thieving clam!”

Once the meal was done, Rong Chen Zi had intended to take He Bang out to play, but He Bang had been shooting through the wind and through the water all day and was already exhausted. Now that she had eaten her fill, she wanted to sleep. Zhuang Shaoqin was still preoccupied with the matter of Minister Wen’s death and was also reluctant to have Rong Chen Zi and the others go too far away — so naturally he settled them all in his private residence in the capital.

His house, compared to those of most powerful officials, was markedly free of ostentation — but it was filled with countless formations, all of them testing grounds for his research in his free time. The successful ones he had since dismantled; what remained were the countless failed experiments. The more formidable one’s abilities, the more thoroughly one became lost inside them — after all, with a failed experiment, who knew where the eye of the formation was?

The group hopped over the roof and slipped in like thieves through the back courtyard. Rong Chen Zi and He Bang naturally shared a room. Jade Bone, accustomed to giving He Bang’s shell a scrub before bed, was held back by Ye Tian, who had thought ahead: “Those two have been apart so long — that sort of thing… leave it to Elder Brother.”

Jade Bone, though she had never been married in her human life, still had some vague idea of such matters — and immediately flushed crimson.

After scrubbing He Bang’s shell, Rong Chen Zi saw that she was sleeping soundly and, not wishing to disturb her, lay down beside her and closed his eyes in quiet rest. He Bang woke and turned her small head left and right; seeing Rong Chen Zi sleeping nearby, a playful impulse arose. She reached out with her soft, tender little hand and began to roam all over him.

Rong Chen Zi let her carry on, lying perfectly still with his eyes closed, saying nothing. As she explored further and further in an increasingly unbecoming fashion, advancing toward a certain critical location, his body gradually grew taut.

This river clam, having been with Rong Chen Zi, had tasted the joys of intimacy several times. But Rong Chen Zi was a reserved man — even in the bedchamber he was decorous and measured, generally conducting matters under cover of darkness. The people, things, and experiences He Bang encountered in daily life under his guidance were all of the purest and most innocent kind, leaving He Bang in a state of being half-informed, with a lingering deep resentment toward the revelations of the Heavenly Way that had yet to be vindicated by experience.

Now, convinced that Rong Chen Zi was asleep, she could not help but want to peek at that thing which had always lorded its power over her. Her little hand touched it lightly and recoiled as though scorched — her small face filled with delight. How had Rong Chen Zi ever endured such provocation? He had half a mind to grab her mischievous hand, but then saw how much she was enjoying herself, and found himself hesitating. Before he knew it, she had grown even bolder and was actually about to use her mouth!

Rong Chen Zi grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up to rest against his chest: “Stop making mischief.”

He Bang pouted: “Stuffy, old-fashioned Daoist.”

Then she pressed her face to his chest and licked away like a little cat. Rong Chen Zi flipped her beneath him, pressing her flat, his breathing growing heavier: “Old-fashioned and stuffy, can’t handle anything too stimulating.” He gently kissed He Bang on the tip of her nose, his movements tender: “So you must be good, and not frighten the old Daoist.”

“But I’ve missed you so much.” He Bang held his neck and licked eagerly, and as she licked, the tears came too: “I think of you every single day.”

“Mm.” Rong Chen Zi reached out and brushed away the gleam of moisture at the corner of her eye, then cut open a fingertip and fed the wound to her mouth, and after a long pause said: “I know.”

That exquisite flavour lingered in her mouth, filling all her senses. He Bang suckled at it until drowsiness began to steal over her: “Then are we going to sleep?”

Rong Chen Zi spoke softly: “Not for another half an hour.”

He Bang was already half-asleep: “Doing what?”

Rong Chen Zi’s voice was calm, but a faint blush had crept onto his face: “Doing something… not overly intense, but something that will make the old Daoist… and the little demoness both happy…”

The next morning, while the sky was still pale, there was a sudden knock at the door: “Zhiguan? Sea Emperor?”

Rong Chen Zi recognized it as Xingzhi Zhenren’s voice, and quickly straightened his clothing and rose to receive him. Upon opening the door, Xingzhi Zhenren’s expression was one of difficulty: “Zhiguan, I have a request that I am ashamed to make…” He paused, as though steeling himself: “There is something I wish to discuss with the Sea Emperor alone.”

Though Rong Chen Zi was puzzled, what concerned him was something else entirely: “Zhenren — at this hour the sky is still early, and she has always loved to sleep…”

But Xingzhi Zhenren could not afford to wait: “Zhiguan — a human life is at stake.”

Rong Chen Zi could only show him inside. He Bang was fast asleep on the bed, the gauze curtains lowered. Xingzhi Zhenren stopped at the bed’s edge, unable to conceal his urgency: “Emperor? Sea Emperor?”

He Bang had always needed a great deal of sleep, and what was more, she had worn herself out completely the night before. Now there was someone prattling nonstop beside her ear, disrupting her sleep — she couldn’t help but let out a few whimpering, teary sobs, as if crying without truly crying.

Rong Chen Zi quickly led Xingzhi Zhenren back outside: “She has… the heart of a child — if she cannot sleep properly, she is sure to make an uproar that goes on without end. Give it another hour and wait until she wakes on her own. Zhenren, who exactly is it you are referring to? If there is truly danger to their life, why not bring them here first? With all of us here, ensuring their safety should not be difficult.”

Xingzhi Zhenren hesitated for a long moment, then finally drew a list from his sleeve: “Zhiguan, would you be willing to bring these people here — but please, first, do not ask me anything.”

Rong Chen Zi took the list, and true to his word, asked nothing — he went straight to find Zhuang Shaoqin.

He Bang slept until the Hour of Chen. Jade Bone, who had been waiting for some time, came in the moment she woke, wiped her hands and face for her, and fed her a cup of bone broth, slow-cooked until rich and thick.

He Bang then sauntered unhurriedly out.

Xingzhi Zhenren had had very little contact with He Bang and did not know her temperament. But now, with a weakness in her hands, he had no choice but to swallow her arrogance and address her pleasantly: “Emperor — it is true that many of the Crying Snake clan wandered into the mortal world in those early days. They wished only to live peaceably as humans and had no intention of harming anyone. But now that their master has broken free, he is consumed with rage toward those of his own kind who refused to break his seal, and is killing them indiscriminately. Emperor…” His expression grew grave and then, without warning, he knelt: “My intention was never to deliberately conceal the truth from Daozong — only, Daozong holds the Crying Snake clan in deep contempt, and had I revealed the truth, I feared they would have moved to exterminate us sooner or later, which would only have put my clansmen’s lives in greater danger. I beg the Emperor to save my clan.”

He Bang let him kneel and made no move to raise him: “Your master has already gone mad and demonic. How am I to save you?”

Xingzhi Zhenren gritted his teeth: “Yuyan Zhenren has already shown intentions of stepping back, and Daozong’s leading position will rest in Zhiguan’s hands. I beg the Emperor to convey my meaning — the Crying Snake clan would be endlessly grateful.”

He Bang’s smile suddenly became very strange: “Xingzhi — what the Crying Snake clan needs is not Daozong.” Xingzhi Zhenren stared at her in astonishment. He Bang leaned in and said quietly in his ear: “What you need is a king.”

A look of pain crossed Xingzhi Zhenren’s eyes. Many years ago, the Crying Snake clan had lived under the dominion of two Serpent Kings — brutal and bloodthirsty. They had ultimately been sealed by righteous warriors beneath Changgang Mountain in an eternal realm. The great majority of the Crying Snakes had perished in that catastrophe; a small number who had refused to follow their commands escaped in the chaos.

The Crying Snake clan had long had no king.

He Bang held Xingzhi Zhenren’s gaze, as though she could see straight into his heart: “The king of the Crying Snake clan will soon be born.”

Xingzhi Zhenren probed tentatively: “The Heavenly Way… revealed this?”

He Bang only smiled, and said no more.

Though no one understood why Xingzhi Zhenren had suddenly asked them to protect the people on the list, Zhuang Shaoqin still gathered them all to one place — around a hundred and sixty people in total, among them merchants, court officials, and even farmers.

Zhuang Shaoqin was deeply frustrated: “Zhenren, at least give me a reason — suddenly gathering this many people…”

Xingzhi Zhenren struggled inwardly, and at last could only bow deeply: “National Preceptor, Xingzhi has difficulties that cannot be spoken. Please forgive me.”

The day passed uneventfully. That night, at the dinner table, He Bang was eating plump, tender boiled prawns while Jade Bone helped her peel them. Rong Chen Zi and the others were still trying to work out the matter of Minister Wen’s death. Ye Tian had investigated Minister Wen’s household; the family said that Minister Wen had been an even-tempered man, and had few enemies. He had also shown no signs of personality change in recent days. Even in the last quarter of an hour before his death, a household servant had gone in to bring him tea, at which point he was sitting in his room reading.

Everyone found it baffling: “Could it be that Minister Wen was always a three-eyed snake?”

Xingzhi Zhenren sat and said nothing throughout. He too did not know why He Bang had not told the others — and could only stay silent. At this point, the others could not untangle any threads from the matter either. Apart from Minister Wen’s inexplicably dead body, there was not a single lead — who was the killer? What was the motive? Why had Minister Wen turned out to be a three-eyed snake?

He Bang, for her part, cared about none of this. Having eaten her fill, she naturally intended to sleep splendidly.

And so when Rong Chen Zi returned to the room, she was already asleep. It was the height of summer in the eighth month, and even at night the weather was stifling. Despite Jade Bone having arranged a cooling pillow, a faint sheen of perspiration still glistened at her brow. Rong Chen Zi could not help but pick up a fan and begin to fan her. She was sleeping in a drowsy, half-conscious state, and feeling that it was cooler on Rong Chen Zi’s side, she gradually rolled over toward him, curling up beside him like a little cat, and went on sleeping.

Rong Chen Zi stroked her slightly cool long hair, and suddenly understood why a wife is also called a dear wife.

Early the next morning, He Bang was woken by the sound of a suona horn — outside, Minister Wen’s funeral procession was passing by. Though his body had been taken into the palace, his family was still placing his belongings into a coffin for burial. He Bang stood at the doorway watching the coffin being carried past. Minister Wen had been well-liked in life, and there were many mourners.

Looking out, the entire street was white with paper funeral banners, filling even passersby with a note of sorrow. Rong Chen Zi, Zhuang Shaoqin, and the others also stood by the roadside. Seeing He Bang come out, Rong Chen Zi drew her close to his side.

He Bang watched the grief-stricken funeral procession in an uncharacteristically quiet manner — then suddenly rose up on her tiptoes, tilted her head, and looked at Rong Chen Zi: “Zhiguan, if you died, you would leave me your inheritance, wouldn’t you?”

Rong Chen Zi: …