The imperial court intended to burn down Lingxia Town and Li Family Village. Naturally, many within Daozong also disagreed, yet the Ming Serpent had long shown no movement, and no one knew how much chance they actually had of dealing with it. Since ancient times, the jianghu had kept out of government affairs — weighing everything carefully, quite a few among the Dao sects took their leave. Zhuang Shaoqin understood Rong Chen Zi’s temperament well, and it was precisely because of his presence as National Preceptor that the Qianhu officer sent to deliver the order had held back and not executed it immediately.
Some villagers began to flee, but with fewer than two hundred households, how could they possibly escape the spears and rifles of those soldiers?
Rong Chen Zi was fraught with anxiety. With Zhuang Shaoqin present, the hundred-odd people at the temple could be escorted out of Lingxia Town. But if even one among those hundred-odd turned out to be a Ming Serpent in disguise, there would be no peace from that point forward.
Yet no matter how thoroughly they probed, who could guarantee that there was not a single Ming Serpent hidden among these people?
That same day, he and Xingzhi Zhenren and the others had spent hours carefully studying a dozen or so small Ming Serpents — and reached no conclusions. At noon, he sat on the edge of the bed, brow deeply furrowed, letting out long sighs. He Bang draped herself around his neck, her voice coaxing and sweet as she comforted him: “Zhiguan, don’t worry so much. Disasters have existed in every dynasty and every age. Besides, these three-eyed snakes haven’t been human for very long — there should still be ways to test them.”
Kong Chen Zi gently patted her back, his voice low and soft: “The ways of Heaven are capricious. Those who walk the path of cultivation carry in their hearts a desire to vanquish evil and uphold the Dao, yet can only watch as these people die one by one. Even though I know life and death are governed by fate, there are some things I still cannot bring myself to let go of.”
He Bang curled up in his arms like a cat. Rong Chen Zi felt a tenderness well up in him unavoidably: “If you’re tired, rest early.” He hesitated slightly. “Word has come from Shaoqin’s side — everyone is to withdraw from Lingxia Town as soon as possible… Will you be leaving?”
He Bang let him pat her back, then after a moment’s hesitation tried to reason with him: “Zhiguan, the matter of the Ming Serpents is really the current Emperor’s problem — if he wants to come forward and resolve it… just leave it to him. The townspeople of Lingxia Town are innocent victims, yes, but when it comes to human calamities, is there ever a reason for every last soul under heaven to perish? So I think…” Rong Chen Zi’s expression turned grave: “Tomorrow I will see you safely out of here. But the remaining townspeople are about to be swallowed by fire, and I absolutely cannot stand by and watch.”
He Bang touched his face. “Zhiguan isn’t leaving?”
Rong Chen Zi pressed his lips tightly together, and after a long while slowly shook his head: “I cannot leave. Last night as we made our way through the town, nearly half the residents had not been possessed or had their breath leeched by the serpents. I want to ask Shaoqin to buy us three days — to transfer as many innocent townspeople out as possible. Furthermore, the two Ming Serpents at the base of Changgang Mountain rely on fire-type techniques. Even if they set the town ablaze, it may not necessarily be enough to kill them. When that moment comes… I fear there will be a fierce battle ahead.”
He Bang licked his neck. “If Zhiguan isn’t leaving, I’m not leaving either.”
Rong Chen Zi continued tapping a rhythm on her back with his right hand, even as a wave of warmth surged through his heart. “Mm.”
That afternoon, however, Jiang Haoran came looking for them. Without any attempt to avoid Rong Chen Zi, he went straight for He Bang, grabbing her: “Since the imperial court has already issued its order, why are you still here? Subduing demons and vanquishing evil is the work of those who uphold the Dao — and the business of men. It has nothing to do with you. Don’t get involved. Come back to the Jialing River with me right now!”
He Bang pulled away from his hand and ducked behind Rong Chen Zi. Rong Chen Zi raised his arm to block him: “Lord Jiang, she is currently my female guest. I ask that you show some respect.”
Driven by anxious fury, Jiang Haoran threw caution to the wind: “Respect? You are a man who has renounced the secular world — what about all those times you flirt and embrace her in plain sight? Where was your sense of respect then?”
Rong Chen Zi’s face flushed slightly, but he continued to shield He Bang, his bearing grave and unyielding: “If she is willing, I have nothing to say. But if she shows even the slightest reluctance, Lord Jiang had better not be unreasonable!”
Jiang Haoran clenched both hands into fists, his face darkening like iron: “So you are intent on standing against me, Jiang?” The threat was clear in his tone. He Bang peeked out from behind Rong Chen Zi, visibly hesitant. Rong Chen Zi stood immovable as a mountain: “If Lord Jiang wishes to think of it that way, I have nothing to say.”
Jiang Haoran’s gaze grew increasingly sharp, his voice cold as frost: “Then — if I insist on taking her with me today, what will you do about it, Daozhang?”
Rong Chen Zi met his eyes directly and did not yield one inch: “If she is unwilling, it will not happen.”
With that declaration made, the two sides entered another standoff. Master Jia Ye attempted to mediate, but Jiang Haoran flung an arm out to block him. His manner grew arrogant: “Rong Chen Zi, are you willing to make a wager with me?” Ye Tian had already grown anxious and ran over to tug at Rong Chen Zi’s sleeve, but Rong Chen Zi paid her no heed: “Speak your terms.”
“There are many great masters of the Dao sects here today — let them all serve as witnesses. You and I, one on one. If you are defeated, allow me to take her away, and from this day forward, you are never to have any dealings with her again.” Jiang Haoran was looking at his own hands. His hands were large, his knuckles especially prominent, their color darkened — like gilded vessels whose lacquer had faded. His tone grew more and more leisurely. “If I am defeated, not only will I cease interfering with Panpan’s affairs, I will even take you as my master and follow you in wiping out the three-eyed serpents, until the very last person is rescued.”
Before Rong Chen Zi could respond, Gao Bixin had already rushed over, her face flushed with anger: “Jiang Haoran! Have you forgotten the promise you made to my mother? He Pan has been with so many men — she is nothing but a used-up piece of goods, and you still can’t stop thinking about her… You…”
“Silence!” Rong Chen Zi was the first to cut her off sharply. He pulled He Bang into his arms in a protective gesture. He Bang’s gaze flickered several times, but at last she let slip a look of genuine worry: “Zhiguan… His cultivation is of a fierce and vigorous type. By now he no longer even needs weapons. He is very formidable.”
But Rong Chen Zi did not spare Jiang Haoran another glance. His voice was solemn: “Tell me about your relationship with Jiang Haoran.”
He Bang looked up at him. His face was set like frost — yet within those eyes of his lay an undisguised, tender affection. He Bang felt an inexplicable surge of courage: “One year, my senior brother was fighting with a group of other aquatic clan members to find food, and in the end he was injured and had no choice but to abandon me. It was Jiang Haoran who saved me.” Hearing this, Jiang Haoran’s face immediately took on a triumphant look: “You still remember. Panpan, I saved your life — how can you have no consideration for me at all?”
He Bang ignored him and continued: “So I went with him to the Jialing River. His clan is very large, and they all disliked that I had no background or lineage. A few of the elders kept me on because of my thousand years of cultivation.” She leaned against Rong Chen Zi, looking utterly aggrieved. “He cultivates the fierce and vigorous Blazing Yang Technique and has a terrible temper — he hits people at the drop of a hat! Later, once, we killed a Wind Bird together. We had agreed that he would take the other treasures and give me the Wind Bird’s Celestial Wind Spirit Essence. But who knew that decades later, his aunt found out and demanded I hand over the Celestial Wind Spirit Pearl to give to Gao Bixin, and she even said… she even said…”
Her voice grew quieter and quieter. Jiang Haoran stepped forward again: “I was wrong before. At that time my inner fire burned too hot, and I was quick to anger. But the Jiang family took you in for over a thousand years, and now I have searched for you for more than three hundred — do you still not understand my heart?! You know my aunt’s temperament — I had no choice. Besides, you already have the Celestial Water Spirit Essence. If the Celestial Wind Spirit Essence were given to my cousin, our Jiang family could produce at least two inner cultivators. Why can you not consider my position at all?”
Rong Chen Zi felt something finally unlock within him: “No wonder you have trained in wind-type techniques yet rarely use them.” He Bang wrapped her arms around Rong Chen Zi’s waist, and tears were already glimmering in her eyes: “But he had promised it to me long ago! When I refused to give it, he sliced open my chest to take it!” She buried herself in Rong Chen Zi’s arms and began to cry. “They all said he saved me, so I should give myself to him — but he treated me so badly!”
Rong Chen Zi gently patted her shoulder, and before he could speak, Ye Tian had already burst out: “Pfft, you despicable man! Once you give something away, what right do you have to take it back? Besides, she’s an inner cultivator with thousands of years of cultivation — never mind your Jialing River, you’d be hard pressed to find a handful like her across the entire Eastern Sea! Could you have killed that Wind Bird without her? And during her years at the Jialing River, you lot put her to work plenty — and now you have the gall to call it taking her in?”
She was about to say more when Rong Chen Zi stopped her. His voice was steady, his anger contained and unhurried: “Lord Jiang, whatever may have passed before, she is my person now. This wager — I must respectfully decline. She has her own will, and I have no right to stake her as a bet. In this Qingxu Temple, she comes and goes as she pleases — I will not allow anyone to compel her. However, if Lord Jiang wishes to exchange pointers, I would be happy to oblige.”
He Bang’s tearful eyes shimmered. Rong Chen Zi lowered his head and used a piece of shark-silk to dab her tears. His every movement was warm without losing its elegance — his bearing and manner utterly remarkable. Jiang Haoran let out a cold laugh: “What a lovesick fool. Today, I, Jiang, truly wish to learn a few moves from the distinguished disciple of the Purple Heart Daoist.”
Rong Chen Zi gestured for Ye Tian to take He Bang by the hand, then stepped forward a few paces. Suddenly he removed the Qiankun pouch from his waist and handed it to a disciple at his side. Steady as a mountain, his manner unhurried: “Lord Jiang is a martial cultivator. If I were to use Dao techniques, a victory would be no true victory.”
The moment these words left his mouth, even Xingzhi Zhenren and Master Jia Ye’s expressions shifted dramatically.
“Zhiguan…” From behind him came He Bang’s soft call. Rong Chen Zi did not turn back, and said evenly: “It’s fine.”
He did not draw his sword from its scabbard. He gathered his focus, regulated his breath, and settled into the opening stance of Taijiquan. Jiang Haoran polished his hands — hands that gleamed like metal — his fury turning to a cold, hard laugh: “Rong Chen Zi, you brought this on yourself. Don’t blame anyone else!”