The Zheng family was one of the foremost households in Dengling; the Zheng family’s third son had become a high-ranking official in the capital and wielded considerable influence, and relying on that connection, the Zhengs had bought up land throughout Dengling until more than half the estates outside the city belonged to them, making them a local power in their own right and explaining why their residence had been built with extraordinary extravagance.
There was a lake in the Zheng family’s rear garden called Xilian Lake, and beside it stood a waterside pavilion called Huangliang Pavilion.
Huangliang Pavilion covered a vast area and was surrounded by water on three sides, with several mu of peonies behind it. When the flowers bloomed, they made a riot of color; whenever the wind rose, curtains woven from Floating-Light Brocade swayed through the pavilion, revealing and concealing the endless fields of peonies until the place seemed almost like an immortal realm.
Elio’s Notes: Huangliang literally means “yellow millet” and alludes to the classic “yellow-millet dream,” in which worldly glory proves as fleeting as a dream dreamed while millet cooks. A mu is a traditional land measure of about 667 square meters, or roughly one-sixth of an acre.
Strings and flutes played pleasantly, dancers moved with graceful ease, delicacies crowded the low tables, and cups passed constantly around the lively banquet. Xiao Chunhe, however, seemed distracted. He lazily swirled the wine in his cup, his shimmering foxlike eyes sweeping over the beautiful dancers and the Zheng siblings, who were doing everything they could to enliven the mood, before dropping again in utter boredom.
Seeing this, Zheng Bing asked, “Why does Daoist Master Yue seem so unhappy? Is the food not to your liking?”
“Not at all.” Xiao Chunhe sighed, looking sorrowful. “Though I’m enjoying fine wine and excellent food, I keep thinking of my wife. If only he were here.”
Zheng Bing said in surprise, “So the rumors are true and you really do have a wife. How many?”
“One, one! Of course there’s only one.” Xiao Chunhe hurriedly said, “My wife and I are deeply devoted cultivation partners. If you ever saw him, even you would be captivated by his immortal bearing.”
Zheng Bing brightened. “If so, why not invite your wife here so he can enjoy the wine and food with us?”
“Brother is right.” Zheng Han’s eyes lit up. “Then we sisters could go out together. Wouldn’t that be delightful?”
“Alas, I can’t bear to let anyone else see him.” Xiao Chunhe propped a hand against his forehead and put on a mournful expression, while the face hidden behind his sleeve twisted in disgust. If Su Zheng were here and saw how shamelessly debauched these siblings were behaving, he’d probably get so angry he’d draw his sword and cut someone down.
Thinking of Su Zheng only made him gloomier.
Before meeting Su Zheng, he had thought all these assorted beauties had their own charms, since they could be swindled out of money, were pleasant enough to look at, and might even be worth teasing a little for fun, but ever since seeing Su Zheng in Jiarong County, every one of these men and women had turned into common rouge and powder in his eyes, to the point that he could not even concentrate on admiring his favorite gold ingots anymore.
Damn that Su Zheng for actually being capable and coming from a famous orthodox sect, meaning he might genuinely know Yue Jingming; if Xiao Chunhe were not afraid of exposing his own identity, he would gladly bankrupt himself just to tie the man to his side and keep him there day and night, never parting from him.
After several rounds of wine, longing went to his head and Xiao Chunhe was already half drunk. At some point Zheng Han had nestled into his arms, and she lifted a cup to his lips. “Daoist Master Yue, shall I drink another cup with you?”
Xiao Chunhe lowered his head, caught the cup between his teeth, tipped it back in one swallow, then winked at her.
Zheng Han flushed scarlet and immediately poured another. “Yue-lang, shall I feed you myself?”
“Sister, don’t fool around.” Zheng Bing came over as well and slipped an arm around Xiao Chunhe’s shoulders, murmuring beside his ear, “Daoist Master Yue, my sister is a young lady, so there are certain inconveniences. Why not rest in my room instead? The two of us brothers can have a little talk…”
Zheng Han glared at him furiously as Zheng Bing gave her a provocative smile and reached for Xiao Chunhe’s chest, only for a long, strong hand to seize his wrist halfway there, making Zheng Bing cry out in pain.
“Goodness, goodness, what a sin.” Xiao Chunhe quickly released him, pinched Zheng Bing’s chin and gave his face an assessing look, then turned away in distaste. When he met Zheng Han’s tear-filled eyes, he smiled teasingly, picked up a handkerchief, and slapped it over her face.
A cool breeze swept past. The man who had been sitting at the table was already gone, and when they looked again, he was deep among the peonies.
Zheng Bing and Zheng Han hurried to their feet. Zheng Bing shouted, “Daoist Master Yue, we haven’t finished drinking!”
“Let me go relieve myself first!” Xiao Chunhe shouted back. “When nature calls, it calls! I can’t hold it anymore!”
Zheng Han angrily flung the handkerchief at Zheng Bing. “This is all Brother’s fault. You scared him away.”
Zheng Bing laughed. “I’ve seen this playing-hard-to-get act countless times. They always start out so lofty and virtuous, and in the end they can’t stay away from us. Don’t worry, Sister. Sooner or later, this Number One Daoist Under Heaven will be sharing our bed.”
Only then did Zheng Han break into a smile through her tears.
Once Xiao Chunhe had escaped that indecently fragrant sea of peonies, he fanned vigorously in front of his nose. Those siblings truly had no sense of restraint. The Hehuan incense at the banquet was so cloying it could have been used for stir-frying. He glanced back and, sure enough, behind the Floating-Light Brocade curtains of Huangliang Pavilion, sounds of wanton pleasure were already rising one after another.
Elio’s Notes: Hehuan literally means “joined joy” and carries an erotic association here. This is a different term from the earlier charm incense, so the two are kept distinct.
Xiao Chunhe rubbed his cheek as if his teeth hurt, pulled out the handkerchief Su Zheng had given him, pressed it over his nose, and took a deep breath. The crisp, upright scent of pine instantly washed the Hehuan incense from him.
He could not help lamenting, “My good wife, my good wife. I wonder when we’ll ever meet again.”
On the other side of the wall, Yue Jingming walked along a rough path with his sword and horsetail whisk on his back. As the surroundings grew increasingly secluded, he raised a hand and stopped the man leading the way. “Is this really the road to the Zheng residence?”
The guide looked about thirty, with a round face, small eyes, and a drooping mustache. He introduced himself as Zheng Qi, a steward of the Zheng household. Earlier, he had happened upon Yue Jingming asking about the Zheng family and had eagerly volunteered to introduce him at the residence. Yue Jingming’s grip was making Zheng Qi’s shoulder ache so badly he thought the bone might break, and he hurriedly begged for mercy. “Daoist Master, please don’t be impatient. Our master isn’t receiving guests today. I’ll take you through the back gate to meet the young master and young lady first. You can rest for a day, then visit our master tomorrow.”
Whenever he introduced someone new to the siblings Zheng Bing and Zheng Han, he received a sizable reward, and the more attractive the person, the greater the reward. This one was even a Daoist. In Zheng Qi’s eyes, he was every bit as good-looking as that other “Daoist Master Yue,” so the reward this time would surely be enormous.
Yue Jingming released him and said coldly, “A guest who does not first pay respects to the master of the house, but instead visits his children, has already breached propriety. As the steward, do you not even understand that?”
Zheng Qi said awkwardly, “W-well, I thought you were the sort of Daoist Master who didn’t fuss over minor formalities, so I lost my head for a moment.”
Yue Jingming stared at him expressionlessly. “Nothing but lies.”
Sweat poured down Zheng Qi beneath that gaze, and an inexplicable terror rose in his heart. With a thud, he dropped to his knees and pleaded, “Daoist Master, please calm your anger! This lowly one won’t dare do it again!”
Yue Jingming said, “You are human, but you are heavily tainted with demonic qi. That is why you fear me so strongly. There must be a demon causing trouble in your residence. If you do not flee soon, you will not live much longer.”
The people of the day held Buddhism and Daoism in great reverence. Zheng Qi went pale with shock. “Daoist Master, is that really true?”
Yue Jingming casually plucked two willow leaves from a tree, drew talismans on them, and handed them over. “At midnight tonight, place these two willow leaves over your eyelids. You will then be able to see a demon’s true form. Tomorrow morning, tell me exactly what you saw. If there is no demon, I will naturally apologize to you.”
Zheng Qi held the willow leaves with trembling hands and knees. He did not want to believe this Daoist, but when he remembered the strange events that had occurred in the residence over the past few years, fear won out. He said, “Don’t worry, Daoist Master. I will tell you every detail without hiding anything. I only beg you to save my life.”
Yue Jingming’s expression remained indifferent. “Just do as I told you.”
The moment he entered Dengling, Yue Jingming had seen demonic qi soaring into the sky north of the city, plainly the sign of a powerful demon entrenched there. When Zheng Qi approached him of his own accord, Yue Jingming immediately noticed the heavy demonic qi clinging to him, which was why he had followed him here.
He simply did not know what sort of demon was hiding inside the Zheng residence.
Since he had failed to enter the Zheng residence, Yue Jingming decided to find an inn nearby and rest. Passing a courier station, he remembered that his junior brothers and sisters had said through a message talisman a few days earlier that they had sent him something, so he went in to ask.
“Su Zheng, right?” The proprietor checked his register. “Yes, there is a package for you.”
Quite a few things had been sent, most of them ritual implements for suppressing demons, enough to make Yue Jingming suspect his master’s treasure pavilion was about to be emptied out; his junior sister Xin Jingleng had also specially made him a veiled hat, along with a long letter whose uneven handwriting suggested that all of them had written it together.
The veiled hat was exquisitely made, just enough to conceal his face and protect him from wind and sun. His junior sister’s thoughtfulness was precious, so Yue Jingming put it on and opened the letter.
In the letter, his junior brothers and sisters first chattered over one another about Li Yi’s situation in Jiarong County, each offering their own opinion like a flock of little sparrows. Then they abruptly shifted to how much they liked the gifts their Senior Brother had sent back, especially the pellet drum carved with zodiac animals. Everyone unanimously decided it should be turned into a weapon of surprise. The next time they subdued a demon, they would suddenly whip out a pellet drum. The demon would never expect it, and that would let them win by catching it off guard…
Yue Jingming could not help smiling. “Nonsense.”
A gust of wind made the wine-shop banner flutter as someone lounged against a railing with a wine cup caught between his teeth, idly watching the passersby; when he tilted his head, the corner of his eye caught a figure in plain Daoist robes, and the wind lifted the man’s snow-white face veil to reveal the face he had been thinking about day and night.
The wine cup dropped onto his clothes with a clack.
Xiao Chunhe flipped upright, grabbed the railing, waved frantically at the man standing before the wine shop, and shouted, “Wife!”
Passersby stopped and looked over. The voice sounded familiar to Yue Jingming, so he raised his head and saw a man in a purple-red brocade robe, rakish and carefree, smiling brilliantly through a drunken haze. Their gazes met, and the flush at the corners of the other man’s eyes deepened as he leaned more than half his body over the railing. “It’s Xiang Gong, my good fellow Daoist~”
Yue Jingming frowned, folded the letter, tucked it into his sleeve, ignored him, and turned to leave.
“Hey, don’t go, don’t go!” Xiao Chunhe staggered to his feet. “I was wrong before, my good Brother Su… ah!”
In his panic, the shameless menace actually jumped straight from the third floor, limbs spread wide without the slightest attempt to protect himself. The onlookers cried out, and the more timid ones covered their eyes, unable to bear watching such a handsome young master smash into a puddle of flesh.
Yue Jingming sprang forward and caught him in midair, holding him across both arms, and was immediately hit full in the face by the fierce smell of alcohol.
Xiao Chunhe’s eyes looked as though they had been soaked in wine, red and wet. He pushed aside the veil, cupped Yue Jingming’s handsome face, and complained pitifully, “My good wife, I’ve missed you day and night. I finally found you!”
The surrounding crowd exclaimed and immediately began pointing and whispering about the two of them.
Yue Jingming’s expression chilled, and without the slightest mercy he dropped him onto the ground.
Xiao Chunhe cried out in pain from the fall, curling into a ball as cold sweat broke over his entire body.
Yue Jingming froze, only then remembering that this man was exceptionally afraid of pain. Seeing how strikingly beautiful Xiao Chunhe was, a few onlookers stepped forward to help him up, but their eyes were anything but proper, repeatedly straying toward his loosely open collar. Yue Jingming swept them aside with one sleeve and gave the nearest man a cold look.
The man was furious but did not dare speak. He slunk into the crowd and fled.
With more and more people gathering and that bastard still half-dead on the ground, Yue Jingming clenched and unclenched his fist. After a long moment of silence, he finally scooped the man up and carried him away.