A shooting star streaked across the night sky. After a sound sleep, Leng Qingqiu opened her eyes to find the sun already high in the sky. Finding a meal left behind in the kitchen, she wolfed it down in one go. Remembering what Xiangliu had said the previous night, Leng Qingqiu decided to set off for Baiyun Temple that very day to seek out an enlightened master capable of saving both herself and her father. Without a moment's hesitation, she changed into men's clothing and hit the road.
Crossing three great mountains, she finally caught sight of Baiyun Temple nestled halfway up the hillside. Her last visit had been when Old Man Leng dragged her along to light an everlasting lamp for her mother. How deeply she had resented coming back then, and how desperate she was to be here today. Stepping onto the staircase leading to the Hall of Three Pure Ones, Leng Qingqiu saw numerous believers offering up their devotion to the deities within. In this solemn and sacred Taoist temple, the power of faith was passed along, touching everyone who arrived.
A young Taoist priest with a fair complexion, as though carved from fine jade, slowly walked out from the inner hall. With an upright posture and a light step, he seemed to tread upon clouds and mist. His appearance was like a bright beam of light, instantly drawing everyone's gaze.
Spotting him, a crowd of female devotees swarmed forward, surrounding the young Taoist tightly. Their eyes gleamed with anticipation and excitement, as if they had caught sight of a dawn of hope. This young Taoist, named Mingzhang, possessed a natural immortal air and bone structure despite his youth. Well-versed in numerology and especially skilled at calculating romantic affinities, he enjoyed a widespread reputation, prompting marriageable daughters from dozens of villages around to line up, eagerly yearning for his guidance to untangle their romantic dilemmas.
Harboring bright visions of future happiness, these women eagerly consulted Mingzhang. Some lowered their heads shyly, while others met his gaze with bold courage, pouring out their inner doubts and expectations one by one. Mingzhang listened with a smile to everyone's questions, offering answers and advice in a gentle yet firm voice. His words were like a spring breeze brushing across the face—warm and comforting—making every woman feel an inexplicable sense of peace and trust.
Leng Qingqiu could not help slapping her thigh, filled with endless regret. "Oh no! How could I not have thought of this? This enlightened master actually specializes in calculating love matches for women! Dressed in men's clothes like this, it is really inconvenient for me to fight this mob of women!"
Looking closer, she was stunned to find that the one squeezing right at the front was none of other than Sai Mudan from Leng Family Village. Today, Sai Mudan had evidently gone through a meticulous makeover, giving her an entirely fresh look, yet her bulky frame maneuvered with unusual agility among the sea of women, quickly shoving several petite girls in the front row this way and that until they tottered unsteadily.
"Master Mingzhang, will I find a good husband this year? I came for a reading last year, and you said my romantic star was stirring, but there hasn't been the slightest movement to this day. How about you do another reading for me today? If there really is no one, you wouldn't be a bad choice either. Taoist priests are allowed to marry and have children—if you don't mind me, I'm fine with it." Usually unbridled in her speech, she seemed to mean it this time, lunging forward as if to grab Mingzhang by the legs.
"Hold on," said Master Leng. "Marriage is about mutual affection. Have you asked for the Master's opinion before asking like this?"
"Mind your own business! I happen to like Master Mingzhang, got a problem with it? You little dwarf, you look pretty enough with your delicate features, but you're full of moral righteousness. If he won't marry me, are you going to step in instead?"
"That's not out of the question. How about we head to the spirit spring at the back of the mountain and spend some time together to see if we're a match?"
Seeing that Mingzhang was frightened so pale he couldn't speak, Sai Mudan took the chance to gracefully back down and nodded, saying, "Alright then, let's go!"
Acting like a sycophant, Leng Qingqiu tugged Sai Mudan away, not forgetting to cast an ambiguous wink at Mingzhang as she left. This left Mingzhang's fair face turning white, then red, then white again. Just as his master had warned him, the people down the mountain were all bizarre and chaotic: the female devotees lusted after his handsome skin, and now male devotees were coveting his beauty as well. What a grievous sin! He hurriedly instructed his junior fellow apprentice Mingde to suspend today's activities. Mingzhang scurried back to hide in the backyard rest area. His master had told him he would soon meet his destined partner, yet after calculating romantic fortunes for people across dozens of villages for a whole year, he had yet to cross paths with his fated match. Could it be that his predestined affinity had not yet arrived? Just as he was racking his brain in distress, a small, snow-white hand pushed open the window and climbed in. Leng Qingqiu was just about to look for someone when she discovered Mingzhang sitting straight before her eyes, and awkwardly said:
"Little Master Mingzhang, I came here specifically to find you today on urgent business. Look, I even cleared that female pig Sai Mudan out of your way for you."
"How can you, a young man, slander a woman's reputation? What kind of behavior is that?"
"Spare me your classical jargon. Yes or no—are you going to help me?"
"I need to know what the matter is first, don't I? Are you asking me to calculate your love match?" Looking closely, she was clearly a woman dressed in men's clothes.
"Master, I'm begging you to save my life and my dad's life!" Clinging to the legs of the young Taoist priest Mingzhang, Leng Qingqiu launched into an exaggerated and dramatic account.
Mingzhang's expression turned stern immediately. "Get up. What kind of vicious monster is this? I'll go exterminate it."
"Thank you, Master! Let's leave right now. Xiangliu might notice I'm gone and take it out on my dad—he doesn't have an ounce of humanity!"
"Very well. I will go have a word with my Master, and then I will accompany you."
"I'll wait for you at the back door of Baiyun Temple. Master Mingzhang, everything depends on you!"
In about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Mingzhang emerged fully dressed and prepared. Producing a Thousand-Mile Talisman, he grabbed Leng Qingqiu by the hand, and in the blink of an eye, they were back at the Small Thatched Cottage. Leng Qingqiu thought to herself that the master she had hired was truly powerful. Xiangliu, you're going to get what's coming to you!
Meanwhile, Xiangliu had just crossed over from the sea and spotted Leng Qingqiu and the young Taoist Mingzhang materializing at the doorway of the thatched cottage. A glance revealed that beneath the Taoist robes was actually a Nine-Tailed Red Fox. This was getting interesting! The foolish girl had actually hired a fake Taoist priest to catch a demon—she was utterly stupid!
"Benefactor Leng, I will hide in your room wearing an invisibility cloak. Tonight when Xiangliu arrives, I will capture him for you. Fear not, young lady!"
"Master, you saw right through my disguise as a woman from the very beginning—truly remarkable!" Looking around, Leng Qingqiu noticed her father was not home; he had probably gone back into the mountains to gather herbs and hadn't returned yet. That was for the best—it would spare her father from getting hurt, leaving the grand master free to focus on demon-slaying.
"Master, it's getting late. I'll go cook, and after we eat, we'll proceed with the plan."
"Very well."
With no heart to cook elaborate meals, Leng Qingqiu simply boiled two bowls of plain noodles and made do with Mingzhang.
"The female benefactor has quite a deft hand; even plain noodles are cooked so deliciously."
"Thank you for the praise. My dad loves the food I cook. He says I'm the number one cook in all the surrounding villages!"
Mingzhang knew in his heart that once tonight passed, Leng Qingqiu would be left all alone in the world. Pinching his fingers to calculate, Old Man Leng's fate looked grim indeed. He cast a compassionate look at Leng Qingqiu and nodded in agreement.
That night, Leng Qingqiu lay in bed just like any other evening, when a wave of seawater scent slowly crept through the air. She knew Xiangliu had arrived.
"Where did you go today?"
"I was at home. I just went out for a stroll this afternoon."
"Did you miss me?"
"I think of you at all times, My Lord. I wouldn't dare run away."
She certainly wouldn't dare run—not when she had brought a Taoist priest right to her doorstep to capture him. The moment Xiangliu stepped in, his eyes locked onto Mingzhang standing behind the folding screen, and with a single glare, the priest was frozen in place.
"Since my little beauty missed me so much, let's go to sleep."
"Ah, what is wrong with you today?"
"Nothing at all!"
Xiangliu bit fiercely into Leng Qingqiu's neck and began to drink her blood. Yet to the young Taoist priest Mingzhang, it looked as though the two of them were locked in a deeply passionate embrace, and his face instantly flushed a brilliant red!