That day, it was once again time for Xing Yan to descend the mountain and inspect the farmlands.
The thousand qing of fertile fields below Mount Luofu were quite important to Shangqing Palace. But the palace had always enjoyed good relations with its tenant farmers, so there was generally little to do on these inspection rounds.
To escape the midsummer sun, Xing Yan found a shady spot beneath some trees and sat down, half reclining against a trunk. Though patches of sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell across him, the breeze sweeping in from the fields made the leafy shade wonderfully pleasant.
While Xing Yan cooled himself beneath the trees, little Qiong Rong, who had accompanied him, could not keep still. She was having a splendid time out in the fields, picking wildflowers along the ridges one moment and skipping off after butterflies the next. As she ran, the two bright red ribbons tied in her hair fluttered ceaselessly in the wind, themselves like colorful butterflies wheeling and dancing amid the deep green.
As she ran and danced, beads of sweat welled on her rosy little face, like crystal dew upon a pink lotus.
Watching Qiong Rong's lively, carefree figure, Xing Yan could not help smiling. He thought:
This little girl certainly has plenty of energy. She isn't afraid of the heat at all.
As he watched Qiong Rong play and enjoyed the cool breeze across the green fields in perfect leisure, he suddenly heard someone beside him say:
"Ah, what a strange business! A monster actually dares cause trouble here at the foot of Mount Luofu!"
Xing Yan turned toward the voice and saw a fairly young farmer who had also come to rest beneath the shade cast by these four or five large trees. An iron spade