Moonlight Mystique

Chapter Twelve

Bai Shuo's breath hitched for an instant.

As the legitimate Young Miss of the General's household, she had frequented aristocratic poetry gatherings and night banquets since childhood, having seen countless noble youths and distinguished scholars pass before her eyes like fleeting blossoms. Yet none had ever possessed a face like this.

With star-like sideburns and peerless handsomeness, this young man could probably break the hearts of every maiden in the city just by keeping his eyes closed.

Of course, this "every maiden" decidedly excluded the iron-willed little Bai Shuo, whose heart was set on immortality.

"Holy—! Dead or alive?"

The youth's eyes were tightly shut, his face deathly pale. Bai Shuo's momentary breathlessness had been entirely due to thinking she'd touched a corpse. Only when she detected the faint whisper of Qi at his nostrils did she pat her chest in relief, finally catching her breath.

"Thank goodness, alive, alive. But where the hell is this?"

Coming to her senses, Bai Shuo heard the distant clamor of bandits drinking and feasting in the front hall, which reminded her of how she'd been tricked by a donkey, then knocked unconscious by a bandit's Saber. Rubbing her head, she scrambled up to peek through a knothole in the window. The view revealed towering mountains encircling a lone wooden stronghold—a strangely lax bandit den with neither watchtowers nor patrols, its defenses astonishingly slack.

How dare they proclaim themselves kings of the mountain and rob travelers with such pitiful security? Were their brains rusted through? Bai Shuo nearly facepalmed. Still, this was a bandit stronghold after all. If her identity were exposed, embarrassment would be the least of her worries—being dragged back to the capital by her father would spell real trouble. Having burned her bridges to escape marriage, she absolutely couldn't return now.

Bai Shuo sprang up nimbly and darted toward the door. A gentle push sent the firewood shed's door swinging open. Delighted, she was about to make her escape when something occurred to her. Glancing back at the half-dead youth on the ground, she gritted her teeth and turned back.

Swiftly removing her coarse outer garment, she tossed it over the youth.

"At least it'll keep you warm," Bai Shuo muttered to herself, giving the youth's hand a squeeze. "Sorry, brother. I've got immortality to pursue—can't afford to die here. You... take care!"

As she rose to leave, her foot caught, nearly sending her sprawling. Looking down, she spotted a pitch-black object that had rolled from the youth's waist.

What's this? Compelled by some inexplicable urge, Bai Shuo bent to pick it up. The moment it touched her palm, the object began glowing. Startled, she dropped it—the thing thudded against the youth's head before rolling to the ground, its light instantly extinguished.

The youth groaned faintly, his brow furrowing as a bump swelled on his forehead. His face grew paler still, yet he didn't awaken.

"Did I just kill him?" Bai Shuo's heart leapt to her throat. Trembling, she checked his breathing and exhaled in relief upon finding him still alive. "Forgive me, brother! Pure accident, I swear!"

Backing away, her hand accidentally brushed the object again—it immediately reignited with light. This time Bai Shuo remained calm, picking it up for closer inspection.

It was a round little wooden token, half the size of a palm, adorable as a piglet. The wooden emblem emitted a soft, pulsing radiance that momentarily illuminated their surroundings.

"Wood that glows?" Bai Shuo's eyes sparkled as she gazed covetously at the unconscious youth. "Is he an immortal? Did I actually meet one? Wait, no—why would an immortal get captured by bandits?"Bai Shuo hastily shook her head and bent down to place the piece of wood back on the boy, but then hesitated. "It's so dark in the mountains. This thing must be useful—maybe even a treasure." She glanced at the boy, tucked the wood into her robe, and hurried outside.

"Tsk." As Bai Shuo stepped out, the sound of tearing fabric echoed. She turned back in surprise to find the boy tightly gripping the hem of her pants.

"I—I—I didn’t mean to take your stuff! I just wanted to borrow some light!" Bai Shuo quickly held the wood out to the boy, but there was no response from the ground. She looked down and saw the boy still unconscious, eyes shut tight, his hands stubbornly clutching her pant leg, his lips pressed into a cold, displeased line.

Guilt gnawed at Bai Shuo—after all, taking someone else’s belongings was wrong. But after a glance at the pitch-black forest outside, she clutched the glowing wooden pig tightly, abruptly kicked the boy’s hand away, pushed open the loosely shut door, and sprinted out of the village, vanishing into the night.

In the main hall, the bandits were drinking merrily, rowdy with games and liquor. The second-in-command, Wu Yong, suddenly remembered the two boys locked in the woodshed and drunkenly asked, "Boss, those two soft-skinned brats in the shed can’t even lift a finger. Why’d we bring ’em back to waste food instead of just robbing them and being done with it?"

"You don’t know shit! Pretty faces fetch good money. Tomorrow, we’ll find some herbs in the mountains to patch up the injured one. Once he’s healed and cleaned up, we’ll sell him to the Spring Welcome House in the city for a fat price." Zhang Chao guffawed, taking a swig of liquor.

At this, Wu Yong frowned slightly, a hint of worry creeping in. "Boss, no outsider’s ever set foot in Mu Xiao Mountain. Where the hell did this kid come from?"

Zhang Chao paused, the liquor bottle in his hand. "Did you check the mountains?"

"Every inch. The boys scoured the whole place—no sign of outsiders. It’s like he appeared out of thin air. Too damn eerie." Wu Yong glanced around and lowered his voice. "You think he knows our village’s secret?"

Mu Xiao Mountain lay not far from the imperial capital. Over the years, the garrison troops of Weicheng had failed to wipe out the bandits here—not because the outlaws were particularly fierce, but because no matter how many times the soldiers searched, they could never locate the bandits’ hideout. The whole thing was downright uncanny. Moreover, these bandits only robbed merchant caravans and never took lives. Fearing imperial repercussions if the matter reached the emperor’s ears, the Weicheng governor had kept the existence of these mountain bandits a secret.

Zhang Chao and Wu Yong were originally villagers from Mu Family Village, having grown up in the depths of Mu Xiao Mountain. The place was isolated, shrouded in perpetual mist. Centuries ago, the villagers had fled into the mountains to escape war, and since then, few had ever ventured out, leaving their existence unknown to the outside world. Zhang Chao was the village chief’s son. On his deathbed, the old chief had told him that their ancestors, while fleeing disaster, had accidentally extinguished a great mountain fire and were thereafter protected by the mountain. Only those born and raised in Mu Family Village could find their way to the settlement—any outsider who entered would be lost in the fog and forced to turn back.Zhang Chao became the village chief and learned of this secret. As the elders passed away, the village grew increasingly destitute. He simply gathered the able-bodied men in the village and, taking advantage of their location, turned them into bandits. They would raid every half month, and life in the stronghold was quite comfortable. This was why the Mu Family Stronghold, despite being a bandit den, had no guards or sentries.

Wu Yong's reminder instantly put Zhang Chao on edge. He stood up abruptly.

"The one we caught today was brought from the foot of the mountain. Don’t worry about him. Go wake up the unconscious one and bring him here."

"Yes, boss." Wu Yong hurriedly led his men away.

With a loud rip , the firewood shed door was thrown open. The torchlight illuminated the interior, and Wu Yong's face turned ashen when he saw the empty shed.

Under the dim moonlight, the dense forest was filled with gnarled old trees and eerie gusts of wind. Bai Shuo tightly bound the young man to her back with the cloth garment, the flickering Mu Zhu pendant hanging from her chest as she struggled through the mountains. Every few steps, she carved a moon symbol into a tree to mark her path.

"Brother, you don’t strike me as someone with a short lifespan. If we make it down this mountain alive, you better repay me!" Bai Shuo’s forehead was drenched in sweat. The oppressive and terrifying atmosphere of the mountains had her spooked, so she tried to lighten the mood with words.

"Forget about pledging yourself to me—I don’t lack gold or silver either. But this glowing... glowing treasure of yours looks pretty good. Whew... If you know any immortals, you better point me to their mountain. Wait—" Bai Shuo’s panting voice suddenly cut off as she glanced around. Sure enough, she spotted a half-moon carved into a nearby tree—her own handiwork.

"What’s going on? Why am I going in circles?" Bai Shuo’s face paled. The eerie wind howled through the forest, and her heart trembled like a sieve. "D-don’t tell me there’s a ghost?"

Bai Shuo was a firm believer in the supernatural. Just as her fear peaked, a wolf’s howl pierced the air. Startled, she stumbled and fell, the cloth binding tearing on a branch. The young man slid off her back, his head smacking hard against a nearby tree. Another lump swelled on his forehead, now symmetrically matching the one on the other side.

The impact shook the entire tree, sending birds scattering in alarm. Bai Shuo scrambled over to check on the young man. Finding him still breathing, she momentarily forgot her fear and couldn’t help but praise, "Brother, you’re one tough cookie. Respect..."

"Light over there! Go check it out!"

The bandits’ voices suddenly rang out from behind. A winding trail of torchlight surged toward them.

"Oh no, they’ve caught up."

Panicked, Bai Shuo fumbled to return the Mu Zhu pendant to the young man’s chest. As expected, the pendant’s glow vanished.

In the darkness, Bai Shuo hoisted the young man onto her back and bolted forward. Her foot slipped, and with a yelp, the two tumbled down a slope. Another thud followed as the young man collided with something, the impact ringing clear and sharp.

Though Bai Shuo landed on top of the young man, her arms and fingers were scraped bloody by sharp rocks and branches. She reached back to check on him but instead brushed against the Mu Zhu pendant on his chest.

Unseen by anyone, the pendant absorbed the blood from Bai Shuo’s fingertips. In an instant, it leaped onto her body, greedily drawing in her blood in the darkness. Suddenly, the pendant blazed with light, releasing a spiritual glow that shot straight into the young man’s forehead.

At that very moment, the young man’s eyes snapped open, locking gazes with Bai Shuo.Bai Shuo had never seen such cold eyes before—chilling to the bone. Yet, they were so beautiful that even though they froze one’s heart, it was impossible to look away.

The young man frowned, a faint displeasure flickering in his gaze. Just as he was about to speak, his mouth was suddenly covered.

"Shh, don't speak! Someone's chasing us!" Bai Shuo whispered urgently, one hand covering the boy's mouth while the other pointed upward.

"Keep searching! Hurry! Don't let them escape!" Torchlight flickered above as bandits brandished their flames, scouring the area.

Bai Shuo turned back and once again met the young man's icy gaze. They were mere inches apart, and her palm grew damp from his breath. Her heart skipped a beat, but before she could speak, a gust of wind swept past, striking the back of her neck.

"You—"

Damn it all, knocked out again! Which bastard did this?!

Before Bai Shuo could finish cursing, her eyes slowly closed as she collapsed toward the ground.

A pair of hands caught her. The young man frowned, puzzled by his own actions.

The gust of wind materialized into a tall, stern-faced youth who knelt on one knee before the boy. "Master, Cang Shan is late."

Not far from Mu Xiao Mountain, a group of riders galloped forth, Chong Zhao gripping the reins tightly, his expression tense. The guards behind him all had sharp, alert eyes—clearly elite warriors.

A rider returned from the distance, and Chong Zhao raised his hand, signaling the group to halt.

"Young Master!" The newcomer was Chong Zhao's personal guard, Chong Gui, who reported in a low voice, "The Second Young Miss's trail vanished near Wei City."

Chong Zhao's expression darkened. "A-Shuo's trail disappeared? How? Search again!"

"Yes." Before Chong Gui could leave, another guard shouted nearby.

"Young Master! There's someone here—a woman!"

Chong Zhao turned, and the group raised their torches toward a small grove where a young woman in white lay covered in blood.

"A-Shuo!" Chong Zhao's breath hitched as he leaped from his horse, stumbling toward the girl.

Under the moonlight, the girl lifted her head, gazing at the young man's frantic expression, and reached out her hand.