Moonlight Mystique

Wu De Donkey wasn’t the least bit surprised. Its donkey lips curled into a grin, revealing a row of white teeth. “How did you know I’m Long Er?”

“From the moment I left the capital until I entered Mu Xiao Mountain, the only non-human thing I encountered was you.” Bai Shuo sighed. “Do you demons all think mortals have no brains?”

“Don’t lump me together with that cursed star.” Long Er Donkey shuddered. “Little Bai, when we escaped Mu Xiao Mountain, it was your blood that woke up that pig, wasn’t it?”

A hint of wariness flashed in Bai Shuo’s eyes.

“Don’t worry, I won’t take much—just this vial…” Its hoof tapped the ground, and a small porcelain bottle materialized. “Give me one vial of your blood, and I’ll help you see that fool.”

“Deal.” Bai Shuo picked up the bottle and agreed without hesitation.

A sly glint flickered in the donkey’s eyes as it grinned, but Bai Shuo suddenly spoke again.

“I’m curious. Why can’t the master of Haoyue Palace recognize you when he’s clearly looking for you? And… why does he call you Long Er when you’re obviously a donkey?”

“Well…” Long Er Donkey drawled, blinking its donkey eyes and bending its hooves slightly. “Dawn is almost here. Are you sure you want to waste time on this?”

Bai Shuo paused, then said no more and climbed onto the donkey’s back. “To the prison!”

With a flick of its tail and a flash of light, the girl and donkey vanished from the ancestral hall.

The window creaked open, then softly shut.

“Hey, Little Wood, was that girl secretly mocking you just now?!”

In the courtyard, perched on a tree, a red-clad youth lounged lazily as Long Yi Zhu flapped its tiny wings and giggled.

Fan Yue shot Long Yi Zhu a glance, expressionless.

A shimmer of light, and the two appeared on the streets of Chang’an, following the sound of donkey hooves at a distance. The invisible fool of a donkey was plain as day to Fan Yue’s eyes.

“How’d you see through that idiot’s true form? Even I missed it.”

Fan Yue couldn’t be bothered to waste energy on the pig.

Nearby, the night watch drum suddenly struck, startling the donkey so badly its legs buckled. Bai Shuo nearly tumbled off, frantically clinging to its neck, terrified for her life.

Watching her desperate struggle to survive, Fan Yue’s lips curled slightly.

“Have you ever seen anyone more afraid of death than her?”

Fan Yue’s abrupt question left Long Yi Zhu blinking in confusion.

“Scared as she is, she didn’t forget this donkey while running for her life.” Fan Yue smirked. “If I hadn’t knocked her out, and if those Daoists from Daze Mountain hadn’t sent her back to the capital, and if that mortal Chong Zhao wasn’t locked up—do you really think this idiot donkey could manipulate her?”

Long Yi Zhu pondered this. In its tens of thousands of years, the last time it saw such a stubborn girl was when the True God Shang Gu was young.

Long Yi pouted and snorted. “She’s only got so much blood—I wouldn’t even dare waste it! And this fool actually dares to ask for it! Hey, Little Wood, why are we following this idiot? Let’s just take the medicine jar and the donkey back to the Far North—ow!”

Mid-rant, Long Yi Zhu smacked into Fan Yue’s back. Just around the corner stood the prison, where the girl and donkey had stopped.

Long Er Donkey suddenly turned their way. A flash of light, and Fan Yue vanished. The donkey glanced back, seeing nothing, but a flicker of doubt crossed its eyes—though it had no time to dwell on it."Hold on tight!"

Before Bai Shuo could react, the creature leaped into the celestial prison on all fours and disappeared without a trace.

At the entrance of the celestial prison, Long Er the donkey blew a breath toward the depths of the cells. The guards and prisoners slumped softly, falling into a deep slumber.

With a flick of its tail, the donkey and its rider materialized. Long Er bent its legs, allowing Bai Shuo to dismount.

"That fool is locked inside. Go on."

The long corridor was bone-chillingly cold. Bai Shuo shivered involuntarily before turning to run deeper into the prison.

"Girl Bai, you only have half an incense stick's worth of time. Don't forget!"

Long Er's voice echoed behind her. The dim, flickering lantern light revealed emaciated figures in the cells—some with broken limbs, others in wretched states. Bai Shuo quickened her pace until she suddenly halted before one cell. It was the only one in the entire prison with its gates wide open. Inside, Chong Zhao lay unconscious on a straw mat, covered in blood, his hair disheveled. In just half a month, the once-glamorous young master of the prime minister's residence had been tortured beyond recognition.

"A-Zhao!" Bai Shuo had never seen Chong Zhao like this. She cried out in shock, rushing into the cell and lifting him from the ground. "A-Zhao! What's happened to you?"

Chong Zhao slowly opened his eyes, his bloodstained pupils vaguely reflecting Bai Shuo's face. He gave a tragic smile, coughing up blood. "I'm dreaming again... Only in dreams can I see you, A-Shuo."

"A-Zhao, it's me! I'm A-Shuo! Don't scare me like this!" Bai Shuo's voice trembled, her heart clenched in pain.

Chong Zhao, delirious with fever, couldn't recognize anyone, believing himself still trapped in a dream.

"It's good... you didn't marry me. A-Shuo, you... you must live well..." Chong Zhao coughed violently, vomiting blood that stained Bai Shuo's snow-white robes. She could do nothing to help.

Suddenly, as if possessed, Chong Zhao shoved Bai Shuo away and pounded the ground with his fists, glaring toward the imperial palace. "No! My father is innocent! He served the nation and its people his whole life—he would never rebel!"

"A-Zhao..."

"You've wronged him! Wronged him! I won't confess! Never!"

With a roar, Chong Zhao slammed his head against the wall, collapsing unconscious, blood streaming down his face.

"A-Zhao!" Bai Shuo caught him but couldn't rouse him again. Holding the boy she'd grown up with, she wept helplessly in the depths of the celestial prison, her body trembling.

"Time's up. We must leave!" Long Er's voice rang in her ears. Before Bai Shuo could react, an unseen force swept her out of the cell.

In an instant, she was outside the prison. Long Er bent its legs slightly, and as soon as Bai Shuo landed on its back, it bolted toward the prime minister's residence.

Clutching the donkey's neck tightly, Bai Shuo, for the first time, forgot all about her pursuit of immortality—her mind filled only with Chong Zhao's frenzied face.

Long Er landed nimbly outside the ancestral hall of the general's residence. The concealing glow hadn't yet faded, rendering them invisible to the guards stationed outside. Just as Long Er was about to leap into the hall, a voice sounded nearby.

"My lord, what's done is done. No amount of self-blame can save the Chong family now."

Mother? Bai Shuo yanked Long Er's ears and jumped off its back.

Fearing they might be discovered, Long Er flicked its tail to conceal Bai Shuo's presence.

Not far from the ancestral hall, beneath an old peach tree in the garden, Bai Xun stood exhausted, while Lady Bai stood behind him, her eyes brimming with tears and worry.“There are three jars of wine buried under this tree, which Chong Zhao and I personally buried when A-Shuo and A-Xi were born. We agreed to open them when the two children got married…” Bai Xun sighed, his voice hoarse. “How could he be so foolish! Dragging the entire family into ruin! Chong Zhao is a kind-hearted boy. If not for Shuo’er, why would he have gone to such lengths…”

Hidden not far away, Bai Shuo’s heart trembled, and she unconsciously moved closer to the two beneath the tree.

“Husband!” Madam Bai’s voice sharpened as she tugged at General Bai’s sleeve. “No, we absolutely cannot let Shuo’er know about this!”

Madam Bai had always been gentle and meek, never so resolute before.

Know what? What were her parents hiding from her? Bai Shuo’s heart turned icy, her hands trembling against the wall.

“Shuo’er and Chong Zhao grew up together, closer than siblings, and Chong Zhao was utterly devoted to her. If Shuo’er finds out it was because she broke off the engagement that Chong Zhao privately mobilized the Prime Minister’s private troops in Weicheng to search for her—leading His Majesty to discover the Chong family’s secret army and execute the entire household—she’ll never be able to bear it.” Madam Bai couldn’t hold back her sobs, repeating her plea to Bai Xun: “Husband, we mustn’t let Shuo’er know. Otherwise, what will become of her in the future…”

Bai Xun embraced Madam Bai, letting out a long sigh filled with helplessness.

Outside the garden, Bai Shuo’s face was deathly pale, her entire body shaking. The image of Chong Zhao, covered in blood and driven to madness, flashed repeatedly before her eyes. If not for the wall supporting her, she would have collapsed long ago.

A flash of light streaked by as Bai Shuo was hooked by a donkey’s tail and dragged toward the ancestral hall.

With a thud, inside the hall, the donkey’s tail flicked, and Bai Shuo, unable to steady herself, fell to the ground. Her eyes were vacant, her face terrifyingly pale.

“Hey! Little Bai?!” Long Er’s voice suddenly turned crisp and childlike before he caught himself and coughed, reverting to his usual gruff tone. “Bai girl?”

Bai Shuo remained seated on the ground, dazed and unresponsive.

Long Er glanced anxiously out the window. If he didn’t awaken her Soul Power soon, that damned ice block would find him, and he’d be turned into a literal piece of wood.

Growing impatient, Long Er snorted and raised a hoof, ready to jolt Bai Shuo awake by force—only for her to suddenly look up.

“Help me save him, and I’ll give you my life.”

Long Er froze, his donkey eyes widening in shock before shifting to guilt.

Damn it! She figured it out? How?!

“Bai girl, what nonsense are you spouting? I just need a vial of your blood… What’s this about your life…”

“If all you wanted was a vial of my blood, why take so many risks? You could’ve just knocked me out and taken it. The Yao Race is known for their capricious and vengeful nature. After how I tricked you at Mu Xiao Mountain, you still played along with me, going through all this trouble. I’ve been wondering—why?”

Bai Shuo’s voice was soft but firm. “I once read in a book that unlike immortals, the Yao Race’s most common cultivation method involves taking human essence or blood—but there are rules. I think… for my blood to be useful to you, I must willingly offer it to you. Am I right?”

Both immortals and demons could take human essence or blood to aid their cultivation. But if taken against the victim’s will, forcibly seizing it would lead one down the path of evil—just like the nine-headed serpent Tian Qi slew in the imperial mausoleum.Long Er the Donkey dreamed of awakening his Soul Power, but he could only coax Bai Shuo into willingly offering her blood. Otherwise, he would forever be reduced to a demonic entity that cultivated by draining the life force of living beings.

Long Er the Donkey stared oddly at Bai Shuo for a long while before finally unable to resist asking.

"Little Bai, are you really just a Mortal?"

"Absolutely genuine."

"How can a mere Mortal know so much?"

Bai Shuo suddenly sighed, walking to the window to gaze at the moon hanging high in the night sky. No one knew what thoughts filled her mind as she looked at the moon.

"My greatest wish in this life is to become an immortal. Since I was eight, I've read every book on gods and ghosts in this world. I know those books were written to deceive people, but since they've been passed down, there must be some truth in them. Everything I know comes from those books."

Bai Shuo wasn't lying. Over the years, Chong Zhao had spent fortunes collecting strange tales from across the land for her, many of which were indeed written by Daoist cultivators. While the contents seemed absurd to others, Bai Shuo knew many of the accounts might not be false.

"What's so great about being an immortal?" Long Er the Donkey scoffed. "All those pretentious rules and fake morals—nothing beats the freedom of being a demon!"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Whether it was regret or resignation in Bai Shuo's eyes was unclear as she turned back. "There's no time left. As long as you help me rescue A-Zhao, I'll willingly offer you my blood—a life for a life."

The lie had been exposed. If Bai Shuo refused to offer her blood, Long Er the Donkey truly had no other options. If he couldn't awaken his Soul Power, Fan Yue would eventually find him. Rather than becoming a lifeless piece of wood forever, he might as well take the gamble!

In a flash of light, Long Er the Donkey disappeared, replaced by a green-robed youth standing before Bai Shuo. Though called a youth, he was really just a half-grown child with a wooden hairpin, wearing a patched green robe that hung like a sack. His dark eyes sparkled with mischief and vitality.

"Fine, I'll help you save that fool," the boy said in his unbroken, almost childish voice. "But you have to keep your word—no tricks!"

Long Er extended his hand to Bai Shuo. Looking at the small boy before her, she slapped his palm. "Deal!"