Moonlight Mystique

"A-Xi, do you really not remember anything?"

This winter, Bai Shuo spent most of her time sprawled across the corridor of the rear courtyard in the General's residence, asking this same question repeatedly.

Bai Xi sat upright at her desk, diligently copying the Book of Women's Virtues, responding helplessly to the noisy Bai Shuo, "I don't remember, I don't remember."

"Ah, what a pity! You didn't see that Divine Lord—his features were so handsome!" Bai Shuo lounged lazily against the corridor railing, basking in the sun while eating grapes, her eyes full of longing. "And his eyes were purple, just like..." She gazed at the sky and murmured, "Like a purple moon."

Bai Xi looked up at her words. "What did you say? A purple moon?"

Bai Shuo froze, then quickly waved her hands. "Nothing, nothing."

She stared at the serene and gentle Bai Xi and let out a long sigh.

Such a terrifying thing—A-Xi had always been timid. Perhaps it was better she didn’t remember.

Bai Xi looked at Bai Shuo and also sighed deeply.

She set down her brush and spoke earnestly to her younger sister, "A-Shuo, you're a young lady. Talking about how handsome a man is should only be done at home—it would be improper if word got out. And those absurd stories of yours..." She paused, her face full of worry. "You must never mention them in front of others."

Ever since they had gotten lost during the Lantern Festival and returned, A-Shuo had been spouting nonsense about demons and immortals, insisting that a deity had rescued them from bandits and a nine-headed serpent monster. But in reality, they had simply wandered off in the streets and were found by their father and his guards in an alley in the southern district.

After hearing Bai Shuo mention encountering an immortal and monsters during the Lantern Festival just once, their father had sternly punished her with the family discipline, making her kneel in the ancestral hall for a full day. Whatever he had said to her, Bai Shuo never spoke of that day in front of others again, though she became particularly fascinated with books about gods and monsters in private.

Ah, it seemed getting lost had frightened A-Shuo out of her wits.

Bai Xi shook her head, deeply distressed and worried for her sister.

Bai Shuo watched Bai Xi sighing and shaking her head, recalling the promise she had made to their father in the ancestral hall. She pursed her lips and kept silent about the events of the Lantern Festival.

Closing her eyes, the memory of her father's words in the ancestral hall surfaced in her mind.

"Nonsense! I told you—you two sisters got lost in the southern district. What kind of wild stories are you telling your mother and sister every day?"

"I'm not lying! Father, that day A-Xi and I really were kidnapped by monsters, and an immortal saved us! Didn't you find us behind the imperial mausoleum outside the city? The people who took us had turned into skeletons!" Bai Shuo argued urgently, her large eyes wide with insistence.

In the Bai family ancestral hall, Bai Xun looked at his stubborn youngest daughter and sighed. "A-Shuo, your sister is destined to enter the Eastern Palace as the Crown Princess. If people knew she had once been kidnapped, how would she face the world in the future?"

Bai Shuo, who had been puffing up like a fighting rooster, instantly deflated at these words. She looked at Bai Xun, pouting and lowering her head. "I understand, Father."

Seeing her dejected expression, Bai Xun sat cross-legged beside his youngest daughter and patted her head. "Tell me, what really happened that day?"Bai Shuo's eyes lit up instantly. Since she had awakened, Bai Xun had been busy with political affairs and returned late every day. A-Xi, who had come back to life, had completely forgotten the events of that day. Their mother would burst into tears whenever Bai Shuo mentioned the Lantern Festival. She wanted to share every detail of that night with a family member but hadn’t found the chance.

With great excitement, Bai Shuo recounted the events of the Lantern Festival night to Bai Xun, showing no trace of fear—only admiration for the black-robed Divine Lord in ancient attire. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall the name of the immortal who had saved her.

Though young, Bai Shuo possessed a keen and clever mind. She kept Bai Xi’s past suicide attempt a secret, only saying that her sister had fainted from fright and hadn’t seen the immortal descending from the sky to rescue them.

After listening, Bai Xun remained silent for a long time, his eyes red as he gently ruffled his youngest daughter’s soft hair. “Perhaps it’s for the best that A-Xi forgot such a calamity. For you two sisters to survive such a disaster is truly a blessing,” he sighed.

He had found the two girls on the back hill of the imperial mausoleum outside the city and had witnessed the eerie strangeness of that night, so he knew his youngest wasn’t lying. Having spent his life on the battlefield, his hands stained with blood, he never expected the heavens to be so kind to his daughters, allowing them to escape death with the help of an immortal. Yet, he couldn’t tell whether this rescue would bring fortune or misfortune to the Bai household. Tales of immortals occasionally circulated among the common folk, but they were mostly dismissed as myths. Now that the Bai family had reached the pinnacle of power and A-Xi’s identity was particularly sensitive, rumors of the sisters being saved by an immortal could bring unforeseen trouble.

As the head of the family, Bai Xun thought ahead. Seeing his youngest daughter’s lingering fascination with the immortal, he warned her sternly, “Shuo’er, you must bury what happened that night deep inside. For your sister’s sake, never speak of it to anyone again.”

Bai Shuo, wise beyond her years, nodded.

“And one more thing…” Bai Xun’s gaze darkened. “Never mention that immortal again.”

Bai Shuo jerked her head up, meeting her father’s stern eyes. Her face was full of grievance, but her voice, though small, was firm. “But Father, I promised the Divine Lord who saved me that I would cultivate the Dao diligently, become an immortal, live for thousands of years, and repay him one day.”

Bai Xun couldn’t help but laugh at his daughter’s earnest vow. He tapped her forehead lightly. “Thousands of years? If you live a smooth hundred years, I’ll be thanking the heavens!”

He lifted Bai Shuo from the cushion and took her hand, leading her outside.

“A-Shuo, encounters with immortals are rare and unpredictable. Meeting one once is already a stroke of luck. From now on… don’t bring it up again.”

Though Bai Xun’s warning echoed in her ears, Bai Shuo could never forget those deep, mysterious violet eyes beneath the vast purple moon.

She blinked, the bright sunlight warming her face as she squinted at the sky, searching in vain for even a trace of the purple moon’s glow, only to give up under the blinding sun.

“A-Shuo!” A cheerful boy’s voice suddenly rang out from the corridor.

The two sisters looked up to see Chong Zhao approaching with a large wooden box in his arms.

The young master of the Left Minister’s household, Chong Zhao, was three years older than the sisters—handsome, sunny, and their childhood companion. Bai Shuo and Chong Zhao had been betrothed since childhood, and now they were at the age of playful camaraderie. Knowing the sisters had gotten lost on the night of the Lantern Festival and that Bai Shuo had fallen seriously ill afterward, Chong Zhao had been bringing little trinkets daily to cheer her up.

Bai Xi, mindful of her status, merely nodded at Chong Zhao with reserved grace.Chong Zhao bowed properly to Bai Xi before running up to Bai Shuo. He carefully examined her expression and, seeing that her energy was much better than the previous few days, finally relaxed with a smile. He opened the wooden box and pushed it toward her.

"A-Shuo, I brought you a bamboo dragonfly and a spinning top from Xiangfu Pavilion."

Bai Shuo glanced into the box, picked up the bamboo dragonfly, and touched it lightly before replying listlessly, "Oh."

Seeing her lack of interest, Chong Zhao grew disheartened and asked softly, "Are you still not fully recovered?"

"I'm fine." Bai Shuo fiddled with the dragonfly, her mind wandering far away, none of her usual cheerfulness in sight.

Chong Zhao, with his youthful Heart-Nature, loved Bai Shuo's smiling face the most and quickly asked, "Then why aren't you happy? Whatever you want to do, I'll go with you!"

At this, Bai Shuo's eyes brightened. She was about to say something when she caught sight of Bai Xi practicing calligraphy in the study. She tugged at Chong Zhao's sleeve. "Let's go play outside. We shouldn't disturb A-Xi's calligraphy practice."

Chong Zhao had always felt awkward around Bai Xi and was more than happy to agree, nodding repeatedly.

The two walked off, carrying the wooden box and whispering to each other. Bai Xi watched their retreating figures, laughter and playfulness trailing behind them, and a trace of envy flickered in her eyes. Her gaze lingered on Bai Shuo, growing more distant, no longer as calm and composed as before. After a long while, she sighed deeply, pulled out a Buddhist scripture, and began copying it slowly.

The events of that night had been so shocking that no one wished to speak of them again. If that was the case, then she would simply pretend to forget. If only...

Bai Xi's hand paused mid-stroke.

If only A-Shuo could also forget everything that happened that night and live peacefully and contentedly.

Once Chong Zhao and Bai Shuo had left the backyard, Chong Zhao pulled two books from the bottom of the wooden box and placed them in Bai Shuo's hands.

Bai Shuo looked at the two volumes of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio in her hands, her eyes curving into crescents as she exclaimed in delight, "How did you know I wanted these books?"

Seeing her finally smile, Chong Zhao puffed up proudly. "Is there anything this Young Master doesn't know? You asked Uncle Bai to buy these ghost stories for you outside. The bookstore is run by the eldest son of my wet nurse, so of course the news reached me."

Bai Shuo grew even more excited and tugged at his sleeve. "Really? Then you have to bring me more books like this in the future!"

Chong Zhao nodded but couldn't help feeling curious. "A-Shuo, you used to hate reading the most. Why are you so into these ghost stories lately?"

Bai Shuo hesitated for a moment but decided not to hide it from Chong Zhao. She whispered in his ear, "A-Zhao, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Seeing her unusually serious expression, Chong Zhao straightened up.

"In the future... I probably won't be able to marry you," Bai Shuo said earnestly.

The ten-year-old boy's face instantly paled. The wooden box in his arms fell to the ground, the spinning top scattering everywhere.

"W-why?" Chong Zhao stammered, his eyes reddening. "Does General Bai look down on me? Does he not want you to marry me?"

The eldest daughter of the Bai family had married the Crown Prince of the East Palace. Bai Shuo was more than qualified to marry the son of a prince. Chong Zhao knew this well. Though he was the legitimate son of the Left Chancellor, he had no achievements or titles to his name. Marrying Bai Shuo was only possible because his family had once done General Bai a favor. As a child, he hadn't understood, but now, having grown up with Bai Shuo and being betrothed to her since childhood, he had long regarded her as his future wife.

"No, no!" Bai Shuo waved her hands frantically. "It has nothing to do with my father."

"Then... do you look down on me?" Chong Zhao's face grew even paler."No, no!" Seeing that things were getting more tangled, Bai Shuo decided to be straightforward. "A-Zhao, I'm going to become an immortal in the future, so I can't get married."

Chong Zhao's face, already full of bitterness, twisted halfway as if he couldn't believe his ears. He stared at Bai Shuo, dumbfounded. "What did you say you're going to do?"

"Become an immortal!" Bai Shuo hugged the two books of supernatural tales tightly and declared earnestly, "I've been reading a lot lately, and there are records of many immortal mountains and sects. Once my father lifts my house arrest, I’ll go to those mountains to seek a master and learn the arts. When I master the immortal techniques, I’ll ascend and become an immortal. How could I stay in the mortal world to marry and settle down?"

Chong Zhao stared at Bai Shuo for a long while without saying a word. Bai Shuo grew uneasy under his gaze and was about to speak when Chong Zhao reached out to feel her forehead.

"A-Shuo, are you alright?"

Bai Shuo swatted his hand away, pouting. "I'm not delirious!"

Chong Zhao awkwardly withdrew his hand, no longer angry but looking at Bai Shuo with helplessness.

Seeing his expression as if she were a patient, Bai Shuo stiffened her face and turned to leave.

"If you don’t believe me, fine. I’ve already told you—I won’t marry. I’m going to cultivate immortality."

Realizing she was truly upset, Chong Zhao quickly caught up to her. "Alright, alright, I promise you."

Bai Shuo stopped abruptly and eyed him suspiciously. "You promise not to marry me?"

Chong Zhao shook his head.

"Then what are you promising?"

"I promise to cultivate immortality with you."

Chong Zhao smiled, patting Bai Shuo’s small bun.

"Once you’ve recovered, if you want to seek a master in famous mountains and rivers, I’ll go with you. If you want to cultivate immortality, I’ll cultivate with you. Whatever you want to do, I’ll be by your side."

Bai Shuo was stunned. Looking into Chong Zhao’s earnest eyes, a wave of emotion surged in her heart.

Since returning home these past days, no matter what she said or did, her parents and A-Xi had ignored her, only urging her to forget everything and never mention it again. Only Chong Zhao, who knew nothing, was willing to believe and accompany her.

For the first time, the young Bai Shuo looked at Chong Zhao seriously and nodded firmly. She took his hand and promised sincerely, "Alright, A-Zhao. I’ll definitely take you with me to cultivate immortality. We’ll live together for thousands and thousands of years!"

Meanwhile, outside the Phoenix Island of Parasol Trees, Tian Qi hovered mid-air, gazing down at the lush ancestral grove of parasol trees on the island. His eyes settled on the spot where the Phoenix Emperor’s aura lingered.