Moonlit Reunion

The Demon Market was quiet during the day. Operating on a schedule opposite to the human world, this was the time when most demons rested. Wu Zhen came to Yan Tower during these hours to retrieve something and was surprised to find her friend Liu Taizhen, whom she hadn't seen in days, also there.

"Little Snake!" Wu Zhen walked up behind Liu Taizhen and suddenly clapped her on the shoulder.

Her footsteps had been silent, and Liu Taizhen, lost in thought, was genuinely startled. However, Liu Taizhen had an unshakably steady temperament—even when startled, her expression remained unchanged as she continued sitting there, gazing down at the endless expanse of bluish-gray rooftops below Yan Tower.

Wu Zhen swung a leg over the railing and perched on it, tilting her head to look at her. "What's wrong? Normally at this time, you'd be at home. Why are you alone at Yan Tower with nothing to do?"

Liu Taizhen finally turned to glance at her but didn't answer the question. Instead, she said, "You've been making quite a stir these past couple of days."

Wu Zhen knew exactly what she was referring to. She had recently enlisted a few minor demons from the Demon Market to frighten Lü Zhi. Over the past few days, the demons had taken turns terrorizing him, then returned to enthusiastically recount their exploits in vivid detail, as if telling a thrilling story. The more diligent ones even collected suggestions from other demons, striving to scare Lü Zhi in new and creative ways each day. As a result, idle demons had spontaneously gathered at Yanmen Square, eagerly awaiting the return of the pranksters to hear their tales—it had become quite the lively affair.

Not that Wu Zhen blamed them. The lives of these minor demons were as dull as humans', so any excitement tended to go to their heads. Moreover, opportunities like this were rare—after all, without the Cat Official's permission, they couldn't just go around frightening ordinary people without reason, or they'd face severe consequences.

Perhaps this was the joy of bullying someone with official sanction.

Wu Zhen was well aware that her actions were somewhat inappropriate, but she had always been thicker-skinned than her friend and didn't dwell on minor missteps. Now, she even grinned and invited Liu Taizhen to join in the fun. "Little Snake, why not come along and join the excitement? I remember you don't like that Lü Zhi either. Why not transform into your serpent form and give him a good scare?"

Liu Taizhen let out a cold laugh but ultimately refrained from lecturing her about the impropriety of mobilizing minor demons to harass an ordinary person. She merely offered a mild reminder: "Know when to stop."

Wu Zhen nodded cheerfully. "I know, I know. We won't scare him to death—just enough to keep him holed up at home for a year or two, so he stops bullying my fiancé."

At the mention of this fiancé, Liu Taizhen studied her friend seriously. "Wu Zhen, are you serious this time?"

Wu Zhen smirked. "Everyone else has already asked me. I was wondering when you'd finally bring it up—couldn't hold back anymore, could you?" After laughing, she rubbed her nose uncertainly. "I think I am serious. At least more serious than the previous times."

Shaking off her hesitation, Wu Zhen slung an arm around Liu Taizhen's shoulders and teased, "Well, Little Snake, I'm getting married. You're only a year younger than me—from now on, you'll be the oldest unmarried lady in our circle."

Liu Taizhen replied coolly, "So what? If I choose not to marry, who would dare say a word about it?"

Wu Zhen: ...Well, no one would, indeed.Their Snake Lord, in her human identity, was the only daughter of Censor Liu. To outsiders, she had always appeared frail and sickly since childhood, with a perpetually pale complexion that suggested chronic weakness. Censor Liu guarded her as preciously as his own eyeballs, wishing he could care for her by her side for a lifetime—how could he ever bear to let her marry? With the famously fearless Censor Liu standing guard, who would dare speak ill of Lady Liu? Anyone who tried would face a barrage of spit from dozens of stern-faced censors.

But... Wu Zhen reached out to pinch her companion's excessively pale cheek, examining it closely. "I say, little snake, this sickly appearance you inherited from the previous Snake Lord is far too deceptive." Outsiders unaware of Liu Taizhen's true identity might be fooled, but Wu Zhen had personally witnessed this woman single-handedly strangle a black bear demon—a monstrous creature as tall as a city gate tower, killed without hesitation. Yet even knowing the terrifying power beneath that delicate exterior, Wu Zhen couldn't help but fuss over her when she appeared so pale—perhaps a habit formed since childhood.

Liu Taizhen brushed Wu Zhen's hand away and gazed at her quietly for a moment before turning her eyes back to the distant horizon without further questions.

Counting back, Liu Taizhen and Wu Zhen had known each other since they wore their hair in childish buns. They were of similar age and shared the same official position, yet their personalities couldn't have been more different. Liu Taizhen still remembered their first meeting at Yan Tower. The previous Cat Official had just departed, and her mother had brought the new "kitten official" to introduce them.

Back then, Wu Zhen had been utterly mischievous—a fearless little girl of few years, running up and down Yan Tower, touching everything in sight. While Liu Taizhen sat demurely waiting to meet her new friend, Wu Zhen nearly pried loose the ornamental pearl from the tower's roof. When she finally settled down opposite Liu Taizhen, she suddenly tossed a bug at her to startle her. A truly wicked child.

Her mother had clasped their hands together and said, "Taizhen, this is the new Cat Official. From now on, you'll be partners overseeing the Demon Market together." At the time, she had been overjoyed. As a child born between human and demon, she could naturally see all manner of ominous creatures but had no one but her mother to share this with, leaving her friendless throughout her childhood. From that day forward, she gained a friend who could also see spirits and demons—though this friend did love causing trouble and playing a bit too much. Yet undeniably, in all the years they'd managed the Demon Market after her mother's departure, this friend had also been a reliable companion who put her at ease.

From one demure and one rambunctious child with their hair in buns, to one dignified and one free-spirited woman today—their understanding of each other surpassed even that of blood relatives...

"He should be at the Ministry of Justice around this time." Wu Zhen suddenly smiled as if remembering something. "Little snake, I'm off to see my little husband. You keep staring into space here, and do me a favor tonight—keep an eye on those scary little demons for me. I won't be coming by."

With that, she left, leaving only her familiar retreating figure for Liu Taizhen to watch.

As that well-known silhouette disappeared from view, an inexplicable melancholy rose in Liu Taizhen's heart. She could only exhale softly to dispel this faint sorrow. Her dearest friend was getting married—it seemed they were about to walk different paths now. The feeling was somewhat... lonely.Noon in Chang'an was scorching, and the heat was beginning to seep indoors. After finishing lunch at the Ministry of Justice canteen, Mei Zhuyu returned to his office. As expected, he spotted a familiar tabby cat perched on the paulownia tree outside his window.

These past few days, he had often seen this tabby cat. If not for the complete absence of demonic qi emanating from it, he might have suspected this ordinary-looking feline of being something more.

The paulownia blossoms outside had long since withered, leaving only lush green leaves on the branches. The cat lounged comfortably on a bough, seemingly quite pleased with its napping spot. Mei Zhuyu glanced at it twice before returning his attention to the official documents in his hands, indifferent to the feline presence.

Wu Zhen, once again in cat form, tucked her paws under her and occasionally cracked an eye open to observe the figure bent over his desk. She wasn’t intentionally spying—it was just that after the incident with Lü Zhi a few days prior, she had taken to keeping an eye on her future husband to ensure no further misfortunes befell him. After all, ahem , in her younger days, she hadn’t exactly been subtle and had made quite a few enemies. Those shameless types weren’t above targeting family members for revenge.

Over the past few days, Wu Zhen had often followed Mei Zhuyu in cat form. Her betrothed led a routine and mundane life—more boring than most. He either worked at the Ministry of Justice or rested at home, with no entertainment to speak of. Even the most upright and low-key young men would occasionally gather with friends for drinks and conversation at a music house, but this one bordered on reclusive.

After shadowing him for days, watching him treat colleagues and strangers alike with the same detached indifference, Wu Zhen couldn’t help but wonder if the blushes and smiles she’d seen during their previous encounters had been mere figments of her imagination.

"Magistrate Mei, Vice Minister Xu requests your presence regarding this case," a clerk hurriedly informed him.

Wu Zhen, eavesdropping from outside, stretched and shook out her fur before trotting after Mei Zhuyu as he left. He was headed to the Ministry of Justice prison to interrogate a recently captured suspect. Though this wasn’t his usual duty, Vice Minister Xu had assigned it to him, and Mei Zhuyu accepted without question, setting off with only a reluctant clerk in tow.

Wu Zhen had never actually been to the Ministry of Justice prison—it wasn’t exactly a fun place, and the air was thick with foul energy. But since her little husband was going, she might as well take a look.

The exterior of the prison was unremarkable, but the inside was another story. Meant for criminals, the conditions were predictably grim. The moment one stepped inside, a chill crept up from the ankles, followed by a barrage of pungent, stomach-churning odors strong enough to make a person stagger. The clerk trailing Mei Zhuyu instinctively recoiled, but seeing his superior stride forward without hesitation, he could only grimace, pinch his nose, and follow.

Wu Zhen caught a whiff of the stench and immediately understood why this was an undesirable assignment. She hesitated, eyeing the dubious stains on the prison floor with disdain, her whiskers twitching. Finally, she leaped lightly onto the wall and scurried after Mei Zhuyu.

Interrogating prisoners and recording confessions wasn’t difficult—just tedious. And in such an unpleasant environment, patience wore thin quickly. Add an uncooperative suspect to the mix, and it became nothing short of a disaster.The prisoner was a middle-aged man with a face full of sorrow and hardship. He had accidentally killed his own wife and was thus sentenced. From the moment he saw Mei Zhuyu, he began to cry, weeping uncontrollably with snot and tears. Mei Zhuyu, however, sat expressionless in his seat, writing down the record, occasionally pausing to ask a question. At first, the man mumbled evasively, refusing to answer and simply wailing. But Mei Zhuyu had remarkable patience, watching him coldly until he finished crying before continuing his questions. After much back and forth, the man finally hunched his shoulders and stammered out answers.

Wu Zhen stood on an oil lamp shelf, hidden from view. Throughout the interrogation, she counted how many times the clerk behind Mei Zhuyu rolled his eyes in impatience and how many times the man cried out, "Sir, please spare me! I really didn’t mean to!" As for Mei Zhuyu, he didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow the entire time. He simply dipped his sleeve in ink to record the answers, asking concise questions about identity, origin, and the details of the crime—not a single unnecessary word.

If it had been Wu Zhen, she might have lost patience by the second time the man bowed and begged for mercy, slamming his face onto the record book in frustration. She admired the young man’s patience and good temper, once again concluding that the flustered version of him she had seen before must have been an imposter.

Halfway through the interrogation, Wu Zhen surrendered, abandoning the young man and strolling out of the prison. But she didn’t go home, instead loitering near the Ministry of Justice offices—where she accidentally overheard someone badmouthing the young man behind his back.

Being a cat had its perks. When unfamiliar people were chatting, there was no need to avoid them. She could simply squat nearby and listen openly.