Moonlit Reunion

The moon hung high in the sky as Li Yuanzhen leaned against the window, gazing at the withered white tea tree in front of the palace. Unable to sleep, her mind was preoccupied with how her aunt might save the tree tomorrow.

Tonight was the full moon, and her princess’s residence stood on high ground with an open view in front. Moonlight cascaded like frost, illuminating the night outside. Li Yuanzhen rested her chin in her hand, staring blankly when suddenly, she glimpsed a faint white figure standing beneath the dead tea tree.

The ethereal silhouette appeared translucent in the moonlight, its sleeves fluttering gently. From afar, it seemed to be looking in her direction. Li Yuanzhen froze for a moment before her eyes widened in recognition. This was the person who had appeared in her recurring dreams for the past ten years—the one she had longed to see again.

She had yearned for so long that it had become an indescribable obsession.

Without hesitation, Li Yuanzhen bolted out of the palace doors and down the front steps. She had already prepared for bed, her hair loose and unbound, wearing only phoenix-headed slippers. In her haste, one slipper slipped off on the steps, but she paid it no mind. Her eyes remained fixed on the figure, terrified that if she blinked or arrived a second too late, it would vanish.

The palace maids attending to her were startled by her sudden movement and chased after her with silk scarves and lanterns in hand.

"Princess! Princess!"

"Your Highness, what’s wrong? Slow down, be careful not to fall!"

Without turning back, Li Yuanzhen shouted, "Don’t follow me! Go back—none of you are to come after me!"

The maids halted immediately, exchanging uncertain glances, not daring to pursue further. They could only watch as she ran all the way to the white tea tree.

Breathless, Li Yuanzhen stopped and looked up at the white-robed man beneath the tree. Just like ten years ago—and in her dreams—he stood silently watching her, saying nothing.

She stopped before him, momentarily at a loss for words. When he smiled at her, she instinctively smiled back, but her eyes stung with tears.

"I…" She clutched the hem of her skirt, her bare feet sinking into the soft earth as if she were treading on clouds. Her voice came out faint, as though it wasn’t her own. "I still don’t know your name."

The man smiled again and shook his head.

Through his translucent form, Li Yuanzhen caught sight of the withered white tea tree behind him. Suddenly, she burst into loud, messy sobs—just like the little girl she had been when they first met, pitiful and disheveled.

"I still don’t know your name," she repeated between sobs.

Then she saw the man step forward. He took her hand and placed a flower bud in her palm. With a gentle touch of his finger, the bud bloomed—four white petals unfurling around a tender yellow stamen.

This year’s flower. The thought came to her inexplicably. Though she couldn’t hear his voice, she had a strong sense that he had come to say goodbye.

The man released her hand and took a step back. Panic surged in Li Yuanzhen’s chest. Clutching the flower tightly, she reached out to grab the hem of his robe.

"Don’t go!"

But she couldn’t hold on. Helplessly, she watched as he dissolved before her eyes. Her nose stung, and tears threatened to spill again—until a voice suddenly spoke beside her ear.

"Little Yuanzhen, give me the flower in your hand."Li Yuanzhen was startled, her sobs choking back in her throat, causing her to hiccup. She whipped her head around to see Wu Zhen standing behind her.

"L-Little Aunt?" It was the middle of the night—how had her aunt entered the palace and appeared behind her without a sound? Li Yuanzhen then noticed the palace maids lying unconscious nearby. What was happening?

Having already witnessed the spirit attachment, why was she still so shocked by her aunt's sudden midnight appearance? Seeing Li Yuanzhen frozen in place, Wu Zhen took the white camellia from her hand and examined it closely.

"Indeed, the last trace of essence remains." With that, Wu Zhen blew a breath forward, instantly summoning a white mist around them. The figure of the man, which had already dissipated, reformed—though now even more ethereal.

The young princess, already dumbfounded by the sudden appearance of the mist, grew even more stunned when the man reappeared.

With a flick of her wrist, Wu Zhen produced a wooden hairpin carved with a lifelike white camellia at its tip. She pointed it toward the silent man and said, "If you take refuge in this hairpin, you will be preserved. But you must abandon your original form and forfeit your freedom. Are you willing?"

The man glanced at Li Yuanzhen and nodded. Wu Zhen then turned back to Li Yuanzhen. "Yuanzhen, are you willing to nurture this attached spirit—"

Before she could finish, Li Yuanzhen snapped out of her daze and blurted, "I am!"

Wu Zhen chided, "Let me finish. No need to rush."

Li Yuanzhen obediently shrank back. "Go on, Little Aunt."

Wu Zhen looked at her seriously. "Have you truly thought this through? He is no ordinary man—he is a Monster known as an attached spirit. Though he has consciousness, he cannot speak. Though you can see him, he cannot always be by your side—"

Li Yuanzhen couldn't hold back. "Just being able to see him makes me happy."

Wu Zhen raised an eyebrow. "A princess of your standing, so easily satisfied? Don't you have other things to consider?"

The sixteen-year-old princess wore an expression of pure innocence, while the attached spirit nearby exuded an aura of pristine purity.

Wu Zhen sighed. "...Never mind. You're still young. We'll discuss the rest later."

Taking Li Yuanzhen's hands, she pinched her fingertips. Drops of blood welled up from all ten fingers, gathering into a small pool in Wu Zhen's palm. She flicked the blood into the air, where it instantly transformed into red threads that bound the white-robed man's fading form. At the same time, Wu Zhen tossed the white camellia—the man's final gift to Li Yuanzhen—toward him and commanded, "Enter!"

The man's figure dissolved into a wisp of green smoke entwined with red threads, drifting into the camellia. Wu Zhen caught the flower in her hand and placed it atop the wooden camellia hairpin. A radiant glow, indistinguishable from moonlight, enveloped her palm.

Under this light, the white camellia merged with the wooden hairpin. Once fully fused, the once-plain wooden hairpin took on a lustrous sheen, as if carved from white jade, with a faint, misty aura swirling around it.

Wu Zhen closed her eyes briefly, allowing her slit-pupiled gaze to return to normal. Then, she casually tucked the hairpin behind Li Yuanzhen's ear. The princess froze, barely daring to move her head. Carefully removing the hairpin, she stared at it in a daze before finally raising it excitedly, her cheeks flushed. "Is... is he inside?"Wu Zhen: "Yes, from now on you'll carry it with you every day—and you must carry it."

Li Yuanzhen was practically floating with excitement: "Does that mean I can see him again?!"

Wu Zhen: "After some time, when he's recovered a bit, you can call for him. If he's willing, he'll appear."

Li Yuanzhen was silent for a moment before suddenly crouching down, clutching her head and screaming: "Ahhhhhh!"

Wu Zhen hastily covered her mouth in alarm: "Good heavens, shouting so loudly—you'll bring the patrol guards running! Where would your aunt hide then?"

Li Yuanzhen was ecstatic, her eyes sparkling as she tightly gripped the jade hairpin. She jumped up and hugged Wu Zhen: "Auntie! Auntie! I can see him again!"

Seeing her radiate such joy, Wu Zhen couldn't help but be infected by her happiness and smiled as well. Well, if her little niece was this happy, all the effort she'd gone through to obtain that wood was worth it. Though she now owed that monster a huge favor, at least everything had gone smoothly tonight—even the heavens had cooperated.

"Thank you, Auntie! From now on, if you ever need anything, Yuanzhen will do her best to help!"

"Alright, alright," Wu Zhen said with amusement. "What could I possibly need your help with? You should thank tonight's full moon instead—its pure moonlight did you a great favor."

After Wu Zhen left, Li Yuanzhen lay on her bed, clutching the hairpin as she tried to calm her excitement. Finally, a question occurred to her, and she abruptly sat up—Wait, how does Auntie know such immortal-like magic?!

...

Sunlight streamed through the window, and all the lamps in the room had long been extinguished, leaving only a faint scent of oil. Mei Si stared at the unchanged painting on the table before him, his eyes bloodshot and his arms red. To keep himself from falling asleep in the middle of the night, he had pinched his arms hard whenever he felt drowsy, leaving his entire arm covered in red marks.

All night, he had pondered what stance he should take to slash the painting if the Evil Spirit inside escaped. Yet by morning, the painting remained unchanged, and none of the ten stances he'd imagined had been of any use.

Leaning on his sword, Mei Si stood up, his legs trembling from sitting all night. He paced around the table, glancing at the painting from time to time, torn with indecision.

He felt there was something wrong with the painting, but without witnessing it firsthand, destroying it outright felt like a waste. After much hesitation, he finally made up his mind. He fetched the basin he used for discarded paper, steeled himself, rolled up the painting, and tossed it inside. Lighting a fire starter, he threw it in. Spotting the brush on the table, he hesitated briefly before tossing it into the flames as well.

Watching the fire consume the Evil Spirit on the paper, Mei Si exhaled deeply and slumped onto a nearby cushion.

Just then, a wisp of purple smoke suddenly rose from the flames, darting toward Mei Si like lightning. Before he could react, it entered his body. Mei Si stiffened and collapsed backward.

Moments later, Mei Si opened his eyes again—but now, the innocent sincerity he usually carried was gone. His eyes were darker than ever, reflecting no light at all.

'Mei Si' got up from the floor, examined his new body, and smiled unpleasantly. Soon after, he left Mei Si's home and vanished into a corner of Chang'an City.At the Ministry of Justice office, Mei Zhuyu was signing official documents when he suddenly felt his eyelid twitch, as if something had happened. Instinctively, he turned to look out the window—a sunny day with blazing sunlight. Just as he set down his brush and was about to perform a quick divination with his fingers, a clerk hurried in.

"Magistrate Mei, a homicide has occurred in Yongfu Ward. Vice Minister Xu requests that you immediately take a team to investigate."

Mei Zhuyu set aside his current work, took the official case file handed to him, and glanced through it before replying, "Understood."

In a derelict old house in Yongfu Ward, two corpses had been discovered. The manner of death was horrifying—as if they had been mauled by a massive beast. Yet in this vast capital of Chang'an, how could there possibly be a man-eating beast of such size?