Moonlit Reunion

Liu Taizhen placed her hand on the painting to sense its energy, then withdrew it and said, "Wu Zhen, did you feel it?"

Wu Zhen nodded. "I did. This thing is clearly ominous, yet it's too 'clean.' Even if there's some peculiar demonic power within, it's extremely faint." She turned to Lingxiao and the other. "How did you capture this thing?"

Madam Zhu, whose figure was more robust and voluptuous than most women, replied, "At the time, we saw these things riding a black cloud heading toward the palace city, so we intercepted them. At first, we thought they were Evil Spirits, but there was no ghostly aura. My husband noticed the scent of ink on them and guessed they might be Ink Demons or something similar, so we used a Mystic Scroll to confine them."

Lingxiao nodded in agreement. "Exactly. After being confined in the scroll, these things turned into this painting of an Evil Spirit. But after studying it carefully these past two days, we realized it might not actually be an Ink Demon. That's why we brought it to Yan Tower for you two to examine."

Wu Zhen's focus, however, wasn't on the object itself but rather—"Heading toward the palace city?"

"Yes. Does the Cat Official find anything amiss?"

Wu Zhen inexplicably thought of the little princess's white tea plant. Though the tea plant hadn't spoken, its condition clearly indicated it had endured a fierce battle. Wu Zhen had been wondering what could have entered the palace city without drawing attention—even when she personally went there, she hadn't detected any lingering ominous aura nearby.

Suddenly, she rolled up the scroll. "Let me borrow this for now. I need to find Mei Si and see if this is something he painted." That boy Mei Si always brought his new paintings to her for appraisal, and after seeing so many, Wu Zhen was almost certain this painting was his work. But how had he managed to create something infused with demonic power?

The Mei Si Wu Zhen was thinking of was currently in the Demon Market. However, the current 'Mei Si' was no longer the same as before. His body had been taken over by a Demon Spirit, while his own consciousness lay unconscious, squeezed into a corner of his body.

The Demon Spirit occupying Mei Si's body was hiding from someone—the man who had captured him, split him into two parts, and imprisoned him in specially crafted brushes and paper. That man appeared to be a frail, ordinary human, but his methods were bizarre. The Demon Spirit had been peacefully residing in Yangzhou before being forcibly brought here and made to lend his power to a human. The humiliation was unbearable.

He had never been to Chang'an before and was unfamiliar with the place, but he could sense the overwhelming demonic qi here, a gathering place for non-human entities. Hiding here, he figured the man wouldn't find him anytime soon. He planned to lay low for a while, wait for the heat to die down, and then return to Yangzhou.

The Demon Spirit had it all planned out. After searching through the Demon Market, he wanted to find a suitable place to recuperate. The human boy whose body he now inhabited had drained much of his demonic power through painting. The boy had even thrown the paper and brush imprisoning him into a fire—while this indirectly freed him, it also weakened him considerably. He needed proper rest to recover.After wandering around, the Demon Spirit chose a building in the Demon Market shaped like a soaring wild goose—the Wild Goose Tower. This outsider had sneaked into the Demon Market without any knowledge of its rules, let alone the fact that the tower housed two figures one should never provoke. He simply noticed the tower's excellent location, beneficial for his injuries, and without hesitation, infiltrated it.

Inside the Wild Goose Tower, Wu Zhen had already left, and Lingxiao and Madam Zhu had also returned home, leaving only Liu Taizhen behind. As the child of a human and a demon, her body had certain flaws, requiring her to spend time in water periodically. Her mother was a water-dwelling snake demon with an affinity for water, and for Liu Taizhen, being submerged was also more comfortable.

The tower's grand hall housed a massive pool, its waters perpetually warm and misty. Liu Taizhen often transformed into her true form to soak in it. This time was no different—she turned into a snake and sank quietly to the bottom.

The Wild Goose Tower was silent, as it always was. Suddenly, Liu Taizhen sensed an unfamiliar presence intruding into the tower. This was her territory, and no matter how careful the intruder was, she detected them immediately. She didn’t rush to confront them, instead remaining in the pool, waiting for the trespasser to approach. It had been a long time since any demon dared to sneak into the Wild Goose Tower. Whoever dared to slip in now either had nerves of steel or a severe lack of brains.

The Demon Spirit, having infiltrated the tower, was overjoyed to find it seemingly empty. With no one around, things would be much easier for him. The interior was lavishly decorated, with a large, mist-covered pool at its center. A long bridge arched over the water, leading to a platform at the back, while two spiral staircases flanked either side.

Currently occupying an ordinary human’s body and severely weakened, the Demon Spirit’s senses were dulled. As he stepped onto the suspended bridge, he failed to notice a pair of emerald-green eyes watching him from beneath the water.

Was that Mei Si? Liu Taizhen slowly swam beneath the surface, observing the figure on the bridge. She had seen Mei Si before—she was familiar with the group of energetic youths who often followed Wu Zhen around. It was inevitable; those boisterous young men, upon spotting her and her companions, would inevitably engage in loud, playful banter. Over time, she’d grown accustomed to their faces.

But something about this Mei Si seemed off. Not long ago, Wu Zhen had left with a painting supposedly drawn by him, and now he suddenly appeared here. How could an ordinary human enter the Demon Market, let alone the Wild Goose Tower?

By the time the Demon Spirit reached the middle of the bridge, he finally sensed something amiss—but it was too late. Before he could flee, a massive serpent surged from the water, seizing him in its jaws and dragging him under. Caught off guard, the Demon Spirit convulsed as he was submerged, suddenly spewing a thick stream of ink.

This Demon Spirit’s true form was a shape-shifting ink painting, and water was its greatest weakness. Liu Taizhen coiled her tail around Mei Si’s body and flung him, forcing another gush of ink from his mouth. Once she deemed it sufficient, she brought her head close to Mei Si’s neck, baring her fangs and biting down. No blood was drawn—instead, as she pulled away, a twisted mass of black ink, shrouded in violet smoke, was expelled from Mei Si’s body.Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the Demon Spirit tried to flee, but the serpent opened its maw and inhaled, swallowing the spirit whole. A bulge formed along the serpent's body, twitching a couple of times before quickly settling, the swelling gradually smoothing out.

Liu Taizhen flicked her tail, flinging the black ink Mei Si had spat out beyond the pool. She couldn’t allow such Demonic Ink to taint her bathing waters.

Mei Si struggled awake. Once the Demon Spirit left his body, his senses returned, though he had no memory of the possession. Opening his eyes to find himself submerged, he panicked and grabbed onto a nearby rock.

The slippery white stone felt odd, its surface patterned. As Mei Si clung to it, he slowly realized this "white rock" was not only long but also moving.

When it dawned on him that he was submerged in water while embracing a giant serpent, his mind remained eerily calm. This must be a dream, he thought, otherwise, none of this makes sense. The enormous white serpent’s head loomed terrifyingly close, its icy gaze fixed on him. Staring back, the hairs on Mei Si’s neck stood on end—his instincts screamed this was no dream.

Summoning courage, he reached out to touch the scales on the serpent’s head, testing his theory. But Liu Taizhen, having her "face" touched, decided Mei Si must have a death wish. She parted her jaws to teach him a lesson, only for him to faint before she could strike, sinking limply to the bottom.

Bubbles rose to the surface. For a fleeting moment, Liu Taizhen thought of her friend Wu Zhen. Letting Mei Si die here would be troublesome to explain.

Reluctantly, she shifted back to human form, diving in to haul him up. They broke the surface, and she tossed him onto the pool’s edge before smoothing her hair—tangled by Mei Si’s unconscious flailing.

Mei Si awoke again, eyes glazed. If the giant serpent hadn’t been a dream, then the naked Liu Taizhen before him had to be. Otherwise, this scene was even more inexplicable!

His mind reeled. Why did every time he open his eyes reveal something beyond comprehension? Stupefied, he stared at the woman in the water—her pale, rounded shoulders, raven hair cascading down her back, that aloof profile— Why Liu Taizhen?! Wu Zhen’s sworn rival! Why was she here? And why was she naked?!

His sanity teetered on the brink. Never had he encountered such chaos. A coughing fit wracked him. Liu Taizhen, noticing he’d woken, arched a brow. A mere mortal, recovering too fast—first from possession, now unconsciousness.

But it didn’t matter. These memories couldn’t remain. Cold-faced, she advanced toward him.Mei Si saw Liu Taizhen turn around, her front... clearly visible. His hand trembled instantly, and he staggered back in a panic, clutching his chest with a flustered gaze. "Y-you, what are you going to do to me? Stay away! Don’t come any closer—keep your distance!"

Liu Taizhen: "What’s this? Are you some persecuted innocent maiden now?"

After a brief silence, Liu Taizhen stepped barefoot onto the poolside, rising from the water. She grabbed Mei Si in one swift motion, roughly pinning him to the ground.

Mei Si struggled desperately but didn’t dare actually touch her, clawing at the floor instead, nearly in tears. "Let me go! I won’t betray Sister Zhen or my brothers! We’re on opposing sides—even if you force me, I won’t stand with you!"

Liu Taizhen: "Who knows what nonsense young people these days have in their heads."

She couldn’t be bothered to deal with this weakling’s struggles. Gripping his chin, she forced him to meet her eyes, then pressed a hand to his forehead. A flash of white light pulsed beneath her palm, and finally, Mei Si went limp, unconscious.

Liu Taizhen wiped his memory clean, leaving him collapsed by the poolside as she went to change her clothes.