Moonlit Reunion

Wu Zhen, transformed into a Tabby Cat, padded silently across the rooftop. After a while, she paused to glance down at her front paws, where traces of ink still lingered despite Plum Lord's efforts to wash them clean. The stubborn stains remained faintly visible.

Setting her paw down, Wu Zhen continued forward. But within a few steps, she suddenly overheard voices beneath the eaves—likely officials from the Ministry of Justice huddled together, speaking in hushed, mysterious tones.

If there was one thing Wu Zhen had in abundance, it was curiosity. Unconsciously, she halted and pricked up her ears.

One voice asked, "So, you've all encountered it too?"

Another replied, "I ran into it once. My mind went completely foggy—no idea what I was doing. I just stood there until Song the Elder happened by and snapped me out of it. When I asked, I realized I'd been standing there for over an hour."

A third chimed in, "Same here. Somehow, my senses were addled—everything felt hazy. Deputy Director Zhao even scolded me for neglecting my duties, not knowing I had no way to explain it."

Then, hesitantly, someone else ventured, "But... was I the only one who saw that... woman?"

After a brief silence, the first speaker responded with an odd tone, "To be honest, I saw a woman too—though I couldn't make out her face."

"I... saw her as well."

Listening from above, Wu Zhen soon pieced it together. These junior officials were discussing a storeroom at the back of the Ministry of Justice—a remote, poorly positioned archive that lost all sunlight by afternoon. Lately, they'd been experiencing strange occurrences there. As they described, people would enter only to inexplicably lose their senses, forgetting where they were or what they'd done. Some even reported glimpses of a shadowy female figure.

Since no one had died from these incidents, Wu Zhen would typically dismiss such trivial "hauntings" with a flick of her paw. But after a moment's consideration, she changed her mind and headed toward the storeroom they'd mentioned.

Well, I'm already here. Might as well do a good deed—it's not like I've been busy lately, she mused.

She located the storeroom quickly, for it indeed carried an unusual aura—as conspicuous to her eyes as a lantern in the night.

The room was locked and empty. Wu Zhen glanced around, then leaped to the windowsill. With a push of her paw, the supposedly secured window creaked open, revealing a dark gap. She slipped inside and strutted along the shelves, swiftly pinpointing the source of the odd energy.

Just as she'd guessed, it wasn't anything formidable—not even a proper Monster, but rather a miasma-like entity called "Feminine Delusion." Such phenomena tended to coalesce in places where ten or more women had died.

Wu Zhen reflected that beyond the nearby palace wall lay the dark chambers where palace maids were once confined as punishment. Likely, many had perished there. The storeroom's unfortunate positioning in this shadowed, yin-gathering spot made it ripe for such foul manifestations.The 'female bewitchment' couldn't harm people—at most, it could only cloud one's mind. Moreover, most men had sufficient yang energy, making them immune to its effects. Only those with weak constitutions were susceptible. When ensnared, they would see a faint female figure—the lingering resentment of a deceased woman unwilling to depart this world.

Wu Zhen opened her mouth toward the hazy figure. A shrill, inhuman scream erupted from the shadow before it was sucked into the cat's mouth. The Tabby Cat twitched its ears, then opened its mouth again. The shadow it had swallowed was gone, replaced by a wisp of white smoke that drifted into the air.

The smoke dissipated without a trace, vanishing as cleanly as it had appeared.

Silent as it had come, the Tabby Cat slipped away after completing this small task.

By the time Wu Zhen left the Taiji Palace, dusk had already settled over Chang'an, bathing the city in a golden glow. The streets were nearly empty as she rode back to Duke Yu's residence. Before she reached home, the evening drumbeats began to sound—deep, resonant booms echoing from one district to another, reverberating across Chang'an's one hundred and ten wards.

Chang'an had a strict curfew. Except during the three days of the Lantern Festival, once night fell, the drums would signal the closing of all ward and city gates. After hundreds of beats, no one was allowed to roam the streets without reason. Those still lingering on the main thoroughfares now quickened their steps, eager to return to their own wards—though movement within a ward was less restricted, allowing neighbors and friends to visit one another after dark.

Though the streets bustled with urgency, Wu Zhen remained unhurried. By the time she arrived at Duke Yu's residence, the final drumbeat faded, plunging the world into sudden silence just as the last sliver of light vanished beyond the horizon.

Duke Yu had been waiting at home. The sight of his stern face made Wu Zhen sigh inwardly. Alas! Father has been home all day—why hasn't he returned to the temple yet?

Duke Yu bellowed, "Did you deliberately dawdle outside, waiting for me to leave for the temple before coming home so late?"

Wu Zhen strode forward, looping her arm around her fuming father's elbow without missing a beat. "Of course not," she lied smoothly. "I hadn't seen Her Majesty the Empress in so long—we talked longer than expected, hence the delay."

Duke Yu eyed her skeptically. "Truly?"

Wu Zhen met his gaze with practiced innocence. "Truly. If not for you waiting here, I'd be in Pingkang Ward listening to the courtesans sing by now. Why would I return to this dreary residence otherwise?"

Duke Yu was speechless. This daughter of mine—she's not a young master! How could she speak of visiting brothels with such shameless ease?

Seeing his lecture brewing, Wu Zhen quickly steered him inside, pleading, "Enough, Father. I've been out all afternoon and I'm starving. Let me eat first, then you can scold me."

Temporarily placated, Duke Yu relented—only to realize too late that his daughter had already locked herself in her room, claiming she was going to sleep. Too dignified to pound on her door and drag her out for a reprimand, he could only sulk off to bed in frustration.

Wu Zhen, of course, had no intention of sleeping. The moment Duke Yu retired, she slipped out through her window with perfect timing.Even in human form, Wu Zhen moved with remarkable agility and grace as she leaped across the walls and rooftops of the wards, completely unnoticed by the patrolling guards below.

The city of Chang'an was quiet. Ordinary households had already extinguished their lamps and retired for the night, save for the lively Pingkang Ward, where brothels bustled with activity. Passing nearby, one could hear the faint strains of music and soft, melodious singing drifting from the houses, creating an ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere—like admiring lanterns from across the shore, a fleeting glimpse of earthly paradise.

Meanwhile, the East and West Markets, the busiest places during the day, were now the most silent, with barely a light in sight. At least, that was how it appeared to ordinary people. To non-human entities like Wu Zhen, the markets looked entirely different at this hour.

Under the cover of night, the East and West Markets belonged to the world of non-humans—a realm invisible and inaccessible to ordinary folk.

As soon as Wu Zhen stepped into the Demon Market, she was met with a cacophony of noise, a stark contrast to the stillness outside. A small, sharp face suddenly popped out from a roadside stall, greeting her enthusiastically, "Cat Official! Fresh fish balls, just caught from Qujiang Pond today! Won’t you try a bowl?"

The title "Cat Official" was a mark of respect the denizens of the Demon Market bestowed upon her. It wasn’t unique to her—everyone who had held her position in the past was addressed the same way. Currently, in this market, only two individuals were worthy of such an honorific.

The nighttime Demon Market resembled the early morning of the human world, with stalls lining the streets selling breakfast fare. Most of the wandering demon spirits and monsters crowded into the shops, eager for a warm meal. Though Wu Zhen had eaten not long ago and wasn’t particularly hungry, the rich aroma proved too tempting. She veered off her path and stepped inside.

The shopkeeper, with snow-white whiskers and bright green eyes, hurried over to wipe down a table and stool for her before swiftly serving a large bowl of fish balls with a side of dipping sauce.

After finishing the bowl, Wu Zhen wiped her mouth and headed toward the center of the markets. In the short time it had taken her to eat, the streets had already filled with passersby. Most appeared human, while those with monstrous features were fewer—after all, many demons blended seamlessly into human society by day, indistinguishable from ordinary people.

At the heart of the Demon Market stood a towering building shaped like a soaring wild goose, its red walls and black tiles adorned with rows of bronze bells hanging from the eaves. This "Wild Goose Tower" belonged to Wu Zhen, the Cat Official.

To be precise, only the left half of the building was hers. The other half belonged to the "Snake Lord." Together, the two of them maintained order in the East and West Demon Markets. Though they had worked together for years in perfect harmony, their personalities couldn’t have been more different.

Their paths to assuming their respective titles had also been quite distinct. The little white snake had inherited her position from her mother, the previous Snake Lord, as she herself was a demon. Wu Zhen, however, had not been born a monster—at least, not until a few years of age. She had once been an ordinary child before a strange twist of fate led her to this role.

Thinking of the Snake Lord, Wu Zhen glanced toward the right side of the Wild Goose Tower. It stood dark and silent, with no lights visible—it seemed the little white snake wasn’t here tonight, nor were her two deputies.

Wu Zhen ascended the left half of the tower, scanning the floors but finding not a single soul. Crossing her arms, she shook her head. "Huzhu being absent is one thing, but even Shengun is missing?"As the esteemed 'Cat Official' revered by demons, Wu Zhen certainly didn't work alone. Like the 'Snake Lord', she had two assistants to help her. But clearly, the subordinates took after their master—while she often worked only sporadically, her two assistants were equally fond of slacking off. However, this wasn't entirely their fault, as there hadn't been any demon disturbances for a long time. With nothing to do, they didn't particularly enjoy standing guard here either.

Wu Zhen leaped onto the red railing of Yan Tower, placing one foot on the guardrail as she gazed into the distance. After a moment, the corner of her mouth lifted as she declared, "Found it."

With that, she jumped down from the towering height of Yan Tower.