Moonlit Reunion

The streets were bustling with activity, with nearly everyone stepping out of their homes. However, each person wore an Evil Spirit mask, making it difficult to recognize anyone unless they were familiar faces.

If even humans were unrecognizable, Non-human entities were even harder to spot. Many demons took advantage of this day to roam the streets openly. Those who could fully take human form blended into the crowds, while those with imperfect transformations stuck to dim, secluded areas, their faces hidden behind masks—no problem at all, unless they happened to run into the Cat Official or others like her.

"Hey there, sir."

A tall, burly man turned at the sound of the voice, revealing a tiger-faced mask. The moment he saw who had called out to him, his posture stiffened, as if he wanted to bolt immediately. But before he could, the person had already grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into a secluded alley with the familiarity of an old friend.

The tiger demon, who had just sneaked into the city and hadn’t even had the chance to cause trouble, cursed his luck—he had run into the most unreasonable Cat Official. Helplessly dragged into the corner, he barely had time to resist before a massive fist came crashing down.

Muffled grunts echoed from the alley. Moments later, Wu Zhen, wearing a Blue-faced Devil mask, strode out, dusting off her sleeves. The vermilion pouch at her waist looked a little fuller than before.

Mei Zhuyu, wearing a white ghost mask, waited nearby. When Wu Zhen approached, he pointed toward a slender, graceful figure in the crowd. "There’s another one."

Wu Zhen took a look—sure enough, another intruder. The faint scent of blood clung to the woman, proof she had harmed humans. That meant she had to be dealt with. So, like a shadow, Wu Zhen reappeared behind the woman, dragging her into the darkness for another round of punishment before stuffing her into the pouch, just like the tiger demon.

After tonight, if these demons behaved, she might release them outside the city. Otherwise, they’d have to bid farewell to this world.

It was, after all, the Ghost Festival. Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu had lost count of how many demons they’d spotted mingling among the crowds. Those bearing the Demon Market’s mark were harmless, and Wu Zhen usually ignored them. In fact, when they recognized her, they would nod politely. A couple of demons, disguised as humans, had even set up a stall selling lotus-shaped River Lanterns. When they saw Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu, they enthusiastically insisted on gifting them a few lanterns.

But if a demon in the crowd lacked the Demon Market’s seal, Wu Zhen would check for traces of blood—whether they had harmed humans—before deciding whether to capture, kill, or simply turn a blind eye.

For example, the two youths draped in feathered robes, wearing simple masks and curiously eyeing the shops around them, were clearly disciples of some secluded mountain sage. Their auras were pure, unmistakably transformed from white cranes or immortal storks. Such beings required no interference.For example, there was a rugged-looking man with one arm around a sturdy woman and the other holding a calf. Ordinary people would simply find it odd that he was carrying a calf while out shopping, but Wu Zhen knew better—the man was a bull demon, as was the woman beside him, and the calf in his arms was their son, who hadn’t yet learned to shapeshift. The little one’s round bovine eyes darted around curiously. Though this family of three lacked the mark and were outsiders, they were harmless, clearly just here to broaden their horizons, so Wu Zhen left them be.

After wandering around two nearby wards, Wu Zhen stopped hunting down the sneaky demons. In fact, that task belonged to Huzhu, Shengun, and the other four deputies, each of whom had their own duties tonight. Huzhu and the others maintained order to prevent major incidents, while Liu Taizhen guarded the Demon Market, as the weakened Barrier tonight risked overlapping with the human world—instability there could lead to disaster.

As for Wu Zhen, her task was—to guide the River Lanterns and protect souls.

Chang’an had several waterways, with Qujiang Pond and Yudai Pond being the most popular among the citizens for leisure. But for lantern floating, only two canals were used year after year: Yong’an Canal and Qingming Canal.

These two waterways nearly spanned the entire city. One connected to Taiye Pond outside Jingyao Gate, while the other flowed from the imperial palace, passing through over forty wards. They ran parallel, not too far apart.

Wu Zhen led Mei Zhuyu to Fuming Temple in Yong’an Ward, one of Chang’an’s most revered temples. Its vast grounds, far from the palace, allowed for three towering pagodas that offered a near-panoramic view of the city.

From this height, Yong’an Canal flowed past the West Market to the left, while Qingming Canal emerged from the palace to the right. Normally, these two canals shimmered like bright threads linking the wards on either side. But tonight, Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu watched as countless points of light slowly gathered on the water, their red glow transforming the canals into luminous veins.

In the dark night, the city’s usual clamor faded beneath them, leaving only scattered glimmers—except for those two radiant ribbons, a sight ordinary people would never witness.

Mei Zhuyu had never seen anything like it. The bands of light formed by countless River Lanterns stretched into continuous lines, with more lanterns still being released into the canals. Crowds carrying lanterns gathered along the banks, from afar resembling a flowing stream.

After a moment of silent awe, Mei Zhuyu turned to Wu Zhen, meeting her smiling face. She hadn’t been watching the spectacle below but had been observing him. When their eyes met, she asked, “Well? Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Mei Zhuyu: “Beautiful.”

“Very beautiful.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Satisfied with his three whole sentences, Wu Zhen swung one leg casually over the pagoda’s edge. “I’ve watched this scene for years—it’s one of my favorites. That’s why I brought you here tonight.”Hearing this, Mei Zhuyu felt a warmth in his heart, but he was still a bit worried. He feared that Wu Zhen was so focused on bringing him to see this that she might neglect her own duties. It wasn’t unreasonable for Mei Zhuyu to have such concerns—after all, Wu Zhen was the type who could "play with fire to amuse the lords."

Wu Zhen had thoroughly figured out her husband’s temperament and could easily tell what he was thinking. He was overly serious and extremely responsible. Since marrying her, she had become one of his responsibilities. After discovering she was a Cat Official, her husband seemed determined to shoulder all her duties, even more conscientiously than she did as the Cat Official herself.

Wu Zhen had a mischievous nature. The more she noticed his concern, the more leisurely she acted, sitting firmly in place and chatting with Mei Zhuyu, refusing to budge.

Mei Zhuyu waited patiently for quite a while before finally losing his composure a little. He asked, "Don’t you have work to do?"

Wu Zhen: "Hahahaha~"

Mei Zhuyu: "…" Though he didn’t know what was happening, her laughter like this surely meant she was up to no good. So, understanding went both ways—Daoist Mei wasn’t entirely without progress.

Wu Zhen patted her husband’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, just wait. Those things haven’t arrived yet. Why don’t we go down and release the lanterns first?"

The two descended the tall tower and found a secluded spot by the riverbank to light the River Lanterns they had obtained earlier and set them afloat. It was just a simple-shaped lantern, spinning slightly as it drifted on the water. Wu Zhen reached out to gently push the water, sending the lantern farther away.

Ordinary people couldn’t see it, but Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu could—the moment the lantern was lit and touched the water, a cluster of white light from the shore settled onto it. It was this slight weight that caused the lantern to spin upon entering the water. There were many such white lights along the shore—these were, in general, wandering spirits. However, not all were human souls; there were also animal spirits, even those of plants and rocks. All things in the world had spirits, though their forms differed.

These spirits lingered in the mortal world for various reasons, unable to find their way onward, left to drift aimlessly. Over time, some would dissipate entirely, while the unluckier ones might be captured by humans or demons for nefarious purposes. The more formidable ones could become earthbound spirits, water ghosts, or malevolent entities. By then, Wu Zhen would simply wave her hand and eradicate such harmful beings.

Their only chance was on the day of the Ghost Festival, when River Lanterns could guide them to where they belonged.

Though there were many lanterns, the wandering spirits were even more numerous, crowding the riverbank in search of an unclaimed lantern. Some were pushed into the water, floating lightly on the surface like rootless duckweed.

Watching this, Wu Zhen lit all the remaining lanterns beside her at once and tossed them into the water. The spirits that had been shoved into the river hurriedly climbed onto the empty lanterns, timidly bowing to Wu Zhen in gratitude.

After releasing these freely obtained lanterns, Wu Zhen clapped her hands. But when she turned around, she saw her husband standing behind her, arms full of newly purchased River Lanterns.

Wu Zhen locked eyes with him for a moment, then clicked her tongue and took the lanterns from his arms. One by one, she lit them, sitting there to release a whole stretch of River Lanterns.The nearby ghosts on the shore noticed and gathered around, looking pitifully and longingly at the River Lantern in Wu Zhen's hand. Though they desperately wanted a guiding light, they could sense the aura around Wu Zhen and didn't dare get too close. There was also Mei Zhuyu, whose presence frightened them even more, so the two were surrounded by a wide empty circle.

After releasing the last River Lantern, Wu Zhen seemed to have eyes on the back of her head as she grabbed the hem of Mei Zhuyu's robe. "No more buying. Even if you get more, I won't release them."

Most River Lanterns were dyed red, and Wu Zhen had lit so many that her fingers were stained crimson. Mei Zhuyu watched her leisurely wiping her fingers, then glanced at the robe she had used as a napkin. Suddenly, he smiled, reached out, and lifted her directly from the stone steps by the canal, slipping his arms beneath hers.

Wu Zhen giggled, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck. With her still-reddened fingers, she tapped his nose, leaving a faint pink mark.

"Plop—"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Mei Zhuyu and Wu Zhen froze simultaneously, their smiles fading. They turned to see several children running over, laughing. Two of them held small stones and were throwing them at the floating River Lanterns, sinking the glowing lights. As the lanterns sank, the wandering souls lost their direction again, drifting aimlessly on the water, paddling helplessly.

The two children on the shore continued to playfully throw stones at the lanterns, laughing heartily, completely unaware of the harm they were causing.

Wu Zhen raised an eyebrow, jumped out of Mei Zhuyu's arms, and strode forward. She grabbed one child with each hand, tossing one to Mei Zhuyu while flipping the other upside down and holding him firmly against her chest. Then, she gave him a solid spanking.

"Daring to smash my lanterns? Looks like you don’t want your butt anymore."