Moonlit Reunion

Why did that man have a weasel-like tail behind him? Why were that child's two large ears on top of their head twitching? Why did that woman's face look so much like a horse's? Why did the elderly tea seller's baby suddenly turn into a ginseng root? And why were there giant swallows with human faces flying in the sky?

As these questions flooded Mei Si's mind, cold sweat trickled down his back, sobering him halfway from his drunken stupor.

Since childhood, he had been obsessed with tales of immortals, demons, and supernatural beings, devouring countless folk ghost stories and records. Now, faced with these utterly bizarre scenes before him, Mei Si immediately guessed he might have accidentally wandered into some wondrous world of monsters.

Though he loved learning about such mystical things, he was also acutely aware that if these creatures truly appeared before him, as an ordinary person, it would be best to run far away—otherwise, being eaten was no joking matter!

His legs trembled even as his eyes sparkled with fascination at everything around him. Though fear gnawed at him and he fully understood his precarious situation, still—still! Encountering monsters, and so many at once, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If he didn't take it all in now, he would surely regret it later!

By sheer coincidence, today happened to be the Ghost Festival, when the barrier between the Demon Market and the mortal markets weakened. The overwhelming human and ghostly auras outside dulled the demons' usual keen perception of humans. Moreover, many creatures in the Demon Market could perfectly disguise themselves in human form. Thus, a weakling like Mei Si walked unnoticed among the throngs of monsters.

Carefully keeping his distance while searching for an exit, Mei Si's eyes darted around, absorbing every detail of the Demon Market. He silently vowed to paint everything he saw upon his return, already naming his future masterpiece: Scroll of the Bizarre .

As he wandered, Mei Si suddenly froze. Beneath a building shaped like a soaring goose, he spotted a familiar figure.

That slender woman wearing a veiled hat—wasn't she Liu Taizhen, the maiden from the Liu family? Mei Si wondered if he was still drunk and shook his head, rubbing his eyes. Yet Liu Taizhen remained, unmistakably real.

She was surrounded by a crowd of monsters. From his distance, Mei Si couldn't make out their words, but he saw her standing alone, encircled by the creatures.

Oh no, did she wander in here by mistake too, only to be exposed as human? His heart lurched with worry. Though Liu Taizhen and Zhen-jie didn't get along, she was still a living person—he couldn't just abandon her to her fate.

I have to save her! Gritting his teeth, Mei Si slapped his cheeks to clear his head, then frantically scanned for a solution. His gaze landed on a cart piled high with straw by the roadside. Inspiration struck. Glancing back at the besieged Liu Taizhen, he hurried over and pushed the cart forward.

Meanwhile, though Liu Taizhen was surrounded by monsters, they all kept a respectful arm's length from her, voices hushed as if afraid to disturb her.

"Snake Lord, what a rare honor to see you emerge! Please accept this Ghost Festival gift!""Snake Lord, we owe you our thanks for your help last time. These gifts have been prepared for you—please accept them!"

"Snake Lord, about the matter I mentioned to you earlier, have you considered it? My youngest son may not be particularly accomplished, but he is quite handsome..."

As the demons were speaking, a sudden shout rang out, followed by the rumbling crash of a large cart charging toward them. No one had expected that with the Snake Lord present, anyone would dare cause trouble. Stunned, they froze for a moment, and a few instinctively dodged, revealing Liu Taizhen standing in the middle with a furrowed brow.

The cart overturned, careening toward the crowd of demons. Amid the chaos, Liu Taizhen was pulled out of the encirclement by Mei Si, who dragged her by the hand into a quieter street near Yan Lou.

The demons left behind were dumbfounded. After a long pause, one finally pointed in the direction the two had disappeared. "What... what was that?"

"The Snake Lord... was taken away?"

"Who was that just now? Does our Demon Market have someone so audacious? To dare grab the Snake Lord's hand—isn't she known to despise being touched?"

"The Snake Lord didn't get angry and swallow him whole, so maybe they know each other?"

The demons were utterly confused. Meanwhile, Liu Taizhen, who had been dragged by Mei Si into a secluded corner, stared coldly at this unexpected intruder.

Why him again? Last time, he had been possessed by a Demon Spirit and sneaked into the Demon Market. This time, he didn’t seem possessed, but still, here he was.

Perhaps the lingering effects of the possession, combined with spending too much time in Yan Lou and the unusual circumstances of the Ghost Festival today, had led him to stumble back into the Demon Market by sheer familiarity.

With that thought, Liu Taizhen felt a headache coming on. Out of respect for Wu Zhen, she couldn’t do anything drastic to this young man—no hitting, no scolding. She’d have to erase his memory and send him back out.

What a nuisance.

"Are you alright?" Mei Si, seeing no demons in pursuit, finally relaxed a little. He turned to Liu Taizhen, noticing her delicate brows knitted in thought. "Are you in shock?"

"Let go," Liu Taizhen said coolly.

Only then did Mei Si realize he was still gripping her hand tightly. He quickly released her wrist and took a step back. The summer night was already stifling, and after running such a distance while pulling someone along, he was drenched in sweat—his palm slick with it, dampening Liu Taizhen's wrist. Yet her hand remained cool to the touch, smooth as jade.

Embarrassed by the sudden thought that crossed his mind, Mei Si wiped his hand awkwardly behind his back before adopting a serious expression. "Do you even know where you are right now?"

Liu Taizhen merely wiped her wrist, her gaze icy as she remained silent. Mei Si had seen her several times before, but they had never spoken—she always sat apart, ignoring the banter between the younger men and women. Despite being a year younger than their "Zhen-jie," she carried herself like someone who had renounced the world.

Mei Si grumbled inwardly. But given the urgency of the situation, he decided to be the good Samaritan and explain everything to her."We must have wandered into a land of demons. Have you read those supernatural tales? The kind where spirits and monsters gather. You must have noticed earlier—those surrounding you weren’t human. If I hadn’t shown up, you might’ve been devoured by now."

Mei Si spoke with grave seriousness, hoping to make this indifferent older sister realize the severity of their situation.

"So, our top priority is to find an exit and return to our world before the demons here notice us. Do you understand?"

Liu Taizhen stared at him with the expression of someone looking at an idiot, not uttering a single word.

Mei Si grew both irritated and uneasy under her strange gaze, a creeping sensation crawling up his spine. Somehow, he felt things weren’t quite right again—but where exactly?

He cleared his throat and pressed on stubbornly, "Even if we haven’t gotten along in the past, we’re still both human. Now that we’re trapped here, we should help each other."

Liu Taizhen adjusted the veiled hat on her head. "Are you done?"

Her dismissive attitude finally sparked Mei Si’s temper. The young man scowled fiercely, his sharp brows knitting together. "I know it’s hard to accept something so bizarre all at once, but you saw it with your own eyes! Why are you still being so difficult? If you’re going to be ungrateful, I won’t bother with you!"

Liu Taizhen gave him a cold look, the corner of her lips quirking. "Did I ask for your help?"

Mei Si flushed red with anger, his breath coming in short huffs. Without another word, he turned and stormed off, leaving Liu Taizhen behind.

"Ungrateful wretch! No wonder even Zhen-jie can’t stand her temper!" he muttered under his breath as he stomped away. But the farther he walked, the slower his steps became.

Despite his lingering anger, could he really abandon a defenseless woman here? Rumor had it she’d suffered from a weak heart since childhood—probably why she remained unmarried at her age.

What if something really happened to her...?

His pace slowed to a crawl before he finally turned back, his face dark with reluctance. Standing at a distance, he muttered, "If Zhen-jie found out I left a helpless woman behind in danger, she’d kill me. So even though I don’t like you, I’ll still take you with me."

Liu Taizhen paused mid-step, silently sneering to herself. If Wu Zhen knew I abandoned you in a den of demons to die, she’d blame me. So even though I don’t like you either, I still have to get you out.

But seeing Mei Si’s sullen expression, she flexed her wrist, still displeased.

If she wasn’t happy, she had to do something about it.

Liu Taizhen suddenly beckoned to him. "Come here."

"What? You think I’ll just obey when you call?" Mei Si grumbled—yet he walked over anyway.

"Look."

Mei Si frowned. "Look at wha—"

Before he could finish, Liu Taizhen in front of him transformed—into a snake. A white serpent with icy eyes stared at him, its crimson forked tongue flickering out with a hiss.

Frozen in place, Mei Si felt cold sweat drench his entire body. His pupils shrank to pinpricks, his limbs locked in terror. He couldn’t move—couldn’t even speak.The giant snake leaned closer to him, its tone particularly terrifying. "You're mistaken. There aren't two people here—only you are human. I'm a monster."

"A man-eating monster."

Under Liu Taizhen's deliberate intimidation, Mei Si finally collapsed again with a plop, fainting from fright.

A cool breeze swept by as Liu Taizhen transformed back into human form. Looking down at Mei Si, who had stiffened like a stick, she snorted lightly. Pressing her hand against his forehead and giving a tug, a flash of blue light erased this memory. Then, with her slender arm, she grabbed Mei Si by his belt and hoisted him up. Carrying him all the way through the bustling Demon Market, she arrived at the entrance and flung him out without hesitation.

Wiping her hands, she turned back. Noticing the Demon Generals guarding the market dozing off again, she stomped her foot in irritation. A tremor rippled through the ground, startling the generals awake.

No sooner had they awakened than they heard the Snake Lord—who never stirred trouble and was far more responsible than the Cat Official—say, "Guard properly. Don't let things that don't belong in the Demon Market wander in again."

The Demon Generals grumbled inwardly. Sure, guarding the gate was their duty, but usually, they only woke up when powerful figures tried to force their way in. What harm could a stray cat or dog possibly do? Making a fuss over such trivial matters seemed like a waste of their talents.

But the Snake Lord paid no heed to their grievances. After her remark, she strode straight back to Yan Tower.