Moonlit Reunion

"Never mind whether you believe me or not, just take me back to your temple to meet your master first." Wu Zhen naturally referred to him as 'master' following her husband's status.

The young Taoist priest Lidong stared at her in shock and suspicion for a long while, unable to utter a word—perhaps because the idea that 'Little Martial Uncle's wife is inside Little Martial Uncle's body' was simply too far beyond his imagination.

Though he didn’t believe it, Lidong became noticeably more cautious around Wu Zhen. He suspected that Little Martial Uncle might have lost his mind—after all, given how formidable Little Martial Uncle was, Lidong refused to believe any demon or ghost could possess his body. It had to be a mental issue.

Too afraid to voice his thoughts, Lidong respectfully led Wu Zhen back to Changxi Temple—so the grandmaster could treat him. Changxi Temple was located on Xiling Mountain, not too far from their current location. Riding fast, they could reach it in a day.

Unfortunately, just as they set off, Lidong received a paper bird plea for help from a fellow disciple.

Reaching out to catch the paper bird, Lidong frowned. Wu Zhen reined in her horse and waited for him, asking, "What's wrong?"

Lidong hesitated before answering, "A fellow disciple nearby is asking for help—likely in trouble." He seemed eager to assist but glanced at Wu Zhen uncertainly.

Reading his expression, Wu Zhen raised a brow. "Is it urgent?"

Lidong replied honestly, "The paper bird doesn’t have much information. It seems to have been sent in haste."

Wu Zhen said decisively, "Since it's nearby, let’s go take a look."

The sooner they dealt with it, the sooner they could leave. With that in mind, Wu Zhen and Lidong changed course toward Xiangshui City. Following the guiding aura left by the paper bird, they soon stopped outside the gates of the Tao residence.

The area was filled with grand mansions belonging to wealthy families. The other estates along the road had pristine gates, their thresholds swept clean of fallen leaves and dust. But the Tao residence was covered in a thick layer of grime, its gates tightly shut. Lidong knocked for a long time, but no one answered.

Watching his delicate, hesitant knocking, Wu Zhen felt a twinge of exasperation. Clicking her tongue, she grabbed Lidong by the back of his collar, dragged him aside, and flashed him a smile. "Let me handle this."

Then she lifted her foot and kicked the heavy gate with full force—it burst open with a loud crash.

Wu Zhen lowered her foot, thinking to herself that her husband’s strength was truly impressive. Meanwhile, Lidong gaped at her in stunned silence before following her into the Tao residence, convinced that Little Martial Uncle’s condition was indeed quite serious.

The sound of the gate being kicked open drew a few muffled gasps—likely from the gatekeepers hiding in a nearby side room, startled by the commotion. But they immediately fell silent again, not daring to make another sound.

Ignoring them, Wu Zhen strode confidently inside with Lidong in tow.

"Where’s your fellow disciple? Let’s find them quickly."

Snapping out of his daze, Lidong sent out another paper bird to guide them through the sprawling Tao mansion. Logically, a residence this large should have been bustling with servants, yet after entering, they saw no one moving about. Occasionally, they caught a glimpse of a servant’s back as they hurriedly ducked into a room and slammed the door shut, ignoring any calls. The servants cowered inside, peering through cracks in the doors as if some terrifying monster lurked outside.Wu Zhen had initially thought that the person sending the distress message had encountered some powerful evil spirit. However, upon arriving at the Tao residence, she detected no trace of any malevolent entity—only a courtyard full of terrified servants.

This was indeed strange.

Soon, the paper bird perched on a window frame. Wu Zhen’s lips twitched at the sight before her. The small building was delicate and beautiful, but its exterior was plastered with yellow talismans. Looking up, she saw the second-floor windows and doors similarly covered in countless talismans, densely packed together.

This "tight" defense not only offended Wu Zhen’s aesthetic sensibilities but also startled Lidong. Frowning, he stepped forward and pushed open the door, entering first.

The people hiding inside the building shrieked at the sound of the door opening. Among them was the master of the Tao residence, Tao Langjun. Compared to his previously well-fed and prosperous appearance, Tao Langjun now looked haggard, his plump face noticeably thinner. He stared fearfully at the newcomers, clutching the robe of a middle-aged Taoist beside him and crying out, "Uncle! They’re here again, they’re here again! Save me!"

The Taoist whose robe he was gripping also looked somewhat alarmed at first, but upon seeing Lidong enter, his expression brightened. He bowed respectfully and said, "Senior Brother Lidong, thank you for coming to assist."

No sooner had he spoken than he noticed Wu Zhen strolling in leisurely with her hands behind her back. His joy redoubled, and he took two eager steps forward, dragging the reluctant Tao Langjun along with him. Ignoring the stumble, the middle-aged Taoist bowed deeply to Wu Zhen, his voice trembling with relief as if he had found a savior. "To think that Junior Uncle Guyu is also here! With your presence, we are surely safe now. This—this is truly wonderful!"

Wu Zhen maintained an inscrutable expression, inwardly amused. Her husband had always kept a low profile in Chang’an, yet it seemed he was held in such high esteem among these Taoists.

Lidong shot Wu Zhen a worried glance, fearing that his junior uncle might suddenly act out of character and tarnish his reputation. To prevent further elaboration from the middle-aged Taoist, he cut straight to the point. "Tao Yi, what happened that made you send a paper bird for help?"

The middle-aged Taoist, named Tao Yi, had a naming convention different from Lidong and the others, suggesting a distinct status among the disciples of Changxi Temple. Wu Zhen mused silently but, mindful of her husband’s reputation, refrained from interjecting and simply listened as Lidong questioned him.

"It’s like this," Tao Yi began, gesturing to the anxious Tao Langjun beside him. "This gentleman is a relative of mine. Recently, his household has been plagued by strange occurrences." He continued, "His wife and three daughters suddenly turned into rats without warning. Then, ghostly figures began haunting the courtyard, tormenting him in his dreams at night—and not just him. After dark, eerie shadows appear in the garden, walking and laughing like humans. All the servants have witnessed it, causing widespread panic. That’s why he sought my help."

Tao Yi smiled bitterly. "Though I’ve trained at Changxi Temple for several years, my aptitude is lacking—I’ve only learned the basics, nothing substantial. When I arrived here, I couldn’t detect anything unusual. Instead, I, too, fell victim to whatever this thing is. Left with no choice, I sent the paper bird, hoping to find a senior brother who could assist."At this point, Tao Yi glanced at Wu Zhen again, his spirits lifting. "Now that I've seen Junior Uncle Guyu and Senior Brother Lidong arrive, this disciple can finally rest easy!"

Wu Zhen's expression had turned slightly peculiar ever since hearing about people turning into mice, as if pondering something. Meanwhile, Lidong's face grew solemn as he asked Tao Yi, "Have there been any casualties?"

Tao Yi shook his head. "No victims yet, but the Tao family's madam and three young ladies have turned into mice. We truly don't know what to do."

He gave Tao Langjun a nudge. Understanding the hint, Tao Langjun quickly retrieved a cage from the side and placed it before Lidong and the others, forcing a smile. "Here they are. They... they somehow ended up like this."

Inside the cage were four gray-furred mice—one large and three small—all huddled together trembling.

Tao Langjun couldn't bear to look at them directly. After setting down the cage, he retreated a couple of steps before cautiously asking Lidong, "Daoist Priest, do you think... could they be... monsters?"

At these words, the mice in the cage seemed to understand, squeaking anxiously and clawing at the bars, which startled Tao Langjun into backing away further.

Lidong examined the mice carefully before shaking his head. "No, they were likely transformed through some technique." Though young, his knowledge was extensive. He quickly explained, "I've heard my master speak of such arts, though I've never encountered them myself. This isn't demonic or ghostly magic—it's an esoteric technique similar to Daoist arts, practiced by very few. Breaking it might prove troublesome."

It was then that Wu Zhen spoke up. "I'll go take a look outside," she said, disregarding Lidong as she strode out the door and swiftly disappeared into the rear courtyard.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Tao residence, Ah Fu sat on a soft cushion nibbling cakes while listening to her white mouse master—lying on a pillow—expound on shadow ghost techniques. Yes, Pei Ji Ya had reverted to mouse form again. His earlier human appearance had been achieved by forcibly breaking through the esoteric technique, worsening his nearly healed injuries in the process.

But he paid it no mind, enthusiastically teaching his disciple instead. Though this disciple of his appeared simple-minded and perpetually hungry, her aptitude for learning esoteric arts was remarkable. Every technique he taught her, she mastered without fail. Over the past two days, their experiments in the Tao residence had thoroughly frightened everyone in the courtyard.

"You've already managed the most basic shadow ghost technique last night, but these 'shadow ghosts' aren't actually ghosts—" Pei Ji Ya's explanation suddenly stopped as his gaze shifted to the doorway.

There floated a white shadow, like a funeral banner trembling faintly in the wind. It emitted sounds incomprehensible to Ah Fu, but Pei Ji Ya understood perfectly.

"Two more Daoist priests arrived? Didn't expect this Tao fellow to have some connections." The white mouse's expression remained unreadable, but his tone conveyed utter indifference—these new Daoist priests held little interest for him.

Ah Fu set down her cake, looking somewhat alarmed. She understood that people who meant them harm had arrived.

Pei Ji Ya chuckled dismissively. "Just two junior Daoists—nothing to fear. Scare them off casually. If they prove troublesome, let them suffer a bit. Once they recognize our power, they'll naturally steer clear of this affair."

Ah Fu thought her master looked truly impressive!

Then, this supposedly impressive master quickly lost his nerve.A-Fu saw a tall, slender young man walk in. His movements were natural and casual, as if he hadn't noticed the strange things outside the courtyard at all. His gaze only swept over her briefly before quickly settling on her master.

Step by step, he approached with an eerie smile on his face. A-Fu watched as her usually arrogant master sized up the newcomer, then suddenly all the hair on his body stood on end. He shuffled backward, his voice even sounding different.

"Haha... haha, so it's my cousin," the master laughed somewhat stiffly.

A-Fu looked at the two of them curiously, thinking to herself that her master's cousin looked remarkably like a man.