Moonlit Reunion

"Cousin, I've been searching for you so desperately."

Ah Fu absentmindedly stuffed the last piece of pastry into her mouth, staring blankly at her master's "cousin." She couldn't help but think this person looked like a man—even the voice sounded masculine. Truly worthy of being Master's cousin, so extraordinarily unique.

Master Pei Ji Ya didn't share his disciple's cheerful attitude. Watching Wu Zhen approach him, he felt his scalp tingle—strange, could mice even experience that "scalp-tingling" sensation?

The two cousins—one inhabiting a man's body, the other transformed into a mouse—both saw in each other the consequences of their past misdeeds. However, Wu Zhen's skin was ultimately thicker. She reached out and grabbed the white mouse from the pillow, baring her teeth in a grin as she said, "That wedding gift you sent was truly painstakingly prepared. I suppose you wanted me to open it on my wedding night? Pity—you must be disappointed."

Held in her grasp, Pei Ji Ya calmly adjusted his mindset, no longer appearing as cowardly as before. He smiled back and said, "Likewise, cousin. The farewell gift you gave me was equally amusing. Are you satisfied with my current form?" As he spoke, he even wiggled his tiny mouse paws.

Wu Zhen set down her white mouse cousin and glanced around, spotting a plate of sesame candy in the hands of a little girl nearby. She casually picked up a piece and poked the white mouse's belly. "Let's not dwell on the past, cousin. Now you need to help me switch our bodies back."

Pei Ji Ya brushed off the sesame seeds stuck to his belly, unbothered. "Why didn't Mei Zhuyu come with you?"

Wu Zhen's face darkened at the mention. "He did come, but he and the child were kidnapped by villains."

Pei Ji Ya: "Who would dare kidnap him... Wait, child? I remember you just got married—the child shouldn't be born so soon, right?"

Wu Zhen: "Of course not. Still in the womb."

The white mouse suddenly burst into laughter, earning another poke from Wu Zhen. "Cousin Pei, you know my patience isn't great."

The white mouse quieted down. "Actually, this body-swapping technique was something I pieced together from a fragment of an ancient text. I experimented with it for a while, but it never worked before. I didn't expect you two to actually succeed. You probably don't know this, but it's not something just any two people can do. It requires mutual understanding, complete absence of rejection or malice, and some other conditions... Judging from that, your relationship must be quite good. I thought you didn't genuinely like Mei Zhuyu."

Wu Zhen, with a heart as hard as iron, had no patience for his rambling. She cut straight to the point: "Enough nonsense. Just tell me how to fix it."

The white mouse's whiskers twitched, as if pained. "It's best if both of you are here at the same time. If you force me to break the curse now, it might not work."

Wu Zhen couldn't care less about his dilemma. The sesame candy in her hand nearly poked the mouse in the face. "Hurry up. Do it now, and it must succeed."

Pei Ji Ya shrugged. Well, this was the same cousin who seemed generous but was actually utterly unreasonable—just like when she was little.The process of breaking the curse was unexpectedly simple and quick. Wu Zhen looked at her hands—unchanged. This was still her husband's body. Turning to Pei Ji Ya, she saw the entire mouse collapsed as if on the verge of death.

Wu Zhen ruthlessly poked him awake and said coolly, "Are you playing games with me? Nothing happened at all."

The white mouse scrambled up in a flurry. "You were too far apart. This was the best we could do. You'll switch back in a day."

Wu Zhen withdrew her hand, smiling as she stared into the white mouse's eyes. "Fine. But if you're lying to me, cousin... heh."

Pei Ji Ya coughed lightly, maintaining his dignified demeanor. "I've already lifted the curse for you. Shouldn’t you help remove this 'Earth Skin' from me now, cousin?"

Wu Zhen: "You know how to undo it yourself. With so many people in your family, tears shouldn’t be hard to come by."

Pei Ji Ya: "But you’re the one who did this. Shouldn’t you take responsibility?"

Wu Zhen: "Cousin, have I been too nice to you before? Do you really think I’m the kind of person who takes responsibility?"

Pei Ji Ya was left speechless. Finally, he shook his head with a wry laugh. "Fine, I’ll handle it myself. Actually, I should thank you, cousin. This 'Earth Skin' saved my life."

Leaning back against the pillow, Pei Ji Ya recounted his experience from two months ago. When they passed through the mountain path near Tangshui City, the sky suddenly darkened with thunder and lightning. The carriage horses panicked and bolted toward the cliff. The carriage tumbled into the ravine below, and the guards and servants rushed down to rescue them.

But at the bottom of that ravine that day, there was a thick, clinging darkness.

"Down there, there was a monster," Pei Ji Ya narrowed his eyes. "It killed every living thing. At that moment, the Earth Skin activated, turning me into a mouse. I was lucky—I didn’t die from the fall, just got injured. I hid under a corpse and avoided that thing’s killing intent. Honestly, I’ve never felt such terrifying pressure before."

Later, the creature left. Injured, he crawled all the way back up to the mountain path—such a long journey nearly exhausted him to death. The esteemed young master of the Pei family, who had never succumbed to illness or his own reckless experiments, almost died from sheer exhaustion.

Wu Zhen asked, "Was it a rotting demon?"

Pei Ji Ya looked surprised. "You’ve seen it too? Did it take Mei Zhuyu?"

Wu Zhen felt a pang of frustration and didn’t want to answer.

Pei Ji Ya, intrigued, pressed further. "Is that thing still down in the ravine?"

Wu Zhen rubbed her fingers and said grimly, "No. It’s gone. No idea where it went."

"Little Martial Uncle!" A voice called from outside the door. Wu Zhen glanced back, then turned to Pei Ji Ya. "I have things to do. Are you staying here?"

Pei Ji Ya: "Safe travels, cousin."

His tone made it clear he didn’t need her concern—which suited Wu Zhen just fine. Without hesitation, she walked away, embodying the phrase "use and discard" to perfection.

Once Wu Zhen left, the white mouse immediately regained his usual lofty demeanor, ordering his disciple to clean up the bed. It was covered in crumbs from sesame candy—courtesy of Wu Zhen earlier.

A-Fu obediently knelt on the bed, brushing off the crumbs, and asked bluntly, "Master, are you scared of your cousin?"Pei Jiya: "..."

A'fu: "Did she hit you before, so you're afraid of her?"

Pei Jiya said gently, "A'fu, listen, you need to behave and stop saying things like that."

A'fu was puzzled, "Stop saying what?"

Pei Jiya: "Cousin."

A'fu: "Oh." She thought to herself, maybe Master really is afraid of his cousin. To be honest, she found it a bit scary too.

Wu Zhen walked out of the small courtyard and waved at the approaching junior disciple Li Dong. "Over here."

Junior Disciple Li Dong hurried over, "Little Martial Uncle, did you find anything?"

Wu Zhen: "The matter is resolved. We can leave now."

Junior Disciple Li Dong was startled. He hadn’t even figured out what was causing the trouble, yet Little Martial Uncle had already resolved it. Truly, Little Martial Uncle was still Little Martial Uncle! Junior Disciple Li Dong had absolute faith in his words and immediately informed the two Taos that the issue was settled. He also promised Tao Langjun that he would arrange for someone to help with his wife and daughter’s problems. Then, he and Wu Zhen continued their journey to Changxi Temple on West Ridge Mountain.

This time, the journey proceeded without further incidents. The two arrived at West Ridge Mountain by dusk and trekked through dense woods for another half an hour before reaching the gates of Changxi Temple.

To Wu Zhen’s surprise, the renowned Changxi Temple was not only remote but also quite dilapidated. The plaque was peeling, the walls covered in moss, and the large stone steps at the entrance were worn smooth. The temple gate was so narrow that only two people could walk in side by side, and the two small wooden doors creaked open with a gentle push—unlocked.

Li Dong closed the gate behind them and said to Wu Zhen, who was standing in the courtyard looking around, "Little Martial Uncle, you must be hungry after traveling all day. At this hour, Master and the senior brothers should all be in the dining hall. I’ll go inform the Grandmaster of your return first. Why don’t you head to the dining hall for a meal?"

With that, he hurried off to the right, leaving Wu Zhen alone in the courtyard.

It was too dark to see clearly, but the front courtyard of Changxi Temple was also old, though quite spacious. Hands behind her back, she glanced around before walking through a side hall toward the sounds and lights ahead.

Though Wu Zhen didn’t know the way to the dining hall, she could follow the smell. A pungent spiciness hit her nose as she stood at the entrance. She thought to herself, no wonder her husband could handle spicy food so well—apparently, the Taoist priests here ate like this regularly.

Wu Zhen, a woman who knew no fear of strangers, strode into the dining hall of Changxi Temple. Under the intense scrutiny of countless pairs of eyes, she remained unshaken, calm and composed.

She even smiled warmly and greeted them, "First time meeting everyone. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

The dining hall, which had been buzzing with conversation, fell silent as everyone stared dumbfounded at Wu Zhen standing at the door. Some of the priests who had initially looked delighted at the return of their "Little Martial Uncle" or "Junior Brother" were now utterly stunned by her words and smile.

The sound of clattering utensils echoed as several dropped their bowls and chopsticks in shock.

Not a single person spoke. All the priests, young and old, gaped at Wu Zhen in bewilderment.

Wu Zhen smacked her lips, glanced at the dishes on the tables, and chose one that didn’t seem overly spicy. She naturally took a seat at an empty spot and, under everyone’s watchful eyes, served herself rice and began eating. She even urged them, "Everyone, dig in."

She had been traveling all day without a proper meal and was genuinely hungry.A white-bearded old man sitting beside her nervously sized him up. "Junior Brother Guyu, what's wrong with you? You seem... not quite yourself."

Another slightly younger Taoist priest with a handsome beard, sitting on the other side, asked with concern, "You've been away from the mountain for so long without any news, and now you suddenly return. Has something happened?"

The other priests who remained silent were also staring at her. Though they didn't speak, their faces bore the same question. Wu Zhen put down her bowl and chopsticks, wiped her slightly spicy lips, and smiled at the two bearded senior brothers flanking her. "You two must be Guyu's senior brothers. It's a long story, but actually, I'm the wife Guyu married in Chang'an. My name is Wu Zhen."

The senior brothers and nephews: What the hell? Is there something wrong with our ears or is there something wrong with our junior uncle/brother?

Seeing them all stunned speechless, Wu Zhen decided to skip the polite formalities and focused on filling her stomach first.