Moonlit Reunion

Just as the dull thunder rumbled, a beast-like howl grew louder from the distance.

Wu Zhen turned her head to glance in that direction and said, "That Sibuxiang I nearly drove mad is coming."

Mei Zhuyu had been on high alert, but couldn't help repeating, "Sibuxiang?"

Wu Zhen spread her hands. "It has antlers but isn't a deer, hooves but isn't a cow, fur but isn't a tiger, scales but isn't a snake—hence the name Sibuxiang."

Seeing Mei Zhuyu's expression, she added, "Actually, I think it's more than just four things it doesn't resemble. It doesn't resemble anything at all. I can't even tell what its original form was supposed to be."

Listening to the roars filled with rage and pain, Mei Zhuyu could almost feel the creature's fury. He truly didn't understand how Wu Zhen had provoked it to this extent, so he asked.

Wu Zhen had just noticed the small wound on his arm and was examining it closely. At his question, she casually replied, "Earlier, I saw it throwing an inexplicable tantrum and thought something was off. So when I later persuaded a few Demon Servants to switch sides, I casually asked them about its past and learned this Sibuxiang once had someone it loved. After some guesswork, I taunted it with a few words while breaking its Barrier."

Truthfully, Wu Zhen hadn't expected it to be so effective... Though to be fair, those words alone weren't that powerful. The real trigger was when she transformed into a cat and tangled with Sibuxiang for a while. The moment it saw her cat form, it went completely berserk, chasing her relentlessly to kill her. She'd barely managed to escape.

Wu Zhen figured this Sibuxiang either had a grudge against cats, against women who laughed and sang, or specifically against women who laughed, sang, and could turn into cats.

The thought flashed through her mind in an instant. Wu Zhen glanced at the wooden box on Mei Zhuyu's back and squeezed his large, well-defined hand. "Hey, husband, is this box what Sibuxiang wants? What's inside?"

Perhaps because Wu Zhen's attitude was so casual, Mei Zhuyu found it impossible to stay tense as long as she was by his side. His sharp, vigilant gaze softened involuntarily when it landed on her.

"Yes. I don't know." His eyes might have softened, but his words remained few.

Wu Zhen seized the brief moment between serious matters to sneak in some affection, giggling as she pinched his fingers. "Let me see."

The wooden box was something Mei Zhuyu's father had guarded his entire life. For its sake, both his parents had died, and later, their son continued the vigil. Yet all these years, Mei Zhuyu had never tried to open it to see what was inside—simply because he still harbored reservations.

Now that Wu Zhen wanted to look, Mei Zhuyu hesitated only briefly before unhooking the box with one hand and presenting it to her.

How sweet of her obedient husband to comply so readily. Wu Zhen praised him inwardly with delight as she took the box and opened it. The box had an unusual lock shaped like a curled-up cat, seamless with no keyhole. Unsure how to open it, Wu Zhen was about to force it when the tiny lock clicked upon her touch and opened by itself.

Wu Zhen raised an eyebrow and lifted the lid.Unexpectedly, inside the wooden box the length of an arm lay... a cat. A tabby cat very similar to the one she turned into, though slightly larger. The cat in the box had smooth fur and lay motionless, appearing as if asleep. However, when Wu Zhen reached out to touch it, she discovered the well-preserved cat was dead.

Finding no other mysteries within the wooden box, Wu Zhen picked up the cat’s body and showed it to Mei Zhuyu. “Husband, look, isn’t this cat quite plump?”

Mei Zhuyu hadn’t expected the box to contain something like this and was taken aback. Seeing Wu Zhen holding up the cat and calling it fat, he felt that familiar, indescribable subtlety—the kind where he didn’t quite know how to respond.

Meanwhile, Sibuxiang, now even more decayed than before, had caught up to Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu. He seemed to have calmed somewhat on the way, but the moment he spotted what Wu Zhen held in her hands, he flew into a frenzy again. His gaping black maw dripped with dark saliva as he stared at the cat’s body and shouted hysterically, “Give it to me! Give her to me! She’s mine!”

Wu Zhen glanced at Sibuxiang, then at the cat in her arms. She lifted it slightly. “Oh? Could this be the one you fancied?”

She had merely tossed out a guess, but it turned out to be correct. The perpetually frenzied Sibuxiang actually regained his composure and answered her question. “Yes. I once adored her deeply.”

Once adored. Wu Zhen detected something more in those words. She said, “Sounds like you don’t anymore. Going to such lengths to get this corpse—are you trying to ease your longing or give her a proper burial? Otherwise, tell me what you want it for. If your reason sounds good, I might just hand it over.”

Sibuxiang’s eyes, deep within his rotting skull, fixed coldly on Wu Zhen. But she remained utterly unfazed under his oppressive stare. Finally, Sibuxiang let out a soft laugh, his voice carrying an uncharacteristic softness—though his words were anything but gentle.

“If I eat her, I won’t be this monstrous anymore. I can keep living—properly!” His tone grew feverish, his mouth drooling even more eagerly. “I’ve searched for her for so long. I’m sick of this body. Hurry, give her to me! Just hand her over, and I’ll spare your lives.”

Wu Zhen wasn’t the least bit surprised. Watching him practically itch to lunge for the corpse, she calmly stroked the cat’s fur—finding the texture unexpectedly pleasant—and chuckled. “Give it to you, and you won’t kill us? What, do I look like a fool who’d believe whatever you say?”

She flashed a malicious grin, the kind that didn’t belong to a good person. “Seems you still don’t grasp the situation. It’s not you threatening us anymore—it’s me holding what you want.”

Sibuxiang’s patience was razor-thin. At her words, his massive body leaned forward, brimming with killing intent. “Then I’ll just kill you and take her back.”Mei Zhuyu had been silently standing by the side. According to his habits and methods, it was impossible for him to engage in so much talk with an enemy. Normally, upon encountering an enemy, he would act without hesitation—whether they lived or died would be decided after the fight. This time, with Wu Zhen present, he had no choice but to follow her silent cues, standing guard while intently observing every move of the enemy across from them, his body tense and his gaze sharp.

Seeing that Sibuxiang seemed ready to strike, Mei Zhuyu immediately prepared himself. However, Wu Zhen once again broke the tension by speaking up. Holding the cat corpse, she said, "I advise you to calm down. Look here—what you want is in my hands. Do you believe that if you act recklessly, I’ll destroy it right away? Turn her into a handful of ashes and scatter them to the wind. Then what? Will you swallow all the dirt within several miles?" As she spoke, she seemed to find amusement in her own words, glancing at the cat corpse with a hint of eagerness.

Sibuxiang clearly hadn’t expected her to say this and was visibly stunned. Furious, it shouted, "You’re threatening me!"

Wu Zhen swung the cat corpse lazily. "Smart. Yes, I am threatening you."

Struck where it hurt, Sibuxiang’s aura weakened, though its eyes still glared fiercely at the two of them. The one who should have been the threat had now become the threatened. Even Mei Zhuyu hadn’t expected the situation to shift so quickly. In his life, he had never played the role of the one issuing threats—only Wu Zhen seemed perfectly at ease in her current role, her demeanor and tone unmistakably that of a tyrant.

Mei Zhuyu hesitated for a moment but ultimately played along with Wu Zhen.

After a brief silence, Sibuxiang suddenly calmed down and said, "Earlier, you transformed into a cat. That’s when I realized—you’re the current Cat Official of Chang'an’s Demon Market."

Wu Zhen replied, "Save the flattery. I’m not giving you face."

Cut off, Sibuxiang’s mood seemed to sour further, its voice growing even darker. "Then you should know that what you’re holding is the first Cat Official of the Demon Market. Chang'an’s Demon Market began with her."

Wu Zhen genuinely hadn’t known this and was momentarily stunned. Sibuxiang continued, "That Mei boy beside you—his father was your predecessor as Cat Official. He died protecting the corpse of the first Cat Official. Since you’ve inherited the title, you’re effectively her successor. Knowing this, do you still dare to destroy her remains?"

More surprising to Wu Zhen than the revelation about the first Cat Official was another matter. Her husband’s father had been the previous Cat Official? She remembered her father mentioning that Mei Zhuyu’s father had once been the governor of Quzhou Prefecture—how had he also been the previous Cat Official?

Wu Zhen’s brows furrowed unconsciously as she recalled certain things. She did remember the previous Cat Official. She had been just a few years old when that enormous cat had given her a pearl to save her life, then brought her to the Demon Market. It had told her that, as the price for saving her, she would one day become the Cat Official of the Demon Market and bear responsibility for it.

At that young age, Wu Zhen had only met the previous Cat Official twice—once when he saved her, and once when he bid farewell. He had mentioned then that he was no longer the Cat Official and had to leave Chang'an in a hurry. But back then, Wu Zhen hadn’t been close to him and hadn’t cared, too preoccupied with the novelty of being able to transform into a cat. Over time, she had forgotten about the previous Cat Official. Both times they had met, he had appeared in the form of a cat.My husband once mentioned that according to his parents, he had lived in Chang'an until he was three years old, before moving to Quzhou with his transferred father. The timeline seemed to match.

Another thunderclap roared across the sky, startling Wu Zhen. Suddenly, she felt a cool touch between her brows—Mei Zhuyu had pressed his finger there. His fingertips were icy cold.

Seeing his expression, Wu Zhen relaxed her furrowed brow and chuckled with a sigh. "I suppose this counts as an unconventional case of 'like father, like son'? So it turns out my position as your wife was arranged by your father. He must have had excellent judgment to have picked me out for you so early."

Hearing this, Mei Zhuyu paused briefly before suddenly bursting into laughter. Wu Zhen had never seen her husband laugh like this before—not the usual slight crinkling of eyes and lips, but genuine, audible mirth. His laughter was pleasant to hear, and in that moment, he truly seemed like the young man a few years her junior that he was. Wu Zhen wasn't sure which part of her offhand remark had struck such a chord with him to provoke this reaction, but she couldn't help smiling along.

While the two of them were happily laughing together, Sibuxiang on the other side was far less amused. Though his ruined head made it impossible to discern his expression, Wu Zhen could almost feel his desire to charge over and beat some sense into these two who dared flirt so shamelessly in the face of their formidable enemy.