Moonlit Reunion

Wu Zhen encountered two more fragments of insignificant memories, yet she still hadn't found a way to awaken her husband. She had tried waving in front of him, darting around him, even shouting in his ears—but nothing worked. He still couldn't see or hear her.

Was she just going to waste time like this? As Wu Zhen pondered, the scene suddenly shifted again. This time, it was a place she recognized—the residence of Duke Yu, her own home.

The manor was decorated with lanterns and streamers, clearly depicting the day of their wedding. Wu Zhen thought for a moment and decided not to waste any more time following her husband aimlessly. Instead, she strode straight into the manor to find herself. If this was their wedding day, with her husband present, then there must be another version of her here as well.

Sure enough, when she reached her room, Wu Zhen saw another "Wu Zhen" sitting inside, dressed in a blue wedding gown. A strange premonition struck her. She stepped forward and grabbed at this other "Wu Zhen"—and to her surprise, she actually managed to seize her. Before the other version of herself could react in shock, Wu Zhen suddenly shifted into her cat form, opened her jaws wide, and swallowed the other "Wu Zhen" whole.

Looking down at herself, she saw that her clothes had transformed into the wedding gown the other "Wu Zhen" had been wearing. Wu Zhen grinned. Good—she had guessed right. In this place where her husband was trapped, she couldn't affect others, but she could affect herself.

Wu Zhen strode out of the room. This time, the servants who had previously ignored her could now see her clearly, exclaiming in surprise, "Second Lady, the auspicious hour is almost upon us! Mei Jia Dalang will be arriving soon—it's improper for you to suddenly run out like this!"

Ignoring them, Wu Zhen walked straight past and headed outside. She grabbed the red-maned horse she often rode, mounted it, and charged recklessly out of the manor, leaving the servants shrieking in her wake. Amid the chaos, she arrived at the front gates of Duke Yu's residence just as her husband was about to enter. He was dressed in bright red wedding robes, his expression as calm as ever, but his eyes were bright with joy.

When he saw Wu Zhen suddenly appear on horseback, he was taken aback, staring at her in confusion. Wu Zhen smiled at him and extended her hand. Without quite knowing why, Mei Zhuyu instinctively reached out and took it.

Wu Zhen pulled him onto the horse, and the two of them rode out of Duke Yu's estate together, leaving behind a cloud of dust and the frantic shouts of those trying to stop them. Wu Zhen paid them no mind, urging the horse to go faster.

They raced through the streets of Chang'an, then out of the city. The lively surroundings gradually gave way to desolation until, at last, only the two of them remained on the long, empty road.

Finally, Mei Zhuyu spoke. "Where are we going?"

Wu Zhen laughed and answered loudly, "Away from here, of course."

Mei Zhuyu hesitated, surprised. "But today is our wedding day. Do you... regret this marriage?"

Wu Zhen turned her head, pulled him down, and bit his lips. "We already have a child—why would I refuse to marry you?"

Mei Zhuyu: "...Child?"

Wu Zhen: "I've already married you once. A second time is unnecessary—especially when it's all fake."At some point, the surrounding sounds began to fade—the chirping of birds and the hum of insects vanished, followed by the green mountains and trees. As their red-maned horses galloped onward, the scenery gradually dissolved into a dull gray haze. Soon, nothing remained in the world except for them and their steeds.

Mei Zhuyu’s expression had already settled into calmness as the surroundings transformed. Silently, he tightened his grip on Wu Zhen’s hand. Sensing this, Wu Zhen felt her own time was nearly up. She asked, "Did you remember that we have a child?"

Mei Zhuyu replied, "I remembered."

Wu Zhen rubbed the top of her head against his chin and praised, "Good boy. I’ll wait for you—wake up soon."

With those words, her figure gradually faded into the encroaching gray haze.

…

When Wu Zhen opened her eyes, she felt the hand she was holding twitch slightly.

Someone nearby shouted, "They’re awake! Both of them are awake!"

Fortunately, there was no real danger. After Mei Zhuyu woke, the wound on his body proved insignificant, just as he had claimed. At the very least, Wu Zhen saw him practicing swordplay in the mornings as if nothing had happened, though his movements were slightly slower.

They stayed at Changxi Temple for only three days before Mei Zhuyu prepared to leave with Wu Zhen. After all, it was a Taoist temple, and they couldn’t linger indefinitely. During those three days, Wu Zhen witnessed her husband’s formidable teaching methods with the young disciples of the temple. Despite the large wound on his abdomen, it did nothing to diminish the force of his "earth-splitting" strikes.

As several young disciples flitted about on wooden stakes, Mei Zhuyu stood coldly to the side with his hands behind his back. With a single flick of his wrist, he could send the planted stakes flying. One lazy disciple, along with his stake, was smacked straight into the branches of a nearby tree, where he wailed loudly.

Aside from Wu Zhen, a few bearded senior disciples watched while sipping chrysanthemum tea. One of them stroked his beard and sighed, "Little Junior Brother really knows how to train disciples. Those like Shuangjiang, whom he raised from childhood, are much more disciplined and obedient. Even at a young age, they’re steady and capable of standing on their own once they leave the mountain. But the new disciples recruited in the past two years, who didn’t train under his watchful eye—quite a few of them are lazy."

"Indeed. While Little Junior Brother is still here these two days, let him teach these youngsters a proper lesson."

"It’s a shame he’ll be leaving soon. Ah…"

A group of old men then began sneaking glances at Wu Zhen. She turned to them with a bright smile and generously offered, "Next time you have disobedient disciples, just send them to Chang’an. My husband can discipline them on your behalf, and I’ll take good care of them. Once they’re properly trained, I’ll have them sent back—guaranteed safe and sound."

Her cheerful and magnanimous demeanor made the bearded seniors sigh in admiration, thinking that their taciturn junior brother had somehow managed to win over such an excellent woman.

After her generous declaration, Wu Zhen watched as her husband effortlessly flung little troublemakers aside and couldn’t help but worry for the tiny life in her belly. If the child took after Mei Zhuyu, all would be well. But if it took after her… its backside would likely be thoroughly spanked by its father.

When they left Changxi Temple, Wu Zhen was surprised to find that Siqing Daozhang’s once-black hair and short beard had turned white in just a few days, making him appear much older."Master is not young anymore. Everyone must face this day eventually," Mei Zhuyu calmly told her. Wu Zhen knew there were things he hadn’t shared, but she didn’t press further. Even as husband and wife, they didn’t need to know every detail about each other.

After leaving Changxi Temple, they unexpectedly encountered Wu Zhen’s cousin, Pei Ji Ya. He had regained his human form and now sat elegantly in a lavish, spacious carriage, surrounded by an entourage of Pei family servants and guards. Since his last disappearance, the family had assigned even more guards to protect him.

In the eyes of the Pei elders, their sole heir, Pei Ji Ya, was nothing more than a frail, sickly young master who couldn’t even harm a chicken—naturally, he had to be well-guarded.

Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu boarded Pei Ji Ya’s carriage. Wu Zhen noticed a young girl sitting beside him. She had seen the girl before, but at the time, her mind had been preoccupied with her husband. Now that everything had settled, she had the leisure to observe other matters.

"And who is this young girl?"

Pei Ji Ya poured himself a cup of tea. "My disciple."

"Oh?" Wu Zhen was surprised. No one in the world understood her cousin better than she did. For Pei Ji Ya to take on a disciple and keep her by his side—this girl was no ordinary child.

Pei Ji Ya glanced at Wu Zhen’s belly and suddenly smiled. "Since we’re parting soon, how about another gift from your cousin?" He handed her a wooden box.

Wu Zhen used a jade tea scoop beside her to lift the lid, revealing two familiar wooden dolls. "Again?" She raised an eyebrow.

Pei Ji Ya smiled meaningfully as he took the dolls. "You might find them useful again someday."

Wu Zhen narrowed her eyes slightly and, after a moment’s thought, accepted them.

Pei Ji Ya tapped the dolls. "You’re too cautious, cousin. I haven’t cast any spells on these yet. Even if you touch them now, it’s fine." As he spoke, he began inscribing incantations onto the dolls right in front of Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu.

Mei Zhuyu, who had been silent until now, suddenly stiffened, his gaze sharpening as he stared at Pei Ji Ya. When silent, he often went unnoticed, but now, his presence became overwhelming, exuding a heavy pressure.

"Before—at the abandoned mansion of the former Minister in Yongfu Lane—it was you." Mei Zhuyu’s tone was firm.

Pei Ji Ya paused, then laughed, rubbing his forehead. "A miscalculation. I forgot you’d seen me act before. So you recognized me." He admitted without hesitation.

Hearing this exchange, Wu Zhen pieced something together and demanded, "What’s going on? Explain clearly."

Mei Zhuyu briefly recounted the incident involving the savage hounds and the two dead beggars in the abandoned mansion. Wu Zhen’s expression darkened as she turned to Pei Ji Ya. "You let savage hounds kill people in my territory?"

As the Cat Official, she governed the vast city of Chang’an. Ordinary human conflicts were beyond her concern, but when non-human entities were involved, it was a direct challenge to her authority. If Pei Ji Ya had truly commanded hounds to kill within Chang’an, Wu Zhen could not let it slide.Noticing Wu Zhen's thoughts, Pei Ji Ya quickly waved his hands and said, "That's not the case. Actually, the vicious dogs I raised haven't eaten living people—they only feed on corpses. Those two beggars were already dead, and I didn't kill them either. They probably starved to death." He even sounded a bit aggrieved as he continued, "I've been raising those vicious dogs, and all along, I've gone through great trouble finding unclaimed corpses to keep them fed. It's rare to find unclaimed bodies in Chang'an. After much difficulty, I finally found two, allowing them a full meal. I'd been raising them well, and they were almost turning into demonic hounds, but then the person beside you killed them..."

Wu Zhen herself wasn't exactly the most upright person either. Hearing this, she thought it wasn't too bad—at least it didn't cross her bottom line. However, seeing the cold expression on her husband's face, she coughed and put on a stern look as well. "You can't just raise vicious dogs as you please! If they had actually killed someone in Chang'an, I wouldn't have let it slide."

Her words were light, with no intention of pursuing the matter strictly.

But then, Mei Zhuyu chose that moment to ask another question: "Was that veiled man who tried to kill me a puppet you created?"

Wu Zhen's expression darkened completely at that. "Tried to kill my husband?" She turned to Pei Ji Ya again, but this time, her gaze was far colder than before.

"Cousin, care to explain?" she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Pei Ji Ya kept a smile on his face, but inwardly, he gritted his teeth in frustration. That Taoist surnamed Mei seemed simple-minded, yet he had the cunning to tattle like this!