Moonlit Reunion

The room was unusually quiet. Neither the master of the house, Mei Jia Dalang, nor the uninvited guest who seemed suspiciously like a thief, Wu Zhen, spoke a word.

After a while, Wu Zhen moved first. She leisurely got up from the floor and smiled at Mei Zhuyu, who stood frozen in place. She then grabbed the hand he had used to restrain her. Only then did Mei Zhuyu seem to snap out of his daze, reacting dramatically by abruptly withdrawing his hand and stepping back so quickly that he accidentally knocked over a small folding screen nearby.

Wu Zhen hadn’t expected such a strong reaction and was momentarily stunned. Did I accidentally reveal my cat face just now? she wondered. Is that why this usually composed young man is so frightened?

Silently cursing Huzhu for being unreliable and not buying her more time, Wu Zhen maintained a calm expression. She dusted off her clothes, then looked up at Mei Zhuyu with a smile. "Sorry for startling you," she said, her tone unusually gentle and soothing—so much so that her two deputies would have been shocked to hear it.

Well, Wu Zhen reasoned, it was only natural for an ordinary man to be startled after pulling a living person out from under his bed in the middle of the night. If she acted any more carelessly, she might frighten him into a real panic. In her eyes, young men like him—those who spent their days buried in official documents and were naturally introverted—were far too fragile. She recalled her first betrothal, to that young man from the Fan family, who had fallen seriously ill for a long time after accidentally seeing her hunt down a ghost during a hunting excursion. He had nearly died from the shock.

While Wu Zhen was still pondering how to smooth things over, Mei Zhuyu regained his composure and righted the fallen screen.

Assuming he might doubt her identity, Wu Zhen explained, "I’m Wu Zhen, from Duke Yu’s residence. I’m not some troublemaker. If you don’t believe me, you can come with me tomorrow to verify it." She was genuinely worried he might not recognize her and, like with Huzhu, immediately hand her over to the patrolling guards. She couldn’t afford such humiliation—if she were dragged out of here tonight, the gossip would reach the palace by morning.

"I know you’re Wu Zhen," Mei Zhuyu said coolly.

Yet the speaker’s ears were faintly red.

Noticing the contrast between his composed expression and his flushed ears, Wu Zhen sensed something. Could it be… this young man has feelings for me?

"You came here late at night. May I ask why?" Mei Zhuyu continued in the same detached tone.

Wu Zhen studied his expression and suddenly found it amusing. She sat down on his bed and changed the subject. "I saw that wild goose at home today. I heard you hunted it yourself?"

The moment she sat on his bed, Mei Zhuyu visibly tensed. Though he tried to maintain his composure, Wu Zhen caught the subtle movement of his hand as he instinctively reached to adjust his collar. Having been preparing for bed, he wore only an inner robe with an outer coat loosely draped over it, his hair slightly disheveled. He seemed to want to tidy himself up but resisted the urge. One hand clenched the sleeve of his robe before abruptly releasing it. Though he spoke to her, his gaze remained fixed somewhere near her feet, avoiding direct eye contact.

Most striking, however, was the slow flush creeping up his neck, threatening to spread further.

This slightly flustered demeanor finally gave him the air of a "young man"—a stark contrast to the cold indifference he had displayed yesterday and earlier that afternoon. It was as if he were an entirely different person.How oddly endearing.

Though one stood while the other sat, their auras were completely reversed. Seeing Mei Zhuyu rooted motionless in place, Wu Zhen even felt the illusion that she was bullying him. Am I being unreasonable? she wondered. I haven’t done anything excessive at all.

As Mei Zhuyu’s discomfort became increasingly obvious, Wu Zhen finally reined herself in a little. Clearing her throat, she explained seriously, “Oh, actually, I came here today just out of curiosity—to see what kind of gentleman would be willing to marry me. Afraid of startling you with my sudden appearance, I hid under your bed in a moment of panic. I didn’t expect you’d still find me. My apologies.”

Her behavior could be called shocking and unconventional. Anyone else would likely have scolded her severely or deemed her too frivolous. But once again, this Mei gentleman displayed astonishing composure. After listening to Wu Zhen’s nonsense, he merely nodded without questioning and replied, “I see. Understood. It’s late, so I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, he turned and swiftly exited the room.

This forced calm was rather pitiful to witness. But… Wu Zhen stared at the door in bewilderment. Young man, why are you taking your leave? Isn’t this your room?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the door reopened, and Mei Zhuyu walked back in. His expression was indescribable, as if he’d finally remembered this was his room, and Wu Zhen was the one who had inexplicably popped up.

“This is my room. It’s inappropriate for Wu Er Niangzi to be here. The city gates are already closed, so you can’t return to Duke Yu’s residence. There’s a guest room in the backyard—I’ll take you there.”

Mei Zhuyu spoke these words slowly. The candlelight in the room stretched his shadow long across the floor, and with the flickering flames, the shadow trembled faintly.

Wu Zhen couldn’t bear to tease him further, swallowing back the words she’d wanted to say. She cooperatively stood and followed him to the backyard.

After leading her to the guest room, Mei Zhuyu gave a stiff nod and prepared to leave. But Wu Zhen suddenly stumbled forward, and Mei Zhuyu instinctively reached out to steady her, causing her to collide against him.

The lantern in Mei Zhuyu’s hand fell to the ground, rolling down the steps until its light extinguished. Holding the soft, fragrant jade in his arms, he stiffened like a stone. Wu Zhen steadied herself against his chest and said, “Thank you.”

Mei Zhuyu didn’t even retrieve the lantern, nodding hastily before turning to leave in a fluster, nearly bumping into a pillar in his haste.

Watching him go, Wu Zhen sighed softly, “His waist really is slender.” Then she raised her hand, holding up a small cloth pouch. When the young man had steadied her earlier, she’d deftly untied it—inside was indeed the Undying Bone. With a flip of her other hand, another Undying Bone appeared, which she placed into the same pouch.

She’d retrieved all the Undying Bones, but the red round-collar robe she’d worn earlier was still stuffed under the young man’s bed. Well, it was just a piece of clothing.

Wu Zhen didn’t enter the guest room to rest. After a glance toward the front courtyard, she vaulted over the wall and left. Earlier, she’d considered asking the young man if he truly wished to marry her. But now, it seemed unnecessary.

If he was already this shy, posing such a question would be nothing short of teasing him.Huzhu stood in the shadows not far from the wall, waiting for her. Wu Zhen walked over and gave her a pat to snap her out of her daze. "Did anyone see you?"

Huzhu clutched her chest, her expression complex and aggrieved. "Of course not. I slipped out of the prison cell... Cat Official, this was the first time in my life I've ever been thrown into jail."

"That Lord Mei—how could he be so unfeeling toward a delicate beauty? A frail woman like me, and he handed me over to those soldiers without hesitation to have me locked up?" Huzhu still hadn't recovered from the shock of being imprisoned and continued her disbelieving complaints. "Even if the form I took wasn't as beautiful as my current one, I was still a first-rate beauty. Yet he showed no pity at all. Could it be he prefers men?"

Having said that, she suddenly remembered this Lord Mei might very well be Cat Official's future husband and couldn't help but worry for Wu Zhen. Frowning delicately, she sighed, "Based on my vast experience with men, this Lord Mei seems like a cold and indifferent character. Having to face someone like that every day—wouldn't that be torturous for you? Spending your days with such an unfeeling, cold-hearted wretch would be unbearably dull, let alone experiencing any of the joys of romantic love..."

Wu Zhen had initially also thought Lord Mei had an aloof temperament. But now, listening to Huzhu's words, she found it rather amusing. The memory of that so-called "cold-hearted wretch's" fiercely pounding chest still lingered in her mind. His chest had been warm, his heart racing so wildly she'd worried the young lord might faint. That was why she'd quickly retreated after taking the Undying Bone hanging from his waist, not daring to delay a moment longer.

Huzhu was still muttering, "How will you endure your days with him, Cat Official? Perhaps you should find a gentle, considerate man instead. Would you like me to help you look?" Huzhu had a particular fondness for tender-hearted men, believing only those who cherished women were worthy of her attention.

Wu Zhen knew her quirks well and didn't engage further. She simply pointed southeast. "Enough. Let's deal with the Undying Bone matter first. We can discuss the rest later."

At this, Huzhu dropped the subject. They both knew Cat Official was usually lazy but swift and decisive when it came to business, disliking irrelevant chatter during such times.

That night, they retrieved six Undying Bones, all of which Wu Zhen carried. Once all the bones were collected and burned, they could force out the Undying Corpse. Wu Zhen estimated there were still a few more to find.

During the day, the resentment clinging to the Undying Bones was faint, making them difficult to locate. Wu Zhen rested at Huzhu's establishment. Naturally, her usual gang of mischief-making followers tagged along, drinking and laughing boisterously together. Amid the revelry, Huzhu suddenly recalled the previous night's events and posed a question to the group.

"If a delicate, pitiful beauty knocked on your door late at night, claiming she was being chased by villains and begged you to let her stay for the night, what would you do?"

The group of young nobles burst into laughter. One grinned broadly and said, "Of course I'd cherish the beauty and comfort her tenderly."

Another winked and chimed in, "Exactly! Take her in properly—who knows, it might even lead to a romantic encounter, heh."

Yet another hesitated, "That doesn't seem proper. Better to have a servant accompany her.""Perhaps I could give her the room to rest and find another one for myself."

Huzhu nodded repeatedly. That was the right thing to do! Who would be like that Mei Jia Dalang, capturing and locking people up? Absolutely insane!

After the others had spoken, it was Mei Si's turn. He thought for a moment and said, "A strange, beautiful woman appearing suddenly in the middle of the night might be some kind of fox spirit or ghost. We must be cautious to avoid losing our lives."

Upon hearing this, the group burst into laughter.

Only Wu Zhen thought to herself, this silly boy sometimes does stumble upon the truth by accident.

Seeing Mei Si getting angry from being mocked by the others, she clapped her hands to quiet everyone down and said, "We're going hunting for wild geese outside the city this afternoon. Those who want to join should go back and prepare before returning."