Moonlit Reunion

The sky had long since darkened, and the forest shrouded by trees was devoid of even a sliver of light. Only the two torches held by the Stout Servants illuminated the narrow space around them.

"Damn it, we've been here before—how come we can't find our way out this time?" a richly dressed youth couldn't help but mutter under his breath.

Another youth, who bore some resemblance to him, nodded in agreement. "Something's off. Even though we've gone farther than usual, we haven't left the usual hunting grounds for the autumn hunt. There's no way we should be lost for this long. We must have run into something supernatural."

The eldest of them, leading the way on horseback with a grim expression, turned his head and snapped, "Enough with this 'supernatural' nonsense! Wang Xian, Wang Jian, both of you shut your mouths!"

His fiery outburst only stoked the brothers' tempers. Already frustrated from being trapped in the forest for so long, they were now itching for a fight. Hands on their hips, they glared back at the older youth. "Xie Daopu, why are you taking it out on us? You're the one leading the way—maybe you're just bad at it! You've got no right to be angry!"

Xie Daopu threw down the reins in his hand and stormed toward the two brothers, cursing, "Which one of you idiots insisted on chasing that fox so far out here, ignoring all calls to stop? Didn't I say we should head back early? Now we're stuck, and you two have the nerve to blame me?"

The brothers, who had indeed been the ones chasing the fox, faltered at the accusation. Their anger deflated, and they muttered sheepishly, "We didn't think... with so many of us, how could we get lost? Besides, it wasn't that far..."

Trapped in the forest were four noble youths, along with over a dozen Stout Servants, all leading horses and carrying bows. Some of the horses bore freshly hunted game—hares, yellow deer, and a gray fox.

Tension hung thick among the three youths, while the fourth, a handsome and quiet boy, remained silent, observing their surroundings and occasionally stepping off the path to inspect something. As the argument flared, he finally spoke up. "Stop fighting. Something really isn't right here."

At his words, the other three turned to him. Xie Daopu asked, "Wei Xi, what have you noticed?"

Wei Xi replied, "It's too dark, so no one paid attention earlier, but I recognized a familiar tree. I left a marker there, and now I've found it again. That means we've been walking in circles."

"No way!" Wang Xian protested. "We've been following the trees—there's no way we could be going in circles. Besides, we have experienced horses and hunting dogs with us. They wouldn't lead us astray."

Xie Daopu nodded. "Right, Wei Xi. Do you have any theories?"

Wei Xi nodded calmly. "This isn't deep wilderness—we shouldn't be lost. But we are. So, I think something is deliberately keeping us here."Hearing the implied meaning in his words, the other three youths felt a chill run down their spines. People of their time believed in ghosts and spirits, and though they might be fearless like newborn calves unafraid of tigers, facing such mysterious phenomena still filled them with dread. Wang Xian and the others had already harbored such suspicions in their hearts, and now, seeing even the usually composed Wei Xi speak like this, their fear intensified. They instinctively moved closer to Wei Xi and called the surrounding servants to gather near, lighting more torches.

Wei Xi said, "We're just trapped here for now. Nothing should happen immediately. Let’s clear a space to rest for the night. Once daylight comes, we’ll surely find our way out."

Following his suggestion, the servants quickly cleared an open area, lit a small bonfire, and arranged the horses in a perimeter. The group sat on the ground in a circle.

The four youths, including Wei Xi, were starving. They skewered the game they had hunted and roasted it over the fire. As the aroma of meat filled the air, the two Wang brothers swallowed hard, their faces showing a mix of anticipation and unease. "We’ve been out all night," one of them asked hesitantly. "Will Sister Zhen scold us when we get back?"

Wei Xi sighed. "She definitely will. But let’s not worry about that now. We should rest well and figure out how to get back tomorrow."

The group sat silently by the fire for a long time, gradually overcome by exhaustion. Many of the servants couldn’t resist dozing off. Xie Daopu and Wei Xi, who had been talking, also began to feel drowsy. Rubbing his eyes, Xie Daopu muttered, "Why am I so sleepy?"

Wei Xi glanced around and noticed that the Wang brothers were already fast asleep, while most of the servants sitting on the outskirts were yawning. Something felt off—they had stayed out late before, but never had they felt this overwhelmingly tired.

Suddenly, he stood up, shaking the Wang brothers awake and shouting, "Everyone, stand up and stay alert!"

The servants, startled awake, scrambled to their feet. Everyone felt a strange unease and instinctively huddled together, shielding the four youths in the center. Wang Xian, still groggy, didn’t understand what was happening until Wei Xi pinched his arm hard, jolting him fully awake with a yelp.

"What’s the big idea—" Before he could finish, he too sensed something amiss and fell silent, eyes darting warily around. The bonfire’s flickering flames cast eerie shadows through the dense forest, as if countless figures flitted at the edges of their vision. Then, faint laughter drifted through the trees.

The laughter sounded like a woman’s or a child’s—normally bright and clear, but distorted by the forest into something elusive and distant. Along with it came hushed whispers, as though many people were murmuring just out of earshot. No matter how hard they strained, the words remained indistinct, and the direction impossible to pinpoint. It seemed to come from everywhere at once.

Many of the servants swallowed nervously, raising their torches higher as if to ward off these unseen presences. But it was no use—the eerie sounds continued unabated.

All the youths except Wei Xi had turned pale. Had it been a tiger or a bear, they wouldn’t have hesitated to draw their bows and arrows, eager to bring the beast down and drag it home triumphantly. But faced with this unknown terror, fear was inevitable.Wei Xi appeared calm, but being just a teenager in his teens, he was also inwardly nervous and began regretting not stopping them earlier. If he couldn’t stop them from acting on their own, he could have at least told Sister Zhen and let her handle it—why did he have to come along with them?

Just as everyone was glancing around in fear, the faint murmurs and laughter suddenly ceased. This didn’t ease their tension; instead, it made them even more apprehensive, their gazes growing more wary as they scanned the dark thickets around them.

Amid the dead silence, a figure slowly emerged from the woods.

The figure was tall and slender, holding something in hand. When the youths got a clear look at the newcomer, they froze in surprise. It was Wei Xi who spoke first, astonished: "Brother Mei?"

As he spoke, he noticed what Mei Zhuyu was holding. The thing’s neck had been twisted, and dark blood dripped from the broken wound, emitting a foul, pungent stench. It resembled a monkey but had two long tails, with sharp black claws on its limbs. Its face was indistinct in the darkness, vaguely human-like…?

What was this? Wei Xi realized he had never seen such a creature before and took a step forward to get a better look.

Noticing his gaze, Mei Zhuyu tossed the thing face-down into the bonfire to burn and said, "This is a mountain banshee. The laughter earlier came from it."

"It’s getting late. My wife is waiting for you at the manor. Let’s head back first."

Perhaps because the way Mei Zhuyu wiped the dark blood from his hands was too unsettling, the four youths and their servants obediently followed him. Only when they emerged from the small grove and saw the dozen or so mounted knights and stout servants from Duke Yu’s estate waiting did Wei Xi and the others finally relax completely. They had even begun to wonder if this "Brother Mei" might be some sinister entity.

Strangely enough, the woods that had trapped them earlier—where they couldn’t find their way out no matter how hard they tried—were now easily navigated under Mei Zhuyu’s lead. In no time, they stepped out of the forest and saw the starry sky above.

"We made it out!" The Wang Xian and Wang Jian brothers, simple-minded, were just happy to be free. Xie Daopu, however, gave Mei Zhuyu a surprised glance before also rejoicing at their escape. Only Wei Xi, recalling the strange creature tossed into the fire, began to form a theory, his gaze toward Mei Zhuyu shifting subtly.

Once they returned safely, Wu Zhen scolded them all while holding her belly, leaving them hanging their heads in shame. Later, Wei Xi quietly asked her, "Sister Zhen, is Brother-in-law… someone beyond the ordinary?"

Wu Zhen smiled mysteriously and said meaningfully, "He used to be a Taoist priest."

Wei Xi’s expression cleared in understanding, and he sighed, "So Brother-in-law is such an extraordinary person. No wonder you chose him, Sister Zhen. It’s good—at least with him around, you don’t have to fear those ghosts and demons."

The young man had no idea that his Sister Zhen herself commanded countless so-called ghosts and demons.

Somehow, Wei Xi must have shared his thoughts with his friends, because the next day, Mei Zhuyu noticed the youths who had previously ignored him—whether intentionally or not—were now sneaking glances at him with a strange mix of awe and wariness.Wu Zhen waved her hand cheerfully, "Ignore them. Once we take them to the hunting grounds, let them hunt on their own. I’ll take you somewhere special."

Mei Zhuyu asked, "Where?"

Wu Zhen poked her husband’s waist with her riding crop, grinning. "Guess if I’ll tell you right now?"

No guessing was needed—he already knew the answer. Mei Zhuyu shook his head helplessly.

Wu Zhen laughed. "You guessed right—I won’t!"

Wu Zhen had planned to send her little entourage away so she could enjoy some alone time with her husband. However, no sooner had they arrived at their usual hunting grounds than they ran into another group.

At that moment, Mei Si and two young boys were driving a deer with the help of their servants. Just as Mei Si drew his bow to shoot, an arrow flew from afar and pierced the deer’s neck.

Furious, Mei Si shouted, "Can’t you see we’re hunting here? Who’s the bastard stealing someone else’s prey?"

A young nobleman on a black horse emerged from the woods, accompanied by a group of aristocratic youths and numerous attendants.

Hearing the commotion, Wu Zhen also arrived with her people, and the two groups came face to face.

Upon seeing Wu Zhen, the black horse rider who had stolen Mei Si’s prey smirked mockingly and said in a strange tone, "Well, if it isn’t Wu Er Niangzi. Long time no see. I heard you got married—shouldn’t you be at home tending to your husband and children?"

Wu Zhen raised an eyebrow, sizing him up before breaking into a smile as if greeting an old acquaintance. "Ah, Prince Jiaoshan! I didn’t know you were in Chang’an this year. Had I known, I would’ve paid you a visit. Seeing you riding and hunting, I take it your leg injury has healed?"

Her tone was cheerful, without a hint of anger, yet Prince Jiaoshan’s eyes nearly spat fire, barely restraining himself from charging at her in fury.