Moonlit Reunion

Li Shizhang, his face twisted with malice, pressed his hand downward, and in an instant, two cold arrows shot out from beside him.

No matter how strong you are, what can you do against such hidden arrows? The sneer on Li Shizhang’s face hadn’t fully formed before it froze. His eyes widened in disbelief at what he was seeing.

Those two fiercely speeding arrows—in the blink of an eye—had been caught barehanded by that man surnamed Mei. Catching arrows with bare hands? How could anyone do that? How had he even noticed the arrows? And how had he caught them so effortlessly, as if it required no strength at all? Could it be that the arrows shot by those two Stout Servants lacked force?

Li Shizhang was provoked once more. Without a second thought, he grabbed his own bow, nocked an arrow, and prepared to test this himself. His agitation was so great that his movements became reckless. Those around him hurriedly tried to dissuade him, but Li Shizhang heard none of it—his stubborn disbelief drove him to seek answers.

However, before he could loose his arrow, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. The two arrows they had shot earlier came hurtling back with tremendous force—or rather, were thrown back.

Thunk. One arrow embedded itself in Li Shizhang’s gauze hat, while the other grazed his neck before lodging into the tree trunk behind him. Feeling a sting on his neck, he reached up and touched blood—the arrow had scraped the skin on the side of his throat.

Li Shizhang’s hand trembled, and his bow clattered to the ground. Stiffly, he raised his head and saw, beneath the distant tree, Wu Zhen swinging her legs with an amused smile, and that man surnamed Mei, who had caught the arrows barehanded and thrown them back, still standing there with an indifferent expression.

That seemingly ordinary man’s gaze was cold and impatient, carrying a sharp, murderous intent Li Shizhang had never seen before. A chill surged through his entire body, his heart pounding violently as he trembled in terror, nearly crying out in fright.

These were lightweight arrows, not heavy iron or bronze swords. At such a distance, how could any normal person throw something with such force? Impossible!

Li Shizhang was so frightened he nearly lost his wits. When he finally regained his senses, he realized Wu Zhen and the other man had already left. They had clearly noticed his presence but hadn’t even bothered to confront him—such utter disdain!

His pale face quickly flushed red with rage and fear. His servants anxiously asked if he was alright, and one cautiously inquired whether they should continue following. Li Shizhang’s nostrils flared twice before he erupted in humiliated fury. He stood up, hurled his bow to the ground, and turned to leave. "Follow? Are you stupid? With that man surnamed Mei around, what good can we do? Can any of you useless lot even fight him?!"

Not daring to provoke him further, the servants lowered their heads and followed in silence. Even those who felt indignant quickly masked their expressions, not daring to utter another word.

Li Shizhang stormed through the forest, his eyes bloodshot and lips trembling, seething with hatred. "This humiliation today—I will repay it tenfold in the future!"

Poor fool. He had no idea that ahead, some ‘friends’ sent by the Cat Official were waiting for him.

Those two arrows were Mei’s warning. Wu Zhen’s lesson had yet to begin.Wu Zhen set down the bone hand she had been holding and let out a soft laugh. "Go on, give him a proper welcome for me."

The bones instantly dissolved into mist and vanished. Wu Zhen rose from the ground, and Mei Zhuyu reached out to steady her. She leaned casually against him, watching the skeletal specter fade into the distance as she remarked with a smile, "Though there aren't any truly wicked Demon Creatures in these deep mountains, the naturally born Monsters are plentiful—and quite obedient."

Mei Zhuyu had witnessed her summoning the Monsters of these woods to encircle Li Shizhang. Even without seeing it firsthand, he could imagine the gruesome fate awaiting the man. With slightly weaker resolve, one might be driven mad by terror. The simultaneous appearance of so many Monsters was far more severe than when Wei Xi and his three companions had been trapped in the forest.

After a brief contemplation, Mei Zhuyu dismissed the matter from his mind. Wrongdoers deserved punishment, and once punished, there was no need to dwell on it—it was merely a trivial affair.

Wu Zhen, too, spared little thought for Li Shizhang. Cheerfully, she led Mei Zhuyu along a path until they discovered a secluded mountain stream hidden within a ravine.

"Look, isn't it beautiful?"

One side of the stream was lined with large rocks, their crevices allowing sunlight to spill through and dance upon the crystalline water. The stream was so clear it seemed transparent, revealing stones and submerged logs covered in patches of moss. The moss in the shadows appeared deep emerald, while the sunlit sections glowed a vibrant green, like the fresh buds of spring, lending the water an even more pristine clarity.

Orchid grass grew along the banks, some trailing into the water, swaying gently. The interplay of light and shadow transformed the stream and its divided pools into a dreamlike sanctuary of tranquility.

Their attendants had not followed, leaving only the two of them. Wu Zhen perched on a large rock, idly picking up a pebble and tossing it into the stream, sending ripples across the surface.

"Every year when I come hunting in these mountains, I stop here to rest. Sometimes, when I'm in a foul mood, I ride alone out of Chang'an to hunt here." Amidst the splendor and bustle of the capital, surrounded by constant activity, she occasionally grew weary and restless. Years ago, she had stumbled upon this place by chance and since then had made it a habit to retreat here whenever she felt troubled.

Mei Zhuyu remained silent. In truth, he already knew of this place.

Their first encounter had been here. Back then, however, only he had seen Wu Zhen—she hadn’t noticed him. He had been pursuing a malevolent Demon Creature and had stumbled upon the scene, bloodied and travel-worn, while Wu Zhen was bathing in the stream, likely washing off blood from her hunt.

Noticing her husband's silence, Wu Zhen turned her head curiously, only to find him not admiring the scenery at all but instead lost in thought, his expression distant.

The tips of his ears were still red.

What was going on? Wu Zhen glanced around but found nothing amiss—the ravine was quiet save for birdsong, the breeze cool and soothing. Everything was perfectly normal.

"Darling."

Mei Zhuyu kept his gaze fixed on the water, avoiding her eyes.

Wu Zhen leaned closer, tilting her head to study his expression. "What are you thinking about?" Her smile gradually turned mischievous. "Could it be you're remembering something…?"

But Mei Zhuyu refused to say a word. Wu Zhen tickled his waist, determined to pry the secret from him, but he remained unfazed, effortlessly capturing both her hands in his grip. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free.Fine, being strong is indeed impressive.

The two of them sat there all afternoon, with Wu Zhen making a fuss the entire time. Yet, they never figured out why Mei Zhuyu had such an expression when he first saw the mountain stream.

When the group reunited, they noticed that their beloved Sister Zhen and her husband had returned empty-handed. Wu Zhen unabashedly admitted that the couple had gone sightseeing instead, drawing a chorus of jeers from the crowd.

“No worries, we’ve bagged plenty this time—we’re sure to beat Li Shizhang!”

However, Li Shizhang never showed up. The noble youths who had been with him gradually appeared, but Li Shizhang himself had gone missing.

His disappearance lasted seven or eight days. It wasn’t until Wu Zhen and the others left the Western Hills and returned to Chang’an that he was finally found in the mountains.

When discovered, Li Shizhang was emaciated, unshaven, and unconscious. Upon waking, he was utterly terrified, clutching his head and screaming about ghosts. After several days of recuperation, he improved slightly, but he remained as jumpy as a startled bird, fleeing at the slightest loud noise. Not only him—his stout servants were also badly frightened. Yet, when questioned about what had happened during those missing days, they all wore expressions of fear and refused to speak.

Some suspected Wu Zhen had sent someone to teach Li Shizhang a lesson, but she appeared completely innocent. Moreover, numerous noble youths and maidens testified that she had no opportunity to torment him. Thus, the matter was dropped. Prince Jiaoshan, Li Shizhang, was soon escorted back to his fief to recover. It was unclear how many years it would take for him to muster the courage to return to Chang’an again.

After that year’s autumn hunt, Mei Zhuyu suddenly gained fame within Wu Zhen’s circle of acquaintances. Tales of ‘Taoist Priest Mei’ began circulating among them. It started when one of Wu Zhen’s long-time friends shamelessly brought gifts to their home, asking Mei Zhuyu to inspect his haunted residence. From then on, Mei Zhuyu was frequently invited to deal with supernatural disturbances.

Sometimes, it was just minor monsters causing trouble, which Mei Zhuyu would casually subdue and bring home for Wu Zhen to play with. Other times, it was small demons sneaking into Chang’an to wreak havoc—these, too, were handed over to Wu Zhen to manage in the Demon Market. More often than not, however, it was just false alarms, with nothing amiss except people’s own paranoia. Only once did he uncover a servant pretending to haunt the house to extort money, whom Mei Zhuyu promptly arrested for interrogation. After all, aside from being a Taoist priest, he was also an official in the Ministry of Justice.

Autumn passed in the blink of an eye. As the city’s leaves fell and the cold winds swept in from the north, winter arrived.

With winter’s arrival, Wu Zhen’s belly grew even larger. She no longer sought out excitement, losing interest even in her favorite songs and dances. Her greatest joy now was curling up to sleep—specifically, curling up in her husband’s arms.

In her Tabby Cat form, she had grown noticeably heavier, her belly round and firm to the touch. Every morning, Mei Zhuyu would rise for work, carefully tucking his wife in with soft blankets and snowy fur, drawing the curtains and adjusting the incense burner to ensure she slept soundly. Yet, without fail, an hour into his duties at the Ministry of Justice, a lazy Tabby Cat would leap through the window and nestle familiarly into his lap.Instead of sleeping in the comfort of home, she insisted on coming here. Mei Zhuyu was quite helpless about it. He had reminded her several times, but Wu Zhen would just smile cheerfully and agree to everything, only to forget immediately and continue her old ways the next day, taking the act of playing dumb to the extreme. Unable to do anything about it, Mei Zhuyu had no choice but to indulge her. He prepared a thick fur cushion at the Ministry of Justice office, so when the Tabby Cat came running over, he could wrap her up like a blanket.

Thus, the other officials at the Ministry of Justice often witnessed such a scene—Magistrate Mei sitting at his desk, brush in hand as he worked, with a lazy cat curled up asleep in his arms. The room was filled with such tranquility that it inexplicably evoked the sentiment, "What a leisurely life this is."