Moonlit Reunion [子夜归]

Chapter 11

The peach-wood sword, stained with a trace of blood, pierced the writhing, bloated form of the undead. The enormous creature suddenly stilled and then, with a crash, dissolved into a pile of foul-smelling sludge, splattering at Mei Zhuyu's feet.

The mottled ground and walls of the dark alley were covered in the sludge left by the dead creature, but only the spot beneath Mei Zhuyu's feet remained perfectly clean.

A soft drip sounded as a crimson drop fell to the ground beside Mei Zhuyu. He raised his hand to examine the wound in his palm, sheathed the peach-wood sword, and turned to leave the alley.

Since the undead had been taken care of, it was time to head back. Before long, some 'people' would likely come to investigate, and Mei Zhuyu preferred not to run into them.

Having lived in Chang'an for a year, Mei Zhuyu had kept a low profile, blending in like an ordinary person. This was his first time acting in the city. As a member of the Daoist Sect, with one foot in the world of monsters, he was aware of the Demon Market in Chang'an and its two guardians.

These two were in charge of all non-humans in the city, so handling malicious corpses and evil spirits was their duty. Mei Zhuyu typically wouldn't overstep, but...

Binding his wound, he recalled the undead bone that had gone missing. He'd taken it from his younger cousin to keep him safe, as the object was ominous. In his possession, it couldn't harm anyone. However, it had somehow disappeared last night. Because of Wu Zhen, his mind had been restless, so he'd spent the night copying a scripture for peace. By morning, he'd realized the bone was missing. Searching everywhere in his room, he feared Wu Zhen might have picked it up.

If she did and encountered danger, what could he do? No matter how exceptional she was, she was still just an ordinary person, and something like this undead creature would be dangerous to her.

Anxious, he had spent the entire day uneasy, unable to directly ask Wu Zhen. To prevent her from encountering any danger, Mei Zhuyu chose to locate the undead creature and kill it, resolving the issue at its source. Once the undead died, the bone would turn to sand, making it irrelevant if Wu Zhen had found it.

Meanwhile, in Yanlou, Wu Zhen was discussing the undead creature with the Snake Master—Liu Taizhen when, suddenly, the translucent bone in her hand cracked and shattered, the fragments falling onto the dark table.

Wu Zhen and Liu Taizhen both paused. Wu Zhen opened the bag holding the rest of the bones, only to see they'd all turned to sand, gathering in a small pile on the table.

Throwing the bag aside, Wu Zhen leaned back and chuckled, "I don't know how, but it seems the undead's been killed."

Liu Taizhen cleared her throat, looking serious. "What happened?"

Wu Zhen shrugged, "It died on its own, saving us the trouble. Why so serious?"

Unlike her, Liu Taizhen frowned, saying, "It couldn't have died for no reason. We need to investigate. If there's any threat, we should prepare."

Liu Taizhen was serious to the point of stubbornness, a trait she thought she inherited from her father, the Imperial Censor Liu. Not that she'd say it aloud. She nodded, resigned, "Fine. I'll find out what happened and report back."

Liu Taizhen also rose, "I'll go with you."

"Enough," Wu Zhen pushed her back into her seat. "You're still recovering. Just rest here; I can handle it."

As she tried to protest, Wu Zhen had already leapt out the window, vanishing into the night. Liu Taizhen stood by the window, watching the lively Demon Market and, further out, the darkened world of ordinary people.