Moonlit Reunion [子夜归]

Chapter 16

The demon market is quiet during the day; its hours are inverted from the human world, and this is when the various demons are resting. Wu Zhen came to Yan Tower at this time to search for something, only to unexpectedly run into her long-unseen friend, Liu Taizhen.

"Little Snake!" Wu Zhen crept up behind Liu Taizhen and gave her shoulder a sharp pat.

Wu Zhen moved so silently that she managed to startle Liu Taizhen, who had been lost in thought. However, Taizhen was calm and steady by nature; even though she was startled, she didn't show it and continued to sit there, gazing over the endless rows of green-gray rooftops below the tower.

Wu Zhen swung a leg over the railing and perched on it, tilting her head to look at her friend. "What's up? Aren't you usually home at this hour? What brings you out to Yan Tower all alone?"

Liu Taizhen finally turned to glance at her, skipping Wu Zhen's question to comment, "You've been causing quite a stir these past few days."

Wu Zhen knew exactly what she was referring to—she had recruited a few small demons in the market to spook Young Master Lu. For the past few days, they had taken turns scaring him, returning afterward to eagerly recount their adventures in detail, like storytellers, delighting the crowd. Some of the more conscientious ones even gathered feedback to improve their methods, aiming to spook Lu in new ways every day. Because of this, the bored little demons in the area began gathering at the plaza by Yan Gate, waiting for the daily scare reports, creating quite a lively scene.

You couldn't blame them; these little demons lived dull lives not so different from humans and got overly excited anytime something happened. And a chance like this—to scare someone under orders—was rare, after all. Without Wu Zhen's directive, they couldn't just go around scaring humans; otherwise, they would get harshly punished.

Perhaps this was what you'd call the thrill of sanctioned mischief.

Wu Zhen was well aware that her actions were a bit improper, but she was thicker-skinned than her friend and brushed off the minor transgression. She even grinned as she invited Liu Taizhen to join in the fun, "How about you come along for the excitement? I remember you don't like Lu either. Why not turn into your snake form and give him a scare?"

Liu Taizhen let out a dry laugh but didn't chide her with something like "it's wrong to deploy demons to bother humans without permission." She merely reminded her lightly, "Just don't overdo it."

Wu Zhen nodded cheerfully. "I know—don't scare him to death, just enough to make him stay quietly at home for a year or so. That way, he won't go around bullying my fiancé again."

Hearing the word 'fiancé,' Liu Taizhen gave her friend a serious look. "Wu Zhen, are you serious about this?"

Wu Zhen replied, "Everyone else has asked already—I was wondering when you'd finally ask me too. Couldn't hold back any longer, huh?" After chuckling, she scratched her nose, a bit uncertain herself. "I think I'm serious... at least more than I ever was before."

Setting aside the tension of the topic, Wu Zhen threw an arm around Liu Taizhen's shoulder, teasing, "Alright, Little Snake, I'm getting married, and you're only a year younger than me. That'll make you the oldest bachelorette left in our circle."

Liu Taizhen said coldly, "And so what if I don't get married? Who would dare say anything?"

Wu Zhen said, "...That was true."

As for her, the daughter of Censor Liu, she'd been viewed by outsiders as frail and sickly since childhood, with her pale complexion and weak breath. Her father doted on her as if she were his very lifeblood, unwilling to let her marry out of his sight. Who would dare criticize her choice to remain single, knowing they'd face Censor Liu and his allies, ready to retaliate?