Moonlit Reunion [子夜归]

Chapter 21

When Mei Zhuyu awoke, he felt a bit dizzy. Lying on the couch fully dressed, with his long legs hanging off the edge for so long had been rather uncomfortable. As he reached up to rub his forehead, Mei Zhuyu noticed something unusual—a warm, weighty sensation on his chest. Reaching down, he felt something soft and furry. Looking down, he saw a familiar tabby cat nestled in his arms.

Sitting up, he placed the still-sleeping tabby cat on his lap and, closing his eyes, quietly engaged in his usual breathing exercises. Suddenly, he felt a lightness on his lap. Opening his eyes, he saw the cat was awake, stretching lazily on his knee before flicking his wrist with its tail, leaping to the floor, and dashing toward the window.

He pondered whose cat it might be; it had appeared in his room three times already, and he sometimes saw it at the Ministry of Justice. After a brief thought, he decided not to dwell on it. Rising, he took a wooden sword from the cabinet and went to the backyard to stretch his muscles.

Mei Zhuyu was disappointed with himself for passing out from just a small jug of supposedly mild liquor. With such a low tolerance, how could he live up to Wu Zhen's expectations? He resolved to drink a jug every day from now on and gradually build up his tolerance.

Meanwhile, in the late hours, Mei Si put down his brush, admiring the day's work under the light of a dozen lanterns. His paper now featured a vast array of shades of ink, where one fierce, ink-black demon after another appeared to ride dark clouds, terrifyingly lifelike as if they could leap off the paper at any moment.

Satisfied with his progress, Mei Si placed weights on the paper to dry and smugly went to bed, thinking he could show off his work soon. Little did he know, once he fell asleep, the demons he had drawn began slipping out of the paper with a faint ringing, escaping through the window cracks.

Freed from the page, the inky demons appeared more robust and terrifying than before. They left Mei Si's residence and drifted toward the palace, merging into the night like a silent, ominous black cloud. A subtle ringing echoed through the alleys, yet the night patrol soldiers seemed unaware, letting the sound guide the dark cloud to the palace walls.

Under an old Chinese scholar tree outside the palace wall, a man with a wide-brimmed hat chuckled, pocketing a silver bell. He looked up at the towering walls and said, "Go ahead, let's see what trouble you can stir."

Inside the palace, the ink demons sought out an enticing presence, heading straight for the Empress's palace. However, as they neared, they were stopped by an invisible barrier, forcing them to retreat in frustration and search for another target.

They found their way to a smaller palace nearby, devoid of light and barriers. This time, the demons slipped effortlessly to the palace doors, ready to invade. Just then, a gust of wind stirred the two-person-tall tea tree in front, and a white figure emerged, coalescing from the tree's mist. He raised a hand, conjuring a wind that scattered the demons.

Refusing to give up, the demons attacked the white-clad figure with claws and teeth. Despite taking injuries, he stood firm, refusing to let the demons advance a single step. The demons eventually split, with some engaging the man and others trying to slip through the palace doors. In response, he intensified the wind, forcing them all back outside.

Frustrated, the demons directed their full fury at him. Dawn finally broke, and the first bell rang in Chang'an. Weakened by the night's battle, the demons retreated from the palace, dissipating into the lightening sky.

Mei Si's room fell silent as the defeated demons slinked back through the window, no longer fierce as they were upon departure. They returned meekly to the paper, which lay undisturbed. Mei Si mumbled something in his sleep, chuckling a bit before turning over, entirely oblivious to his artwork's nocturnal escapade.