Moonlit Reunion [子夜归]

Chapter 26

Liu Taizhen placed her hand over the painting to feel it, then withdrew and asked, "Wu Zhen, did you sense anything?"

Wu Zhen nodded, "Yes, I felt it. This thing definitely has an ominous aura, yet it's strangely 'clean.' Even though there's a hint of sinister energy, it's faint." She turned to Ling Xiao and Zhu Niang, "How did you two capture this thing?"

Zhu Niang, a sturdy and well-built woman, replied, "We saw these things riding a dark cloud toward the palace, so we stopped them. At first, we thought they were evil spirits, but they had no ghostly aura. My husband said he smelled ink on them and guessed they might be ink spirits, so he used a spirit-binding scroll to capture them."

Ling Xiao nodded and added, "Exactly. Once they were sealed in the scroll, they turned into this painting of evil spirits. But after studying it for the past couple of days, we felt these might not actually be ink spirits, so we brought it to Yan Tower for you two to take a look."

Wu Zhen wasn't as focused on the thing itself but rather... "They were heading toward the palace?"

"Yes. Does Cat Master think there's something amiss?"

Wu Zhen suddenly thought of the white tea plant belonging to the little princess. Though it hadn't said anything, it was evident that it had endured a fierce battle to end up in that state. Wu Zhen had already been wondering what sort of entity could enter the palace without drawing attention. Even when she personally investigated, she hadn't detected any lingering ominous energy nearby.

She abruptly rolled up the scroll, "Let me borrow this for now; I'll find Mei Si to see if it's his work."

Mei Si always showed her his new drawings, and after seeing so many, Wu Zhen was almost certain this painting was his. But how had Mei Si managed to create something with such sinister power?

At that moment, the Mei Si on Wu Zhen's mind was actually in the Demon Market. But the 'Mei Si' there was no longer the same Mei Si. His body had been possessed by a demon spirit, and his soul was temporarily pushed into a corner, unconscious.

The demon occupying Mei Si's body was evading someone—the man who had captured him, split him into two parts, and confined him in specially crafted ink and paper. That man appeared sickly, like an ordinary person, yet his methods were uncanny. Originally, the demon had been living peacefully in Yangzhou, but that man had brought him here, forcing him to let a human use his powers. It was utterly humiliating.

He had never been to Chang'an, so it was unfamiliar territory, but he could sense that the city was teeming with demon energy. If he hid here, it would be hard for that man to find him anytime soon. After lying low for a while, he planned to leave and return to Yangzhou.

With this plan in mind, the demon searched the Demon Market for a suitable place to recuperate. Much of his power had been depleted by the boy's drawing, and when the boy burned the paper and ink that had confined him, it had both released him and damaged his spirit, so he needed rest.

After some searching, the demon settled on a building shaped like a soaring goose, the Yan Tower. Being new here, he had no idea about the rules or that Yan Tower housed two powerful figures who were not to be trifled with. He simply sensed that the location was beneficial for his recovery and slipped into the tower without hesitation.

In Yan Tower, Wu Zhen had left, and Ling Xiao and Zhu Niang had gone home, leaving only Liu Taizhen. As the child of a human and a demon, her body had some weaknesses, requiring her to stay in water regularly since her mother was a water-loving snake demon. For Liu Taizhen, being in water was also deeply comforting.

The main hall of Yan Tower had a large pool with warm water year-round, mist floating above it. Liu Taizhen often shifted to her snake form to soak in the pool, and this time was no exception. She transformed into a snake and quietly sank to the bottom.