Wu Zhen said she wanted to go discuss matters with Snake Master Liu Taizhen, but Mei Zhuyu felt that discussing matters might be secondary; what she wanted to do was probably to tease her friend.
Just as he had guessed, when they arrived at the Liu residence and met Liu Taizhen, Wu Zhen squeezed Mei Zhuyu’s hand, signaling him not to speak. She stepped forward and said, “Snake Master, we apologize for the sudden intrusion of my husband and me.”
Liu Taizhen looked at them with surprise, frowning slightly. “What brings you here?”
Wu Zhen, trying to impersonate Mei Zhuyu but failing to do so convincingly, spoke formally yet still managed to sound odd. She put on a serious face and fabricated, “Well, Wu Zhen is with child, but the pregnancy is unstable. We’re heading to Kunzhou to seek medical attention, so we’ll need to trouble Snake Master to look after the Chang’an Demon Market in our absence…”
Before she could finish, Liu Taizhen suddenly lunged at the silent ‘Wu Zhen’. Seeing her friend’s merciless attack, Wu Zhen dared not continue the charade. She immediately rushed over to block Liu Taizhen’s hand, exchanging a few quick moves with her. Mei Zhuyu, witnessing the sudden scuffle, instinctively wanted to intervene but hesitated and stepped back upon seeing his own delicate hands.
The Madam’s body mustn’t be harmed.
“What demon dares to act so brazenly before me!” Liu Taizhen coldly exclaimed.
Wu Zhen replied, “Alright, alright, no more games. Why did you attack? Don’t tell me you didn’t recognize me!”
Liu Taizhen pushed her away with a slap, her expression now a mix of disbelief and reluctant acceptance. She grudgingly squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, “Wu Zhen?”
Wu Zhen, wearing Mei Zhuyu’s face, nodded and flashed a toothy grin. Liu Taizhen turned her face away, not wanting to look at her. After a moment, she turned back, examining her closely. “I never imagined you had such… unique preferences.”
Wu Zhen studied her expression, unsure if Liu Taizhen genuinely believed this or was just mocking her. But thick-skinned as she was, Wu Zhen paid it no mind and moved to embrace her friend as usual. Liu Taizhen dodged, saying, “Just keep your distance when you speak.”
Now that she had shown disgust towards both of them, Wu Zhen smirked. She explained her cousin’s peculiar gift and their plan to travel to Kunzhou together to find someone to break the spell. She then earnestly discussed the matters concerning the Demon Market.
Liu Taizhen listened in silence, only asking one question at the end.
“Is Mei Zhuyu pregnant?”
Wu Zhen replied, “Why does that sound so strange coming from you? It’s my body that’s pregnant. My husband is just temporarily in my body, taking care of our child. This child is mainly my achievement, growing in my belly, you know.”
Liu Taizhen retorted, “Who’s arguing about which of you two deserves more credit?”
She then looked at Mei Zhuyu, “This person is talking such nonsense, and you don’t stop her?”
Mei Zhuyu, as dignified as a goddess, shook his head and said, “I can’t control her.”
Wu Zhen chuckled, while Liu Taizhen, no longer wishing to engage with the couple, coolly said to Mei Zhuyu, “Well then, take good care of your pregnancy.”
Mei Zhuyu: “…”
Besides Liu Taizhen, Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu didn’t inform their other friends about leaving Chang’an, including Duke Yu. They only sent messages through servants after their departure. If they had met in person, more people might have noticed something amiss, requiring tedious explanations, especially given the sensitive details they couldn’t disclose.
The journey to Kunzhou was long. Wu Zhen had initially prepared a horse-drawn carriage, but after the official road, some smaller paths were uneven, so they switched to an ox cart. Although slower, it provided a steadier ride.
Usually, Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu preferred traveling without servants. However, considering Wu Zhen’s pregnant state, they decided to bring along two servants. These weren’t ordinary people, but a pair of ox demon brothers from the Demon Market. Tall and robust with rough features, they looked like the type of strongmen who might ambush travelers in the mountains demanding toll money.
Though their appearance left much to be desired and they lacked significant abilities, they were honest, hardworking, and eager to please. Learning they would be working for the Cat Master with such generous compensation, the two brothers were so enthusiastic they almost tossed aside the ordinary oxen pulling the cart to transform into their original forms and pull it themselves.
Choosing these two had another advantage: the ox demon brothers weren’t very bright and couldn’t tell that anything was amiss with their ‘Cat Master’. Seeing the ‘Cat Master’ sitting calmly in the cart instead of her usual lively self, the brothers even remarked that she seemed more mature now that they had left Chang’an!
Mei Zhuyu took meticulous care of his wife’s body, cherishing it and fearing any harm might come to it. He sat still in the ox cart, while Wu Zhen rode happily on horseback, wielding a whip with a bow and quiver on her back. When they left the official road and entered areas rich with vegetation, she even hunted two rabbits, bringing them to the cart to show Mei Zhuyu.
“If we don’t reach an inn today, we can find a spot to roast these rabbits on a spit,” Wu Zhen said, lifting the cart’s curtain and dangling the rabbits.
Wu Zhen had never been one to endure long cart rides comfortably. Thinking her husband might be uncomfortable bouncing around inside, she called for him to come out and stretch his legs every so often.
“Do you need to relieve yourself? I’ll accompany you.”
Wu Zhen casually walked behind a tree, but seeing Mei Zhuyu not following, she asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Come on.”
Mei Zhuyu replied, “It’s not necessary. Just wait for me nearby.”
Wu Zhen: “But we’re in the wilderness. I’m worried you might encounter something dangerous.”
Mei Zhuyu pointed to a rock in the distance. “Sit over there and wait.”
Seeing his tone left no room for argument, Wu Zhen complied and sat on the rock, calling out, “Are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you?”
Mei Zhuyu didn’t look back. He had never adapted as well as Wu Zhen to their situation. Using his wife’s body, he felt a faint sense of shame every time he needed to clean or relieve himself as if he were doing something inappropriate. Even though it was his wife’s body, he never felt he had the right to touch it casually, nor should he think of their previous… intimate moments when seeing this body.
Daoist Mei felt utterly ashamed.
Wu Zhen, on the other hand, felt no burden and found it all quite novel. Occasionally, seeing her husband with her face, she would grumble to him, “I can’t bring myself to kiss my face.”
Mei Zhuyu: “…There’s no need to kiss.”
He already felt embarrassed using his wife’s body; if they were to be intimate now, he feared he couldn’t handle it. Even if it was his beloved wife, if such thoughts arose, Daoist Mei would probably use a talisman to immobilize her and make her calm down.
Given their status, Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu could stay at official inns. When none were available, they weren’t picky and would simply make a fire in the wilderness and rest in the ox cart. Mei Zhuyu was used to a frugal lifestyle, having spent days chasing evil demons in the mountains without sleep, only meditating for half an hour when extremely tired.
Wu Zhen surprised him, though. Having grown up in the wealthy streets of Chang’an, and given her usual particular habits, Mei Zhuyu had worried she might not cope well with these simple conditions. However, she adapted quite well, only occasionally sighing and complaining about the lack of good wine in the wilderness.
Since the two masters didn’t mind, their ox demon servants, Niu Yi, and Niu Er, cared even less. They could make do with a night’s rest on any rock or grassy patch they found.
When they did come across an official inn, the couple would stop to rest, wash up, change clothes, and replenish their food and water. Mei Zhuyu would also take this opportunity to brew medicine – the imperial secret recipe for stabilizing pregnancy and nourishing the body, prescribed by Imperial Physician Liu.
Mei Zhuyu personally prepared the medicine, cooling it slightly in cold water before drinking it. He drank it without changing his expression, while Wu Zhen watched, her face turning pale. She wanted to run away just from the smell, yet her husband drank it as if it were plain water.
After finishing, seeing her odd expression, he asked if she was feeling unwell.
Wu Zhen forced a laugh, “Does that taste good?”
Mei Zhuyu, being a Daoist, had some knowledge in this area. He didn’t comment much on the taste but affirmed its effectiveness.
Wu Zhen sat shamelessly on his small medicine-brewing stool, kicking the medicine pot away in disgust. “If you think it’s good, drink more now. I won’t be having a single drop of it later.”
Mei Zhuyu knew this and didn’t argue further. When the time came that she needed to drink it, he would force her to if necessary. Some things he could indulge her in, others he couldn’t.
Wu Zhen inexplicably shuddered, looking suspiciously at her upright husband.
It was the height of summer, with the sun blazing overhead. The plume grass by the roadside had sprouted its silvery tufts, creating a vast sea of white in the distance. Wild grasses flourished, and wildflowers bloomed in abundance. The air was filled with fresh fragrances, while the ears were treated to the rustling sounds of mountain forests. The sky stretched high and blue, with soft, snow-white clouds drifting by – a scenery quite different from the bustling prosperity of Chang’an.
The further they traveled from Chang’an, the more distinct the landscape became. Although they journeyed daily, interesting events occasionally occurred, such as encountering mischievous little demons blocking their path.
Since the two had swapped bodies, Wu Zhen couldn’t use her powers, and although Mei Zhuyu’s body was full of spiritual energy, she didn’t know how to use it and could only watch helplessly. To provide her with some means of self-defense, Mei Zhuyu took the opportunity to teach her some gestures and incantations for exorcising demons and ghosts. When they encountered troublesome entities on the road, he would have her practice.
Wu Zhen had been curious about these techniques before, and now, experiencing them firsthand, she gained a deeper understanding of just how formidable her young husband was. The sheer density of spiritual energy in his body was something ordinary people might not accumulate in a hundred years, even accounting for his exceptional talent. Wu Zhen secretly suspected he must have encountered some extraordinary opportunity, but her keen intuition suggested that the reasons behind it might not be pleasant. So she didn’t ask, instead simply learning basic techniques from Mei Zhuyu and indulging in the experience of being a Daoist priest.
After learning Daoist arts from Mei Zhuyu, Wu Zhen wanted to teach her husband how to adapt to the special demonic power in her body. However, when she mentioned it, Mei Zhuyu shook his head and said, “I’ve already gained some understanding on my own.”
He had spent a few days quietly contemplating in the ox cart and had adapted to the demonic power in Wu Zhen’s body. His familiarity with this power came much faster than his adaptation to the body itself.
Once again witnessing her husband’s astonishing ability to comprehend, Wu Zhen believed him internally but said aloud, “I’m not quite convinced. Why don’t you prove it to me?”
Mei Zhuyu asked, “How should I prove it?”
Wu Zhen immediately replied, “Transform into a cat!”
A cat that has been petted will eventually pet back – Daoist Mei finally understood this principle.