Although Wu Zhen had only been a child for less than a day, Mei Zhuyu had already gained a deep understanding of what kind of temperamental, unpredictable, and willful little demon his wife had been in her youth.
When such a fearless little girl suddenly curled up in terror, Mei Zhuyu was immediately startled. He held her with one arm to prevent her from squirming and falling off the horse, then looked up in the direction the girl had been staring.
On the side of the road ahead, there were two trees, likely meant for travelers to rest under. At their base were several smooth bluestone slabs, worn by countless sitters. In the scorching sun, the shade of those two trees looked very inviting.
However, Mei Zhuyu’s gaze is fixed on the space between the trees. A black web, like a giant spider’s silk, was stretched between the branches. In the center of the web crouched a dark mass that appeared to be an enormous spider, spanning the middle of the path like a predator lying in wait.
This was a kind of spirit creature called a Spider Woman. Though terrifying to look at, it was harmless to humans. On the contrary, it caught wandering miasma and small insect spirits that caused illness.
Mei Zhuyu looked down at the little girl trembling silently in his arms. She had buried her face, not daring to look at the creature even once. The closer they got, the more violently she shook, as if utterly terrified. Yet despite her fear, she didn’t cry or make a sound. She even unconsciously held her breath and tried to minimize her presence.
She was truly frightened to the extreme. At that moment, Mei Zhuyu suddenly understood something. Wu Zhen – could she see these things since childhood? Her reaction told Mei Zhuyu that whenever she saw such creatures as a child, she would react like this – trembling in silence.
This realization stunned Mei Zhuyu. He hadn’t expected it. She was a cat spirit. From the moment he first met her, Mei Zhuyu had never seen her fear anything. Could she be afraid? This slippery little girl, who would pretend to be scared or sad, rubbing her eyes and putting on a pitiful expression – when truly afraid, she wouldn’t cry or act coquettish.
Mei Zhuyu’s heart ached so much he could hardly bear it. He tightened his grip and halted the horse. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the little girl out of his embrace and said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Raise your head and look – the Spider Woman is gone.”
After a long moment, the little girl tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “We can’t talk!”
“It will come over and grab my feet.”
Mei Zhuyu took another deep breath. Just thinking about how the young Wu Zhen must have often been frightened like this made him soften his voice even more, more gently than he had ever spoken in his life. If his master, senior, and junior apprentice brothers were here to hear his tone, half of them would drop dead from shock.
“It won’t come over. Look.”
As he spoke, he swiftly drew a spirit talisman in the air. A magical light enveloped the Spider Woman and its great black web, making them vanish in an instant. Though they were still there, they could no longer be seen.
Perhaps because Mei Zhuyu gave her a sense of trust, the little girl finally turned her head to peek behind them. She saw only empty, bright air – the black web and giant spider that had terrified her were gone.
Like a little fox realizing the danger had passed, she cautiously poked out her head again, holding onto Mei Zhuyu’s arm as she looked around. Seeing no trace of the giant spider, she let out a long sigh of relief and settled back into Mei Zhuyu’s arms.
Mei Zhuyu was about to comfort her further when he saw the little girl quickly regain her previous liveliness, once again kicking up her feet and chattering away.
Mei Zhuyu: …
After some thought, he still explained to the little girl that Spider Woman wouldn’t harm people. They had already left the vicinity of those two trees. After listening, the girl tilted her head and looked at him, asking, “You can see them too?”
Mei Zhuyu nodded. As soon as he did, he saw the little girl give him a somewhat sympathetic look. She stood up, patted his forehead, and comforted him, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.”
Mei Zhuyu: … No, I think you’re the more scared one.
But the little girl didn’t want to discuss this with him. Her attention had already been drawn to a fruit tree by the roadside. She excitedly tugged at his sleeve, pointing at it: “Bayberries! There are bayberries! Let’s go pick some!”
Mei Zhuyu recalled their trip to Lin Jing Temple earlier when they had picked a handful of cherries. It seemed that the adult Wu Zhen shared some similarities with her childhood self.
As evening approached, they arrived at Xuti Temple at the foot of South Mountain. Birds were returning to their nests, and the temple bell echoed through the forest. In the last rays of the setting sun, wisps of white smoke rose from the temple – it was hard to tell if it came from incense in the front hall or cooking fires in the back.
Mei Zhuyu dismounted and lifted the little girl down. She was still clutching a large bayberry, curiously eyeing the glimpses of the temple peeking through the trees and its faintly visible main gate.
“Is my father in there?”
“Yes.” Mei Zhuyu bent down to speak with her. “When you see your father, don’t get too excited, alright?”
He only intended to bring Wu Zhen to see Duke Yu, not to let Duke Yu see Wu Zhen in this state. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain, and Wu Zhen would have even more to deal with after she returned to normal.
However, while this was his plan, things didn’t unfold as he expected.
He led the little girl into the temple, asking to see his father-in-law Duke Yu, who was cultivating there. Along the way, the little girl was indeed obediently holding his hand, and the monks they passed didn’t see her. But as soon as she saw Duke Yu, the little girl’s eyes went wide, and she began struggling to rush towards him.
Duke Yu Wu Shundao found it very strange that his reticent son-in-law Mei would suddenly visit alone at this hour. What Duke Yu found even stranger was that his son-in-law seemed to be tightly holding onto something invisible, his sleeve moving slightly. He couldn’t help but look twice at his son-in-law’s seemingly empty hand, his mind full of questions.
For some reason, he was very focused on that spot, feeling that something was there.
Withdrawing his inquiring gaze, Duke Yu very kindly asked his son-in-law why he had come, how Wu Zhen was doing recently, and if he needed any vegetarian meal after his journey.
Mei Zhuyu respectfully answered each question, sat down before Duke Yu, and with a deft movement, pulled back the little girl who was flailing and trying to pounce on Duke Yu.
She was merely invisible and inaudible, but if Wu Zhen threw herself at him now, Duke Yu would undoubtedly feel it. To avoid startling his father-in-law with this sudden situation, Mei Zhuyu struggled to restrain the little girl. However, the little girl was incredibly strong and persistent. Suddenly, she turned her head and bit Mei Zhuyu’s hand.
Mei Zhuyu was startled. His hand was gnawed by soft little white teeth – it didn’t hurt, but the wet, ticklish sensation made his hand twitch, instinctively loosening his grip.
In the next moment, the little girl became visible in mid-air.
Duke Yu was just asking if his daughter Wu Zhen was still frequenting music halls lately when he felt his vision blur. A little girl appeared out of thin air and pounced on him, hugging his bald head and giggling as she rubbed it, shouting, “Baldy!”
Duke Yu: … I seem to see my younger daughter as she was as a child, even calling me “Baldy.”
Mei Zhuyu quickly reached out and pulled the little girl back, firmly grasping her again. He sat back in his original spot as if nothing had happened, even lifting his teacup with his other hand and taking a casual sip.
Duke Yu: …
He looked at his expressionless, upright son-in-law, then glanced around the space. After a long moment, he said, “Just now, I thought I saw a little girl.”
Mei Zhuyu: “There wasn’t one.”
Duke Yu: “Was I seeing things?”
Mei Zhuyu paused, then said against his conscience, “Perhaps.”
Duke Yu looked down and picked up a large bayberry from his lap, silently placing it on the table between them. It was the bayberry the little girl had been holding; she had thrown it away when she pounced on him to rub his head.
Duke Yu suddenly sighed and said, “What has happened? There’s no need to hide it from me. Did something occur in the spirit market in Chang’an?”
Hearing him mention the spirit market, Mei Zhuyu realized that Duke Yu knew about his wife’s identity. He finally released his grip. Duke Yu once again saw that smiling little girl. She truly looked like his daughter as a child, with that irritatingly carefree little face, climbing onto his crossed legs like a monkey and reaching out to rub his head.
With a little monkey on top of him, Duke Yu asked his son-in-law with a complex expression, “What’s going on here?”
Before Mei Zhuyu could speak, the little girl patted the bald head and laughed, “Daddy has no hair, haha!”
Hearing that tender, oriole-like voice, Duke Yu felt a long-forgotten sense of suffocation. That complex feeling of being irritated to the point of gritting his teeth yet utterly helpless against his little daughter resurged in his heart. He had finally raised her to adulthood, to be somewhat like a proper person – how had she turned small again!
Mei Zhuyu looked at his wife, who was now sitting on her elderly father’s back after climbing up his arm. He also let out a soft sigh and recounted the whole affair from the beginning.
This conversation lasted until lamp-lighting time. Xuti Temple was austere, and although Duke Yu’s status was different, he was sincere in his Buddhist practice. The room’s furnishings were equally simple, with a single lamp placed by the table, illuminating a small area around them and casting their shadows on the window.
The bouncing little monkey had fallen asleep by now. She clutched the large bayberry Mei Zhuyu had picked for her in one hand, curled up in her father’s arms, sleeping peacefully and sweetly. Occasionally, she would smack her lips and murmur in her sleep.
Because she was asleep, both father-in-law and son-in-law lowered their voices as they spoke.
“She could indeed see those things since she was little. I have two daughters, but only she could see them; my elder daughter couldn’t. Neither could my wife or I, but according to my wife, her mother could see these things, so Zhen’er’s ability must come from her maternal bloodline.”
“Perhaps because she was born with eyes different from ordinary people, this child’s temperament was also unlike other children. She was mischievous as a child, giving us quite a headache. Her ability to see those non-human things worried me even more.”
As Duke Yu said this, he stroked his younger daughter’s hair, noticing the two small, clumsily made buns on her head. He suddenly smiled, his eyes filled with nostalgia and hidden pain.
“When she saw those things, she would be very frightened and sneak into our room to sleep. She could only fall asleep if my wife held her. My wife’s health was poor, and being disturbed all night made her wake up late in the morning. So every day, I would quietly carry her out of the room and personally comb her hair.”
“I wasn’t good at it. After she ran around wildly for a while, it would all come undone. She’d come back with her hair in disarray, like a happy little madwoman.”