Three days after the Zhongyuan Festival, Wu Zhen was enjoying music at the pleasure house when Mei Si came looking for her.
Noticing the dark circles under Mei Si’s eyes and his complex, worried expression, Wu Zhen raised an eyebrow. She put down the melon she was eating, wiped her hands, and said leisurely, “What’s this? Have you finally awakened to carnal pleasures and exhausted yourself?”
Mei Si sat down in front of her, looking utterly deflated. “Sister Zhen, please don’t joke with me.”
Seeing his truly miserable state, Wu Zhen stopped teasing him. She dismissed the musicians and poured a glass of amber liquor, pushing it towards Mei Si. “What’s wrong? If you have any troubles, just tell me. Sister Zhen will solve them for you.”
Mei Si stared blankly at the glass of wine, then suddenly raised it and drank it all at once. As if gaining immense courage, he said solemnly, “Sister Zhen, this matter is extraordinary. I shouldn’t tell anyone, but you’re different. Only you, Sister Zhen, can understand my interests and might believe what I’m about to say. So, after thinking for a day and a night, I’ve decided to tell you!”
Wu Zhen, who initially wasn’t very interested and had only planned to listen to the young Mei Si’s trivial worries, became curious when he spoke so seriously and mysteriously as if something significant had happened. She finally showed interest and, rubbing her fingers together, said, “Tell me, what secret do you have to share?”
Mei Si gathered his thoughts and slowly began, “Liu Taizhen is a snake demon.”
Wu Zhen: “…”
Wu Zhen’s smile froze on her face. Seeing that Sister Zhen was shocked by this earth-shattering secret, Mei Si felt strangely comforted. He continued, “Sister Zhen, I know this is hard to believe, but you must trust me. I’m not lying to you!”
Wu Zhen thought to herself: Of course, I know you’re not lying because I already know Little Snake is a snake demon.
With an odd expression, she asked, “How did you come to know this?”
Mei Si then honestly recounted his experiences on the night of the Zhongyuan Festival to Wu Zhen. Finally, he said with a bitter smile, “When I woke up, I found myself sleeping on the street. The East Market had returned to its original state, and I no longer saw that world full of demons.”
Wu Zhen sincerely patted Mei Si’s shoulder and praised, “That’s truly impressive.” She marveled at how he had managed to enter her demon market and, even more amazingly, had thought Little Snake was an ordinary person and tried to rescue her, only to end up fainting from fright.
Hearing Sister Zhen’s praise, Mei Si thought she was complimenting his composure and ability to escape from a den of demons alive. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he said, “Ah, it wasn’t much. I didn’t think too much at the time. However, I’m not sure how I got out after I fainted.”
He then looked at Wu Zhen expectantly, “Sister Zhen, do you believe me?”
Wu Zhen nodded decisively, “Yes, I believe you.”
Mei Si looked at her with admiration and said emotionally, “As expected of Sister Zhen. How could an ordinary person so easily believe such a thing? Whether it’s demons or my experience, it all sounds fake. On my way here, I was worried about what to do if Sister Zhen didn’t believe me.”
Mei Si hugged his head and smiled bitterly, “To be honest, I even wondered if I was confused from drinking too much, but I’m certain it was all real… I can’t explain it clearly. These past two days, my mind has been in chaos.”
Wu Zhen lovingly stroked his head, “It’s alright now. Sister Zhen believes you.”
Mei Si was so moved that tears almost came to his eyes. Wu Zhen, looking at his cowardly appearance, was almost tempted to transform into a cat to give him a surprise.
No, better not. She might scare him badly. Wu Zhen regretfully dismissed the idea.
Having poured out all his troubles, Mei Si felt much better. He regained some of his spirit and began excitedly telling Wu Zhen about the demon world he had seen. As he spoke, he kept marveling, “I never imagined there were real, living demons in this world. If there are demons, could the ghosts and immortals from legends be real too? Can monks become Buddhas, and can Taoist priests catch demons? Sister Zhen, do you think all of these exist?”
Wu Zhen sipped her wine and smiled without answering. Of course, they exist, she thought. There’s a demon right in front of you, and what’s more, your eldest cousin is a Taoist priest who can catch demons and fight ghosts.
The naive Mei Si, unaware of Sister Zhen’s mischievous thoughts, sighed regretfully, “It’s just a pity I didn’t see any ghosts. I wanted to know what the blue-faced fanged ghosts and corpse demons from ‘Chronicles of Ghosts and Demons’ really looked like. If I could see them with my own eyes, I could draw them even better!”
Despite being scared earlier when talking about it and even fainting at the sight of Little Snake’s true form, he was now enthusiastically discussing these matters.
After listening to Mei Si’s long account of his discovery of a new world and his thoughts, Wu Zhen finally saw him off two hours later.
Before leaving, Mei Si earnestly advised, “Sister Zhen, now that you know Liu Taizhen is a demon, you must never approach her again. I know you and Liu Taizhen don’t get along, but things are different now. She’s a real man-eating demon. We’re just ordinary people after all. Sister Zhen, please don’t argue with her anymore, lest you anger her and get eaten.”
Mei Si’s repeated warnings made Wu Zhen struggle to hold back her laughter, but she maintained a serious expression and solemnly promised, “Don’t worry, Sister Zhen will stay far away from Liu Taizhen from now on.”
However, as soon as Mei Si left, Wu Zhen completely disregarded what she had just said. She didn’t even bother listening to more music and headed straight for the Liu residence. She climbed over the wall into Liu Taizhen’s chambers, sat on a couch opposite her, and started laughing uncontrollably.
Liu Taizhen, who had been quietly organizing her manuscripts at home, suddenly had a crazy cat burst in, laughing herself to the point of breathlessness. She calmly continued proofreading her written manuscripts, not even bothering to look up. Only when the laughter subsided did Liu Taizhen raise her head and ask, “Which way is the wind blowing today, you crazy cat?”
Hearing her speak, Wu Zhen burst into laughter again, clutching her stomach as she fell back on the couch.
Liu Taizhen: “…” She hadn’t seen her this crazy before, clearly that Mei Zhuyü hadn’t raised her well.
Liu Taizhen didn’t rush, patiently waiting for Wu Zhen to finish laughing and get up on her own.
Wu Zhen’s face still bore traces of laughter as she patted her thigh and sighed repeatedly, shaking her head. “Alas! Little Snake, for all your cleverness, how did you stumble in such a small ditch!”
“Just say what you have to say,” Liu Taizhen said calmly.
Wu Zhen: “Just now, Mei Si came to me all mysterious and told me that you’re a snake demon, warning me to be careful lest you eat me.” After saying this, she laughed again.
Liu Taizhen paused in her actions and put down the manuscript in her hand. “What did you say?”
Wu Zhen briefly recounted what Mei Si had told her, shaking her head and laughing, “Little Snake, you’ve always been so cautious. Last time when Mei Si was possessed by a demon spirit and accidentally entered the demon market, didn’t you handle it perfectly? How did you slip up this time?”
Liu Taizhen’s expression darkened as she threw the manuscript in her hand onto the table, saying coldly, “I erased his memory.”
Wu Zhen could guess that. If Liu Taizhen hadn’t done so, she would have been truly surprised. However, the reality before them was that Mei Si indeed remembered.
Liu Taizhen sat there pondering for a while, then asked, “Is there something unusual about the Mei family bloodline?”
Wu Zhen: “What do you mean?”
Liu Taizhen recalled the previous incident, “Last time, it was already unusual for him to be possessed by a demon spirit. Among so many people, why was he chosen? Moreover, after the demon spirit left his body, his consciousness recovered too quickly. If he were an ordinary person, he would likely have been unconscious for a day or two.”
“This time too, although the boundary of the demon market is weak during the Zhongyuan Festival, not just anything can enter. If he wasn’t carrying something strange, then his bloodline must be unusual.” Liu Taizhen’s tone was decisive and convincing.
Speaking of this, Wu Zhen also stroked her chin, recalling the incident of Consort Mei turning into a cat in the palace, which seemed quite peculiar.
After a while, she said, “My husband has been able to see non-human entities since childhood. Perhaps there is something unusual about the Mei family bloodline.”
“That aside, what do you plan to do about Mei Si?” Wu Zhen asked with a look of anticipation for a good show.
Liu Taizhen glared at her and said, “Of course, I must erase his memory again.”
Wu Zhen poured cold water on the idea: “But didn’t it fail last time when you erased his memory?”
Liu Taizhen: “I have to try again.”
Knowing her personality, Wu Zhen didn’t try to dissuade her, only saying, “Alright, if you’re determined to go and trouble Mei Si, then go ahead. But, Little Snake, don’t harm him. You need to know when to stop.”
Although she said this with a smile, Liu Taizhen could hear the seriousness in her tone. She snorted and said, “I know. I won’t scare him to death.”
At this point, Wu Zhen suddenly added, “Mei Si greatly admires the author of ‘Chronicles of Ghosts and Demons’, White Snake Scholar. He’s even preparing an illustrated scroll of the ghosts and demons from ‘Chronicles of Ghosts and Demons’ for White Snake Scholar. His admiration is as clear as day.”
Liu Taizhen was somewhat surprised but quickly resumed her cold expression, not saying a word.
Wu Zhen suppressed a laugh: “White Snake Scholar, considering how much Mei Si likes you, could you go a bit easier on him?”
Liu Taizhen: “… For your sake.”
Having resolved this matter, Wu Zhen returned home that night and told her husband about Mei Si’s accidental entry into the demon market.
“What if I transform into a cat in front of Mei Si one day? Would he be even more shocked?” Wu Zhen sat cross-legged inside the mosquito net, fanning herself with a round fan.
Mei Zhuyü shook his head, “Not good.”
Wu Zhen: “Why? Afraid I might scare him?”
Mei Zhuyü shook his head again, “If it’s really necessary, I can summon a ghost for him to see.”
The implication was that there was no need for her to transform into a cat. Wu Zhen understood that this was her husband’s subtle expression of jealousy.
Realizing this, she laughed again, grasping her husband’s fingers with one hand and leaning close to whisper, “Don’t worry, Little Snake knows her limits, and I’ve reminded her too. That little Mei Si won’t come to any harm.” Then, her face took on a mysterious expression, “Perhaps for him, this incident might be a blessing in disguise.”