Wu Zhen saw two more innocuous memories but still couldn’t find a way to wake her lord. She tried waving in front of him, walking through him, and even shouting in his ear, but to no avail. Her lord still couldn’t see or hear her.
Was she just going to waste time like this? As Wu Zhen pondered, she suddenly found herself in a new scene. This time, it was a familiar place – the Duke of Yu’s mansion, her home.
Seeing the festive decorations inside, she realized it was their wedding day. Wu Zhen decided to stop following her lord aimlessly and went directly into the mansion to find herself. Since it was their wedding, if her lord was here, there must be another version of herself too.
Sure enough, when she reached her room, Wu Zhen saw a ‘Wu Zhen’ sitting there in green wedding attire. She had a strange premonition and stepped forward to grab this ‘Wu Zhen’, successfully catching her. As the other self looked bewildered, Wu Zhen suddenly transformed into a cat and swallowed this ‘Wu Zhen’ in one gulp.
Seeing that she was now wearing the wedding clothes of the ‘Wu Zhen’ she had just swallowed, Wu Zhen smiled. Good, her guess was correct. In this place where her lord was trapped, she couldn’t influence others, but she could influence herself.
Wu Zhen strode out. This time, the servants who had previously ignored her could now see her, exclaiming in surprise, “Second Miss, it’s almost time, and the Mei family’s eldest son will be here soon. It’s improper for you to run out like this!”
Wu Zhen ignored them and walked straight past. She took her usual red-tasseled horse, mounted it, and charged out the gate, causing the servants to scream in chaos. Amidst this commotion, Wu Zhen arrived at the mansion’s entrance and saw her lord who had just arrived and was about to enter. He was wearing a bright red wedding robe, his face calm as usual, but his eyes bright with joy and delight.
Seeing Wu Zhen suddenly appear on horseback, he was also somewhat surprised, looking at her in confusion. Wu Zhen smiled at him and extended her hand. Mei Zhuyu, not knowing why, instinctively grasped the beautifully shaped hand offered to him.
Mei Zhuyu was pulled onto the horse, and the two rode together, leaping out of the Duke of Yu’s mansion gate and galloping away, ignoring the countless screaming voices behind them. Wu Zhen, as if she hadn’t heard them, just urged the horse to run faster.
They galloped through Chang’an’s streets and out of the city. The surroundings changed from bustling to desolate until finally only the two of them remained on the long official road.
Mei Zhuyu finally spoke, asking, “Where are we going?”
Wu Zhen laughed and replied loudly, “To leave this place, of course.”
Mei Zhuyu was surprised and hesitant, “But today is our wedding day. Are you… regretting this marriage?”
Wu Zhen turned her head, pulled her lord’s face down, and bit his lips, “We already have a child, how could I not want to marry you?”
Mei Zhuyu: “…Child?”
Wu Zhen: “I’ve already married you once, let’s skip the second time. Besides, this one is fake.”
At some point, all other sounds had disappeared – no bird calls or insect chirps. Then, the green mountains and trees gradually faded away as their red-tasseled horse galloped on, eventually turning into a dim grey haze. Nothing remained in the world except for them and the horse beneath them.
Mei Zhuyu’s expression had become calm when the surrounding scenery changed. He silently gripped Wu Zhen’s hand tightly. Wu Zhen felt it and sensed that her time was also running out, so she said, “Do you remember that you already have a child?”
Mei Zhuyu: “I remember now.”
Wu Zhen nuzzled his chin with the top of her head and praised, “Good boy, I’ll wait for you. Wake up soon.”
As she finished speaking, her form gradually disappeared into the encroaching grey haze.
…
When Wu Zhen opened her eyes, she felt the hand she was holding twitch as well.
Someone nearby was shouting, “They’re awake! Both of them are awake!”
It was a close call, but after Mei Zhuyu woke up, his wound was as he had said – it had no significant impact. At least Wu Zhen saw him practicing sword in the morning as if nothing had happened, just a bit slower in his movements.
They only stayed at Changxi Temple for three days before Mei Zhuyu prepared to leave with Wu Zhen. After all, it was a Daoist temple, and they couldn’t stay long. During these three days, Wu Zhen witnessed her lord’s imposing manner in teaching the young Daoist priests. Even with a large wound on his abdomen, it didn’t affect his ‘earth-shattering’ strength.
Several young Daoist priests were flying back and forth on small stakes, while her lord stood coldly to the side with his hands behind his back. With just a raise of his hand, he could knock down the long stakes planted in the ground. One lazy, mischievous young priest was sent flying along with the stake, ending up hanging on a nearby tree branch, wailing loudly.
Besides Wu Zhen, several bearded senior brothers were watching, holding cups of chrysanthemum tea. One of them stroked his beard and sighed, “Little junior brother knows how to teach disciples. Those few who grew up under his watch, like Shuangjiang, are much more obedient and mature. Despite their young age, they’re steady and can quickly take charge when they leave the mountain. These new disciples recruited in the past two years, who haven’t trained under little junior brother’s watchful eye, have several lazy ones among them.”
“Indeed, while little junior brother is still here these two days, let him give these children a good lesson.”
“It’s a pity little junior brother will leave soon, sigh…”
So a group of old men secretly glanced at Wu Zhen. Wu Zhen turned to the senior brothers with a big smile and generously said, “Next time you have disobedient disciples, senior brothers can send them directly to Chang’an. My lord will discipline them on your behalf, and I will take good care of them too. Once they’re well-taught, we’ll send someone to bring them back. I guarantee nothing will go wrong.”
Her forthright and generous manner made the bearded senior brothers sigh in unison, feeling gratified that their little junior brother had found such a good match. They wondered how such a taciturn child had managed to win over such a fine young lady.
After making her generous offer, Wu Zhen watched her lord tossing little brats around one in each hand and felt a bit worried for the little one in her belly. If the child took after her lord, it would be fine, but if it took after her, its bottom would probably be spanked red by its father after birth.
When they left Changxi Temple, Wu Zhen was surprised to find that in just these few short days, Master Siqing’s originally black hair and short beard had turned white, making him look much older.
“Master is not young anymore. Everyone has such a day,” Mei Zhuyu told her calmly. Wu Zhen knew he hadn’t told her everything, but she didn’t ask. Even as husband and wife, they didn’t need to know everything about each other.
After leaving Changxi Temple, they unexpectedly encountered Wu Zhen’s cousin, Pei Jiya. He had regained his human appearance, looking like a noble young master reclining in a luxurious, spacious carriage. The carriage was surrounded by Pei family servants and guards. Since his last disappearance, the Pei family had sent even more guards to protect him.
In the eyes of the Pei family elders, this only son, Pei Jiya, was a frail young master incapable of tying a chicken. Of course, he needed to be well protected.
Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu boarded Pei Jiya’s carriage. Wu Zhen noticed a little girl sitting beside Pei Jiya. She had seen this girl before, but at that time, she was too preoccupied with worrying about her lord to pay much attention. Now that everything was settled, she naturally had the mind to notice other things.
“Who is this little girl?” she asked.
Pei Jiya poured himself a cup of tea: “My disciple.”
“Oh?” Wu Zhen was somewhat surprised. Perhaps no one in this world knew what kind of person her cousin was better than her. For Cousin Pei to take on a disciple and keep her by his side, this little girl must be extraordinary.
Pei Jiya glanced at Wu Zhen’s belly and suddenly smiled, “We’re about to part. How about your cousin give you another gift?” He said, handing over a wooden box.
Wu Zhen used a nearby jade tea pusher to open the box lid, revealing two familiar wooden dolls inside. “Again?” She raised an eyebrow.
Pei Jiya smiled meaningfully and took out the two wooden dolls, “You might have use for them again sometime.”
Wu Zhen immediately narrowed her eyes and changed her mind, accepting them.
Pei Jiya tapped the two wooden dolls, “Cousin, you’re too cautious. I haven’t put any spells on these dolls yet. It’s fine even if you touch them with your hands now.” As he spoke, he began to cast spells on the wooden dolls right in front of Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu.
Mei Zhuyu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly changed his expression and looked sharply at Pei Jiya. When he was quiet, he didn’t have much presence, but now his aura changed dramatically, giving off a heavy, oppressive feeling.
“Before, in the abandoned mansion of the former Director of the Department of State Affairs in Yongfu Ward, it was you,” Mei Zhuyu suddenly said with certainty.
Pei Jiya was stunned for a moment, then laughed ruefully, “A miscalculation. I forgot you had seen me in action and recognized me.” He admitted it without any attempt to evade.
Hearing this exchange, Wu Zhen guessed something and immediately asked, “What happened? Tell me.”
Mei Zhuyu briefly explained the incident with the fierce dogs and the two dead beggars in the abandoned mansion. Wu Zhen’s face immediately darkened, and she asked Pei Jiya, “You let fierce dogs eat people in my territory?”
As the Cat Master, she managed the vast Chang’an. While ordinary conflicts and killings among humans were not her concern, anything involving non-human entities was an affront to her authority. If Pei Jiya had indeed commanded fierce dogs to kill people in Chang’an, Wu Zhen could not tolerate it under any circumstances.
Sensing Wu Zhen’s thoughts, Pei Jiya hurriedly waved his hands and said, “It’s not like that at all. Those fierce dogs I raised have never eaten living people. They only eat corpses. Those two beggars were already dead, and I didn’t kill them. They probably starved to death.” He even sounded a bit aggrieved as he continued, “I’ve been raising those few fierce dogs, and all along the way, I’ve had to work hard to find unclaimed corpses to keep them fed. Unclaimed corpses are rare in Chang’an. I finally found two and let them have a good meal. I was raising them well, and they were almost becoming demon dogs, but then they were killed by the one next to you…”
Wu Zhen wasn’t exactly the most upright person herself. Hearing this, she felt it wasn’t too bad, as it hadn’t crossed her bottom line. However, seeing her lord’s expression remain cold, she coughed and said sternly, “Fierce dogs aren’t something you can raise casually! If they had killed someone in Chang’an, I definitely wouldn’t have been lenient.”
These light words showed no intention of strict prosecution.
But at this moment, Mei Zhuyu asked another question: “Was that veiled man who tried to kill me your created avatar?”
This time, Wu Zhen’s face completely darkened: “Tried to kill my lord?” She looked at Pei Jiya again, but this time her gaze was much colder than before.
“Cousin, care to explain?” she said with a forced smile.
Pei Jiya smiled on the surface but inwardly cursed. This Daoist surnamed Mei looked like he had no cunning, but he had the scheming mind to tattle!