The sky had grown dark. A crescent moon hung in the air, quietly observing the mortal realm below.

A carriage stopped at the entrance of the Wen Mansion, and a middle-aged man stepped down.

The man walked with a slight sway. When he reached the side gate, he pounded on it forcefully.

The gatekeeper opened the door and said with a smile, “Eighth Master has returned.”

The man belched from the wine and waved his hand as he walked in.

Behind the man’s back, the gatekeeper curled his lip, revealing the contempt he’d hidden earlier.

Some freeloader showing up to mooch off them, yet acting like he’s the master of the Wen household.

The middle-aged man privately scorned by the gatekeeper was Wen Rugui’s clan brother, Wen Rusheng—eighth in the clan’s generational ranking.

Wen Family Village was located in a remote area, and more than half the villagers shared the surname Wen. Wen Rugui was the first person from Wen Family Village in decades to pass the imperial examination and become a presented scholar.

One could imagine what immense glory Wen Rugui brought to the clan.

Because of this, Wen Family Village had a much stronger culture of scholarly pursuits than other villages.

Which family wouldn’t want to produce a second Wen Rugui?

However, natural scholarly talent was extremely rare. The reason Wen Rusheng had come to the capital was that his son also had good potential.

Wen Rusheng’s second son, Wen Feng, had passed the provincial examination last autumn and earned the title of Provincial Graduate. As soon as spring arrived, he rushed to the capital to prepare for the metropolitan examination.

Wen Rusheng accompanied his son to the capital and naturally came to seek refuge with his clan brother Wen Rugui.

Wen Rugui was delighted by the arrival of his clan brother and nephew, treating them to fine wine and meat and giving them plenty of silver.

Seeing his clan brother’s grand mansion and crowds of servants, Wen Rusheng’s eyes burned red with envy, and he placed even greater hopes on his son.

His cousin had risen to prominence after passing the imperial examination—once his son passed the examination, he too could be like his cousin.

The spring examination was imminent. Watching his son make connections with fellow examinees and seek scholarly advice everywhere, Wen Rusheng couldn’t help but wander about as well.

Through his wandering, he discovered the capital was wonderful—one could drink for an entire month without repeating the same wine.

In just a few more days, his son would enter the examination hall.

Wen Rusheng looked up at the crescent moon and turned his feet toward Wen Feng’s quarters.

Inside the room, all was quiet. Through the window, one could only make out the vague outlines of furnishings.

“Not back yet?” Wen Rusheng muttered, somewhat disappointed.

He had wanted to remind his son to drink less and eat more when gathering with fellow examinees.

Wen Rusheng turned to leave, but from the corner of his eye suddenly glimpsed a black shadow flash past.

All the hair on his body immediately stood on end as he stared fixedly at the window.

That black shadow had flashed from inside the window.

Which meant it was in his son’s room!

Could his son be inside?

But that didn’t make sense either. The Wen household didn’t skimp on lamp oil—even when sleeping, they kept a small lamp burning for convenience during the night. Now the room was dark, meaning his son hadn’t returned yet.

Wen Rusheng approached the window step by step. Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, though his heart was filled with fear, he inexplicably pressed his face against the window to look inside.

He could see nothing clearly.

Must have been his eyes playing tricks.

Wen Rusheng unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he turned to leave, he heard a sound from inside the room, as if a heavy object had fallen to the ground.

His mind instantly went blank. He pushed open the door and rushed in, fumbling to light a lamp. Holding the candlestick, he walked through the entire room inside and out.

No one was there, nor were there any objects fallen on the floor.

This was truly uncanny!

Wen Rusheng shuddered. His drunkenness completely vanished, leaving only bone-chilling fear.

Could his son have been harmed by evil spirits?

No—he had to find his son!

When the Wen Rusheng father and son first arrived, considering that Wen Feng needed quiet for his studies, Wen Rugui had specifically ordered servants to give Wen Feng a courtyard that connected the outer and inner courtyards. Through a moon gate from this courtyard, one reached the garden.

In just a few steps, Wen Rusheng arrived at the garden.

The garden was serene and secluded, everywhere filled with the shadowy silhouettes of flowering trees. In the deep night, it was very easy to lose one’s sense of direction.

Wen Rusheng rounded a cluster of flowers and trees, then abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Ahead, on a tree, a white figure swayed back and forth.

With lightning speed, Wen Rusheng ducked behind the flowering trees. This instant reaction was utterly unlike someone who had been drinking.

He held his breath and carefully peeked out to look.

That white figure was still swaying.

Wen Rusheng rubbed his eyes and, by the moonlight, managed to see somewhat clearly.

It was a young lady in white.

The young lady sat in the tree, her feet leisurely swinging back and forth as she crunched on something.

That was—

Wen Rusheng’s eyes suddenly widened.

It was Second Miss!

Wen Rusheng had been living at the Wen Mansion for over a month and was confident he wouldn’t mistake her identity.

The cold moonlight, the young lady sitting in a tree happily eating something—a scene that should have looked beautiful struck Wen Rusheng as utterly hair-raising.

What normal young lady from a respectable family would sit in a tree eating things late at night!

He knew Second Miss suddenly being able to speak was too abnormal. Could Second Miss have been possessed by an evil spirit?

The rustling sound of movement came. Wen Rusheng started in alarm and quickly shrank back further.

A maid in green clothes approached and called up to the young lady in the tree, “Miss, once you’ve soaked up enough moonlight, please return.”

Hiss—Wen Rusheng sucked in a cold breath and hastily covered his mouth. A plausible theory emerged: Second Miss was absorbing the essence of the sun and moon!

“Let’s go.” In the deep night, the white-clad young lady’s voice seemed ethereal and otherworldly.

The mistress and servant walked in Wen Rusheng’s direction, drawing closer and closer.

Wen Rusheng didn’t dare even breathe, staring with wide eyes.

Just as the two approached, the maid in green suddenly stopped.

“Miss, wait a moment. There’s something on the corner of your mouth.”

The white-clad young lady took a bite of what she was eating and waved her hand with a smile. “It’s fine. No one will see at night anyway. I’ll just wash it clean when I get back to my room.”

The mistress and servant walked away. Wen Rusheng collapsed to the ground, his face devoid of all color.

What Second Miss had just been eating… was actually a human finger!

Wen Rusheng wanted to scream, but discovered that in his extreme terror, he couldn’t make any sound at all.

All the strength had been drained from his body. Even breathing became difficult.

The moon in the sky hid behind the clouds, and an even deeper darkness descended.

Who knew how much time passed before Wen Rusheng finally tremblingly crawled up and stumbled back to his room.

Too terrifying—Second Miss was actually a man-eating monster!

Wen Rusheng shook all over under his blanket. As he shook, he suddenly remembered something: where was his son?

Could his son have been eaten by Second Miss?

He thought of the black shadow in Wen Feng’s room and the strange sounds, and began crying.

The wind picked up. Outside the window, banana leaves swayed, gently tapping against the window frame.

Wen Rusheng was like a bird startled by a bow. He didn’t dare close his eyes.

He huddled under his covers and endured until daybreak, then immediately scrambled up and rushed to his son’s quarters.

Inside was completely empty. Neither his son nor the servant boy the Wen household had assigned to attend his son were there.

“My son!” Wen Rusheng slapped the doorframe and wailed loudly.

“What’s wrong with Eighth Master?” came a woman’s puzzled voice.

Wen Rusheng looked and saw it was an old woman responsible for sweeping. He opened his mouth and said, “Your Second Miss—”

The three words “is a monster” were forcibly swallowed back down.

He couldn’t let Second Miss know that he’d seen her, or she would eat him too!

What should he do? What should he do?

Wen Rusheng spun around in circles, then took off running.

He had to tell his cousin!

Watching Wen Rusheng run off in such a frantic rush, the sweeping woman curled her lip.

What an ill-mannered pauper.