Chapter 13: Under the Moon

The sky grew late, and a crescent moon hung in the air, quietly observing the mortal world.

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

The man walked with a slight stagger. Upon reaching the side gate, he pounded heavily on the door.

A gatekeeper opened the door and said with a smile, "Eighth Master is back."

The man let out a drunken hiccup and waved his hand as he walked inside.

The gatekeeper curled his lip behind the man's back, his previously concealed disdain surfacing.

A mere leech coming to mooch off the family, yet he acted as if he were the master of the Wen Estate.

The middle-aged man being disparaged by the gatekeeper was Wen Rusheng, a clan brother of Wen Rugui, ranked eighth in the clan hierarchy.

Wen Family Village was located in a remote area, and more than half the villagers were surnamed Wen. Wen Rugui was the first person in the village to pass the imperial examinations as a *jinshi* in decades.

One could imagine how much glory Wen Rugui had brought to the clan.

Because of this, the scholarly atmosphere in Wen Family Village was much stronger than in other villages.

Who wouldn't want their family to produce a second Wen Rugui?

However, natural scholarly talent is rare. The reason Wen Rusheng had come to the capital was that his son was also a fine specimen.

Wen Rusheng's second son, Wen Feng, had successfully passed the provincial examinations and been named a *juren* during last year's autumn exams. As soon as spring arrived, he rushed to the capital to prepare for the metropolitan examinations.

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

Wen Rugui was delighted by the arrival of his clan brother and nephew. He treated them to fine wine and meat, and gave them a considerable amount of money.

Watching his younger cousin's grand mansion and his throngs of servants, Wen Rusheng felt a pang of envy and placed even higher expectations on his son.

His cousin had risen to prominence by becoming a *jinshi*; once his son became a *jinshi*, he would be just like his cousin.

With the spring metropolitan examinations approaching, seeing his son making acquaintances among his peers and seeking academic guidance, Wen Rusheng couldn't help but wander about.

In wandering, he discovered that the capital was simply too wonderful; one could drink for a month without ever repeating the same brew.

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

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

The room was quiet. Through the window, one could only see the vague silhouettes of the furnishings.

"He hasn't returned yet," Wen Rusheng muttered, feeling somewhat disappointed.

He had wanted to advise his son to drink less and eat more when he gathered with his fellow examinees.

As Wen Rusheng turned to leave, a dark shadow suddenly flashed in his peripheral vision.

The hair on his body stood on end instantly, and he stared fixedly at the window.

That dark shadow had flashed from *inside* the window.

In other words, it was inside his son's room!

Could his son be in there?

But that didn't make sense. The Wen Estate did not fear the cost of lamp oil; even when going to sleep, a small lamp would be left lit for convenience during nighttime trips. The room was dim now, which meant his son hadn't returned.

Wen Rusheng approached the window step by step. Perhaps due to the alcohol, despite the fear in his heart, he was possessed by a strange impulse to press his face against the window to look inside.

He couldn't see anything clearly.

Perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him.

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 hit the floor.

His mind went blank instantly. He pushed the door open and rushed in, frantically lighting a lamp and walking in and out with a candle holder.

There was no one, and no object had fallen to the floor.

Truly eerie!

Wen Rusheng shuddered, his drunkenness completely vanished, leaving only a bone-chilling dread.

Could his son have been harmed by an evil spirit?

No, he had to find his son!

When the father and son first arrived, considering that Wen Feng needed peace for his studies, Wen Rugui had specifically ordered a courtyard located where the outer and inner wards met to be given to Wen Feng. By exiting through a moon gate in that courtyard, one would enter the garden.

In a few steps, Wen Rusheng reached the garden.

The garden was tranquil, filled with the sparse shadows of flowers and trees. In the deep night, it was easy to lose one's direction.

Wen Rusheng rounded a cluster of plants and suddenly froze.

In a tree ahead, a white shadow was swaying.

Wen Rusheng ducked behind the plants with lightning speed; this momentary reaction was entirely unlike that of a man who had been drinking.

He held his breath and cautiously peeked out.

The white shadow was still swaying.

Wen Rusheng rubbed his eyes, squinting through the moonlight to see more clearly.

It was a young girl in white.

The girl was sitting in the tree, her legs swinging leisurely as she made a *crunch-crunch* sound while eating something.

That was—

Wen Rusheng's eyes suddenly widened.

It was the Second Miss!

Wen Rusheng had lived in the Wen Estate for over a month; he was confident he wouldn't mistake her.

The cold moonlight and the girl in white happily eating in a tree—it should have been a beautiful scene, but in Wen Rusheng's eyes, it was nothing but hair-raising.

What kind of normal young lady from a prestigious family sits in a tree eating things in the middle of the night!

He had thought it was too abnormal that the Second Miss could suddenly speak; could she have been possessed by an evil spirit?

A rustling sound approached, startling Wen Rusheng, who hurriedly hid further back.

A maid in green walked over and looked up at the girl in the tree, calling out, "Miss, once you've had enough moonlight, please come back inside."

*Hiss—* Wen Rusheng sucked in a breath of cold air and hurriedly covered his mouth. A plausible theory popped into his head: The Second Miss was absorbing the essence of the sun and moon!

"Let's go," the girl in white said, her voice sounding ethereal and drifting in the ghostly night.

The master and servant walked toward Wen Rusheng's direction, getting closer and closer.

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

As the two approached, the maid in green suddenly stopped.

"Miss, wait a moment. You have something on the corner of your mouth."

The girl in white took another bite of what she was eating and waved her hand with a smile. "It's fine. No one is watching at night anyway. I'll just wash it off when I get back to my room."

Once the master and servant had walked away, Wen Rusheng slumped to the ground, his face pale as a sheet.

What the Second Miss had just eaten... was actually a human finger!

Wen Rusheng wanted to scream, but he found that under extreme terror, he couldn't make a sound at all.

All the strength had been drained from his body, and even breathing became difficult.

The moon in the sky hid behind the clouds, and a thicker darkness descended.

After an unknown amount of time, Wen Rusheng finally scrambled up, trembling, and stumbled back to his room.

How terrifying! The Second Miss was actually a man-eating monster!

Wen Rusheng huddled under his quilt, shaking uncontrollably. As he shook, a thought suddenly struck him: Where was his son?

Had his son been eaten by the Second Miss?

He thought of the dark shadow and the strange noise in Wen Feng's room and began to wail.

The wind picked up, and the plantain leaves outside the window swayed, tapping lightly against the window frame.

Like a bird startled by a bow, Wen Rusheng did not dare close his eyes.

He stayed under his covers until dawn, then immediately scrambled up and rushed to his son's quarters.

The place was empty. Neither his son nor the servants assigned by the Wen Estate to attend to him were there.

"Son!" Wen Rusheng pounded on the doorframe, wailing loudly.

"What is wrong, Eighth Master?" a woman's puzzled voice drifted out.

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

The words "is a monster" were forcibly swallowed back down.

He couldn't let the Second Miss know he had seen her, otherwise, she would eat him!

What should he do? What should he do?

Wen Rusheng paced in circles before turning and bolting.

He had to go tell his cousin!

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

What an ill-mannered pauper.

(End of Chapter)