#25: The Blood Moon

After the incident with the old turtle, Zhong Xu’s position as Imperial Preceptor was solidified. He repaired the talismans inside and outside the imperial city, ensuring that the Empress could eat and sleep well without having nightmares. At night, he would observe the stars, and during the day, he would divine fortunes. When he had nothing to do, he would tell the fortunes of the young palace maids who fawned over him, or the futures of the high-ranking officials who came to visit the Mingjing Pagoda. Of course, some of it was just made up, while other times he would offer some advice based on the person’s character. In this way, his days were quite fulfilling.

Wu Ruian, as promised, was keeping watch over the coffin shop. He was familiar with every coffin model, and the people who came to buy coffins were often soothed by his glib tongue that they temporarily forgot their sorrow.

The news of a handsome, well-mannered, and charming new assistant at the coffin shop spread quickly. The shop’s business gradually improved, and it was now selling two or three coffins a day. Some widowed aunties even brought chairs and sat outside the coffin shop every day, eating melon seeds. Wenyao, unable to bear it several times, wanted to go and scold them, but Di Jiang stopped her, saying, “The Prince is a charmer. Let him deal with it himself.”

So, besides folding yuanbao and wiping coffins every day, Wu Ruian had to endure the aunties’ verbal and visual teasing. Wu Ruian wasn’t bothered at all; he was good at charming them. Sometimes, all it took was a smile to make them buy a large pile of yuanbao and candles, and even half a catty of Di Jiang’s herbs. After a month and a half, the aunties’ homes were filled with enough incense and paper money for them to honor their ancestors for thirty years, with plenty left over to give to relatives and friends.

For a while, it seemed as if every day was the Qingming Festival in the alley at the end of South Street.

________________________________________

Half a month later, on the first day of the eighth month, at midnight.

Di Jiang stood by the window, frowning as she looked at a flickering red crescent moon in the sky. Wu Ruian stood across from her, watching her for a while, but she didn’t notice him. It wasn’t until Wu Ruian spoke up and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Di Jiang snapped out of her daze, glanced at him, and then looked back at the crescent moon in the sky. “That’s a blood moon.”

“A blood moon?” Wu Ruian was confused. He really wanted to see what the moon looked like, but his window was on the east side, so he couldn’t see it. He pointed to Di Jiang’s window and asked, “Can I come over there?”

Di Jiang didn’t seem to hear his question; her eyes were fixed on the night sky. Wu Ruian took her silence as consent. He propped his hand on the window, vaulted over, and jumped directly onto Di Jiang’s windowsill. Di Jiang, startled by his sudden appearance in front of her, instinctively took a step back, but tripped over a small table by the bed and fell backward. In a moment of panic, Wu Ruian reached out to catch her and ended up holding her in his arms.

“You...” Di Jiang’s eyes widened, and she looked at him with a surprised expression.

Wu Ruian, feeling the softness of her chest, was less composed than Di Jiang. His face flushed red, and he quickly let her go.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Wu Ruian took a step back and apologized profusely, seemingly genuinely ashamed of his actions.

Seeing his reaction, Di Jiang found it a little amusing.

He had flirted with her before, and there had been more inappropriate moments, but why hadn’t he been this flustered before?

Di Jiang took Wu Ruian’s hand and gently shook her head. “I know you care about me and don’t want to disrespect me. I understand your feelings. So, you don’t have to be so nervous.”

Wu Ruian nodded blankly, but still smiled awkwardly.

“That’s a blood moon,” Di Jiang said, pointing to the thin crescent in the night sky. “When the moon changes color, a disaster is coming. When a blood moon appears, evil spirits will emerge. There may be a series of misfortunes soon.”

“Is that true? Why can’t I see it?” Wu Ruian was confused. He looked at the night sky but couldn’t see anything. Not only was there no blood crescent, but he couldn’t even see a single star.

Di Jiang didn’t answer his question about why he couldn’t see it. She simply said solemnly, “You must be very careful and not get into any disputes with anyone.”

Seeing how serious Di Jiang was, Wu Ruian nodded. “I understand.”

That night, Di Jiang didn’t sleep well and had a nightmare. Everything in the dream was blood-red. She saw that the chanting of the nine-story Demon Suppression Pagoda outside Taiping Prefecture had been used to open a window with a blood curse. Through the window was a dark and deep fog, and in the fog were pairs of crimson, bell-shaped eyes, glowing with a demonic and terrifying light in the darkness.

These demons living in the pagoda seemed to have received some kind of signal and, following the blood curse, headed toward the Mingjing Pagoda, landing on Zhong Xu’s residence.

At the third watch, Di Jiang woke up from her dream with a start. She quickly put on a cloak, grabbed her Everlasting Lamp, and flashed to the observation platform of the Mingjing Pagoda.

The southern sky was shrouded in darkness. Even in the dead of night, it felt as if that part of the sky had been swallowed by darkness. At the edge of the darkness, a faint red light flickered. It was clawing and roaring, bringing with it a great gust of wind.

A strong, fierce wind howled. Di Jiang’s cloak fluttered, and her lantern was blown out of shape, but the candle flame inside burned brightly, more brilliantly than ever before.

She stood still, unmoving as a mountain.

The darkness quickly arrived above Di Jiang, enveloping the entire Mount Danxia. The Mingjing Pagoda lost its original white color and turned inky black. Only Di Jiang on the top of the pagoda, dressed in white, remained expressionless, calm, and collected.

“Who are you? How dare you block this one’s path!” A heavy voice echoed in the darkness. The voice seemed to come from the underworld, ethereal and empty, yet it was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Di Jiang looked at the sky and said calmly, “I am Di Jiang, a doctor from the Jiansu Clinic.”

A wave of laughter rippled through the darkness. The voice said chillingly, “I only want the Imperial Preceptor’s life today. Leave quickly. Otherwise, I will turn you into a blood mist, and you will spend your afterlife in the Demon Suppression Pagoda.”

Di Jiang showed no fear. She said, “I advise you not to look for the Imperial Preceptor. Otherwise, you will wish you were dead.”

“Haha, I have been in the Demon Suppression Pagoda for several hundred years. I have made a pact with someone, and as long as I have Zhong Xu’s life, I will be free. Why would I give up my freedom because of a single word from you?”

“Is that so? But I fear if you go, not to mention freedom, you might not even have the hope of living. Because the new Imperial Preceptor is...” Di Jiang smiled faintly and spoke a name.

That name was considered taboo in the demon world.

No one would ever mention it.

And no one dared to mention it.

“N-No, it’s impossible! How could he be him! He... he ascended a long time ago! You’re lying!” The crimson in the darkness surged like erupting lava, boiling and hot, with towering waves.

“A monastic does not lie,” Di Jiang said with a cold smile. “You know, even if you are not afraid of death, he will have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead. Now... do you still want to look for him?”

“Heh, why should I believe you? A mere pharmacy owner?”

Di Jiang laughed again, her eyes filled with disdain, arrogance, and a profound, unfathomable depth, like a vast ocean.

“What are you laughing at?” The darkness froze for a moment. Although he said he wasn’t afraid, his heart had already been blocked by Di Jiang’s aura.

Di Jiang continued, “I admit, the only reason you are still alive in front of me is because I have a good temper.”

“You!” Faced with Di Jiang’s disdain and arrogance, the big and small demons in the darkness wanted to rush forward and tear Di Jiang to shreds. Raindrops began to fall from the sky, and the darkness once again swept over and enveloped Di Jiang. The flame in the Everlasting Lamp flared up. Di Jiang, however, stood her ground, her back straight, unfazed by the wind and rain.

Most of the hour-long blood curse had already passed. The black clouds, unable to break through Di Jiang’s resistance, gradually weakened. Then, more and more black clouds gathered in the southern sky, preparing for one last struggle against Di Jiang.

“Give up. You are not my match,” Di Jiang sighed softly.

“Who exactly are you?” The voice in the sky sounded weary, no longer with the confidence and superiority it had before. It now sounded a bit guilty.

Di Jiang slowly spoke another name.

A name that was considered the supreme existence in the demon world.

She was one of the most respected people in the ten directions of the world, and her vow, “I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty,” was widely circulated throughout the world.

A series of roars and heart-wrenching screams came from the black curtain. After the screams, the first ray of dawn appeared in the sky.

The heavy rain stopped immediately, and the black curtain dispersed in that instant.

The window at the top of the Demon Suppression Pagoda slammed shut, sealing itself once more.

At the same time, in Chongling Temple, the elderly Master Xianshen with his white hair and wrinkled skin suddenly opened his eyes wide. He took a deep breath and fell backward. From then on, he could no longer close his eyes.

Di Jiang, dragging her tired body, returned to the Jiansu Clinic and went back to her warm bed.

The events of last night were, in fact, extremely dangerous. If she hadn’t sensed the danger and allowed the demons to invade Zhong Xu, his current power would not have been enough, and he would have been doomed to an eternity of suffering.

She also knew that the events of last night were just the beginning.

The Demon Suppression Pagoda was established by Emperor Taixiao to suppress the demons in the north. What exactly was inside, she wasn’t entirely sure. But now that one person in this world had discovered the existence of the Demon Suppression Pagoda, others would too. Then, thousands of malicious people would covet this land.

The future days would not be easy...

Di Jiang was full of worry. It wasn’t until the sun was high and Wu Ruian came to have breakfast with her that she changed her solemn expression and chatted with him with a bright smile, as if what had happened last night was truly just a dream.