二十二
The moon waxed full above the Demon Palace, casting the black marble halls in pale silver.
Yue Lian's dreams grew stranger, deeper each night, as if the moon itself were whispering secrets beneath her skin.
The lullaby that haunted her childhood, soft, sad, and soothing, now echoed with a clarity that made her heart ache.
She drifted in sleep, caught in a vision so vivid it was almost real.
She saw a woman with hair like waterfalls of silver, her robes swirling like mist, carrying a baby through a forest veiled in fog.
The woman's breath came quick and frightened, her arms clutching the infant tightly as she fled beneath ancient trees.
Somewhere behind them, something dark and hungry followed, its presence felt but never seen.
The woman sang the lullaby, her voice trembling but strong, weaving comfort through the fear.
Yue Lian, hovering in the dream, tried to see the woman's face, so familiar, so achingly close, but always the mist intervened, blurring her features.
Still, the scent of moonflowers, the warmth of arms, the gentle hum of the song wrapped around her heart.
She reached for the dream-child, desperate for answers. Just as her fingers brushed the silver fabric, the forest dissolved, the lullaby fading into silence. Yue Lian woke with tears on her cheeks, the melody still echoing in the dawn's pale light.
She was quiet that morning, wandering the palace gardens in search of calm. Her mind replayed fragments of the dream, the lullaby twining through her thoughts. She whispered the tune under her breath, finding comfort in the half-remembered words.
The Twins found her by the lotus pond, their tails waving in the morning sun. "You seem sad," the elder said, eyes full of concern.
"I just... wish I knew who I was," Yue Lian admitted. "I keep dreaming of a woman running through a forest, singing to a child. I think she's my mother, but I never see her face."
The twins exchanged a glance, then pressed close, offering silent comfort. "Dreams are the moon's way of speaking," the younger said. "Listen well. The answers may find you before you find them."
Later, in the palace library, Yue Lian pored over the same old scrolls over and over again. She barely noticed when Cang Yan entered, his footsteps soft but his presence unmistakable.
He watched her for a moment, arms crossed, face unreadable. "You missed the council meeting this morning," he said, voice cool.
She looked up, startled. "No one told me I was needed."
His eyes narrowed. "You are always needed. You are at the heart of every rumor, every threat. If you wish to be part of this realm, you must act like it."
She bristled, her dream-touched calm shattering. "I never asked to be at the heart of anything! I never asked to be your problem."
His expression hardened. "You are not my problem. You are my responsibility. There is a difference."
She stood, anger sparking in her chest. "You don't own me, Cang Yan. I am not one of your soldiers to command."
They glared at each other, the world shrinking to the space between them. She saw the exhaustion in his eyes, the pain he carried with every breath. He saw the stubborn set of her jaw, the hurt hiding behind her defiance.
Their voices rose, echoing off the marble shelves.
"You cannot protect everyone!" she cried. "Not even yourself!"
"I have no choice!" he snapped back. "If I do not rule, this realm falls. If I do not fight, I burn alive. If I do not keep you close, I lose the only hope I have left!"
Silence crashed down. Yue Lian's breath came fast. She turned away, blinking back tears.
At the door, Zheng Yu and the twins hovered, uncertainty in their eyes. The elder twin nudged Zheng Yu. "They're always fighting. I wish they'd just talk."
Zheng Yu managed a weak smile. "We foxes will not understand immortals. But all I know is that they're both stubborn. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes it's like watching two mountains try to move each other."
The younger twin piped up, "What if we helped them? Maybe... distract Cang Yan, or give Yue Lian a sign?"
Zheng Yu grinned, hope flickering in his eyes. "Let's start with honey cakes and see how far that gets us." Both he and the Twins disappeared in the shadows of the halls with that.
Leaving the library with a head full of anger and confusion, Yue Lian wandered into the palace gardens, seeking solace among the rows of herbs.
She kneeled in the cool dirt, her hands moving instinctively through the familiar work of pruning and replanting.
The scent of mint, mugwort, and sweet flag calmed her, and for a moment she could almost believe she was back in the orphanage gardens, before destiny, demons, and gods had ever noticed her.
But there was no Lin Bo to call her names, no Madame Qiu to set her more chores.
The solitude was different here: deeper, lonelier, but safer in its quiet way.
Yue Lian pressed her hands into the earth and let herself remember that, whatever else she might be, she had been raised a healer.
A human girl, not a goddess or a weapon or a puzzle for powerful men to solve.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Zheng Yu until he landed gracefully beside her, a sack of honey cakes balanced in his hands. He grinned, tails flicking. "Garden therapy again? I brought sustenance!"
She tried to smile, but it wilted at the edges. "Thank you, Zheng Yu. But honestly, I think I'm growing tired of honey cakes. Isn't there anything in this palace that isn't sweet or magical?"
His ears flattened, and his shoulders drooped, disappointment so obvious she felt instantly guilty. "Oh... I just thought... You always seemed to like them."
She reached over, squeezing his arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just... I need something different. Something real. Something that reminds me I'm still myself."
His eyes brightened with an idea. "How about a flight? Just you and me, no palace, no rules for a while."
Yue Lian hesitated, glancing at the guards and the high windows. "Will we get in trouble?"
He winked. "Only if we get caught. Besides, I'm an expert at not getting caught."
With a laugh, she agreed, and in a flurry of white fur and magic, Zheng Yu shifted into his majestic five-tailed beast form. She climbed onto his back, clutching his silken ruff, and they soared into the evening sky.
The Demon Realm at night was a patchwork of silver and shadow, the rivers below gleaming like threads of glass, the villages flickering with lanternlight.
From above, Yue Lian saw not just the palace's grandeur, but small homes clustered beside fields, market stalls laden with fruit and cloth, demon children chasing one another through the streets.
There were elders sitting in circles sharing tea, lovers walking hand in hand beneath the moon, and a thousand quiet joys she'd never imagined could exist here.
She pointed at the largest market, brightly lit and bustling even at night. "Can we go down? Just for a little while?"
Zheng Yu hesitated, landing lightly in a hidden alley. "If Cang Yan finds out, he'll make me clean the stables for a month. But... all right. Just stay close."
They slipped into the market, blending with a crowd that was more odd than frightening.
Demons of all shapes and ages bartered and laughed.
Some had horns or tails, others looked almost human.
Yue Lian watched a gray-bearded baker hand a sweet bun to a girl with blue skin and watched a group of children, one with tiny wings, argue over marbles.
She turned to Zheng Yu, wonder in her eyes. "They're... just like us. Families, children, stories. I didn't know demons could grow old."
He nodded, his voice gentle. "We're not so different. We age, slower than mortals, but we do. Some choose to be reborn when their time comes, others just... rest. Even immortality has its limits."
Yue Lian was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Why hasn't Cang Yan changed? After five hundred years, why does he stay the same way?"
Zheng Yu's expression turned somber. "The Heavenly Fire keeps him alive. It won't let him rest, even if he wished for it. He used to joke, well, not really a joke, that he tried to die a few times, but the fire always brought him back."
She went still, the reality of Cang Yan's loneliness and suffering settling in her chest. "That's... horrible." Her voice shook. "He could have told me."
Zheng Yu shrugged, giving her a sad smile. "He's never been good with feelings. Or honesty, unless it's sharp as a sword."
They rounded a corner and saw an old woman sitting on a worn mat, her hair streaked with gray, her robes patched and thin. She cupped her hands, begging in a voice so soft Yue Lian could barely hear. "Please, anything... I'm so hungry."
Zheng Yu leaned close, murmuring, "She's not from here. Human, once a high noble in the mortal realm. Some come searching for immortality, others are lost or taken by accident. The Eight Realms change everyone, but not always for the better."
Yue Lian's heart twisted. She turned to Zheng Yu. "Do you still have those honey cakes?"
He produced the package, looking surprised. She took it, approached the old woman, and knelt beside her. "Here. Please take these."
As she handed the cakes over, her fingers brushed the woman's hand, a spark of cold running up her arm, a flicker of green light at the edge of her vision.
The old woman's eyes sharpened for a heartbeat, gratitude and something unspoken passing between them.
"Thank you, child," she said, rising and shuffling away.
Yue Lian watched her go, noting the red talisman with a tiny red dragon at the woman's belt. The detail stuck in her mind, but she pushed it aside, returning to Zheng Yu's side.
They lingered in the market a while longer, buying simple dumplings and watching lanterns float into the night. The joy was quiet, real, a night of peace between storms.
When they finally returned to the palace, slipping past sleepy guards, Yue Lian felt lighter. She had found something real, something kind, something that belonged to her alone.
And somewhere inside, the lullaby's melody lingered, softer and sweeter than ever before.
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