The hillside outside the villa area was covered with dense sycamore trees and interspersed with irregular trails. A full moon hung high in the sky, like a silvery light casting illusive shadows on the trails.
Xuan held Tutu's hand and ran through the sycamore trees. Tutu's white dress fluttered, resembling snow falling suddenly in the night.
Every night after midnight, the fish demon "Wangxing" turned into a human. Xuan knew it, and so did Cangtong Kai.
The post-midnight Tutu was a petite and beautiful girl with an unchanging appearance.
Once, on countless winter midnights, the three of them would sit comfortably by the flickering fireplace, discussing everything from school anecdotes to nuclear weapons issues, or from the annoying thief who fell into the ditch during the day to the events involving Tutu and Old Jiang a thousand years ago. They talked about irritating traffic problems and debated how many monsters there really were in the Western Waters of the Hidden Sea.
Cangtong Kai sipped his coffee and spoke enthusiastically. Xuan, not one for words, continued to drink glass after glass of water, listening attentively. Tutu, on the other hand, enjoyed her ice cream and various pastries, often amused by Cangtong Kai's antics, which made her burst into laughter.
In the spacious villa, only the few of them were the true inhabitants. This was a happy life, at least according to Cangtong Kai. When day broke, Tutu would return to her true form as a fish, quietly back to the water tank in the secret room, awaiting the arrival of another night.
Since when did the days of peace and tranquility go away forever?
It began with the arrival of the intruders.
A week ago, more and more stray cats and other creatures started gathering near the Cangtong home after midnight. Naturally, they were not ordinary cats or other animals; they were demons. Low-level but vicious little demons. They had discovered Tutu's existence. For the past week, every midnight, Xuan had been busy dealing with these "intruders."
Yesterday, a horde of cat demons and an eagle monster rushed straight to the Cangtong home. It was Xuan's duty to deal with them. As Cangtong Kai's bodyguard, protecting Cangtong Kai and everything related to his family was his solemn responsibility. Besides, there was Tutu to consider.
Xuan would always put Tutu on top of the tallest sycamore tree and protect her with a defensive barrier. Originally, there was no need for Xuan to take action. As long as Tutu became invisible, no one would be able to detect her traces, because this was a "Wangxing" skill. However, these aggressive little demons that came after her seemed to have a way to locate her even when she was invisible. Without Xuan's protection, Tutu, who had no offensive capabilities, would be torn apart by these greedy creatures.
Xuan's abilities far surpassed those of these minor demons, despite being a cat demon himself. Xuan was a true demon with an inner core, and had been practicing for seventeen years using the most orthodox methods. However, he was still injured last night. The one who hurt him was not actually the eagle monster with decent cultivation. He lied to Cangtong Kai.
Starting a week ago, every night, he would take Tutu and flee for their lives from midnight until dawn. The nightmare only ended when the first light of day broke.
If it were just that group of greedy minor demons, they wouldn't need to flee. They were just lowly foot soldiers, bluffing for their true commander. At this moment, dozens of dark shadows followed closely behind them like lightning. Strange sounds echoed in the air, and the wind that came rushing toward them seemed to be torn apart by claw-like objects.
The full moon in the sky had a surreal blue halo on its edges, casting an eerie and dazzling light that illuminated the group of menacing demons behind them. Xuan ran while glancing at the oddly blue moon, his brows furrowing deeply.
Every two years, there was a chance for two full moons to appear in a month. The second full moon, known as the "Blue Moon," was so named because of the blue halo around it. On this day, all demons and evil spirits in the world would experience a multiple-fold increase in their powers.
Today, Xuan didn't place Tutu on top of a tree. He recited an incantation, pushed Tutu into the trunk of a sturdy sycamore tree, and then bit his finger, using his blood to draw his seal on the tree trunk.
Before he could even turn around, a foul-smelling gust of wind struck from behind him. He tilted his head, using his fingers like a sword, and leaned backward, striking the abdomen of the gray tabby cat that had pounced on him. Several dazzling red lights shot out from its back like arrows. After a wail, the gray tabby cat was thrown away, crashing into a tree trunk and falling silent.
Faced with the gruesome death of their companion, the other cat demons showed no sign of retreat. They bared their sharp teeth and rushed at Xuan like a violent storm. Xuan gracefully leaped and landed among the branches of the sycamore tree. He gestured and slashed a word on the ground, chanting loudly, "Rise!" The dense soil was like a wide piece of fabric, which was pulled up from the ground and smashed at the cat demons who had jumped into the air with an earth-shattering force.
Under the tree, there was a cacophony of meowing and yowling as the cat demons, buried in the soil with only their heads exposed, grew increasingly furious. They struggled haphazardly, and a few of the stronger ones seemed on the verge of breaking free from the dirt pile. Their wide cat mouths featured teeth several times longer and sharper than those of ordinary cats, bone-white and gleaming, particularly conspicuous under the moonlight.
Xuan vaulted down, pulled out a delicate short knife by the handle from his sleeve, held it tightly, and rushed on top of the mound where the cat demons were buried. His hand rose and fell, slitting the throats of the cat demons in the dancing sharp light.
The flowing blood dyed the soil a deep, dark black. Xuan's nerves didn't relax despite the feeble resistance of the cat demon troops. Silence enveloped the surroundings, with only the sound of leaves rustling overhead. Cold air, a bone-chilling cold air descended from the treetops, piercing into Xuan's heart.
He raised his head...
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