Moonlit Reunion Episode 17 Recap
> Moonlit Reunion Recap
Mei Si returned to his residence, admiring a newly acquired piece of ink. He decided to use it to paint a demon album as a gift for Liu Taizhen. He asked Xuan Hui, whom he affectionately called "Little Loach" despite Xuan Hui's insistence on being a "black serpent," to describe demons for him. Xuan Hui found Mei Si's existing demon book, "Notes on Demons and Oddities," simplistic.
As a token of gratitude for Mei Si's care, Xuan Hui offered to recount tales of unrecorded demons, beginning with a powerful, thousand-year-old shapeshifting tiger demon. He described its fiery appearance, sharp fangs, and its weak point between its brows. Mei Si diligently painted as he listened, but Xuan Hui, upon seeing the finished artwork, sarcastically remarked that such a fearsome creature had been depicted in such a way, though he conceded it was "unique."
Mei Si, however, was pleased with his "lifelike" painting. That night, the painted tiger demon materialized. Xuan Hui observed, realizing the ink was imbued with dark magic. He did not interfere, seeing an opportunity to stir up trouble for the Beast Market. Meanwhile, Wu Zhen sensed a sudden surge of ominous energy in the city. Rushing to a deep alley, she confronted a large, black-striped white tiger radiating dark mist and malice.
The ink tiger demon lunged, but Wu Zhen skillfully evaded its sharp claws. After a fierce, intense battle, Wu Zhen subdued the creature, noting afterward that it lacked a demon core. Following the Incense Assembly, gossip about Wu Zhen's personal life, Mei Zhuyu, and Pei Jiya surged through Chang'an. Mei Zhuyu's subordinate reported these rumors to him, also relaying news of a demon sighting. Mei Zhuyu confirmed the report, finding large tiger paw prints in an alley.
Simultaneously, Mei Si awoke to a disturbing sight: the tiger in his painting had faded, and bloody paw prints stained his room. He frantically called for Xuan Hui, but as he did, the blood transformed into ink. Xuan Hui casually dismissed it as Mei Si's sleep-deprived imagination and suggested his ink grinding was faulty, which Mei Si vehemently denied.
Despite Mei Si's confusion, Xuan Hui continued his tales, describing other unique and dangerous demons such as the pomegranate demon Pining, a toxic deer demon with eyes on its back, a ruthless dice demon born from spilled blood, and a wind-wielding urn demon. As Xuan Hui narrated, Mei Si continued painting, his expression growing increasingly captivated and fervent.
Xuan Hui then warned that the recent appearance of an ever-changing ink demon in Chang'an would soon plunge the city into panic, a prediction quickly confirmed by widespread public rumors. Mei Zhuyu, noticing how rapidly these rumors spread despite efforts to contain them, suspected someone was intentionally fueling the panic. Mei Zhuyu, suspecting someone was intentionally fueling the panic and linking it to a forbidden "suppression technique," personally investigated the ink shops.
He explained that this technique involves a caster imbuing part of their consciousness into an object, using their own body as a sacrifice, allowing them to control the object. The disappearing tiger demon, which left no physical form, was a clear sign of this. At an ink shop, the nervous shopkeeper, after initially resisting, reluctantly handed over his ledger to Mei Zhuyu. Mei Zhuyu was startled to find his cousin Mei Si's name among the buyers.
After Mei Zhuyu left, Hu Zhu arrived, demanding to see the same ledger, which the shopkeeper, after a brief protest, readily provided. Mei Zhuyu rushed to the Mei Residence. Upon entering, he was horrified to find Mei Si surrounded by numerous paintings covering the walls. Mei Si, with a pale face, unfocused eyes, and a chilling aura, was clearly under a malevolent influence, yet he continued to paint obsessively on the floor.
Realizing the ink demons originated from these artworks, Mei Zhuyu's suspicions solidified. He immediately dragged his possessed cousin into a large water tank in the courtyard, dismissing the alarmed attempts of others to intervene. Mei Si thrashed violently in the water, expelling a thick, swirling orange mist from his mouth and nose. Only after the mist dissipated did he gradually regain consciousness, disoriented and asking, "Why am I here? What happened to me?"
Empress Wu summoned Wu Zhen to the palace, expressing concern over her unmarried status and urging her to choose a husband between Mei Zhuyu and Pei Jiya. Empress Wu acknowledged Mei Zhuyu's bravery in saving Wu Zhen but noted his humble background, while Pei Jiya, a childhood friend with matching status, would require Wu Zhen to move to Kunzhou upon marriage.
Wu Zhen, however, firmly declared her refusal to marry without true love, stating she would rather live a "free and happy" single life. Her steadfast resolve angered Empress Wu, but Wu Zhen excused herself, claiming urgent matters. Soon after, Princess Yuan Zhen, Wu Zhen's niece, saw Mei Si and Xuan Hui in the palace. Mei Si mentioned he had told Xuan Hui that Wu Zhen was also visiting, and that Xuan Hui had thanked her for "curing" him.
Xuan Hui dismissed this, claiming it was merely "the wind shaking the trees" and denying any thanks. Meanwhile, ink demons continued to appear across Chang'an, attacking not only Wu Zhen and Mei Si but also ordinary citizens. During an attack, Mei Si found himself vulnerable to an ink demon. Xuan Hui, whose demonic power was still recovering, tried to protect Mei Si, telling him to hide in his arms, though Mei Si confidently rejected the offer.
Xuan Hui privately lamented his weakened state. Meanwhile, Wu Zhen, despite her human limitations, struggled against a powerful ink deer demon that threatened Princess Yuan Zhen. In a desperate moment, the White Tea Tree, who had been given the name "Hua" by Yuan Zhen and had blossomed due to their connection, used its remaining strength to destroy itself and the ink deer demon. Its spirit dissipated in Yuan Zhen's arms, leaving the princess devastated.
As Chang'an descended into chaos with widespread ink demon attacks, Mei Zhuyu took decisive action, planning to lure the demons out of the city before drawing his Celestial Master Sword to eradicate them single-handedly. Meanwhile, Pei Jiya received a report confirming the ink demons' defeat, leaving him anxious about his benefactor discovering his failed plan and wondering where he went wrong. Afterward, Hu Zhu informed Wu Zhen that she had discovered the origin of the ink demons.
Wu Zhen then went to the Mei Residence to check on Mei Si. There, she found Mei Zhuyu, who explained that Mei Si had been "not in his right mind" due to a "suppression technique" and he had intervened to help him recover. Mei Si, now lucid, revealed that his father had scolded him, blaming his possession on reading too many strange tales. Mei Zhuyu inquired about the enchanted ink, and Mei Si confirmed it was all used up.
Seeing Mei Si recovered, Mei Zhuyu decided to leave and invited Wu Zhen to accompany him. As Wu Zhen bid Mei Si farewell, she discreetly noticed a peculiar mark on his wrist but chose to ignore it.
