Moonlit Reunion Episode 33 Recap
> Moonlit Reunion Recap
Mei Zhuyu and Wu Zhen found temporary shelter in an abandoned house. Suddenly, a broom nearby began to shake violently. Mei Zhuyu, performing a hand seal, revealed the broom to be a spirit, which hastily reverted to human form and brushed off sparks from its clothes. The broom spirit apologized, explaining it had been placed too close to the fire. Wu Zhen remarked on the broom spirit's wretched appearance, but Mei Zhuyu, seeing it had no malicious intent, spared it.
He then asked the spirit if it knew anything about the Zhuyu herb, but the broom spirit was completely clueless. Wu Zhen, curious, asked Mei Zhuyu about the herb, wondering if he was ill. As Mei Zhuyu and Wu Zhen continued their journey, they came upon an old woman who had fallen in the deep forest. Wu Zhen, with compassion, helped her up.
The old woman claimed to have heard of the Zhuyu herb and directed them to a famous physician named Gu who lived in the mountains and had a garden filled with various spiritual herbs. As Mei Zhuyu prepared to leave, he felt it was improper to leave the old woman alone and turned back to offer her a ride, but she had vanished without a trace.
In her place, a secluded courtyard with a fence appeared as the white mist dissipated. A young boy, seemingly expecting them, bowed and led them into the main hall. Inside, four other individuals were already waiting: a wealthy merchant, an elderly man, a beautiful woman, and a quiet young gentleman who seemed to be a detached observer.
The physician's voice, which Wu Zhen recognized as that of the old woman from the mountain, then spoke from behind a curtain, stating that sincerity would grant wishes and that there was a price for everything. She announced she would speak to each person in turn, asking others to wait. The wealthy merchant explained he sought a son to inherit his vast family fortune.
The elderly man, who had only achieved success in middle age, desired to prolong his life to enjoy his hard-earned power and wealth. The beautiful woman confessed she felt her beauty was being challenged and wished to regain her position as the most beautiful, even if it cost her life. Soon, the merchant emerged, overjoyed, clutching a white jade bottle and exclaiming that he was having a son.
Next, the old man entered and later came out, his back hunched and coughing, but still beaming, content that he would hold his position for another hundred years. Finally, the woman exited, her face covered by a veil and white gauze. She declared herself the most beautiful, though she seemed unable to see her surroundings and needed assistance. Wu Zhen remarked to Mei Zhuyu that the situation felt increasingly strange.
When it was their turn, Mei Zhuyu instructed Wu Zhen to enter alone while he remained in the hall. Inside, Wu Zhen faced the physician, whose voice she recognized. The physician pointed out that Wu Zhen's ailment was unusual. Wu Zhen, pressing further, accused the physician of luring them there while disguised as an old woman. Growing impatient, Wu Zhen abruptly pulled back the curtain, revealing not a physician, but a withered straw figure.
Horrified, she tried to flee but found the exit blocked by bricks. Meanwhile, in the main hall, Mei Zhuyu confronted the quiet young gentleman, correctly identifying him as the true manipulator behind the events. The young gentleman, admitting his role, inquired when Mei Zhuyu had realized this, to which Mei Zhuyu replied that he knew from the moment they entered. He accused the young gentleman of deceiving people in the name of the spirit herb.
The young gentleman countered that he never deliberately deceived anyone, but rather people's own greed for the Zhuyu herb led them to him. He confirmed he indeed possessed the Zhuyu herb, but for all desires, a greater price must be paid. He revealed the merchant would gain a son but lose his entire fortune, the elder would extend his life but be plagued by terrible illnesses, and the beautiful woman would gain unparalleled beauty but be permanently blinded.
Mei Zhuyu angrily called him a lunatic, but the young gentleman argued that people's desires drove them to madness, and he was merely making them pay for their own greed. He then challenged Mei Zhuyu to find the most precious herb in his garden within a quarter of an hour, promising free treatment for Wu Zhen if he succeeded. Mei Zhuyu accepted. In the garden, Mei Zhuyu quickly identified the single genuine plant among the illusions.
The young gentleman, revealing himself to be the Zhuyu herb spirit, acknowledged Mei Zhuyu as a Celestial Master and dared him to capture him. Inside, Wu Zhen found an old medical casebook, which revealed that the Zhuyu herb spirit had once been a benevolent physician. Wu Zhen confronted the spirit, asking why it had changed from a sincere healer to a vengeful entity. The spirit scoffed at sincerity, recounting its past.
It had been a plant, nurtured by a master who hoped it would one day gain human form and heal the world. Despite its master's promise to wait, when it finally achieved human form, it found the mansion empty and believed it had been abandoned. Heartbroken, it left for Quzhou, intending to continue healing, but grew disillusioned by people's ingratitude and accusations.
It explained how it had offered free treatment, only to be doubted, slandered, and blamed for the inevitable deaths of elderly patients. This past betrayal fueled its current practice of making people pay a heavy price for their desires. Wu Zhen argued that while past patients were wrong, it shouldn't punish innocent people who genuinely sought help. The Zhuyu herb spirit, still full of resentment, attacked Mei Zhuyu.
Suddenly, Wu Zhen unleashed a surge of Cat Spirit power, then collapsed, unconscious. The spirit was shocked, asking who she was and how she possessed such power. He then revealed that his own master had been the Cat Spirit. Mei Zhuyu explained that the spirit's master was the "former" Cat Spirit, who had died eighteen years ago while saving Chang'an from a devastating fire.
The Zhuyu herb spirit, realizing its master hadn't abandoned it but had died, was filled with regret and remorse, blaming itself for its shallow cultivation and inability to help its master. Mei Zhuyu comforted him, stating that some things are fated and cannot be changed, but there is still time for redemption. Wu Zhen then woke, asking where the demon had gone. Mei Zhuyu told her the spirit had repented and returned to its original form.
The Zhuyu herb spirit, now in its plant form, informed Mei Zhuyu that it could not cure Wu Zhen; her condition was not an illness but a demonic tribulation. It offered its original body to Mei Zhuyu, hoping it might be useful in an emergency. Meanwhile, Mei Si waited at the entrance to the Beast Market for Liu Taizhen.
When she arrived, he led her to a lake and attempted to impress her by demonstrating a "newly learned spell," conjuring a few fireflies. Liu Taizhen, though she immediately deduced that Xuan Hui was behind the trick, was touched by Mei Si's gesture. She then called Xuan Hui out from his hiding spot.
Liu Taizhen expressed her dissatisfaction with Xuan Hui's idleness since arriving in Chang'an, urging him to practice his magic more diligently instead of just lounging between the Mei and Liu residences. Xuan Hui defiantly claimed he cultivated every day and would have become a Ying Dragon long ago if Liu Taizhen hadn't imprisoned him. He boasted he would one day soar through the heavens and wouldn't bother with a "trivial serpent" like her.
Liu Taizhen calmly waved her sleeve, unleashing hundreds of luminous fireflies, a dazzling spectacle that left Mei Si awestruck. As the night turned to dawn and they returned, Mei Si, unable to fight off his drowsiness, leaned his head on Liu Taizhen's shoulder. She tensed but allowed him to rest, a subtle emotion stirring within her. Mei Si, still drowsy, offered her water, concerned she might be thirsty.
