On the hillside outside the vil district, dense paulownia trees were pnted, creating a maze of winding paths. A full moon hung high in the sky, its silvery light casting confusing, overpping shadows on the narrow trails.

  Xuan grasped TuTu's hand as they ran through the space between the paulownia trees. TuTu's white dress fluttered, as if snow were suddenly falling in the night.

  After midnight, the fish yaokai "Wang Xin" would transform into a human. Xuan knew this, and so did Cang Tongkai.

  After midnight, TuTu appeared as a small, beautiful girl whose appearance never changed.

  In the past, on countless winter nights, the three of them would comfortably sit around the flickering warmth of the firepce, talking about everything from funny school stories to nuclear weapons issues, or from the mischievous thief who had fallen into a ditch during the day to the story of TuTu and Old Jiang from a thousand years ago. They′d discuss annoying traffic problems or the true number of yaokais in the Western Abyss Dark Sea.

  Cang Tongkai sipped his coffee, speaking grandly. The less eloquent Xuan, on the other hand, would drink cup after cup of pin water, listening intently. Meanwhile, TuTu, eating ice cream and various pastries, was often made to ugh heartily by Cang Tongkai.

  In the vast vil, only the three of them were truly present. This was the life of happiness, or at least, that′s how Cang Tongkai saw it. As soon as the sun rose, TuTu would return to her fish form, quietly slipping back into the water tank in the hidden chamber, waiting for the next night to come.

  When did the peaceful days slip away, never to return?

  It all began with the arrival of the invaders.

  A week ago, more and more wild cats and other species gathered near Cang Tongkai′s home after midnight. They were no ordinary cats or animals—they were yaokais, low-level but vicious little yaokai. They had discovered TuTu's presence. Every midnight of this past week, Xuan had been busy clearing out these "invaders."

  Yesterday, a swarm of cat yaokais, along with an eagle-like yaokai, charged straight toward Cang Tongkai′s home. Clearing them out had always been Xuan′s duty. As Cang Tongkai′s bodyguard, protecting Cang Tongkai and everything reted to him was his responsibility. Besides, there was also TuTu.

  TuTu was always pced at the very top of the tallest paulownia tree, with a protective barrier shielding her. Originally, there was no need for Xuan to intervene—if TuTu remained invisible, no one could find her, as this was the power of the "Wang Xing" fish. However, these yaokais coming after her could still track her down, even if she hid, as if guided by some unseen force. Without Xuan′s protection, TuTu, who had no offensive abilities, would be torn apart by these greedy creatures.

  Xuan′s abilities far surpassed those of these little yaokais, even though he was also a cat. But Xuan was a real Yaokai, one who had cultivated for seventeen years using the most orthodox methods and possessed an inner elixir. However, he was still injured st night. Naturally, it wasn′t the eagle-like yaokai with considerable cultivation that had hurt him. He had lied to Cang Tongkai about that.

  Since a week ago, every night, he had to take TuTu and run for their lives, from midnight until dawn, fleeing desperately. It wasn′t until the first light of day that the nightmare would end.

  If it were just those greedy little Yaokais, they wouldn′t need to run. They were only humble foot soldiers, putting on a show for the real leader. At this moment, dozens of dark shadows streaked through the air, following them at lightning speed. Strange sounds echoed through the air, and the wind rushing toward them seemed to be torn apart by cw-like objects.

  The full moon in the sky had an eerie blue glow around its edges, casting a blinding, sinister light that illuminated the fierce mob of yaokais behind him. As Xuan ran, he gnced at the strange blue-tinged moon, his brows furrowed deeply.

  Once every two years, there's a chance to witness two full moons in a month. The second full moon, appearing with a blue halo, is called the "Day of the Blue Moon." On this day, the powers of all Yaokais across the nd multiply exponentially.

  Today, Xuan hadn′t sent TuTu to the treetop. Instead, he chanted a spell, pressed his hand against TuTu's back, and sealed her within the trunk of a sturdy paulownia tree. He then bit his finger and used his blood to draw a seal on the bark.

  Before he could turn around, a foul-smelling gust shot toward him from behind. He tilted his head, extended his finger like a sword, and stabbed backward, striking the abdomen of a lunging, ash-gray wildcat. Several dazzling red beams shot out from the creature′s back like arrows. With a pitiful screech, the wildcat was flung aside, crashing into the tree trunk and colpsing in silence.

  Seeing their companion′s tragic death, the other cat Yaokais showed no hesitation. They bared their sharp teeth and, like a storm, charged toward Xuan. Xuan nimbly leaped and nded among the branches of the paulownia tree. He formed a seal with his hand and drew a line in the air toward the ground, shouting, “Rise!” The dense soil, like a wide cloth, was torn from the earth and soared toward the cat yaokais who had missed their target, burying them in a storm of dirt.

  Below the tree there was a chaotic chorus of meows. The cat yaokais, buried under the dirt with only their heads exposed, were furious and struggled wildly. A few of the stronger ones seemed on the verge of breaking free from the mound of soil. Their mouths gaped wide, revealing teeth that were several times sharper and longer than a normal cat′s, their white, bone-chilling fangs particurly striking under the moonlight.

  Xuan leaped down and swiftly drew a delicate short sword from his sleeve, gripping it tightly. He charged into the pile of dirt that had buried the cat yaokais, and with a quick, precise strike, he severed their throats.

  The blood that flowed turned the soil a deep, dark bck. Xuan′s nerves did not rex despite the cat yaokais' inability to put up a fight. The surroundings fell into an eerie silence, only broken by the sound of rustling leaves above. A chill, a bone-piercing cold, dropped from the treetops, sinking into Xuan′s heart.

  He lifted his head...