Chapter Five: The Demon’s Mark

The soldiers at Xuanwu Gate dispersed reluctantly, muttering prayers under their breath as they dragged away the wounded. Most avoided Wu Zhen’s gaze, bowing clumsily before retreating. To them, she was both salvation and terror savior of Chang’an, scandal of the capital.

Wu Zhen stood at the center of the ruined gate, dusting ash from her sleeves. The air still smelled of sulfur and blood, though no corpses lay on the ground. Demons seldom left bodies behind.

Mei Zhu Yu knelt on the charred earth, fingertips brushing the spot where the shadows had emerged. He traced a faint pattern scorched into the stone: a sigil, jagged and twisting, pulsing faintly with residual energy.

Wu Zhen crouched beside him, golden eyes narrowing. “Ugly little thing. Doesn’t belong to any spirit I know.”

“It isn’t.” Mei Zhu Yu’s voice was low, measured. “This is a summoning mark. Someone called those shadows into the city.”

Wu Zhen’s grin widened, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “So, not a random storm after all. Someone’s playing games.”

He looked at her, gaze sharp. “This is serious.”

“Everything’s serious with you, Taoist,” she drawled, flicking her braid over her shoulder. “But fine. If someone wants to open the gate to the underworld, they’ll have to answer to me first.”

She placed her palm on the scorched sigil. At her touch, faint golden light spread, clashing against the dark lines. The mark hissed, smoking before it faded into nothing.

Mei Zhu Yu studied her quietly. “You’re not afraid of what burns inside you.”

Wu Zhen smirked. “Afraid? I’m the Cat Master. Fear’s for mortals.”

But when her hand lifted, a faint scorch mark remained on her palm black, like ink burned into her skin.

Her smile faltered for a heartbeat.

“Zhen,” Mei Zhu Yu said softly, “that’s a demon’s mark.”

She clenched her fist, hiding it from view, laughter spilling from her lips too loudly. “Then let the demons brand me. I’ll wear it like a jewel.”

He did not smile. His silence pressed against her louder than any rebuke.

......................

Later that evening, Wu Zhen sat on the roof of the Duke of Henan’s mansion, legs dangling over the eaves. The city glowed beneath her, lanterns flickering like a sea of fireflies.

She rolled her wrist, staring at the mark on her palm. No matter how many times she rubbed, it stayed.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” she muttered to herself. “Like a tattoo. Stylish, dangerous. Very me.”

But deep down, unease coiled in her chest. She had been touched by demonic power before when the last Cat Master saved her life. But this felt different. This felt invasive.

The roof tiles shifted. She didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“Taoist,” she greeted lazily. “You’re making a habit of showing up uninvited.”

Mei Zhu Yu sat a short distance away, his robes neat even in the night wind. His presence was calm, but his eyes fixed on her hand.

“You shouldn’t ignore it.”

Wu Zhen wiggled her fingers mockingly. “Ignore what? My flawless hands?”

He didn’t rise to the bait. “That mark is a thread. Whoever summoned those shadows may use it to find you.”

Her grin thinned. “Good. Saves me the trouble of hunting them down.”

Mei Zhu Yu was silent for a long time. Finally, he asked, “Why do you carry it all alone?”

Wu Zhen turned, golden eyes glinting in the starlight. For a moment, her mask slipped the laughter, the arrogance, the endless swagger. Beneath it was weariness. Loneliness.

“Because no one else can,” she said softly. Then, with a smirk, she added, “Besides, I look better doing it.”

Something flickered in his expression pity, or perhaps something deeper but he did not press further.

Instead, he unrolled a scroll, ink-dark sigils glowing faintly. “I’ll reinforce wards around the gate. But if this spreads, we may need to guard the entire city.”

Wu Zhen stretched, lying back on the roof tiles, arms folded behind her head. “Fine. You make your wards. I’ll sharpen my claws. Between us, Chang’an doesn’t stand a chance of falling.”

The night breeze ruffled her hair. Somewhere in the distance, a cat yowled, eerie and familiar.

Wu Zhen closed her eyes, listening. The city whispered to her, its unseen streets stirring with unrest.

And in her palm, the demon’s mark burned faintly, like a promise of storms yet to come.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***