Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Deep within the Heavenly Court of the Demon Clan lies a palace that has been sealed away for thousands of years.

There are no guards here, because they are unnecessary.

That chill that seeps into your bones is the best barrier.

Even a powerful demon at the Forging Cauldron Realm would feel his blood and qi stagnate and his demon core would not circulate smoothly if he walked into this area.

This is the Moon Palace.

When the Demon Court was first established, the exceptionally talented fairy from the Moon Palace once resided here.

Later, the fairy disappeared without a trace, and this place became a forbidden area. Apart from the puppets responsible for cleaning, no one dared to come.

Today, however, it's a bit more lively here.

A sedan chair stopped in front of the steps covered in frost.

Indra stood beside the sedan chair, his dragon robe fluttering in the cold wind.

He didn't use his internal energy to resist the cold, letting the frost climb up his eyebrows and beard.

"Send it in," Di Shitian waved his hand.

Several imperial guards in heavy armor carried the sedan chair, their movements stiff.

They were demons, full of vitality, but their faces were now blue from the cold, and their jaws were clenched tightly, as if they were afraid that if they let out a breath of yang energy, they would be frozen into ice sculptures.

The sedan curtain was lifted.

Su Xiaojiu came down, wrapped in the blood-stained cloak.

She wasn't wearing shoes; her bare feet were on the frost-covered jade ground.

Her feet were so white they were almost blinding, and a red rope was tied around her ankles. Bai Yin had tied it for her, saying it was to ward off evil spirits.

The cold air crept up from the soles of my feet.

Su Xiaojiu didn't tremble.

The Nine-Tailed Origin within her was inherently cold, making this place a death trap for others, but the best place for her to heal.

That yin energy seeped into my pores, and my previously parched meridians felt like they had been blessed with rain after a long drought, greedily devouring the surrounding coldness.

"This is the Moon Palace," Indra said, looking at her. "The Yin energy is strongest here. Staying here will help your essence recover quickly."

Su Xiaojiu tightened her cloak and looked up at the plaque hanging in mid-air.

The handwriting is a bit blurry, but the sense of loneliness remains.

"Your Majesty certainly knows how to pick a place," Su Xiaojiu smiled, her lips slightly pale. "Is this place so cold that you want to freeze me into an icicle so it'll be easier to slice me up and extract my blood?"

Indra ignored her sarcasm.

"I only want blood." Indra said, his hands behind his back. "If you die, I will use a secret technique to lock your soul, preventing your body from decaying, so I can still extract your blood. So, don't die."

Su Xiaojiu pouted.

She lifted her foot and walked up the steps. With each step, the frost under her feet melted a little, turning into white mist that swirled around her ankles, like a kind of welcome, or perhaps a kind of constraint.

"Wait!"

A sharp shout came from afar.

Immediately afterwards, a violent surge of water vapor swept across the area, forcefully dispersing the cold mist in front of the Guanghan Palace.

Tianpeng strode over.

She carried no weapons, and was still holding the empty wine jug in her hand. Her casual clothes were somewhat disheveled, and her hair was not combed properly, with a few strands sticking to the side of her face, making her look a little disheveled, but her eyes were frighteningly bright.

"Who told you to send her here?" Tianpeng pointed at the gate of the Guanghan Palace, his voice rising, "Emperor Shitian, have you lost your mind?"

The surrounding guards were so frightened that they all knelt on the ground.

The only person in the entire Heavenly Demon Dynasty who dares to speak to the Demon Emperor like that is Marshal Tianpeng.

Indra frowned.

"Senior sister, you've had too much to drink."

"I'm not drunk!" Tianpeng smashed the wine jug on the ground, shards flying everywhere. "What kind of place is the Moon Palace? It's an extremely yin and cold place! Even that monkey found it too cold back then. You threw a badly injured fox in there, did you want her to die even faster?"

Su Xiaojiu stopped and stood on the steps, turning back to watch the show.

She hadn't expected that this female marshal, whom she had only met a few times, would react so strongly.

"She is a nine-tailed celestial fox," Emperor Shitian explained patiently. "Nine tails belong to yin, and this place is most suitable for her to restore her original nature. Master cannot wait too long; I must use the fastest method."

"fart!"

Tianpeng rushed to the steps and stood in front of Su Xiaojiu. The smell of alcohol mixed with cold air emanating from her rushed straight to Di Shitian's face.

"What fastest way? You just want to torture her!" Tianpeng stared at Di Shitian. "You don't like this face, do you? Does seeing her remind you of all those old grudges? Di Shitian, how can you be so petty?"

Indra's expression darkened.

"Get out of the way."

"I won't allow it," Tianpeng said stubbornly. "If you want to lock her up, you'll have to step over my dead body first."

Su Xiaojiu nudged Tianpeng's lower back from behind.

"Um... Marshal, I actually think this is quite good."

"Shut up!" Tianpeng yelled at her, turning around. "Children shouldn't interrupt adults! What do you know? Your fox fur will crack from the cold in less than three days!"

Su Xiaojiu awkwardly withdrew her hand.

Alright, it's good to have someone protecting you, even if this protector is a bit fierce.

Indra's patience finally ran out.

His imperial dragon aura suddenly erupted, and the golden light instantly overwhelmed the surrounding cold air.

"Tianpeng!"

Indra called him by his name directly, his voice as cold as ice shards.

"How long are you going to cause trouble? I respect you as my senior sister and have been tolerant of you in every way, but don't be so presumptuous! Master's life is hanging by a thread, and you're willing to disregard Master for a fox that looks like an old friend?"

Tianpeng was forced back half a step by this oppressive force, but he still stood firmly in front of him.

"That's a different matter!" Tianpeng gritted his teeth. "I have no objection to saving Master, but this place is off-limits! This is her place. How can you let an imposter live here? Aren't you disgusting?"

"A counterfeit?"

Indra suddenly laughed.

The smile was somewhat ferocious, carrying a hint of hysterical madness.

"You know she's an imposter too?"

Indra suddenly took a step forward, closing in on Tianpeng, his eyes bloodshot.

"Since you know it's an imposter, why are you protecting it? Huh? What are you pretending to be so sentimental for? The real one is long dead! Gone in the Milky Way! Not even a trace of his bones remains!"

"Who is this? This is Su Xiaojiu! A wild fox from Yunmengze! She's the medicinal ingredient I caught!"

"She is not herself!"

The last four words were practically roared out by Indra.

The sound echoed in front of the empty palace, causing the snow on the roof to fall in a rustling sound.

Tianpeng was stunned.

She looked at her junior brother, whose face was contorted, as if she were seeing him for the first time. The little lion who always followed her around calling her "senior sister," the demon emperor who worked diligently for the demon race, was now like a madman.

"She is not her..." Tianpeng murmured, repeating himself.

In that instant, it was as if all her energy and spirit had been drained from her.

Yes.

She is not herself.

The fairy who would hold a rabbit and daydream in the Moon Palace, and who would hand her a handkerchief by the Milky Way, is long gone.

The person in front of me is just a stranger with the same appearance.

Su Xiaojiu stood behind, watching Tianpeng's back collapse.

She didn't say anything.

At times like this, anything you say will be wrong.

"Alright."

A steady voice broke in.

Roller Curtain came over at some point.

He walked slowly, each step firm and deliberate.

He didn't look at Di Shitian or Su Xiaojiu, but walked straight to Tianpeng's side and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Have you made enough noise?" The voice from the rolling curtain wasn't loud, but it was steady.

Tianpeng didn't move or speak.

"Your Majesty is doing this to save Master." Rolling Curtain glanced at Di Shitian, his eyes showing no emotion. "Although this place is cold, it is indeed beneficial to the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. If you are really worried, I will have someone send in a few more quilts made of fire silkworm silk."

Di Shitian took a deep breath and concealed his aura.

"I was in a hurry too." Di Shitian closed his eyes, his voice returning to calm. "Senior Sister, don't make things difficult for me."

Rolling Curtain patted Tianpeng's shoulder, increasing the pressure on his hand.

"Let's go," said Rolling Curtain. "I have two jars of good wine. Come drink with me."

Tianpeng did not resist.

She let the curtain be drawn and turned to walk out.

Halfway there, she stopped and looked back.

Su Xiaojiu was still standing on the steps.

The cold wind lifted her cloak, revealing the thin white dress underneath.

She just stood there quietly, her face expressionless, neither afraid nor aggrieved, like an outsider.

so similar.

Tianpeng felt a sharp pain in his chest, turned around abruptly, and strode away.

Rolling curtain followed behind, and paused for a moment as it passed by Indra.

"Your Majesty," Rolling Curtain said softly, "some things are better left unsaid. Shouting them out will only hurt yourself and others."

Indra didn't speak, he just waved his hand.

Rolling Curtain sighed and quickly caught up with Tianpeng.

The two walked one after the other on the palace path covered with fallen leaves.

As darkness fell, the stone lanterns lining the palace path cast a dim, yellowish light. The shadows, long and intertwined, appeared somewhat lonely.

"Why didn't you help me just now?" Tianpeng suddenly asked.

"Help with what?" Roller walked beside him, carrying the old lantern. "Help you fight His Majesty? Or help you snatch that fox back?"

"You know perfectly well that's the Moon Palace."

"I know," said Rolling Curtain, "but His Majesty is right, she is not herself."

Tianpeng fell silent.

She kicked a pebble away, and it rolled into the grass, startling a wild cat.

"Roll up the curtain."

"Um."

"How many of our eight old buddies are left?"

The curtain stopped and looked up at the sky.

"The monkey was trapped under the mountain, his fate unknown. The old ox returned to Mount Jilei and hasn't been heard from for thousands of years. The little white dragon..." The curtain paused, "...had its dragon tendons pulled out and was locked at the bottom of the Dragon Transformation Pool."

"Anything else?"

"And there's Old Sha, me, and you." Rolling Curtain looked at her. "Now it's just the two of us."

Tianpeng smiled, but his smile was more like a grimace.

"Yeah, it's just the two of us left."

When the Demon Court was first established, how glorious were the eight great demon immortals!

They wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace and shattered the Heavenly Palace—how spirited and triumphant they were! But what about now?

Some died, some scattered.

The rest of them all ended up living the kind of lives they hated.

"Tell me, what is the purpose of our lives?" Tianpeng asked.

The roller shutter didn't answer.

He simply carried the lantern and continued walking forward.

"To live." After walking for a long time, the sound of the curtain rolling finally drifted over. "As long as you're alive, there's still hope. If you die, you really have nothing left."

Tianpeng stood still, watching the curtain roll up its back.

That honest man who used to just silently carry loads is now hunched over, speaks less, and lives like a stone.

She turned and looked in the direction of the Moon Palace.

In the darkness of night, the palace stood alone atop the mountain, like a giant tomb.

The palace gates are already closed.

But Tianpeng could still see that figure in white, standing in the cold wind, looking at the world with an indifferent expression.

"Roll up the curtain." Tianpeng chased after him. "Do you think there really are two flowers in this world that are exactly the same?"

The roller shutter didn't stop.

"The Buddha said, 'One flower, one world.'" The sound of the curtain rolling was somewhat faint in the night breeze. "Flowers bloom and wither, each with its own destiny. Just because they look alike doesn't mean they are the same flower."

"But what if even the core is the same?"

The roller shutter finally stopped.

He turned around and looked at Tianpeng, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"If even the core is the same," said Rolling Curtain, "then that's reincarnation. It's fate."

Tianpeng didn't say anything more.

She snatched the lantern from the hand of the roller shutter and strode forward.

"Come on, let's go drink. Bring out those two jars of your secret stash; I'll get mad if you miss a drop."

Rolling Curtain watched her retreating figure, shook his head, a helpless smile appearing on his lips, and followed her.

Inside the Moon Palace.

Su Xiaojiu sneezed.

"This place is really freezing cold."

She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and walked around the empty hall.

There's really nothing here; even the chairs are made of stone, and sitting on them would freeze your bottom.

But the atmosphere here made her feel comfortable.

That deep-rooted Yin energy is gradually repairing her damaged essence.

Su Xiaojiu walked to the center of the main hall, where there was a huge bronze mirror.

The mirror hadn't been cleaned in a long time and was covered in a layer of dust.

She reached out and wiped the dust off the mirror.

A stunningly beautiful face was reflected in the mirror.

Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, and her beauty mark under her eye was melancholic.

Su Xiaojiu looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly smiled.

She turned and walked towards the cold jade bed deep inside the main hall.

Bai Yin's cloak was spread over it, blocking out the biting cold.

Su Xiaojiu lay down and curled up into a ball, like a lazy cat.

"Little White, wait for me."

She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep in the cool moonlight that filled the hall.

Butterfly Loves Flowers: A Dream of the Moon Palace

Chrysanthemums by the railing are shrouded in sorrowful mist, and orchids weep with dew

A light chill hangs in the air behind the silk curtains; swallows fly away in pairs.

The bright moon knows not the bitterness of parting; its slanting light shines through the red door until dawn.

Last night, the west wind withered the green trees.

Alone I climb the high tower, gazing to the ends of the earth.

I long to send you a letter, but the mountains are high and the waters are wide, I know not where to go.