Inside Fengyue Pavilion, the faint fragrance of medicine filled the air. After Light Song (Qingge) swallowed the pill Ji Yue had given her, the deep gash across her back began to heal—visibly. Torn flesh knit together as though time itself had reversed.

Light Song arched an eyebrow, changing into a black robe before scooping up Ji Yue in his cat-fox form and rubbing his head affectionately. “Didn’t think you were hiding such good medicine.”

Ji Yue’s tiny paws crossed before his chest, looking deceptively adorable. “This lord possesses many things you know nothing about,” he said, tail flicking with pride.

But then, sneaking a glance at her, he thought darkly: If she ever found out that pill was… my excretion, she’d probably skin me alive.

The image alone made every hair on his crimson fur stand on end. Ji Yue shuddered and quickly decided—better to keep that particular secret buried forever.

Night deepened. The cold wind outside hissed through the window cracks like silver threads, bringing with it the crisp chill of early frost.

Light Song sprawled lazily across her desk, tapping a pair of chopsticks against the wood and teasing the cat-fox. “Little Yueyue, I’m hungry.”

“Then go eat,” Ji Yue said nonchalantly, scratching one furry ear with his paw.

“But…” She licked her lips dramatically, “I want to eat fox meat.”

Ji Yue froze. The paw in his ear stopped mid-motion. His fur bristled in an instant. With a panicked leap, he darted out of her arms and perched on top of the wardrobe, glaring at her as though she were a monster. “This lord suddenly misses the old Night Qingge,” he muttered miserably.

Sure, the old one had been weak and useless—but at least she hadn’t wanted to eat him.

Light Song stretched languidly and shrugged. Then she reached up, plucked Ji Yue off the wardrobe by his ear, and sauntered toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go get a 霸王餐.”

Ji Yue blinked. “What’s a 霸王餐?” His mismatched eyes—one red, one violet—glimmered with curiosity.

“It means we eat and run without paying,” she said matter-of-factly.

Ji Yue was speechless. “…”

Heavens above, he thought, what kind of woman have I gotten stuck with?

As they passed the doorway, Light Song reached out and grabbed a black mask hanging on the painted screen. She slipped it over her face. The mask was etched with blooming mandala patterns, its edges inlaid with shimmering glassy gems. In the darkness, it glowed faintly—like a rainbow bursting through night clouds, dazzling and unpredictable.

The streets of the Beiyue Kingdom’s capital were alive with chaos and color. Lanterns glimmered. Horse carts rattled past, merchants shouted, and the air thrummed with laughter and danger alike.

Mercenaries hawked rare treasures—spoils traded for blood in some distant forest. Cloaked hermits sat cross-legged in the shadows, cultivating beneath the night sky. Noble sons and daughters roamed in packs, their arrogance as bright as their silk robes.

Nighttime here was even livelier than day—when both the righteous and the wicked stepped out to play.

From the eastern street, a girl approached.

She wore a long robe of midnight silk embroidered with drifting clouds. Each measured step was fluid, deliberate—grace born of quiet strength. Her left cheek was hidden beneath a dark mask, cold and intricate, mandala flames curling across its surface.

In her arms rested a small creature—half cat, half fox. The beast’s left eye glowed crimson, the right violet, a strange blend of regal beauty and lethal ferocity. Its blood-red fur shimmered under the lantern light as it reclined lazily, eyes half-closed, utterly indifferent to the bustling mortal world.

The sight of the two together—girl and beast—stopped countless passersby in their tracks.

It was a vision torn from a painting: a goddess descended, an enchantress of the night, beauty so sharp it could wound.

Ji Yue smirked faintly, eyes narrowing with nostalgic pride. “In my prime, this lord once drove legions of maidens mad with desire,” he said wistfully.

Light Song flicked his forehead. “Behave. When I’m rich, I’ll buy you a whole flock of lady cats and vixens—you can go crazy all you like.”

Ji Yue’s mouth twitched. “…I don’t even know what to say to that.”

And so, beneath the jeweled night sky, one girl and her talking cat-fox walked into the heart of the city—beauty and chaos following in their wake.