Chapter Fifty: Like a Dream, Yet Not a Dream

The next day, cries of grief echoed throughout the capital, while Yinyao slept soundly beneath her covers. Lilo was nowhere to be found, likely off to the secret rendezvous of the Hidden Departure Sect.

In a single night, nearly three hundred people perished, all with connections to the court. Chu Su-yi found this news both shocking and delightful—shocking that someone dared to commit such bold acts of murder, and delighted because the victims were precisely the ones he had intended to eliminate. He thought this mysterious person must be formidable indeed and mused that he’d like to befriend them, perhaps even become sworn brothers.

Yinyao, nestled in her warm bed, sneezed unexpectedly, mumbled a curse, and turned to sleep again. After such an exhausting night, she was determined to make up for it with proper rest.

Meanwhile, in the secret chamber of the Hidden Departure Sect, Li Su could barely spare a moment to wipe the sweat beading on his brow. He ordered his people to seal off the news and dispose of the bodies. Covering up the deaths of over three hundred people was no easy feat, especially since their identities needed to be concealed.

He quickly began assigning new tasks. He’d promised Yinyao he would help her take revenge, and now it was time to infiltrate the court in force. With agents inside and out, they could coordinate their strikes, minimizing unnecessary casualties. Helping Yinyao with her vengeance was a crucial step toward his own goals—the death of the dog emperor would serve them both perfectly.

Elsewhere, Gu Xinyu, Mu Ye, and Ai Shuo had been having a rough time. Yinyao had returned, bringing with her a master of hidden depths, and the two seemed to share a close bond.

Chu Su-yi, having forgotten Yinyao after taking "Dream's End," was at a loss. There was no antidote for "Dream's End," and Yinyao seemed to be growing resentful of him... A truly maddening predicament.

Of all of them, Ai Shuo was the most regretful, cursing herself for having laced the medicine with "Dream's End" and making Chu Su-yi forget Yinyao.

Mu Ye found himself both comforting Ai Shuo and plotting with Gu Xinyu to salvage the situation. He, too, was frustrated. Gu Xinyu had dispatched all of Lingyu Pavilion’s scouts to search for Yinyao, but it seemed she had vanished from the world, leaving no trace behind.

Of course, their inability to find Yinyao was entirely thanks to Lilo. Fearing anyone would disturb her, he’d long since ordered all information about her to be locked away. In this world, few could find Yinyao—unless she sought them out herself.

By nightfall, Yinyao awoke, having slept through midday. She looked out at the bright moon and the twinkling stars beside it, feeling invigorated.

She darted across rooftops, Binger in her arms, who soon wriggled free and scampered ahead into the night, vanishing in a blink. Sensing Binger had leapt down from the eaves and run off into the street, Yinyao sighed and removed her mask, giving chase.

Tonight was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the streets were lively. Lanterns of every color lined the roads, while crowds gathered, guessing riddles. Along the riverbank, people knelt in prayer, sending wish-laden lotus lanterns floating downstream, hoping their heartfelt desires would be granted by dawn.

Binger’s white figure darted past Yinyao like a phantom and disappeared into the throng. Yinyao searched among the swirling skirts for the tiny white fox. After a while, she was surprised to find Binger hadn’t vanished again, but instead had stopped—at a food stall.

The little creature must have been hungry. Yinyao crouched to scoop Binger into her arms, bought some pastries, and slipped into an alley. Donning her mask, she leapt into the air, feeding Binger as they soared above the crowd. Binger played along, opening her small mouth to lick the pastry before biting off a piece, chewing, and then giving her mistress a mischievous wink.

Chu Su-yi, as was his habit, climbed to the city tower, lying atop it and gazing up at the pure, flawless moon, lost in thought.

Once again, the full moon had come. Would he see her again—a woman he could remember only on nights like this?

He began to imagine her in his mind.

Across the moon, a white fox leapt, followed by a woman in plain robes, wearing a silver mask.

Yinyao, annoyed that Binger had dashed off mid-snack, gave chase, sending a mental warning—if you run again, don’t blame me for making you return to your original form. Binger, heeding her mistress’s threat, paused and looked back pitifully. When Yinyao relaxed her guard, Binger darted up the city tower, leaving Yinyao stamping her foot in frustration.

In mere seconds, Chu Su-yi realized the scene that flashed before his eyes was real. He had an unshakable feeling that this woman was the one who haunted his mind every full-moon night.

The next moment, the little fox sprang into his arms, glancing timidly toward Yinyao as she approached. Chu Su-yi was startled, dazed by what was unfolding.

“Binger, come out!” Yinyao hadn’t seen whose arms Binger had leapt into and called out in annoyance.

Chu Su-yi, snapping back to himself, stood up with Binger in his arms. At that moment, Yinyao landed atop the tower as well, and they found themselves standing face-to-face—so close their noses nearly touched.

“Xuan Yu!” Yinyao exclaimed, obviously startled.

“Yao’er!” Chu Su-yi called out instinctively, only to realize that this woman knew his true identity.

Sensing the tension, Binger wriggled out of his arms and returned to Yinyao, her blue eyes wide and curious as she watched the two.

“You remember me?”

“How do you know my real identity?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You seem to be the one I recall every full-moon night!” He sidestepped her question and posed another.

“Is that so?”

“Did we know each other before?”

“I’m not sure. It’s as if there’s a blank space in my memory. Only on nights like this do fragments return, but by morning, they're gone, as though I’d had a strange dream. Each time, I see a woman with your figure and bearing, wearing a silver mask and wielding a silver whip.”

“Only on this night do you remember?”

“Yes.”

Yinyao didn’t know what to do—should she reveal she was the one he sought and implore him not to forget again, or should she feign ignorance and leave?

“She seems very important to me,” Chu Su-yi sighed after a long silence.

Yinyao felt tears well up. Suddenly, she sprang into the air, a silver whip appearing in her right hand, her figure outlined perfectly against the moon.

“Is this what she looks like?” Yinyao asked.

“Yes!” Chu Su-yi’s excitement was palpable—yes, it was her! He gathered his energy to pursue her, but in the next instant, Yinyao vanished, just like Binger.

Chu Su-yi returned to the tower, disappointed, unsure if what he’d just experienced was only another dream.

At the very moment he was about to catch up, Yinyao had evaded him with a burst of supernatural power, returning to the inn as if fleeing for her life.