Trying to Catch the Moon in the Water

Hearing this, Lu Qiancha took a deep breath, and after confirming her master was not nearby.

“Shwa!”

The spiritual energy fluctuations around her body dissipated like ripples.

The disguise was removed, revealing deep blue fur, fluffy ears—the true form of the little wolf cub.

Lu Qiancha, her expression blank, tried her best to stand on her tiptoes, her claws struggling to grip the rim of the vat.
She looked at Gan Tang, utterly speechless, and said, “I’m not even as tall as this vat.
How do you expect me to pour the water in? Should I just climb inside?”

“Pfft~”

Seeing the pair of indignant little blue wolf ears, and then the ridiculously exaggerated height difference between the small body and the giant vat, Gan Tang could no longer hold it in.
She covered her mouth and let out an earth-shattering snort of laughter.

“…”

Lu Qiancha felt her paws beginning to itch again, an unbearable itch that craved a fight.

She glared at Gan Tang, ready to turn her into a scratching post in the next moment.

“Ha… Nngh! Ahem, ahem, I-I’m sorry! Senior brother! I… I’ll go fetch the water right now! Immediately! Absolutely fast!”

Seeing the murderous intent rising in Lu Qiancha’s blue eyes, Gan Tang coughed several times, her survival instinct kicking into high gear! She forcibly swallowed her laughter, grabbed the wooden basin, ran to the side to fill it with water, and poured a basinful in.

The two of them filled the vat.
Lu Qiancha, her disguise back in place, lifted the full water vat with her spiritual energy and walked slowly back into the small courtyard.

Placing the water vat next to the stone table in the center of the courtyard, Lu Qiancha closed her eyes and sat cross-legged, quietly waiting for night to completely fall.

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the moon is reflected in the water.
The Moon Rabbit stores medicine, the Golden Toad keeps wealth.
Drinking it nourishes the body, applying it nurtures wealth.

In the center of the small courtyard on Tianquan Peak, next to the stone table, a vat filled with clear moon-essence water reflected the same jade-like ice plate in the sky, like a bright mirror.

The full moon lay quietly in the water.

The four of them sat around the table.
The aroma of mooncakes, symbolizing reunion, lingered in the air, and the steam from the clear tea curled upward.

Xuan Ya picked up the slightly cool teacup at her side, her calm gaze falling on Xun Xue’s face as she broke the silence: “Fellow Daoist Xun Xue, on this joyous occasion of reunion, why do I not see your esteemed daughter here to join us? She is still young, and it is not proper for her to be alone.”

Hearing this, a very faint curve appeared at the corner of Xun Xue’s lips.
She calmly took a sip of clear tea, her expression unchanging, her gaze returning to Xuan Ya’s with composure.
“That child loves the mountains and the wilds.
Right now, she’s probably frolicking at the foot of some peak, watching the moon.
Let her be.”

“…”

Gan Tang, holding her teacup at the side, nearly choked when she heard this.
She suppressed her laughter, her eyes darting a quick, secret glance to the side—only to see her eldest senior brother, Lu Qiancha, currently using spiritual energy to help her stuff a lotus-paste mooncake into her mouth and chew it slowly.

The expression on her face was calm and composed, as if the “frolicking child” Xun Xue was talking about had nothing to do with her.

“…”

Xuan Ya’s fingers, holding the teacup, tightened imperceptibly.

Seeing Xun Xue’s matter-of-fact demeanor, the sense of helplessness in her heart—that ‘this demon immortal is neglecting her child’s upbringing’—almost materialized.

However, it was not her business, after all.

Xuan Ya took a shallow breath and slowly moved her gaze from Xun Xue’s face to Lu Qiancha’s.

Her eyes held an undisguised gravity and admonition as she said directly, “Qiancha, a child needs to be raised and taught.
You must know the way to guide their heart.
If you let them indulge in playful amusement…”

She paused, looked at Lu Qiancha, and said, “In the long run, I fear a lack of discipline will cloud their nature, spirit, and foundation, and they will gradually lose their pure, innocent heart!”

“???”

Lu Qiancha’s head was full of question marks.
‘How did I get involved in this?’

Her paw, imbued with spiritual energy, instinctively made her quickly put down the mooncake.
She obediently lowered her head and replied, “This disciple will remember Master’s teachings.”

“Mm.”

Xuan Ya nodded almost imperceptibly, feeling slightly relieved, and the icy lines of her face softened a little.
She couldn’t say much to Xun Xue, but she still had the right to teach her own disciple a thing or two.

Beside the round table, the four of them silently savored the small, exquisite mooncakes in their hands.
The air was filled with the fragrance of tea and the sweetness of the pastries.
The evening wind was gentle, the round moon hung high, and a rare sense of leisure and tranquility emerged.

The mooncakes were eaten, and the tea grew cold.

Xuan Ya rose gracefully, her sleeves brushing past the moon’s shadow, and went straight back to her room to meditate.

Gan Tang, on the other hand, lazily propped up her chin, gazing at the jade-like reflection in the water, idly keeping Lu Qiancha company as they quietly enjoyed the clear moonlight.

At this moment, a glint flashed in Xun Xue’s eyes.
She rose lightly and moved closer to Lu Qiancha, lowering her voice to a mysterious tone, “Little Qiancha~ I have something good to show you!”

“What is it?”

Lu Qiancha turned her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Gan Tang, on the opposite side, heard this and craned her little head forward curiously, her bright pink eyes locked on Xun Xue.

Xun Xue flipped her jade-like fingers, and as if by magic, she produced two palm-sized, ancient tokens from her storage ring.
They were as lustrous as warm, congealed jade, and a hazy moonlight flowed across their entire surface.
In the center of the token, an ancient, vigorous character for ‘Moon’ was impressively inscribed.

“What is this?”

Lu Qiancha’s fingertip touched one of the tokens passed to her.
It felt warm, cool, and refreshing to the touch.

“Hehe, I’ll tell you in a moment.”

Xun Xue’s eyes were filled with a cunning light.
She handed one of the tokens in her hand to Lu Qiancha.
“Here, take it.”

Lu Qiancha obediently held the token in her palm.
It felt warm and smooth, but she didn’t feel anything else.

“Come, reach out and stir the water in this vat.”

Xun Xue pointed at the surface of the water in the vat on the stone table, which reflected the full moon, and said.

“Oh.”

Although Lu Qiancha was puzzled, she did not hesitate.

Her disguised paw reached out and gently touched the cool moon-essence water in the stone vat.

The moment her fingertip touched the surface of the water—

“Om!”

The jade token in her hand suddenly erupted with a dazzling, cold silver light.

The scene before her eyes instantly twisted and shattered, like a mirror breaking apart.

Her body felt as if it were being gently pulled, spun, and weightless by an invisible force…

Just a single, dazed breath—

When she opened her eyes again, the world had changed.

After a moment of dizziness, Lu Qiancha found herself in a peaceful land.

Before her were hills and pools of various sizes, covered in dense flowers, grass, and vines.
In the distance stood a very conspicuous, majestic palace.
The plaque on the palace was very eye-catching, with three large characters standing proudly, from right to left—Guanghan Palace.

“Hiss—”

Lu Qiancha couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
The legendary Moon Palace, the residence of the Lunar Star Lord, Guanghan Palace.

‘So, have I come to the moon?’

Lu Qiancha looked up at the sky.
There were no sun or moon in the sky, nor could she see that azure planet.
There were only countless stars as fine as dust, but this place was not dark.
Instead, it had a unique, clear, cold brightness.

At this moment, a sentence popped into Lu Qiancha’s head out of nowhere—’Report to command center, I have exited the cabin, feeling good.’

A silver light flashed, and Xun Xue’s figure appeared beside her as if condensed from moonlight.

“How is it?” Her smile was radiant, like a little fox showing off, her deep blue eyes sparkling.
“This world… is it to my little Qiancha’s liking?”

Lu Qiancha looked at the grand gift her mother had prepared for her.
She smiled gently and said, “Thank you, Mother.
I like this Water Moon Festival gift very much.”

“Hehe, as long as you like it, little Qiancha.”

The expression on Xun Xue’s face instantly curved into a crescent moon, and the fluffy tail behind her wagged uncontrollably with joy.