Save the Moon

Shu Jin found a skeleton by the roadside.

He named the skeleton Pansheng, carried him on his back, and wandered from place to place.

Shu Jin behaved strangely, and his identity was a mystery, so most people kept their distance.

He didn't care. He continued to treasure Pansheng and take him along as they searched for the legendary treasures.

Under Shu Jin's attentive care, Pansheng gradually began to look human and grew deeply attached to him. Yet one bright moonlit night, Shu Jin hurt him with his own hands.

"No matter what you look like, I will stay by your side forever," Shu Jin said gently, holding him close, his hands covered in Pansheng's blood.

*

Pansheng knew nothing of the world. He had no past and no idea what lay ahead.

His only connection to the mortal world was Shu Jin.

Shu Jin showed him all the myriad wonders of the world.

He loved the soul-returning herbs of Haoli, the plum blossoms and orchids Nie Xiaoqian painted, and the amber formed from the White Tiger's gaze...

He donned a painted skin and learned what love was.

Oh, moon, I wanted to be close to you. Why, then, have you betrayed my heart?

*

"You're going to mend the moon!"

Shu Jin smiled. "That's right."

Pansheng said, "I want to go to the moon too."

"Once I've gathered all the treasures, I'll take you there," Shu Jin said softly.

"What if you can't find them all?"

"If I can't... the human world will fall into chaos."

Before you read:

1. The story has a complete outline, and the main plot won't change. It will definitely be finished. However, the author writes at a tortoise's pace and revises obsessively, so updates are every other day. I may post extra chapters when the writing goes smoothly.

2. There are notes in the chapter comments. I recommend turning on comment display.

3. The author's notes will occasionally include informative tidbits, skits, and corny jokes. I recommend checking them.

4. The main source texts include Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang, and What the Master Would Not Discuss. Since the original stories are set in different dynasties, the time and place here are fictional. The characters' experiences and plot developments have also been adjusted, so please don't get hung up on them.

Below is a preview of a modern cultivation danmei story:

Cast into the World

Before he went down the mountain, his martial aunt stopped Dan Zhifan and said, "Zhifan, remember your name: the myriad things of the mortal world can muddle the heart. When you lose your way, you must know to turn back."

Dan Zhifan thought he had always been very disciplined. Surely he wouldn't lose his way. Still, he nodded solemnly. "This disciple will remember."

Only after going down the mountain did Dan Zhifan realize he had really overestimated himself:

Phones were fun.

Shui Zhongyu, his roommate and romantic tribulation, was interesting.

The cultivation academy's outdoor practicum was a blast!

Well, phone monsters and thesis demons weren't quite so adorable.

During the field placement, should he choose the Immortal Alliance or Department 305?

Shui Zhongyu hates him. Should he let things take their course or try to win him over?

Forced to leave school, where should he go next?

Shui Zhongyu says he believes in him, but is there still a future for the two of them?

The myriad things of the mortal world really do get in the way of cultivation.

Thankfully, he still ascended to immortality.

*

Shui Zhongyu hates cultivators. Superstition ruins lives!

--Oh, so cultivation is real after all.

Department 305? Never heard of it. Pretending to be a government agency? I'm reporting them.

A cultivator hurt an ordinary person, and you need to keep a suspicious person under surveillance?

I'm willing to join Department 305 and serve my country!

*

Excerpts from Shui Zhongyu's surveillance diary on Dan Zhifan:

X Year X Month X Day

Tried to illegally use a spell to alter my memories. Reporting, reporting!

X Year X Month X Day

Hmph! Lackey of the Immortal Alliance!

X Year X Month X Day

I designed this pistol and infused it with his spiritual power. This time, I'm definitely winning the grand prize!

X Year X Month X Day

You're going through a romantic tribulation, so does that mean I have to cooperate?

Dream on!

X Year X Month X Day

He still ascended to immortality.

X Year X Month X Day

We've always walked the same road.

Couple: cultivation academy cultivator [key surveillance target] x mechanical engineering academy mortal [dedicated surveillant], a bickering couple who share the same ideals

[This blurb may still change before publication, but the main plot is set and won't change.]

2026.10.20

Theme: Embrace differences