Three Moon Pavilion and Linjiang Academy

The "three moons" of the Three Moon Pavilion do not refer to the months of the year, but rather to the strange phenomenon of the bright moon rising over the sea.

At the peak of the Three Moon Pavilion, located in the heart of the river, sits a massive, luminous pearl.

Whenever the bright moon rises, that pearl lights up in response to the moonlight.

The moon in the sky, its reflection in the water, and the pearl upon the river—the three moons shining in unison are considered a spectacular sight at the East River Mouth.

Coupled with the eccentric people and strange events within the Three Moon Pavilion, the riverbank attracts many visitors every night to admire the view.

Furthermore, whenever the moon is full, many people release floating lanterns slightly upstream.

The lanterns glow brightly as they drift along with the river current.

However, most of these lanterns sink after drifting only a short distance due to the treacherous and ever-changing river waters.

Yet, some manage to stabilize and are carried by the current toward the River Heart Island.

Generally, only those lanterns with grievances written inside them manage to reach the island; the lanterns of those merely joining in the fun never make it.

"It seems that there truly is a hidden providence at work; all those grievances are able to reach the heart of the river."

Luo Chuan stood by the riverbank, watching the sea of lanterns. His face, weathered by the elements, seemed filled with emotion.

"Providence, my foot." Lu Bo merely glanced at them before directly refuting Luo Chuan's words.

The East River is an estuary, making the water flow relatively complex, especially with the small island in the middle of the river, which makes the currents even more erratic.

Along the riverbank, many people sell lanterns, but these lanterns are only of mediocre quality; it is impossible to reach the River Heart Island relying on such things.

"For a lantern to reach the River Heart Island, it requires high-quality materials, and the technique used to craft the lantern must be very precise."

"Beyond that, one must carefully observe the shifting currents and choose the optimal release point."

"Only by doing all of this can one successfully guide a lantern to the River Heart Island."

"This is actually a hidden threshold, a test."

Lu Bo easily saw through the essence of the lanterns reaching the heart of the river.

"Only those who have truly encountered injustice and possess a desperate desire for help will meticulously study the art of releasing a lantern."

"Therefore, the lanterns that reach the River Heart Island are mostly those carrying genuine grievances."

Once the essence of the matter was laid bare, there was nothing miraculous about it anymore.

Luo Chuan's previous talk of hidden providence seemed all the more foolish.

"Instead of calling it providence, you might as well call it 'where there is a will, there is a way'."

Just then, a person dressed as a scholar carrying a sword, who seemed to have overheard the conversation between Lu Bo and Luo Chuan, smiled and chimed in.

"I am Lou Jingren of Linjiang Academy." The scholar introduced himself with a polite smile on his face.

Having been briefed by Luo Chuan earlier, Lu Bo was clear on the power dynamics within the Martial Forest.

In the parlance of martial arts and fantasy, it was categorized as one Holy Land, two Valleys, three Mountains, four Families, five Lakes, six Rivers, seven Temples, eight Temples, and nine Streams.

The Holy Land dominates the world, and among the two Valleys, one is the Hundred Flower Valley.

Among the three Mountains, Lianwu Mountain is one of them.

Among the four Families, the Luo Family is one of them.

The six Rivers refer to the six factions established along the rivers.

Linjiang Academy and the Three Moon Pavilion are both among them.

These forty-five factions are none of them to be trifled with.

Of course, the Martial Forest is not limited to just these forty-five factions, and some of the factions within that list are not set in stone.

For instance, many of the original factions were wiped out during the days when the Holy Land descended, forcing other factions to take their place.

There is no particular order to the ranking of these factions; the numbers are divided entirely based on geography and characteristics.

For example, the Hundred Flower Valley was actually a low-to-mid-tier faction among the forty-five back in the day.

After a head-on clash with the Holy Land, their ranking nearly vanished from the list of forty-five.

It was only after they renamed themselves the Hundred Flower Grave and the disciples worked with grim determination that they gradually grew strong enough, though they remained mid-tier due to the limitations of their martial arts.

Of course, starting a while ago, the martial arts of the Hundred Flower Grave began to turn strange.

Linjiang Academy belongs to the upper-middle tier.

Scholars there must cultivate both literary and martial arts, studying the Six Arts of a Gentleman: ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics, with at least one being mastered.

Internally, they can govern the state and bring peace to the people; externally, they can mount a horse and go to war.

Their most common attire is this look of a sword-wielding scholar.

"Someone from Linjiang Academy, appearing at the East River's Three Moon Pavilion?" Lu Bo raised an eyebrow. "It seems you all are looking to make a move as well?"

"In this era of great change for the Martial Forest, the Academy will naturally take action." Lou Jingren did not deny it.

Linjiang Academy is quite a distance from the East River; although both are among the six Rivers, the two factions do not interact much.

Or rather, the East River's Three Moon Pavilion does not interact much with any faction, always maintaining a mysterious image.

"Besides myself, I have previously met with Master Huihe of Spirit Connection Temple, Daoist Priest Wang of Late Crane Temple, and Master Zhang of Force Union Sect."

Hundred Flower Grave had emerged as a sudden force, killing Phoenix Flying Lady and aggressively stirring up a trend of resistance against the Holy Land.

Many sects in the Martial Forest responded actively, yet even more harbored anxieties, wishing to unite and discuss how to face this changing situation and where they should go from here.

East River possessed convenient transportation and a superior geographical location, so most of those sects and factions thought to gather here.

"I wonder, Brother Lu, which sect do you hail from?" Lou Jingren was quite direct.

He looked at Lu Bo's short hair, guessing that the other party might come from one of the Eight Temples, yet he did not sense the aura of any enlightened high monk from him.

However, the man's nickname was Blood Monk...

"Neither." Lu Bo sized up the scholar; he was currently a wanted man by Hundred Flower Grave.

Logically speaking, in the current prevailing public opinion, Hundred Flower Grave was the 'righteous' side.

Factions like Linjiang Academy had actually been oppressed by the Holy Land, so these forces should have supported Hundred Flower Grave.

But judging from the current situation, the scholar's hostility toward him was not great; in fact, he even seemed inclined to get close.

It seemed that the news of these Martial Forest sects was not entirely blocked; at the very least, they had a certain awareness of the anomalies surrounding Hundred Flower Grave.

"I am merely a traveler."

"Is that so?" Lou Jingren smiled.

He then said to Lu Bo with a smile, "I wonder if Mr. Lu would be willing to tour this River Heart Island with me?"

As he spoke, a fairly large fishing boat drifted slowly from upstream. On the boat were several sword-bearing scholars with their sleeves rolled up, poling the vessel.

Clearly, these people were all scholars from Linjiang Academy.

"Brother Jingren, everything is prepared!"

The scholars spoke with vigorous breath, clearly possessing no weak internal energy.

"Shall we, Brother Lu?" Lou Jingren made a gesture of invitation.

Lu Bo was not afraid; he took Luo Chuan and stepped directly onto the boat.

Following Lou Jingren onto the vessel, the fishing boat drifted along the current toward River Heart Island.