Moon Pavilion

The next day.

The carriage came to a stop.

Xue Qinghe stepped down from the carriage.

Su Chen followed close behind.

The two stood before an elegant three-story wooden building.

The plaque bore the words Moon Pavilion.

Xue Qinghe slowed his pace and walked beside him.

"This is Moon Pavilion, Tang Yuehua's territory, and Clear Sky Sect's eyes and ears in Heaven Dou City."

"There are countless rules inside. It is known as the only pure land in the imperial city, dedicated to teaching nobles etiquette and music."

Su Chen clasped his hands behind his back.

His gaze swept over the finely dressed nobles entering and leaving the building.

"I heard Tang Yuehua's zither music is unrivaled in Heaven Dou. Today is a good chance to use this place to find an opportunity."

The two stepped into the main hall.

The attendant recognized the Crown Prince and immediately led them inside with a fearful, respectful expression.

They ascended the stairs to the top floor.

There was not the slightest bit of noise along the way. Every attendant and distinguished guest deliberately lowered even their breathing.

A refined chamber on the top floor.

The bead curtain was half drawn.

Tang Yuehua sat before an ancient zither.

She wore a long silver dress, her expression cool and detached.

She was arranging an exquisite tea set.

Though she appeared calm, she faintly exuded a noble aura that kept others at a distance.

Upon seeing Xue Qinghe enter, Tang Yuehua gave a slight bow.

"Why does Your Highness have time to visit Moon Pavilion today? Yuehua failed to greet you from afar. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Xue Qinghe took a seat among the guests.

"You are too courteous, Madam Tang. We are not discussing state affairs today. I merely brought a friend here for a look around."

Tang Yuehua turned her gaze toward Su Chen.

A faint, nearly imperceptible trace of scrutiny and disdain flashed through her eyes.

There were no spirit power fluctuations, and his frame was slender.

"Moon Pavilion has always received only those who understand refined music. This young master is still quite young. If Your Highness brings him into Moon Pavilion, I fear he may find it tedious. It would be better to have a maid take him to the side hall to rest."

Su Chen walked straight to the chair closest to the zither stand and sat down.

"Are all people of Clear Sky Sect like you?"

"Play something. Let me see how much substance this so-called pride of Clear Sky Sect truly has."

Tang Yuehua's hand froze as she poured the tea.

As a direct descendant of Clear Sky Sect, even though she lived in seclusion in Heaven Dou City, no one had ever dared expose her identity to her face.

Much less speak to her with such insolence.

Xue Qinghe lifted his teacup.

"Madam Tang rarely receives guests, much less plays the zither for them."

"But I hope Madam will honor us with a piece today."

Anger flashed in Tang Yuehua's eyes.

"Since Your Highness and this young master insist on hearing it, Yuehua shall play a piece."

She intended to put Su Chen in his place.

Her hands settled on the strings.

Her fingertips plucked.

The zither music spread through the refined chamber.

Her technique was skillful, and her grasp of rhythm was precise.

The melody carried Clear Sky Sect's unique arrogance—lofty, impassioned, and aggressively overbearing.

An invisible spiritual pressure spread with the music, enveloping Su Chen's direction.

She wanted to use the depth contained in her zither music to oppress this boy who did not know his place.

To make him bow his head and admit his mistake within the melody.

The piece ended.

The lingering notes of the zither echoed beneath the rafters.

Tang Yuehua pressed both hands against the strings and steadied her breath.

She stared directly at Su Chen, waiting for him to collapse.

"What does Young Master think of this piece?"

Su Chen lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingers.

"Vulgar beyond measure."

Tang Yuehua shot to her feet.

Her silver dress swayed with the movement.

"Even Xue Ye has praised Moon Pavilion's zither arts without end. Young Master, you are so young, yet your tone is far too arrogant. If you are merely pretending to understand, then please take back those reckless words."

Su Chen walked to the zither stand.

"The Emperor praised it because he does not understand the zither. He only knows how to put on airs."

"Your zither heart is full of worldly competitiveness and strife."

"You force yourself to look lofty, yet do not even know what true elegance is. Playing the zither is not for flaunting one's status, much less for suppressing others."

"Music so full of self-interest dares call itself Heaven Dou's finest?"

Tang Yuehua's face turned livid.

"Since Young Master understands the zither so well, Yuehua would like to ask for your instruction!"

"Let me borrow the zither."

Ignoring Tang Yuehua's anger, Su Chen sat down directly before the zither stand.

His hands hovered above the strings.

He closed his eyes.

He did not stir his spirit power.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the formula of the Clear Mind Soul-Calming Mantra began to circulate.

All the insights from his previous life gathered at his fingertips along with the power of his soul.

His fingertips descended.

A piece called High Mountains and Flowing Water resounded across the top floor of Moon Pavilion.

The first note rang out.

Xue Qinghe's tightly wound nerves instantly relaxed.

The exhaustion of days spent plotting and calculating, the pressure of dealing with the imperial family's struggles, all vanished without a trace within the zither music.

It was as though he stood amid orchids in a secluded valley.

A hazy glow flickered in his golden eyes.

Tang Yuehua's anger-filled gaze froze the instant she heard the music.

There was no killing intent, no arrogance.

There was only ethereal vastness that transcended the mundane world.

The melody was gentle, yet it seemed to encompass the laws of all things.

Flapping sounds came from outside the window.

Several sparrows landed upon the windowsill.

Then, hundreds upon thousands of birds of every kind flew in from all directions of Heaven Dou City.

They circled outside Moon Pavilion's windows.

A gathering of a hundred birds.

Every one of them faced the zither stand.

It actually triggered the heavenly phenomenon of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix!

A flash of light crossed Su Chen's sea of consciousness.

His spiritual power, which had been stalled at the Foundation Establishment Stage, found an outlet within this piece of High Mountains and Flowing Water.

The power of his soul surged wildly upward.

At this moment, his state of mind completed its transformation.

He found an opportunity for enlightenment.

The zither music ceased.

Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.

His hands left the strings.

The birds outside all beat their wings in unison. After circling Moon Pavilion three times, they finally dispersed.

The refined chamber was deathly silent.

Tang Yuehua's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the floor.

Her face was pale as paper.

Her zither heart, cultivated through decades of bitter practice, crumbled, and her Dao heart suffered a blow.

The zither arts she had always believed stood above the world were not even worth dust before this piece.

Xue Qinghe looked at the figure seated before the zither stand.

He had long known Su Chen's methods were heaven-defying, but he had never expected even his musical skill to be so earth-shattering.

That piece had not only triggered a heavenly phenomenon, but also cleansed the souls of those who heard it.

Tang Yuehua's voice trembled, her eyes reddening.

"Th-this... what piece was that?"

"High Mountains and Flowing Water."

"Zither music was meant to communicate with heaven and earth, yet you used it to flaunt status. The name of Clear Sky Sect will only become shackles that confine your vision."

"If you cannot even calm your own heart, how can you call yourself a refined guest?"

Tang Yuehua's hands trembled slightly.

She raised her head and looked at the youth before her, who seemed like an immortal banished from heaven.

"Yuehua has been taught."

Tang Yuehua slowly lowered her head, pressing both hands to the floor.

She bowed toward the Crown Prince's Residence.

"In the past, Yuehua was a frog at the bottom of a well. From now on, should Your Highness have any command for Moon Pavilion, Yuehua will certainly give her all."

Xue Qinghe stepped forward.

"It is best that Madam Tang has come to understand. The Crown Prince's Residence has no need for useless people, much less those harboring ulterior motives. After tonight, Heaven Dou City will fall into chaos. Madam is an intelligent person. You should know what Moon Pavilion needs to do."

Su Chen headed outside.

"Let's go. The opportunity has been found, and my state of mind is complete."

"Next, it is time to return to the residence and deal with those death warriors who do not know their place."

Xue Qinghe reached the door and stopped.

"Prince Xue Xing will send several thousand death warriors to raid the Crown Prince's Residence tonight. Moon Pavilion's intelligence network spans Heaven Dou. Within one hour, I want every movement route of the city defense army delivered to the residence."

This was also a test for Tang Yuehua.

Tang Yuehua did not dare raise her head.

"I will not disappoint Your Highness."