Yuehua Gives Him Her Heart

On the day Nan Feng went to the Moonlight Pavilion, Heaven Dou City experienced its first rain since the beginning of autumn.

When he came out of the Tower Spirit Space, Shifang had already prepared a carriage at the door.

Inside the carriage were two jars of spirit wine and a packet of pills. The pills were made by Ye Lingling overnight; they were made by crushing the petals of the Nine Heart Begonia and mixing them with honey, and were specifically for treating overexertion of Soul Power.

Bibi Dong stood beside the Ancient Tree of Life, watching him get into the car without saying a word.

When he lifted the curtain, she slipped a small packet of dried crabapple petals into his pocket.

"Soak it in water and drink it on the way."

Bibi Dong finished speaking, she squatted back down to loosen the soil. The tips of her ears were redder than the tips of a crabapple blossom.

Nan Feng carefully tucked the petals away and called out to her retreating figure.

"Keep an eye on the tree, I'll be back in three to five days."

The carriage left the east gate of Heaven Dou City and headed north. The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the official road was so muddy that the horses' hooves kept slipping.

The driver was a personal assistant sent by Xue Beng, cracking his whip and cursing.

Nan Feng sat in the carriage flipping through several ancient books he had brought back from the Lake of Life. As he flipped through them, he suddenly remembered something.

Tang Yuehua's Moonlight Martial Soul cracked when he helped her resolve her inner conflict at the Moonlight Pavilion last time. Since then, he has gone there once a year to replenish it with Immortal Power without fail. Counting the days, it's time to go again this year.

"Old Huai, what level can you reach after the Moonlight Martial Soul is fully restored?"

The Old Huai poked its head out from the sacred wood and thought for a moment.

"If the Martial Soul Origin is fully restored, the Soul Power can at least reach level 30 or higher."

"Her Martial Soul spirit is naturally drawn to the moon; cultivation is doubled on a full moon night. If she completes the skill set, she might be able to reach level forty."

"Level 40?" Nan Feng closed the ancient book. "She was stuck at level nine for decades, and then suddenly jumped to level 40. Can her meridians handle it?"

"If you can't hold on, just take it slow," Old Huai added before shrinking back into the Immortal Tree. "Anyway, you're not in a hurry to make her a god."

The rain had just stopped when the carriage arrived at the entrance of the Moonlight Pavilion.

The plaque of the Moonlight Pavilion gleamed from the rain. Two old osmanthus trees at the entrance were covered with golden osmanthus blossoms.

Tang Yuehua stood on the steps, holding a green bamboo umbrella, still wearing her simple white dress, her hair loosely tied up.

She smiled as she saw Nan Feng get out of the car.

I figured you should arrive in the next couple of days.

Nan Feng unloaded the spirit wine from the car.

How did you calculate that?

"The Moonlight Martial Soul is connected to the moon. The moon's position these past few days matches the dates you visited in previous years."

Tang Yuehua reached out to take the wine jar, but Nan Feng wouldn't let her, and carried it inside himself.

The Moonlight Pavilion was quiet. The students were on holiday, leaving only a few servants to sweep and clean.

Tang Yuehua brewed tea and placed it on the stone table in the garden.

Nan Feng sat down and first glanced at her Soul Power. It had increased compared to last year, but she was stuck at level 25 and couldn't go any higher, which was about what he had expected.

The Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light probed into the Martial Soul Core, Nan Feng frowned.

"Senior, your Martial Soul hasn't recovered quite right."

Tang Yuehua paused, her hand holding the teacup still.

What's wrong?

"When I came last time, the missing half had already grown back most of its length. It should have been completely repaired this year."

Nan Feng put down his teacup, Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light swept over the item again.

"But now the half that grew out has shrunk back, so it's like it didn't grow at all."

Tang Yuehua was silent for a while, then put down her teacup and looked at the tea stains on the stone table.

"This spring, I tried to infuse my Martial Soul with the Power of Moonlight, hoping to complete the missing parts myself."

"As a result, after it was infused, the Martial Soul suffered a backlash, and the newly grown half completely shrank back."

Old Huai, upon hearing this in the Tower Spirit Space, slapped his thigh.

"She's forcing herself to take supplements!"

"Her incomplete Martial Soul is caused by a combination of congenital deficiencies and emotional repression. Simply trying to infuse it with the Power of Moonlight will only cause it to leak out as much as it's poured in."

"We need to solidify the foundation with Immortal Power before we can repair anything."

Nan Feng relayed what the Old Huai had said.

Tang Yuehua pursed her lips after hearing this.

"I was too hasty."

"What's the rush?" Nan Feng asked.

Tang Yuehua did not answer.

She stood up and walked to the osmanthus tree in the middle of the garden, caught a fallen osmanthus petal in her hand, rubbed it between her fingers, and then spoke with her back to him.

"You come once a year, and each time you help me replenish my body."

"If we make up for it this year, we'll have to make up for it next year, and then the year after that. I don't want to keep relying on you like this."

Nan Feng, holding her teacup, didn't reply.

"My Soul Power was stuck at level nine before. I had people in my heart that I shouldn't have, and I thought that this was how Moonlight Pavilion life would be."

Tang Yuehua turned around to look at him, her eyes exceptionally bright in the light after the rain.

"But after you arrived, your Soul Power broke through, your inner knot was untied, and your Martial Soul was restored."

"You've made up for everything I've lacked in my life. I was thinking, could I make up for it myself too?"

"Was the repair completed?"

"No," Tang Yuehua chuckled self-deprecatingly, "In fact, the part that had grown out has shrunk back down."

Nan Feng put the teacup on the table, stood up, and walked over to her.

"Your method of forcibly supplementing it is wrong. The foundation of the Moonlight Martial Soul is emotion; only when emotions are properly regulated can the Soul Power advance."

"When you were forcefully channeling the Power of Moonlight this year, were you thinking about something you shouldn't have?"

Tang Yuehua was taken aback.

She looked down at the osmanthus flowers in her hand, remained silent for a while, and then hummed in agreement.

"What came to mind?"

"Thinking of my brother," Tang Yuehua said softly.

"I heard in the spring that he went into seclusion at the Clear Sky Sect and hadn't come out for several months."

"I started wondering if he was pushing himself too hard again. As I thought about it, my mind became chaotic, and then my Martial Soul got chaotic too."

Nan Feng sighed.

He had known about the affair between Tang Yuehua and Tang Hao for a long time. They were siblings, but Tang Yuehua had harbored feelings she shouldn't have, which she suppressed for decades, and her Soul Power had been stuck for just as long.

Last time, he helped Tang Yuehua resolve her inner conflict by letting go. Letting go doesn't mean completely forgetting. Humans aren't plants or trees; it's normal to think about things occasionally.

However, Tang Yuehua's Martial Soul was too closely tied to her emotions, and she would get confused whenever she thought about it.

"Senior, please listen to me."

Nan Feng hovered his hand above her shoulder, his Immortal Power seeping into her palm, warming her Martial Soul Core.

"Your brother's seclusion is his own business. It's fine if you worry about him or miss him; these emotions are not a problem in themselves."

"The problem is that you're bottling up all these emotions and not letting them out; you're storing them up in your Martial Soul."

"It's true that the Moonlight Martial Soul is nourished by the Power of Moonlight. But the essence of the Power of Moonlight is its flow."

"The moonlight shines down from the sky and disperses when it reaches the ground; it doesn't accumulate. You also need to let your emotions flow away, don't hold onto them."

Tang Yuehua looked up at him.

"I'll help you solidify your Martial Soul's foundation. This time, I'll not only repair the damaged half, but also fix the easily leaky base."

Nan Feng channeled a layer of Immortal Power deeper into the Martial Soul Core.

"It might hurt a little, but you can bear with it."

Tang Yuehua nodded.

Nan Feng divided his Immortal Power into two streams: one flowed into the damaged half of the Martial Soul, and the other was planted into the foundation of the Martial Soul.

He gradually opened up, filled, and solidified the fine cracks caused by decades of emotional repression.

Tang Yuehua stood under the osmanthus tree with her eyes closed, her brow furrowed and beads of sweat forming on her forehead, but she remained silent.

When the Immortal Power reached its deepest point, her body swayed. Nan Feng supported her arm with his other hand, preventing her from falling.

Half an hour later, Nan Feng withdrew his Immortal Power.

Tang Yuehua opened her eyes, looked down at her hands, and tried to channel some of her Power of Moonlight into her Martial Soul. This time, it didn't leak.

The newly grown half remained firmly within the Martial Soul, and its foundation was stabilized.

"It's done." Nan Feng released her arm.

"Now that it's complete, it won't shrink back. But remember one thing—don't keep things bottled up inside."

"Cry if you want to cry, curse if you want to curse. If all else fails, go to Heaven Dou City and have a chat with Ye Lingling. She's the best at treating emotional distress with her Nine Heart Begonia."

Tang Yuehua chuckled, but her eyes welled up with tears as she laughed.

She reached out and touched her Martial Soul Core. The Power of Moonlight rose from her fingertips, condensing into a small full moon phantom in her palm.

"Nan Feng."

"Um?"

"What you helped me didn't just replenish my Martial Soul," Tang Yuehua said, looking down at the full moon in her palm. "You helped me make up for everything I lacked in this life."

Nan Feng scratched his head but didn't reply.

Old Huai clicked his tongue in the Tower Spirit Space.

"You two stop being so lovey-dovey under the osmanthus tree. The rain stopped halfway through; it's time to drink tea and wine— Nan Feng, the spirit wine you brought will get cold if you don't drink it soon."

Nan Feng rolled his eyes at the direction of the Tower Spirit Space, then pulled Tang Yuehua back to sit down next to the stone table.

The fine wine is poured, and the osmanthus cake is placed on the table.

After having a couple of drinks, Tang Yuehua became noticeably more talkative. One moment she was talking about how Moonlight Pavilion had recruited several talented young girls this year, and the next she was saying that the etiquette textbooks for the nobility in Heaven Dou City needed to be updated.

Nan Feng listened, something suddenly came to mind.

"Senior, how much Soul Power have you reached after your Martial Soul was fully restored?"

Tang Yuehua sensed it.

"A little over level 30."

"I'll have Shifang send over a set of Immortal Dao cultivation techniques for immortality later." Nan Feng poured her a glass of wine.

"Once your Moonlight Martial Soul is fully restored, you can cultivate the introductory chapter of the Primordial World Meditation Method. Although you can't walk the Immortal Dao, nourishing your Soul Power with Immortal Dao techniques is much faster than ordinary meditation methods."

"We'll talk about the next step after we reach level 40."

Tang Yuehua looked at him, holding her wine glass.

What happens after level 40?

"After level 40..." Nan Feng thought for a moment, "After level 40, you can choose for yourself."

"If you want to keep climbing higher, I'll help you push. If you want to stay at the Moonlight Pavilion and live a peaceful life, then stay there."

"Anyway, the Moonlight Martial Soul has already been fully restored, and it won't revert to its original state due to emotional fluctuations."

Tang Yuehua put down her wine glass, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly asked.

Nan Feng, will you still come to the Moonlight Pavilion every year?

Nan Feng paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Come here. The osmanthus flowers are blooming beautifully here; Shifang has been thinking about osmanthus cakes."

Tang Yuehua chuckled softly, reached out and wiped the tea stains off the stone table, then said nothing more.

The Nan Feng left and then it started raining again.

Tang Yuehua held up a green bamboo umbrella and saw him to the door. Just as the carriage was about to move, she suddenly called out.

"Nan Feng."

Nan Feng lifted the carriage curtain, and someone peeked out.

"Bring two more jars of spirit wine next time you come." Tang Yuehua tilted the umbrella towards him, her voice soft but clear, "I'll be waiting for you."

Nan Feng waved to her, and the carriage drove into the rain.

After walking half a mile, the Old Huai emerged from the sacred wood.

"Did you notice what I just said? 'I'm waiting for you.' That's quite different from the previous 'I'd be overjoyed if you came every year.'"

Nan Feng leaned against the carriage wall with her eyes closed.

"I can tell."

So what do you plan to do?

"What do you mean, what should we do?" Nan Feng opened his eyes. "Trees grow slowly, and people take their time too. What's the rush?"

Old Huai clicked his tongue and shrank back.

The carriage traveled for half a day in the rain before returning to Heaven Dou City. Shifang waited at the city gate with an umbrella, and called out as soon as he saw the carriage.

"Brother Nan! Bibi Dong asked me to ask you if Senior Moonlight's Martial Soul has been completed!"

"Completed."

"Can she become a god?"

"Yes." Nan Feng jumped out of the carriage and brushed the mud off her clothes. "But it's up to her. She can become a god if she wants, and Moonlight Pavilion Moonlight Pavilion she wants."

Shifang said "Oh," then suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Brother Nan, Bi Ji sent a message saying that a new stronghold of the Abyss Sect has been discovered in the Star Dou Great Forest. This time it's located even deeper underground, connected to the source of the Dark Vein."

The Nan Feng paused.

What else did the letter say?

"Bi Ji said someone at that stronghold is refining souls," Shifang lowered his voice, "... the souls of Soul Beast."