Soul Refinement at the Dark Lake

Before going to the Moonlight Pavilion, Nan Feng made a trip to Star Dou Great Forest.

Bi Ji's letter was written in haste, and her handwriting was so messy that it was almost illegible.

"The source of the Dark Vein has been found, beneath the underground lake. The formation is still rotating. The soul refiner escaped, but they managed to capture a Soul Tool that hadn't been removed in time."

"There's a recording stored in the Soul Tool. Come and take a look."

Nan Feng folded the letter and put it in his pocket, then turned to Shifang and said...

"Go to the Moonlight Pavilion's place and tell Tang Yuehua I'll be arriving in two days."

Shifang was about to leave with the grilled fish rack on his back when he heard this and stopped in his tracks.

"Two days later? Brother Nan, didn't you already agree with them...?"

"Plans can't keep up with changes." Nan Feng had already headed towards the Star Dou Great Forest without looking back. "Bi Ji's matter is more urgent than Moonlight Pavilion's. Tang Yuehua has waited so many years, a couple more days won't make a difference."

Shifang muttered from behind, "You sound like a scumbag." Nan Feng heard him, turned around, and glared at him.

Shifang immediately changed his tune.

"I'll go to the Moonlight Pavilion to deliver the message right away! And I'll bring two jars of spirit wine with me!"

Bi Ji was already waiting by the dark lake in the Core Circle of Star Dou Great Forest.

Her dark green dress was splattered with mud, and she clutched a palm-sized Soul Tool in her hand, her brows furrowed.

When Nan Feng landed, she immediately handed him the Soul Tool.

"See for yourself."

Nan Feng infused with Immortal Power caused a lingering image to appear within the Soul Tool.

The gray-robed man had his back to the camera, his hand resting on the skull of a Soul Beast. The Soul Beast was convulsing, and gray Soul Power was being drawn from its body, flowing into a black bead in the gray-robed man's palm.

At the end of the scene, the gray-robed man put the bead into his sleeve, turned around, and disappeared.

As she turned, her sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of her wrist. There was a dark purple line on the inside of her wrist, the same color as the murky air in the Abyssal Rift.

"Have you seen this pattern before?" Bi Ji asked.

"I've seen him." Nan Feng put away the Soul Tool. "The mark is the same as the one on the communication jade talisman of the Abyss Sect. This person is a formal member of the Abyss Sect, not an outsider."

"What about Soul Refining?" Bi Ji asked in a low voice.

"He extracted the souls of Soul Beast and refined them into the bead; that's an extremely cruel method. More than a dozen Soul Beast over ten thousand years old in the Star Dou Great Forest had their souls extracted, and the one I found was still alive."

Nan Feng crouched down and looked at the Soul Beast whose soul had been extracted.

A Black Armor Rhinoceros, about ten thousand years old, had most of its Soul Power drained away and was barely clinging to life, its eyes unfocused.

He reached out and channeled his Immortal Power into it. The Black Armor Rhinoceros regained some of its Soul Power, barely managing to stand up, though it staggered as it walked.

"The stolen Soul Power can't be recovered." Nan Feng stood up and patted the mud off his hands.

"But the image stored in the Soul Tool is useful. The Abyss Sect is refining souls, and the resulting beads will definitely be useful."

"Bi Ji, keep an eye on the formation at the bottom of the dark lake. They lost their Soul Tool and probably won't be back anytime soon. But the formation hasn't been dispelled, which means they still want to use it."

Bi Ji nodded, then added.

"It's too slow for you to search alone. Should we call Gu Yuena?"

"We'll talk about it later." Nan Feng put the Soul Tool away and headed towards the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest. "I'll go to the Moonlight Pavilion first to take care of things there, and then I'll come back and investigate this lead more thoroughly."

It took Nan Feng most of the day to travel from the Star Dou Great Forest to the Moonlight Pavilion.

It was already dusk when they arrived at the entrance of the Moonlight Pavilion. Tang Yuehua was still standing on the steps, holding an umbrella, waiting.

This time, instead of the bamboo umbrella, she wore a moon-white oil-paper umbrella. The umbrella surface was decorated with subtle osmanthus patterns, matching her moon-white dress.

"Shifang said you'd arrive two days later, but I calculated that you should have arrived this afternoon." Tang Yuehua closed her umbrella and walked into the courtyard. "The tea's gone cold twice already."

Nan Feng followed her inside and casually asked a question.

"What did that kid Shifang say to you?"

"He said you had something urgent to do and told me not to rush." Tang Yuehua glanced back at him, her tone calm. "I'm not in a rush."

Nan Feng didn't respond to that.

Upon entering the garden, he discovered that Tang Yuehua had moved the stone table under the osmanthus tree. Besides the tea set, there was also a plate of osmanthus cake, a plate of candied fruit, and a pot of warm spirit wine on the table.

Old Huai clicked his tongue in the Tower Spirit Space.

"This is a much bigger event than in previous years."

Nan Feng glared in the direction of Xianmu, and Old Huai shut up.

After sitting down and drinking half a cup of tea, Nan Feng scanned Tang Yuehua's Martial Soul with his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light.

With his Soul Power at level 30-something, his Moonlight Martial Soul had been fully restored. The missing half had grown back completely, fitting perfectly with the other half, and its foundation was stable, showing no signs of shrinking back.

"The recovery is going well." Nan Feng put down his teacup. "You didn't force yourself to use the Power of Moonlight this year, did you?"

Tang Yuehua chuckled as she held her teacup.

After what you said last time, I wouldn't dare to do it again.

"Just like you said, don't keep things bottled up. I talked to Ye Lingling twice, and then went shopping in Heaven Dou City a few times."

I bought some useless little things to display.

She pointed to a row of small ceramic rabbits placed on the corner of the stone table.

"Look, I bought this while shopping."

Nan Feng glanced at the row of rabbits. They were all different shapes and sizes, some with tilted heads and some with upright ears. They were lined up on the stone table, which didn't quite match the simple style of the Moonlight Pavilion.

But Tang Yuehua seemed quite pleased with herself, so he didn't say anything to spoil the mood.

After drinking her second cup of tea, Tang Yuehua put down the cup, looked at the fallen golden osmanthus blossoms scattered on the ground under the osmanthus tree, and suddenly spoke.

"Nan Feng, when I was young, I thought this was how my life would be."

"My Soul Power was stuck at level nine, I had someone in my heart I couldn't love, and I was destined to spend my whole life guarding Moonlight Pavilion. At that time, I thought this was my fate."

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

"Then you came." Tang Yuehua looked up at him.

The moonlight, after the rain, filtered through the leaves of the osmanthus tree, illuminating her face. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes were clearly visible, but her eyes shone brightly.

"Your Soul Power has broken through, your inner knot has been untied, and your Martial Soul has been restored. You've made up for everything I've lacked in this life."

Nan Feng was silent for a moment, then put down his teacup.

"Senior, you don't need to think of me as anyone special. I just helped you out."

"You didn't just help me with one thing." Tang Yuehua shook her head, her voice steady.

"You've helped me my whole life. My Soul Power was stuck at level nine for decades, and you made it move. The knot in my heart had been there for decades, and you helped me untie it. My Martial Soul had been incomplete for decades, and you helped me repair it."

She paused.

"Nan Feng, everything I lacked in this life, you made up for."

Nan Feng opened her mouth, but before she could think of what to say, Tang Yuehua had already stood up.

She walked around the stone table to him and touched his cheek.

Her fingertips carried the sweet fragrance of osmanthus cake and the lingering warmth of the teacup. She touched it very lightly, but didn't pull her hand away.

"I know you have many female admirers." Tang Yuehua's voice was lower, but she didn't hesitate.

I don't ask for anything. But I want to be with you.

Nan Feng looked at her.

Tang Yuehua's eyes are different from Ye Lingling's. Ye Lingling's eyes are clear and untouched by the world's hardships. Tang Yuehua's eyes are clear and gentle, having seen through the world's trials.

She's not a little girl anymore. She thought about it for a long time before saying it, and she spoke clearly and without blushing or stuttering.

He nodded.

"Good."

Tang Yuehua paused for a moment, then smiled. As she smiled, her eyes reddened, but she stubbornly refused to shed a tear.

She withdrew her hand, turned around and sat back on the stone bench, picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea, her tone returning to normal.

"Alright. From now on, you'll need to bring two extra jars of spirit wine during the month you come here each year."

"Yes," Nan Feng said, picking up her teacup. "Shifang has been eyeing your osmanthus cakes; next time, have him bring a few more fish to exchange for them."

"I've tried Shifang's grilled fish; it's good." Tang Yuehua took a sip of tea. "But don't give him too much osmanthus cake; he eats it too fast."

The two chatted for a while longer, Nan Feng told them about what he could about the Star Dou Great Forest.

Tang Yuehua remained silent for a moment after listening.

"The Abyss Sect is refining souls; the beads they create will definitely be useful. Are you going to investigate this line of inquiry next?"

"We need to investigate." Nan Feng finished his tea. "Bi Ji is keeping an eye on the formation. I'll gather intelligence on the outer perimeter first."

Tang Yuehua suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Moonlight Pavilion took in a new student this year. The little girl's Martial Soul is the rare ' Moon Shadow Fox,' which is somewhat related to the moon."

"Her family lives on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest; her father is a local hunter. If you're investigating the Abyss Sect, her father might know something. Hunters are always on the move, so they're well-informed."

Nan Feng raised an eyebrow.

"Moon Shadow Fox? This Martial Soul is quite rare."

"Martial Soul is rare, and the person is interesting too." Tang Yuehua got up and went inside to get a piece of paper with a name and address written on it.

"Her A Yue, and her father's name is Old Zhao. Go to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest and ask about Old Zhao, the hunter; everyone in the area knows him."

Nan Feng carefully put the note away, stood up, and patted the hem of his clothes.

"Okay. Keep a close eye on the Moonlight Pavilion for me. After your Martial Soul is fully upgraded, don't rush into anything. Take it slow."

"Okay." Tang Yuehua stood up. "When are you leaving?"

"Let's go now. Bi Ji is waiting."

Tang Yuehua didn't stop him; she opened the pale white oil-paper umbrella and saw him to the door.

Nan Feng took a few steps, then suddenly remembered something, turned back and said something.

"Senior."

"Um?"

"Bring two more jars of spirit wine next year." Nan Feng waved to her, "See you later."

Tang Yuehua stood at the entrance of the Moonlight Pavilion, holding an umbrella, and only responded after he had walked away. She pulled the edge of the umbrella down to cover half of her face.

Nan Feng left Moonlight Pavilion and headed towards the Star Dou Great Forest. After walking about half a mile, an old Old Huai emerged from the immortal wood.

You agreed quite readily just now.

"There was nothing to hesitate about in the first place." Nan Feng continued walking. "Tang Yuehua is quite good. Once her Martial Soul is complete, she can become a god. It would be a waste for her to stay at the Moonlight Pavilion."

"You make it sound like you're recruiting them," Old Huai clicked his tongue.

"Then what do you suggest?"

Old Huai thought for a moment.

"Forget it, you'd better not say anything."

Nan Feng chuckled and quickened his pace toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

Halfway there, Shifang caught up from behind, carrying the grilled fish rack on his shoulder, his mouth glistening with oil.

"Brother Nan! I've finished my errands at Yuexuan's place. Moonlight Pavilion Tang Yuehua asked me to pass on a message to you. She said that Old Zhao hunter Zhao on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest is reliable, but stubborn. Don't go empty-handed."

What should I bring?

"She said bringing two jars of spirit wine would be fine; Old Zhao likes it."

The Nan Feng paused.

"Old Zhao the hunter? The father of that new student at the Moonlight Pavilion?"

"Yeah." Shifang leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Brother Nan, you don't know? When Tang Yuehua took that little Moon Shadow Fox girl as her apprenticeship gift, Old Zhao gave her a jar of homemade wild fruit wine. Tang Yuehua almost lost her balance after taking a sip, saying the wine was too strong, so she accepted it but didn't dare drink it."

"Old Zhao is a good man in every way, except he loves wine. If you bring some fine spirit wine, he'll definitely have a long chat with you."

Nan Feng thought for a moment, then turned and walked back.

"Let's go back to Heaven Dou City and get the wine first."

Shifang chased after them, carrying the grill rack for grilling fish.

"Brother Nan, wait for me—are those two jars enough? Or should I bring the jar of Blazing Sun Special Brew that I've been hiding?"

"Wasn't that jar you hid meant for Bibi Dong?"

"Bibi Dong is not lacking in this jar."

"Bring."