Moonlight Pavilion Stabilized · The Gold Pattern Is Bait

Nan Feng placed the message on the table. Bibi Dong's words made the atmosphere in the temple tense for a moment.

Old Huai floated out of the tower, approached the token, and stared at the golden pattern for a long time, his brows furrowing in worry.

Are you sure it's something from the mural depicting the Rakshasa God's lineage?

Bibi Dong nodded.

"I saw that mural in the secret chamber of the Spirit Hall's Pope Hall. The mural depicting the Rakshasa God's inheritance shows a pantheon of gods paying homage."

"The cloud patterns under the feet of all the deities in the picture are silver-white. Only the one at the very top, the empty spot, has gold patterns drawn under its feet."

She paused for a moment, her gaze falling on the token.

"Exactly the same as this one."

Nan Feng picked up the token and examined it again, turning it over and over.

"In other words, this thing wasn't issued by the Law Enforcement Hall; it came from the legacy of the Rakshasa God. But the Rakshasa God has already fallen."

"Bibi Dong, you inherited the Rakshasa Godhood Rakshasa Godhood, but it dissipated after your death. How did this thing appear?"

Bibi Dong shook her head.

"I don't know. But I remember there was a line of small characters carved next to the empty space on that mural. I couldn't understand it at the time, but I remembered it after the Purification."

The inscription read, "When you return to your rightful place, the gate will open to another realm."

Old Huai stopped stroking his beard.

"Another Realm? The Abyssal Outer Domain?"

Nan Feng threw the token back into the tower and clapped his hands.

"Never mind that for now. The fact that this thing could swap out the Holy Mother White Lotus's message token means that the people behind it have a very deep reach."

"But since they haven't taken direct action and have only sent urgent messages, it means the time isn't right yet."

He glanced at Bibi Dong.

"We're going to the Moonlight Pavilion tomorrow. Tang Yuehua's Moonlight Martial Soul needs to solidify the final piece of its origin. You'll come with me to lend a hand; we'll talk on the way."

Bibi Dong nodded, turned and walked towards the Tower Spirit Space. She turned back at the door.

Aren't you worried?

"If worrying were useful, I'd be sitting here worrying every day."

Nan Feng temporarily put aside the matter of the summons.

"Let's finish Tang Yuehua's business first. She's waited for me for so many years; I can't let her wait any longer."

Early the next morning, Nan Feng and Bibi Dong headed to the Moonlight Pavilion, located east of Heaven Dou City.

Bibi Dong wore a simple, moon-white dress, her hair tied up with a silver hairpin, and walked half a step behind Nan Feng.

It was completely different from the grand spectacle of being surrounded by a retinue in the Spirit Hall 'Pope Hall.

People who recognized her on the street glanced at her from afar and quickly lowered their heads. Bibi Dong was already able to ignore these looks.

Moonlight Pavilion is located in a bamboo forest on the eastern outskirts of Heaven Dou City. It has green tiles and white walls, and the courtyard walls are covered with wisteria.

When Nan Feng arrived, Tang Yuehua was already waiting at the door. Today she was wearing a light gold dress, and her Moonlight Martial Soul condensed into a half-full moon phantom behind her.

It's more than twice as solid as it was when my Martial Soul was fully restored last time.

When she saw Nan Feng, her eyes lit up. Then, when she saw Bibi Dong behind Nan Feng, she paused for a moment.

"Master Tang."

Bibi Dong spoke first, her tone neither warm nor cold, but without the hostility she had shown before.

"Nan Feng, let me lend a hand. The last segment of your Martial Soul's essence is still weak and needs the Three Lights Divine Water to stabilize it. I have Purification Power and can help filter out the impure Spiritual Power in your Martial Soul."

Tang Yuehua looked at Nan Feng. Nan Feng nodded.

"She's reliable."

Tang Yuehua smiled and stepped aside to let the two into the Moonlight Pavilion.

In the garden behind the Moonlight Pavilion, there was a stone table with tea already brewed. Tang Yuehua invited the two to sit down, and she sat opposite them.

Nan Feng used his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light to examine her Martial Soul Core.

The fragmented parts of the Moonlight Martial Soul had long since grown back, with only the last section of its origin remaining ethereal. It resembled a joined but not yet fully pressed thread, the joint gleaming with an unstable light.

"The last bit."

Nan Feng put down her teacup.

"Once you've solidified this today, your Moonlight Martial Soul will be completely stable. Your Soul Power should be able to directly reach level 40."

Tang Yuehua's hand tightened slightly.

"Level 40?"

"Your Martial Soul is of high quality, but it was suppressed for decades by your inner conflict, which is why it was stuck at level nine. After the conflict was resolved, your essence has grown on its own for so many years, and with the Immortal Power I drip into it every year, your foundation is already solid."

"After consolidating our foundation today, breaking through to level 40 will be a natural progression."

Tang Yuehua took a deep breath, placed her hands on her knees, and sat up straight.

Nan Feng stood up and walked behind her, golden Primordial World Immortal Power surging from his right palm, probing into the Martial Soul Core.

Bibi Dong stood to the side, her hands forming a Purification seal. Silvery-white Purification light seeped into Tang Yuehua's Martial Soul from the side, filtering out the impure Spiritual Power.

Tang Yuehua shuddered, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt above her knees.

The last vestige of the ethereal origin within the Martial Soul grew upwards under the dual infusion of immortal light and Purification Power, transforming from a thin thread into a complete band of light.

The moment the band of light took shape, the half-moon behind Tang Yuehua suddenly lit up, completing the circle from a semicircle.

A full moon, its phantom image swirling behind her, bathed the entire garden in its light.

Tang Yuehua opened her eyes and looked down at her hands.

Her Soul Power surged, rising steadily from level 30 to level 40, where it paused briefly before breaking through.

The light of the full moon's illusory image doubled, illuminating the bamboo grove in the Moonlight Pavilion Garden.

Bibi Dong accepted the Purification seal and nodded.

"It's a sure thing. Level 40."

Tang Yuehua stood up and turned to look at Nan Feng. Her eyes shone brightly where the moonlight and the celestial light met.

She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she reached out and grabbed Nan Feng's wrist.

He spoke after several breaths.

"Nan Feng, my Martial Soul... is complete."

"Hmm. From now on, you can cultivate on your own, following the Immortal Dao cultivation methods. The potential of the Moonlight Martial Soul hasn't been fully realized yet."

Tang Yuehua didn't let go. She looked down at her fingers gripping his wrist and suddenly chuckled.

"When I was young, I thought I was stuck at level nine for life. Guarding Moonlight Pavilion, with someone in my heart that I shouldn't have, my Soul Power wouldn't increase, and my Martial Soul was incomplete."

"Back then, I would wake up in the middle of the night and sit in the garden watching the moon all night long. The next day, I would still teach etiquette, make tea, and smile at the noble ladies of Heaven Dou City."

She looked up, her eyes glistening with tears, but they didn't fall.

"When you first came to the Moonlight Pavilion, I didn't really take you seriously. A young man from the Slaughter City, with a mess of Soul Ring, and you even talked about wanting to cultivate Immortal Dao."

"I thought you were like those other Soul Master who came to the Moonlight Pavilion to eliminate their killing intent, staying for a few days and then leaving."

Nan Feng didn't pull her hand away, listening to her continue.

"But you came back after you left. Once a year, each time you come to replenish my Martial Soul, and each time before you leave you say, 'I'll come again next year.'"

Tang Yuehua squeezed his wrist.

"You haven't missed a single one all these years."

Bibi Dong chimed in from the side.

He usually doesn't forget what he promises.

Tang Yuehua glanced at Bibi Dong. The two women stared at each other for a moment, Bibi Dong turned her face away, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

Tang Yuehua smiled, released Nan Feng's wrist, and returned to the stone table to pour tea for the three of them again.

Don't rush off today.

Tang Yuehua pushed the teacup over.

"I have a jar of osmanthus wine that's been buried for twenty years. I originally planned to drink it myself the day my Martial Soul was fully restored. Today is perfect, so the three of us can share it."

Nan Feng took the teacup.

"Are you willing to do that?"

"Willing to give up."

Tang Yuehua turned around and went to dig for wine jars under the osmanthus tree in the corner of the garden. After digging for a couple of minutes, she turned back and added a sentence.

"Since you'll be coming every year anyway, I'll just bury another jar."

Bibi Dong sat down at the stone table with a teacup in her hand, her gaze following Tang Yuehua as she scooped up wine. Suddenly, she lowered her voice and said something to Nan Feng.

"The way she looks at you is about the same as when I was first resurrected."

Nan Feng almost choked on the tea.

"You can't be compared to her?"

"How are they different?"

Bibi Dong looked down at her reflection in the teacup.

"These are all people you dragged out of dead ends."

Nan Feng remained silent for a while, not responding to the conversation.

When the osmanthus wine was dug out, the jar was still covered in mud. Tang Yuehua broke the mud seal, and the Sisi aroma of the wine mixed with the scent of osmanthus filled the courtyard.

The three of them drank two rounds of wine around the stone table. Tang Yuehua's face flushed, and she became more talkative, starting to recount the interesting things that had happened at the Moonlight Pavilion over the years.

Which noble lady came to learn etiquette, only to elope with a guard? Which Soul Douluo came to eliminate murderous intent, only to stay at the Moonlight Pavilion for half a year and refuse to leave?

Which family in Heaven Dou City sent another batch of disciples? Their aptitude is so poor that she wants to kick them out.

Bibi Dong suddenly spoke when she drank her third cup.

"I've heard of you before, back when you were in the Spirit Hall 'Pope Hall. Tang Yuehua, Master of the Moonlight Pavilion, the head of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's Imperial Etiquette Academy."

"The Spirit Hall's intelligence at the time stated that you were Tang Hao's sister, and they told us to keep a close eye on you."

Tang Yuehua paused for a moment, her hand holding the wine glass still.

What are you noticing about me?

"Keep an eye on whether you'll send any messages to the Clear Sky Sect."

Bibi Dong put down her wine glass, her tone flat.

"But I only glanced at the intelligence report and then dropped it. Someone with only level nine Soul Power can't cause any trouble."

Tang Yuehua chuckled, but there was no anger in her laughter.

"You're right, I really couldn't cause any trouble back then. With level nine Soul Power, I couldn't even beat the stone lions at the entrance of the Moonlight Pavilion."

Things are different now.

Bibi Dong glanced at her.

"Level 40, complete Moonlight Martial Soul, and Immortal Dao cultivation method at your fingertips. You'll be able to cause far more trouble than before."

Tang Yuehua held her wine glass, thought for a moment, and nodded seriously.

"You're right."

Nan Feng sat beside them, listening to the two women's back-and-forth, and felt that Bibi Dong had made the right decision to come along.

Tang Yuehua used to keep a distance from everyone she interacted with. As the head of the Moonlight Pavilion, she was the standard of etiquette for the Heaven Dou nobility, and her words and actions were always proper. But beneath that propriety lay decades of suppressed aloofness.

Bibi Dong, needless to say, after the Purification, she doesn't really pay attention to anyone except Nan Feng.

These two actually have a good conversation when they're together, because they know each other's backgrounds and don't need to pretend.

As the drinking progressed, Tang Yuehua went inside to retrieve a scroll of paintings and laid it out on the stone table.

The painting is an aerial view of the Moonlight Pavilion. The front yard, back yard, bamboo garden, practice room, and tea room are all depicted in great detail, with their functions labeled in small regular script next to them.

"I'd like to discuss with you what to do with the Moonlight Pavilion from now on."

Tang Yuehua pointed to the painting and said.

"Previously, Moonlight Pavilion only accepted children from noble families of the Heaven Dou clan, teaching them etiquette and basic Soul Power conditioning, as a way of giving face to the royal family. Now that the Spirit Hall is gone, and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family is tied to the Immortal Dao Alliance, it would be pointless for the Moonlight Pavilion to continue teaching only nobles."

"I want to open a class on Immortal Dao etiquette, specifically to teach those who cultivate Immortal Dao techniques how to control their breath."

Tang Yuehua tapped her finger on the painting.

"And how to deal with ordinary people, and how to get things done without lifting a finger."

Nan Feng looked at the markings on the drawing and listened to Tang Yuehua explain them one by one, then suddenly laughed.

Tang Yuehua stopped.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's funny how you used to be so reluctant to even leave the house, but now you're offering to teach classes."

Tang Yuehua glared at him.

"I'm just too lazy to deal with outsiders, it's not like I can't. Besides, now that Moonlight Pavilion has your backing, I feel more confident."

She paused for a moment, then lowered her voice.

"Besides... didn't you say we'd each go our own way but remain below the Immortal Dao? My path is Moonlight Pavilion, and I need to make it wide."

Nan Feng put the painting away and handed it back to her.

"Alright. I'll send a message to the Immortal Dao Alliance. From now on, new disciples who join the alliance will stay at the Moonlight Pavilion for half a month. You'll teach them the rules. You can compile the teaching materials yourself. If you need anything, just ask Old Huai."

Tang Yuehua took the painting, her eyes and brows full of smiles.

That's more like it.

Bibi Dong finished her last cup of osmanthus wine, stood up, and patted her skirt.

"The drinks are finished, and the business has been discussed. Nan Feng, it's time to go."

Tang Yuehua escorted the two to the entrance of the Moonlight Pavilion; the moon had already risen above the bamboo grove.

She stood inside the threshold, her hand on the door frame, watching Nan Feng and Bibi Dong walk a few steps away, when she suddenly called out.

"Nan Feng."

The Nan Feng turns back.

Tang Yuehua looked at him, the moonlight making her face appear soft.

"You just said we'd go our separate ways. But my path is already set, it'll be at the Moonlight Pavilion. Will you still come every year?"

"Come."

"Okay."

Tang Yuehua patted the door frame.

"Let's go. I'll dig up the newly buried osmanthus wine and wait for you at this time next year."

Nan Feng waved his hand and followed Bibi Dong into the bamboo forest path.

After walking a distance, Bibi Dong suddenly said.

"Her voice was softer than usual when she called your name just now."

Your ears are pointed.

"After my Purification, aside from everything else, my perception has increased significantly."

Bibi Dong walked ahead without turning her head.

"You've gained another devoted lover."

Nan Feng quickened his pace to catch up with her.

"Are you unhappy?"

Bibi Dong paused for a moment and glanced at him sideways.

"What's there to be unhappy about? She's waited all these years, while I live in your tower and see her every day. I'm much better off than her."

Nan Feng was amused by her algorithm.

Bibi Dong's lips curved slightly as she continued walking forward, adding a few more words after a few steps.

"When we get back, I'll go over the message with Old Huai again. I won't feel at ease until I get to the bottom of Jinwen's matter."

Nan Feng stopped laughing and nodded.

"Investigate when you get back."

It was already night when the two returned to Heaven Dou City, and the Pagoda God Temple was lit up.

Shifang was squatting on the steps eating grilled fish when he saw the two of them return and quickly stood up.

"Brother Nan! Old Huai spent the whole night searching through books in the tower, saying you should come back and find him right away. He's found the source of the golden pattern."

Nan Feng and Bibi Dong exchanged a glance, then quickened their pace simultaneously.

Old Huai leaned halfway out of the tower, clutching a yellowed old booklet in his hand, his expression a mixture of excitement and solemnity.

"Boy, that golden pattern isn't from the Rakshasa God's legacy. It's a mark that seeped in from the Abyssal Outer Domain."

"Someone has inscribed the mark of the Abyss on the communication token and deliberately brought it into our hands. It's bait."

Nan Feng stopped at the threshold of the temple. Bibi Dong took a breath behind him.

Who to fish for?

Old Huai slammed the booklet on the table.

"I'm using you as bait. And I suspect the person who set the trap is right here in the Divine Realm Hub."