In Qingchuan Prefecture, there's a saying that has been passed down through generations.
Star Nesting Pavilion holds the moon, never sleeping; fallen ochre silkworm sand brews life into wine.
It speaks of the four most flourishing places in Qingchuan, also the four most intoxicating and bustling spots of nightlife.
Among them, Star Nesting Pavilion is one.
Night falls.
At nine fifty-seven, people co and go in front of the Star Nesting Pavilion. The towering six-story spired building is brightly lit on every floor, with landscape and bird-and-flower paintings on the outer walls.
Beautiful dancers, songstresses persuading guests to drink, the sound of the zither clear and far-reaching, poetry recited enchanting.
Many famous poems and tunes of the Great Spirit are often softly sung by the songstresses on each floor of the Star Nesting Pavilion, accompanied by lodies, fine wine, and gourt dishes, with light silk veiling the body.
Those who enter are mostly dim-eyed and exuberant, lost in this special atmosphere enveloped in indulgence.
At the grand entrance, carriages co and go, and every guest is dressed in luxury.
With a swish, the carriage door slides open.
Zhang Rongfang gently steps down from the carriage, stands tall, and looks at the elegant little building with red tiles and white walls adorned with silver bells.
Before the building, a troupe is seeing guests off. The lead elder, with white hair and an imposing presence, is chuckling, making small talk as he bids farewell to guests who are about to leave.
From the second floor's hall near the windows, laughter can be heard in bursts; it seems there's a child celebrating their birthday, drawing lots and pulling out sothing amusing, causing rounds of laughter.
On the third floor, a pugilist is leaning by the window, clutching a black leather-sheathed long knife, his face rough with whiskers, quietly listening to the songstress inside sing poignant ballads.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth floors are sealed with special glazed windows, obscuring any movents.
But on the glass windows, silver star patterns shine with faint glimrs under the light.
This might be the origin of the na "Star Nesting".
Zhang Rongfang's height of two ters five catches the doorman's attention as soon as he steps out of the carriage.
Such a burly guest is often a martial artist with noteworthy skills, so they are accustod to them, aware that although such guests may have a temper, they are typically generous.
Imdiately, the two rush to greet him.
"Sir, please co in, are you here by appointnt or alone?"
"I'm expected." Zhang Rongfang replies indifferently.
"Your honorable surna?"
"No honor, surna is Zhang."
Just as the two doorn begin searching through their notebooks, a woman in a blue skirt quickly steps out from inside.
"Lord Zhang is here, I'll handle this," the woman instructs the two doorn and approaches Zhang Rongfang, bowing respectfully.
"My lord, the guest has arrived early. Please follow ."
Zhang Rongfang nods and follows her.
The two head up from the first floor all the way to the sixth top level.
The higher they go, the fewer sounds reach their ears.
At the topmost level, only a trace of gentle zither lodies lingers.
Serene and peaceful.
The sixth floor boasts a spacious, unified area.
There are rockeries, streams, gardens, and even so freely roaming colorful birds flying freely here.
Several peacocks leisurely roam at will in the hall.
On the walls hang various handcrafted items, so are animals, so are objects.
In the center, a wide gray-white patterned stone table occupies at least one-fifth of the space.
A petite woman in black dress with long hair sits kneeling on a cushion, holding a cup of hot tea quietly.
The door silently slides open.
Zhang Rongfang focuses on the woman's back view.
With just one glance, he recognizes her identity.
He pauses at the doorway, not stepping further.
The woman is startled, sets the teacup down, and slowly turns around.
"Long.... ti no see..."
The face revealed upon turning is a very familiar visage from Zhang Rongfang's mories.
Celestial Maiden Tong Zhang.
"I am the Celestial Maiden," the woman says with a calm, courteous smile.
Yet this one sentence instantly pulls Zhang Rongfang from his recollections.
Celestial Maiden—the na might be a mark of honor, a positive appellation to many.
But in reality, at the upper echelons, in the Western Sect, and even in Tong Zhang's own eyes, the title is a scar. A humiliation.
Hence, she generally dislikes close ones calling her Celestial Maiden, and seldom refers to herself as such.
Many things flash through Zhang Rongfang's mind montarily.
But ultimately, he calms himself and steps forward, entering the room.
The door silently closes behind, gently shut by the attendant, leaving only the two of them on the sixth floor.
"Please sit," the Celestial Maiden gestures to the cushion opposite her on the table.
Zhang Rongfang feels strange.
Although the person is indeed that person, sohow, the feeling it gives him is unusually unfamiliar.
He walks slowly over, sits cross-legged on another cushion.
A cup of tea waits at his spot but has long cooled.
"Apologies, I didn't ti your arrival well," the Celestial Maiden smiles apologetically.
"It's fine. If anything, you once instructed , you were my superior, also my ntor. These are trivial matters."
Zhang Rongfang replied calmly.
"Ever since you disappeared from the Great Capital, I have been worried about you."
"I... I'm fine, thank you." The Celestial Maiden replied politely.
For a mont, both of them had nothing to say, sitting quietly opposite each other in silence.
Zhang Rongfang did not know what to say.
The Celestial Maiden... she simply did not know how to start.
After a few minutes.
She gently rubbed the outer wall of the teacup with her fingers and spoke softly while looking down.
"Actually... many things, things from before, I've forgotten..."
A natural trace of confusion appeared on her charming face.
"Soone told that we need you, so they asked to invite you, invite you to join us.
They said that if it was , perhaps you would agree... but I think, for such a significant matter, anyone should consider it carefully."
Zhang Rongfang was silent, the Reverse Society?
He had indeed guessed before coming that the Reverse Society would try to win him over.
But what he did not expect was that they had actually found Tong Zhang...
If he had only seen the handwriting before, there was still a possibility of it being an impersonation, but now seeing the person herself, he understood that the Reverse Society was not simple.
"I am doing well right now..." He thought for a mont and replied.
"Joining you holds no aning for . But if it is a personal request from you, Tong Zhang, I can promise you assistance when necessary."
"I see... so, I... was good to you in the past?" The Celestial Maiden looked up slightly upon hearing this.
She understood very well the nature of the organization she belonged to, and the nature of what they were trying to accomplish.
But even so, this person in front of her was still willing to promise her this much.
There should be no other reason beyond the affections of those days.
"Considerably good." Zhang Rongfang replied, his expression calm. "The favor of imparting knowledge and resolving doubts."
"But..." The Celestial Maiden paused, sowhat puzzled. "But why did they say that the affections from back then are not enough?"
"Then why did they still send you to persuade ?" Zhang Rongfang retorted.
"Perhaps, they wanted to rely on my charm?" The Celestial Maiden slightly tilted her head, puzzled.
Zhang Rongfang was equally taken aback.
Both of them laughed at the sa ti.
"To be honest, there are many things from the past I can't rember. But at least, at least you all still recognize ." The Celestial Maiden laughed.
She looked intently at Zhang Rongfang across from her.
"To be honest, before you ca, I was constantly ready to run away. Afraid that you would report directly and call the people from the Jade Void Palace to arrest ."
"I wouldn't." Zhang Rongfang laughed, "Even though this is within the territory of the Jade Void Palace, I wouldn't let anyone do that."
He gently lowered his eyelids.
"Here, no one can make do what I don't wish to do."
"You're quite domineering." The Celestial Maiden laughed.
She really was completely different from before.
Back then, she was calm and indifferent, carrying a kind of desperate sorrow.
But now she seed like an ordinary, pure girl who had forgotten everything.
"Yes, I just do what I believe is right." Zhang Rongfang replied.
"Then, do you think everything that the Great Spirit has done is right or wrong? Gods and Buddhas controlling everything, dividing people into different classes, is that right or wrong?" The Celestial Maiden suddenly changed the topic.
"Naturally right." Zhang Rongfang answered.
"Why?" The smile on the Celestial Maiden's face faded.
"Because the Spirit Court is strong, that's all." Zhang Rongfang's answer left her slightly taken aback.
Simple and brutal.
The rules made by the strong are naturally right.
Yes. That's precisely the reasoning.
Behind the Spirit Court is the Spirit Flying Church, all the divine generals originate from the Spirit Flying Church, and so many idol worshippers at the Snow Rainbow Pavilion are from the Spirit Flying Church.
Apart from the royal family, many top-level aristocrats have top-tier strongn, which are also from the Spirit Flying Church.
"So, you willingly live in such a world?" She asked again.
"I don't care what happens outside. I only care about what happens around ." Zhang Rongfang answered.
"But the changes in the outside world, in any case, affect those around you. Like you, like , like the current Great Dao Teaching, and even more so your sister, brother-in-law, and everyone around you."
The Celestial Maiden said.
"In this world, everything is interconnected. You don't care, but they do.
People act because they care, and as long as they act, they may get hurt. At that point, can you still nonchalantly say that you don't care?"
"I can't..." Zhang Rongfang was silent for a mont before speaking.
"You can't possibly control everyone you care about. You will only be passively dragged into different sudden whirlpools, unable to extricate yourself, caught off guard." The Celestial Maiden continued.
"That's why I am trying." Zhang Rongfang replied.
"It is aningless. People must plan ahead. Pharmacists often say that the best strategy is to treat the disease before it occurs. You can't possibly prepare for everything." The Celestial Maiden said.
"Most problems are caused by people. I just need to solve the people causing the problems." Zhang Rongfang said.
"You..." The Celestial Maiden opened her mouth, suddenly not knowing what to say.
After a pause, she continued, "Actually, you know what? We take you very seriously internally."
"I noticed." Zhang Rongfang nodded.
"They said that as long as you agree to join us, you can set any condition. As long as we can accomplish it." The Celestial Maiden continued. "For the great wish that everyone hopes for, we have paid a lot, a lot."
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