Chapter 36: The Moonlit Pavilion

The moment Long Feng stepped into the Moonlit Pavilion, a mixture of wine, incense, and fragrant perfume entered his nose.

The interior was far livelier than the outside suggested.

Laughter echoed through the spacious hall, mixed with the sound of singing, clinking wine cups, and lively conversations. Cultivators sat around tables on both sides, drinking and chatting with their companions.

Some were discussing cultivation, while others were boasting about their recent adventures. There were even several tables where cultivators were gambling.

The entire first floor was filled with a lively and indulgent atmosphere.

Long Feng casually looked around.

The Moonlit Pavilion was clearly not an ordinary pleasure house. It was one of the most famous entertainment establishments in Clear River City.

Several beautiful female attendants moved between the tables, carrying wine and dishes. Their clothes were deliberately elegant yet alluring, and their long legs could be seen beneath their skirts.

Many customers openly stared at them, while others only stole glances when they thought nobody was watching.

Some drunk cultivators even became overly familiar with the attendants.

However, the women seemed to have considerable experience dealing with such customers. They smiled, avoided troublesome hands, and calmly redirected drunken guests without causing unnecessary conflict.

No wonder this place can operate so openly.

Long Feng understood immediately.

The Moonlit Pavilion clearly had its own rules and the strength to enforce them. His gaze soon shifted toward the center of the hall.

A stage had been built there. A young woman was dancing gracefully beneath the lanterns, her elegant outfit moving with every turn.

Her dance was neither hurried nor stiff. She occasionally spun beneath the warm light before slowing down, her sleeves sweeping through the air like flowing clouds.

The surrounding cultivators immediately became more excited. Cheers and applause erupted from several tables.

Long Feng didn’t pay much attention to the performance.

Instead, he found an empty seat in the corner. A female attendant soon approached him.

"Sir, what would you like?"

"Your best wine."

"Certainly." Not long afterward, a jade-colored wine cup was placed before him.

Long Feng picked it up and took a small sip.

The wine was surprisingly smooth. A faint fragrance remained in his mouth, and there was a subtle spiritual energy contained within it.

"Not bad."

He glanced at the surrounding tables.

There were almost a hundred different types of wine available in the Moonlit Pavilion, ranging from ordinary wines to expensive spiritual wines.

Considering the number of customers present even during the day, it wasn’t difficult to understand why this place had become so famous.

Two cultivators were arguing over who had killed a beast, while another was loudly boasting about finding a treasure. At another table, a drunk cultivator had just lost a gambling match and was angrily accusing his opponent of cheating.

Long Feng realizing that this place is basically an information gathering point

People became careless after drinking. And careless people often spoke about things they normally kept hidden.

Long Feng drank slowly, tasting its flavor.

It was only after finishing his wine, he stood up and walked toward the stairs.

The second and third floors were much quieter than the first. The decorations were also more refined, and the wines and services offered here were obviously more expensive.

But Long Feng didn’t stop there and continued upward.

When he reached the third floor and prepared to climb toward the fourth, two men suddenly stepped in front of him.

Long Feng raised an eyebrow. The two guards stood side by side, blocking the staircase.

"Guests aren’t permitted to enter the fourth floor."

One of them looked at Long Feng.

"Only members of the Moonlit Pavilion and specially invited guests can go upstairs. Please return."

"So someone dare to stop me?"

But Long Feng didn’t offend with their rude behavior, instead, he just smiled.

He wasn’t wearing his official Azura Heaven Sect robes to avoid attracting too much attention, that’s why they think him a ordinary person.

If he had come here openly as a disciple of the sect, they wouldn’t dare to stop him even if they had heart of leopard.

However, he was still a Golden Core Realm cultivator and a Fourth-Rank Alchemist. Naturally, these two watch dogs couldn’t stop him.

"What if I insist?"

The guard’s expression became colder.

"Then don’t blame us for being impolite."

Long Feng looked at the two men. Peak True Spirit Realm...

He was slightly surprised. Using two Peak True Spirit Realm cultivators as guards. The background of this Moonlit Pavilion really isn’t simple.

The two guards frowned, intending to use force if he didn’t convince.

But before they could do something, a strange mark suddenly appeared on Long Feng’s brow. A powerful yet invisible soul force swept toward them.

The two guards’ expressions changed.

For an instant, they felt as if their souls had been pulled into an endless abyss. Their bodies stiffened.

Long Feng’s Soul Dominating Mark wasn’t meant to injure them. He merely released enough power to overwhelm their minds temporarily.

A few breaths later, their consciousness returned.

"What...?"

One of the guards shook his head. But the staircase in front of him was already empty and had disappeared.

The fourth floor was completely different from the floors below. There were very few people here. The decorations were luxurious, and the corridors were unusually quiet.

Several beautiful attendants moved through the area, and when they noticed Long Feng, surprise appeared in their eyes.

An outsider had actually reached the fourth floor. However, they didn’t stop him.

After all, nobody who wasn’t permitted to enter should have been able to pass the guards downstairs.

Long Feng casually walked forward. After a moment, he noticed a maid entering one of the rooms, so he also followed her inside.

The room was considerably more luxurious than he had expected.

One entire wall was made from a special transparent spiritual-glass material. From inside, he could clearly see the streets and buildings below, while people outside couldn’t see anything inside.

Long Feng looked around before sitting down comfortably on the sofa.

There was only one other person in the room. It was a mature blonde woman with a somewhat fuller figure.

She wore an elegant dress and had carefully applied makeup, giving her a dignified appearance despite the luxurious atmosphere of the Moonlit Pavilion.

She looked at Long Feng cautiously.

"Who are you?"

Long Feng didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he crossed his legs and looked at her calmly.

"Are you the person in charge here?"

The woman’s expression became more cautious.

"I’m not the owner, but you could say me the manager."

"Hmm, then we can talk." Long Feng leaned against the sofa.

As the woman carefully examining him, she became more shocked. She was herself a True Spirit Realm cultivator, yet she couldn’t see through the opponent’s strength.

That alone made her vigilant.

Moreover, despite his young appearance, the young man carried himself with an unusual confidence. He didn’t look like an ordinary young cultivator.

’Who is he?’ She had initially assumed that some spoiled young master had somehow slipped past the guards.

But there was something about him that made her hesitate.

Long Feng noticed her caution. He didn’t bother hiding his identity any longer. With a flick of his wrist, a badge appeared in his hand.

The moment the woman saw it, her expression changed.

"Fourth-Rank Alchemist..."

Her attitude immediately became more respectful. More importantly, she recognized the insignia of Azura Heaven Sect.

"Sir, I apologize for my earlier attitude."

The woman’s expression changed, but she didn’t immediately lower herself.

She had managed the Moonlit Pavilion for many years and had met countless important cultivators.

A Fourth-Rank Alchemist was certainly worthy of respect. But someone capable of silently bypassing two Peak True Spirit Realm guards was even more worthy of caution.

"May I ask what brings you here, Senior?"

Long Feng waved his hand and put away his badge.

"Forget it. I came here because I had some work with you."

The manager’s heart tightened slightly.

"What work? Tell me, I would do my best to help in your matter."

"No, no. It’s nothing big, just some information about the Blood Eagle Gang."

His words made her expression changed almost imperceptibly, but how could that slight change in her expression escape his sharp senses!

"I heard that many cultivators and merchants visit this place. And the Blood Eagle Gang is active in the mountains outside the city. So they would have some contact with you."

The woman remained silent for a moment before finally said.

"I don’t, why would we have any kind of contact with such group of bandits like them."

Long Feng wasn’t surprised with her answer. He had already considered this possibility.

The Blood Eagle Gang lived in the mountains outside Clear River City. There weren’t many settlements around their territory.

If they wanted wine, food, cultivation resources, or entertainment, the closest large city was Clear River City.

And when they come to Clear River City, a place like this would naturally be one of their preferred destinations.

It was impossible for the Blood Eagle Gang to completely avoid this place.

Men who spend their days hiding in the mountains won’t suddenly become silent saints when they enter a place like this.

They would drink, boast or might even start fights after drinking too much. And drunk cultivators often talked more than they should.

Long Feng looked at the manager with a strange smile on his face, as if he could see through her heart.

"You should have seen some of them."

The woman’s lips tightened.

"I..." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

But before she could speak, he took out a small jade bottle which contains a green pill and placed it open on the table.

The woman’s eyes immediately moved toward it. At first, she didn’t care. Then her expression suddenly changed.

She picked it up carefully and opened the bottle. A faint medicinal fragrance immediately spread through the room. Her pupils contracted violently.

"That’s a Fourth-Rank pill!"

Recognizing the rank of this pill, her breathing became slightly heavier. When had she ever seen such a high-rank pill this close in such a barren area?