Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Entering the Pavilion
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As the Mid-Autumn Festival drew near, where might the busiest place be?
Most folks would think of the government offices right away.
And they'd be right, in most cases.
But not in Namchang County.
The Nangong Clan was moving faster than anyone else there.
One might wonder how a single clan could outpace the officials.
But the Nangong Clan was too grand to call just a family.
It was more like a full-fledged royal manor.
If the Paeguk Sect had bought up buildings to mimic a prince's estate,
the Nangong Clan was the real deal—a bona fide royal domain.
From its palace-like grand compound to its influence blanketing all of Namchang County.
Even the nickname Sword King Manor fit like a glove, something anyone living there for just a day could feel in their bones.
So, naturally, the Nangong Clan saw preparing Namchang's Mid-Autumn Festival as their own duty.
They'd turned it into a point of family pride.
Namchang County's Mid-Autumn Festival, with its long history, drew tourists not just from Jiangxi Province but from Fujian, Hubei, and Hunan too—a massive event.
The Nangong Clan's prestige rose right alongside it.
That's why they valued the festival more than their own anniversaries or even murim gatherings.
But that brought up a problem.
Who would lead the event?
The one in charge of this pinnacle of Nangong pride—the Mid-Autumn Festival—was obviously at the heart of the clan.
With a scale rivaling a royal manor, the Nangong Clan's internal power struggles dwarfed those of other houses.
Heir candidates eyeing the top spot used the festival to gauge their standing.
Of course, it didn't always play out that way.
More often, it didn't.
When a new patriarch had just taken over, he might handle it personally.
But this Mid-Autumn Festival fell into that rare category.
And it was fiercer than ever.
§
One of the contenders in the Nangong Clan's heir competition.
Sword Phoenix Nangong Ji hadn't slept properly for days.
There was just too much to do.
Even parts the patriarch would normally oversee had been split among the heir candidates this time.
As Nangong Ji reviewed documents, she asked her subordinate,
"Are the theater troupes all set?"
"Yes. We've confirmed with the Jade Wood Troupe and the Plum Blossom Ensemble."
"What about the acrobats?"
"We've assembled them from performers hired in Kaifeng."
"Are the lantern riddles installed?"
"Yes. We've hung them all over Namchang County, and we've stationed people at the spots where solvers arrive."
"Good."
Nangong Ji was in charge of the Mid-Autumn night festivities.
The moon-viewing was women's territory.
She'd leveraged her own gender to claim the festival's absolute centerpiece.
Her mission now: give visitors an unforgettable night in Namchang County.
Plays, acrobatics, riddle games.
Everything to delight the common folk was ready.
And that was just the start.
She'd prepared pavilions and compounds where scholarly men could savor fine wine indoors while gazing at the moon.
Stocked to the brim with the finest silks.
Their praise would trumpet Nangong Ji's success in preparing the festival.
"What about security for the Stone Pillar Festival?"
The Stone Pillar Festival was one of the festival's key highlights.
The Mid-Autumn was always a women's holiday, but in Namchang County, the legend said touching or hugging the stone pillar guaranteed fine children—especially sons. Women flocked from as far as the Central Plains.
With crowds that massive, incidents were inevitable every year.
From small scuffles over people clinging to the pillar,
to major tragedies like crushings or falls from bridges.
The officials helped, but they couldn't curb the desperation of would-be mothers seeking blessed heirs.
Nangong Ji had proposed dikes to lower the river for the festival period, but it got shot down over costs and doubts about effectiveness.
"We've deployed the Cyan Wing Squad as discussed."
"How many?"
"Half—five squads..."
"Not enough. Send all ten. According to Heavenly Eye Hall, this year's visitors will be at least twenty percent more than last. No incidents this time. If anyone causes trouble, work with the officials to haul them off for public disturbance or neighborhood nuisance."
"As you command."
Three armed forces in the Nangong Clan had openly backed Nangong Ji.
With Cyan Wing Squad pulled for this, the other two had to handle night security.
"...Have we still not found someone for the Chang'e role in the Moon-Welcoming Ritual?"
"...My apologies. We got word they suddenly couldn't make it..."
"Haa. Fine."
The Moon-Welcoming Ritual was the festival's crowning glory—offering sacrifices to the moon goddess Chang'e.
The goddess Chang'e became mortal due to her husband Hou Yi's crime, but he later fetched immortality pills. One pill granted eternal human life; two restored godhood. Torn between choices, Hou Yi consulted a diviner.
Who got it wrong.
He told Hou Yi to give both to Chang'e.
She ascended as a goddess, abandoning her husband—who died mortal on earth. Enraged, the Jade Emperor exiled her to the moon.
Because of the diviner's blunder, Chang'e lost her husband, her freedom, and even her beauty in sorrow.
Fearing her wrath on earth, people began offerings like Hou Yi's—nightly rituals.
The Moon-Welcoming Ritual showed her descendants hadn't forgotten and still revered her beauty.
These days, it was tradition, not fear.
But it remained the festival's heart.
"Hoo... Courtesans won't do, will they?"
"Well, that..."
"...If we must, I'll do it myself. Understood. Scour for someone before sunset. What about the women who played Chang'e last year or the year before?"
"They're both married now."
A woman of noble birth, beautiful, unmarried, and a skilled dancer.
Tough conditions to meet.
One might think of scholarly ladies, but they rarely danced well, and their families wouldn't let them show their faces in public.
Stern households didn't even let daughters past the inner gates.
"Let's wrap this up for now. I'm off to the Moon-Welcoming Pavilion."
"It's that late already...? Understood. Safe travels. Good luck."
Good luck.
Yes.
The Moon-Welcoming Pavilion was the main battlefield in this heir competition.
Her brother and rival, Sword Dragon Nangong Hwan, and herself.
A martial exhibition to show the jianghu who held the edge.
And Nangong Ji was ready.
Even if it tarnished the Nangong Clan's prestige a bit, she'd drag Nangong Hwan down harder.
She suspected he'd sabotaged the Chang'e actress.
No proof to confront him.
But if he played dirty, so would she.
'Even if we sink, as long as it's toward glory.'
Nangong Hwan, stained by scandal; Nangong Ji, upholding dignity through a flawless festival.
This heir race ended today.
Nangong Ji took each step with care.
As a woman, she already faced jabs about her frail presence.
She had to project bold, heroic aura always.
But when she arrived at the Moon-Welcoming Pavilion,
Her step faltered for a split second.
'What the...'
She had reason.
Some woman was tussling with Nangong Clan warriors.
§
"No! I'm the Huangbo Clan young lord, I tell you! For real!"
"Apologies, but you're not on the guest list for the Moon-Welcoming Pavilion..."
"Ugh, come on... We're both Eight Great Clans, right?"
"We've had too many imposters, so unless verified from headquarters..."
The Nangong warrior maintained polite readiness, just in case.
No arrogance or disdain—just business.
Huangboyun couldn't even vent her frustration as anger.
They were right.
'I was careless...!'
She'd assumed it would work.
No question in Gansu.
Even after running away, she'd always been treated like nobility.
At Mount Hua Sect, Haomen, even Paeguk Sect!
So surely the Nangong Clan would see her face and say, "Oh, the golden young lord of our fellow Eight Great Clan, House Huangbo!"
Ridiculous assumption.
Huangboyun was a jianghu fledgling.
Outside Gansu, her fame was zilch.
Mentioning Huang Yi might've gotten a "Ah, that guy."
Same Eight Great Clans—why not know her?
House Huangbo and Nangong were nearly four thousand li apart. How?
[Boyun, enough. It's unbecoming.]
Wi Sowol sent a sympathetic transmission.
A beautiful friendship, using her scant inner power for her friend's dignity.
But that made Huangboyun dig in harder.
"No... I'm serious. Just go verify at the Huangbo Clan?"
Huangboyun looked ready to bolt on Heavenly King Leg and be back in a flash.
The guard wasn't blind.
She was no ordinary person.
Her looks, build, the brief aura flare.
As both sides awkwardly stalled,
A clear solution arrived.
"Then let's treat her as my guest."
It was Nangong Ji.
She offered a crisp salute.
"I'm Nangong Ji, known to the jianghu as Sword Phoenix. And you two?"
Huangboyun returned the salute.
From the young lord of a famed house came perfectly courteous words.
"Huangbo Clan’s Huangboyun. I hold the young lord position."
Nangong Ji's eyes widened.
'She's legit.'
That bearing, aura, frame.
Nangong Ji's instincts screamed: fight, and lose.
She chuckled inwardly.
'Can't even recognize a VIP like this? Perfect ammo to jab Nangong Hwan about his guards.'
One step ahead.
Not rote courtesy—genuine smile as she turned to Wi Sowol.
"And this lady?"
"Wi Sowol."
"Wi Sowol... Ah!"
The Weird Physician's disciple!
'Jackpot! Total jackpot!'
The curve of Nangong Ji's smile widened.