The moon was bright tonight.

It hung low in the clear night sky, fat and heavy, close enough for Yu Chen to make out the depressions in its sterile surface. A chill breeze came in off the water, sweeping across him as he sat on the edge of the retaining riverwall, observing the twins, Hán Zhū and Bì Lún, on their lazy orbit around the large satellite.

They were illuminated against the backdrop of the larger moon they spiraled around like two small marbles, and Yu Chen loved to gaze upon them when given the chance. One was a vibrant green in color and the other a deep blue, and to see them so near was a rare sight.

For most of the year, they were hardly visible, and it was only now, when they stretched close to the earth below, that one could clearly observe them. Since his childhood Yu Chen had always gone out on this night, spending his holiday staring up at the moons in the sky.

To him they were a marvel, a sign of the endless mysteries in the world, and the sight of them only made him wonder what else lay out there.

To others they were an omen.

They called them the twin eyes of God. The left saw the future, the right saw the past, and when one stared upon them, they stared back. The particularly superstitious would put their children outside on this night, leaving them to sleep beneath those two eyes in the hopes it might bring some blessings upon their young.

In the little village he’d grown up in, today was called the Festival of the Near Moon. It was a small celebration, intended to honor nature and give thanks for the harvest.

Here, it was known as the Harvest Moon Festival, the time of year when the moon approached closest to the earth, and the city had turned it into something nearing a carnival. Banners had been strewn across the streets, musicians played on the corners, and street vendors sold the season’s delicacies - mooncakes filled with red bean paste, candied sweet potatoes and Yu Chen’s favorite; sweet golden honey cakes filled with carrots and walnuts.

He hadn’t come out to enjoy the holiday, however.

Yu Chen judged the time was about right. The dead of night had arrived; the moon had passed its zenith and was now on the downturn, beginning its approach towards the horizon once more. The sound of laughter reached his ears, drifting on the wind despite the late hour, but Yu Chen ignored it, pulling the brown cloak he wore close to his body as he stood, making his way towards a meeting few knew about.

He dropped off the wall, landing on the beach and cycling his movement technique, taking off with steps so light they barely left a depression in the soft sands as he bounded away. The air grew cleaner as he ran further away from the city, the scent of smoke and men disappearing as nature took over, and even the fishy smell from the docks dissipated in the distance. It didn’t take long, a few minutes perhaps at the speed he traveled, before he came to a halt, arriving at the small, recessed valley that lay at the bottom of a jagged ravine.

He pulled his hood up as he arrived, stepping between the two cultivators guarding the only entrance, both of whom emitted a crushing aura. Yu Chen knew they were at the peak of Foundation Establishment. It might be a meeting of rogue cultivators, but the sects were far from the only powerful groups in the world.

In many places loose cultivators had grouped up out of necessity, forming coalitions that presided over their areas with a rough sort of governance. The port city contained one such group, and they currently resided over the meeting, ensuring nothing untoward happened within.

As best they could of course. The world wasn’t one where you could so blindly trust others, so Yu Chen had taken some precautions of his own, such as wearing a robe and obscuring his face, as many of the others did. He was also very wary of splashing any wealth, lest he make a target of himself.

Still, despite the danger they offered too many opportunities to be simply ignored.

He’d been tipped off about their existence by Cang Wuji, and he’d sought one out the first chance he’d found. It was only a matter of finding a hidden immortal. Every city had a few, and there were always more passing through. It was only natural that over time they’d form small communities among themselves, meeting up to exchange goods and information.

It was in this very place that he’d learned about Sun Yuan, when he’d sought out information about how to travel further upriver.

He scowled thinking about it. The meeting hadn’t gone exactly as hoped, but it had provided him with further information to act upon. Sun Yuan was a hard nut to crack, but Yu Chen planned to, one way or the other.

Looking around he couldn’t help but notice the event was lively today, with more cultivators out than normal. He imagined it was on account of the festival, but perhaps there was some other reason. Either way, Yu Chen made his way deeper into the valley, seeking out the informant he’d spoken with last time.

He passed many cultivators on the way, the valley was packed with scores of them. Some were reserved like him, while others wore all manner of strange garb - robes that flowed like waves when they moved or shimmered under the moonlight. They stood around talking, old groups of friends that had met up, or manning the stalls placed around, from which immortal cultivators hawked goods in the same manner as the mortals in the city not so far away.

Yu Chen ignored these for now, knowing he’d find their wares of little value. The areas in the front were manned by Qi Condensators, selling the skin and cores of Tier 1 beasts, alongside various spirit herbs and grasses. Some had the occasional talisman for sale, or an artifact or more esoteric goods, but nothing caught his eye.

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After all, Yu Chen was filthy rich. They’d probably murder him outright if they were aware of all that was within his spatial pouch.

Never mind the remaining fruits and herbs he still carried from the Secret Realm, or the stacks of spirit beast meat he kept on hand, just the handful of cores he kept on hand to feed Lan She would cause a commotion. Let alone the Soul-cleansing Jade or the Scarlet Bloom Lotus Flowers - Those were enough to make a Foundation Establishment cultivator sweat.

And if he brought out those ancient bones he’d found?

Yu Chen chuckled grimly at the thought. Chances were some ancient monster would appear out of nowhere, taking his life before he even knew it. Somehow, he’d acquired some substantial wealth, only he couldn’t show it without risking this dear life of his.

Yu Chen could sense more powerful items radiating from deeper within the valley, but he firmly ignored those, intentionally so. That was where the Foundation Establishment experts gathered, forming their own meeting within the meeting.

He didn’t dare risk drawing their attention.

Being a lone cultivator carried substantial risks, and Yu Chen always remained wary. Even among the righteous sects there had been those willing to steal and kill, taking that which didn’t belong to them. Out here in the wild? Morals were a loose, gray thing without much meaning.

He found the man he’d come to see near the middle of the valley, perched atop a large boulder where he sat at ease, with one arm laying across his raised knee. He cocked his head as Yu Chen approached, and the owlshead mask covering it tilted, staring at him inquisitively.

“And Hooo do we have here?” The man said, elongating the word in a fashion Yu Chen found extremely annoying, though he wouldn’t voice the thought. “I do believe I recognize you. How was the meeting with Sun Yuan?”

“I’ve had better.” Yu Chen replied shortly. The man lived and breathed information, and Yu Chen knew these questions were just a way for the man to acquire more of his favorite currency.

“Yes, I imagine you have. He’s a hard one to talk to these days, especially after what happened.” The man said, the last of his words filled with a provocation, as if daring him to ask for more.

“Hmm.” Yu Chen said, tone noncommittal.

“Would you like to hear the boy’s story? It’s quite tragic I assure you.” The man asked enticingly.

“Nope.” Yu Chen firmly said. In truth he did wish to know. Perhaps there was something there that could help him recruit the man, but the informant knew it as well, and would no doubt price the information accordingly.

“What do you know about Jiang Ming?” Yu Chen asked, cutting off the other man before he could continue speaking.

“Jiang Ming?” The man said as if tasting the word, before his eyes widened behind the mask. “You're not asking about Old Ming are you? The legendary artificer?” The man asked in surprise, but his tone went flat as he continued. “Nothing, and if anyone asks, you’d better say you didn’t hear it from me.”

Yu Chen stared back nonplussed, not expecting a rejection from the man.

“Can you tell me where to find him?” Yu Chen asked finally, when it became clear the other man wasn’t going to say more.

“That, I can do.” The man said, and Yu Chen could swear he was smiling behind the mask. “50 spirit stones, or their equivalent.”

Yu Chen’s eyes shot up at the words. The price was ridiculous, nearly ten times what he’d paid to learn about Sun Yuan. He hesitated for a moment, before turning around, making a show of walking off only to quickly return.

“Forty. That’s my limit.” Yu Chen’s voice sounded pained, and if one didn’t know him, they might truly believe his words.

The man stared at him, and Yu Chen couldn’t see whatever thoughts crossed his mind from behind the mask.

A silence stretched between them, and for a second Yu Chen thought he’d been seen through. Right before he was about to open his mouth to speak, the other man slowly nodded his head.

“Alright.” The man in the owl’s mask said slowly, crossing his arms as he looked at the boy.

Yu Chen looked around slowly before reaching his hand into his pouch, willing four beast cores to appear. He pulled them out with an unwilling expression, moving his hand hesitantly towards the other man.

The informant took them without looking and slipped them inside of his robes before speaking once more.

“He lives near the docks, in his workshop. Facing the river, turn left and follow them all the way to the end. It’s a large building, bright blue, gaudy and nearly impossible to miss.”

Yu Chen nodded at the description, before stroking his chin.

“What can you tell me about spirit vessels?"

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Yu Chen left the man a short while later, a bit poorer than when he’d arrived.

He didn’t leave the meeting straight away. Instead, he walked around the rest of the gathering, taking a look at the goods on display now that he’d gotten what he’d come for, not that he saw much else of value.

He’d seen most of it already, but he always made sure to double check in case he stumbled across a rare find.

That was the moment his life changed forever.

He’d just picked up a small rock that was emitting a fair amount of earth qi, wondering if it could be of any use in the next step of body tempering, when a strange feeling struck him. It was as though heaven and earth had been reversed, turning around as the fabric of reality folded in upon itself.

Wrong was right and right was wrong, as the entire world twisted, conceptually inverting.

Compelled by something beyond reason he looked up at that moment, and for a brief, beautiful second locked eyes with a luminous figure - a shining fairy who’d appeared in the night sky, looking at him through a flickering portal of iridescent light that had arisen from nowhere at all, shimmering beneath the light reflecting off of the three satellites hanging in the sky.

Time stopped as her eyes, wide and radiant, met his. He felt the tiniest, most infinitesimal tug within as something new appeared from the void. Unbeknownst to him a slender red thread, thin as gossamer, had unfurled, unseen as it stretched across time and space to connect the two.

She looked startled to see him, panic welling in her eyes before she was gone, the portal collapsing as it vanished from sight. It all happened so fast that he couldn’t truly say that it had happened at all. He grabbed at it as the memory slipped away, fading from his mind, but it was like trying to grab smoke and vapors.

A short while later he blinked. He looked away from the sky, a strange ache in his chest, his heart thundering for reasons he couldn’t explain.