March 25th, sunny, with a light breeze.

The weather was beginning to warm up, and the heavy fur coats had already been hung out to air; in a few days, they could be put away.

Early in the morning, the streets and alleys were filled with a faint, sweet fragrance.

It was the smell of Blue Moon Cake.

Legend has it that long, long ago, when the earth suffered famine and people were on the verge of starving, the Blue Moon Goddess, upon seeing the world’s misery, bestowed her blessings and taught people how to extract starch from the rhizomes of the Blue Moon Flower to make cakes, allowing folks to survive the hardships thanks to the Blue Moon Flowers blanketing the hillsides.

Since then, the twenty-fifth of March—the reputed birthday of the Blue Moon Goddess—became a traditional festival in these lands of the Jingjiu Dynasty, a tradition that stretches back even further than the dynasty itself.

The Blue Moon Flower itself is a rather ordinary plant: its above-ground part isn’t large, about a foot tall, herbaceous, blooming in mid-March and fading by mid-April. Its underground rhizome is bulky; when boiled it can be eaten directly or used to extract starch. As both a vegetable and a staple, it’s widely cultivated across many regions of the Jingjiu Dynasty.

The Blue Moon Cake is a snack made from the rhizome of the Blue Moon Flower. Usually white, with a few Blue Moon petals it takes on a lovely pale blue hue, then a bit of sweetness is added—Shen Hao could eat a whole pound in one go.

On March 25th, every household not only makes Blue Moon Cake; there’s also the Blue Moon Association, generally hosted by families, though in the city sometimes neighbors will gather to liven things up. They set up a row of tables in the alleyway—your family brings a few dishes, mine brings a few jars of wine—cobbling together a long banquet that grows lively from noon all the way into the night.

The common folk make a ruckus, and it’s no different in the Government Office. Across the nation, everyone except those in special posts gets the day off.

The smaller the place, the purer the festive mood; a festival is a festival, and odd things don’t leap out to steal the spotlight under its name.

Take, for example, the "Hong’en Hall Blue Moon Association Celebration" that’s been hyped all over Fengri City for half a month already. They even splurged on a giant parade float a whole ten feet tall, put a few gorgeously dressed songstresses on it to parade around—stirring up quite a buzz and providing a bizarre new scene for the Blue Moon Festival.

Of course, men always like this sort of thing. Those songstresses look so alluring it gets a man worked up; even if you can’t really afford them, it doesn’t hurt to imagine a bit. Run a few paces behind the float and who knows, you might just catch a glimpse of a songstress’s skirt being lifted by the wind? Rumor has it someone actually saw it last time...

At home.

Shen Hao was up early, washing and purifying himself according to custom. Then, at the incense altar in the courtyard, he offered incense and burnt paper to the Blue Moon Goddess, and followed Hu Tian through the entire ritual. It was his first time doing all this; before, he’d always spent the festival alone. Just last year, during Blue Moon Festival, he’d still been in the Qi Mansion of Five Rams City dealing with one mutilated corpse after another.

To be honest, it was only now with a home of his own that Shen Hao gradually started to feel some sense of belonging in this world.

After the ritual, Li Erfu—the former restaurant chef—brought out a large tray of exquisite Blue Moon Cakes, somehow shaped to look like moons, and some even like the Blue Moon Flower itself.

"Mmm! Not bad at all!" Shen Hao picked one up and bit into it. It melted in his mouth, sweet and glutinous, leaving a lingering fragrance between his lips and teeth. Better than any Blue Moon Cake he’d ever eaten before.

"Everyone, have a taste!"

On Blue Moon Festival, everyone eats Blue Moon Cake—it’s the same in every household. Even the dungeon will serve Blue Moon Cake today.

Hu Tian, Xiaoma, and Li Erfu didn’t stand on ceremony either, though they wouldn’t dare sit at the same table as Shen Hao. Each took a few pieces and nibbled off to the side.

Afterwards, Hu Tian handed out silver. This was a rule Shen Hao had set—after all, what’s a festival without a little holiday bonus?

Hu Tian got one hundred taels; everyone else, including Xia Nu, got fifty taels each.

Every single one of them was grinning from ear to ear. Even Xia Nu, that simpleton who used to have no concept of money, had learned to care about silver lately. Not that she spends recklessly; she basically saves it all. Whether she’s truly planning to set aside an emergency fund for Shen Hao someday, only she knows.

Opening the door, Shen Hao saw that each of the two stone beasts at his doorstep now had a bunch of Blue Moon Flowers stuck in its mouth. Who knows if that was Hu Tian’s doing or Xia Nu’s.

Being up and about early, Shen Hao didn’t head directly to Hong’en Hall, but instead wandered the busier parts of town. Despite living in Fengri City so long, it was his first chance to stroll the streets.

He didn’t bring anyone along, either; Shen Hao just wore his usual clothes. The only thing setting him apart from other pedestrians was the folded fan in his hand. The fan was jet black—rather peculiar to look at.

The folded fan had been custom-made to his own design—a bit of a hassle, but now, waving it in his hand, paired with his handsome features and the Cloud Patterned White Robe Lin Xin’Er had made for him, his aura was off the charts. Every girl with maiden’s braids on the street kept sneaking glances at him.

Shen Hao never shies away from autumn eyes—he always smiles back and nods. If she’s especially pretty, he’ll give her another lingering look. Here, young ladies are mostly bold. They might blush, but when it comes to dealing with men, they’re not always passive.

Still, Shen Hao is never reckless about real contact. He has no intention of getting married right now. Ever since his days as a Small Banner Officer in Li City, people have tried to set him up, but he’s turned them all down.

Aren’t the ladies at the Flower House sweet enough?

As for a wife—he’ll leave that to fate.

He sauntered along, buying all sorts of snacks along the way—even ate a roasted sweet potato.

Near noon, Shen Hao found himself wandering up in front of Hong’en Hall. By now, Hong’en Hall was decked out with lanterns and streamers, bustling with activity. Outside, shoulder to shoulder, were all manner of elegantly dressed folks, and luxury carriages lined the roads far into the distance.

Ordinary people could only watch the excitement from the outside. Those with status could swagger right in, faces full of pride. Today, Hong’en Tower was hosting nothing but important figures. Just being able to enter was a mark of status—common rich men couldn’t get in at all.

Shen Hao came alone. Handsome and commanding enough to turn the girls’ heads, but as he walked up to Hong’en Hall, no one spared him a second glance.

Anyone with any clout here was surrounded by a crowd—who would care for a loner like Shen Hao? At most, he was just a loose cultivator, not worth a fart here.

"Make way! Up ahead, make way! Master Liu is coming!"

Master Liu? Quite a few people turned to look and saw a pack of black-clad servants arrogantly parting the crowd, escorting a stern-faced middle-aged man inside. Some sharp-eyed folks recognized him as Liu Hengyi, owner of Fengri City’s largest Carriage and Horse Shop.

Word around is, Master Liu’s got deep connections on both sides of the law—he’s as grand as can be. In Fengri City, every walk of life gives him respect.

That’s how cocky a mere merchant can be? Well, the biggest boss of the local Carriage and Horse Shop has every right. His connections run deeper than the rumors say.

The crowd hastened to get out of the way, not wanting to provoke such a bigwig. This made Liu Hengyi—basked in their deference—smile faintly. He’d come early specifically to avoid mingling with the other bosses.

"Hey! You there in the white, get out of the way! Didn’t you see Master Liu coming?"

Shen Hao, waving his black fan, turned around, confused. "Are you talking to me?"