Moongaze Lake lay beneath a cloudless sky, its rippling waves reflecting the dark-blue pavilion that stood upon the water. A long causeway stretched to the island at the heart of the lake, where several stone lotus lanterns glimmered with shifting light.0

The pavilion had eight corners, each painted with a rune in cinnabar, and it faced west toward Mount Xiping. A jade plaque inscribed with large characters hung above, Vermilion Bud Pavilion.0

A woman in a light-red silk gown was seated within, silver ornaments gleaming at her neck, as she leafed through an ancient book. She was none other than Li Quewan.0

Vermilion Bud Pavilion was Li Quewan's place of cultivation. She practiced the Whole Pill Dao, where progress was not determined by the abundance of spiritual energy but by observing the transformations of matter itself. Thus, Li Zhouwei had searched the lake for the site most suited to changes...0