Chapter 10: Hahaha, She Escaped

The black cat’s two front paws had already healed, but one hind leg still hung limp.

Tao Ji actually knew how to set bones for cats—he realigned its leg bones and bound the leg with small wooden sticks.

So the happiest on this journey was the black cat; it was either carried by Tao Ji or by Pan Yun, eating until full, sleeping until full, then watching the scenery curled in someone’s arms—warm, soft, neither too hot nor too cold. Pan Yun was envious beyond words, wishing she could fake a broken leg just to be carried too.

The black cat was extremely attached to Pan Yun; if it didn’t see her for a moment, it would meow. When Xuan Miao and Pan Yun went to relieve themselves or change clothes, it would still meow meow meow. Tao Ji watched with envy and a touch of jealousy—he had treated it better all along.

“I never asked you—what’s its name?”

Pan Yun looked down at it and said, “Xiao Hei. Its name is Pan Xiao Hei.”

The black cat angrily refused, meowing, “My name is Lingjing! Lingjing!”

【Stop crying out,】 Pan Yun replied in her mind, 【they can’t understand you. And Lingjing isn’t your name—it’s the name of an object. You can call yourself Lingjing, but someday someone else might forge something with the same function and call it Lingjing too.】

【It’s like the swords they carry—all are called swords, but to make them different, you must give them individual names.】

The black cat froze, thought for a moment, then accepted it. “I don’t want to be called Xiao Hei. Give me a nicer name.”

Pan Yun smiled faintly, hugged it close, and looked up at Tao Ji. “Look—it’s entirely black, isn’t it? Like dragon crystal?”

Tao Ji looked at the black cat and nodded. “It’s very black.”

“So it’s called Xiao Hei. It takes my surname—Pan Xiao Hei.”

Tao Ji: “...Why not call it Dragon Crystal? Dragon Crystal sounds so much better.”

The black cat nodded frantically, glaring at Pan Yun with eyes like glass beads.

“Because I just like calling it Xiao Hei,” Pan Yun softly stroked its fur. “No matter how beautiful a name is, it can’t make me as happy as this one. Right, Xiao Hei? You wouldn’t object, would you?”

The black cat stiffened for a moment, then resignedly leaned into her arms, silent.

Pan Yun nodded in satisfaction. “See? It likes it.”

Tao Ji: ...

Xuan Miao put down her chopsticks, counted out copper coins, and placed them on the table. She rose. “Let’s go.”

Tao Ji quickly put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, grabbed Pan Yun’s arm, and followed.

Pan Yun staggered two steps before regaining her balance.

Passing a tailor’s shop, Xuan Miao glanced up at the sign, then turned to Tao Ji. “Wait here.”

As soon as Xuan Miao looked at her, Pan Yun hurriedly said, “I don’t need to buy anything. I’ll wait outside with him.”

Xuan Miao frowned, remembering Pan Yun’s current condition and her clear dislike of others knowing—even though Pan Yun was also a girl.

She turned to Tao Ji and warned, “Watch her.”

Tao Ji assured her, “Sister, rest easy. The moment you go in, I’ll pin her acupoints—block her meridians and lock her in place. No matter how clever she is, she won’t escape.”

Pan Yun fumed. “You’re underestimating me. I’ve already agreed to go with you—have I run away so far?”

Xuan Miao directly approved Tao Ji’s plan and turned into the tailor’s shop.

The moment she left, Tao Ji stepped forward, two fingers raised.

Pan Yun huffed at him but didn’t resist—she simply turned her head away.

Her compliance lowered his guard. He was about to pin her acupoints when she suddenly widened her eyes and cried, “Wait!”

Tao Ji froze. “What?”

Pan Yun pointed to the candied haws nearby. “I want to eat those. Pin my legs so I can’t run, but leave my hands free—just let me eat one candied haw, okay?”

Tao Ji: “You just ate noodles and you’re hungry again? What kind of stomach do you have...”

Pan Yun’s mood instantly sank. She spoke sadly, “I’ve been frail since birth. I’ve hardly ever left home. I’ve only heard of candied haws—I’ve never eaten one. My second brother promised me that once I got better and could go out, he’d buy me candied haws. But before he could, he left with Father for Datong. I’ve never eaten candied haws in my life...”

Before she finished speaking, her eyes turned red. Before Tao Ji could react, large tears fell. Pan Yun burst into sobs.

At first she only meant to pretend—but as she spoke, she thought of her fourteen-year-old second brother, still a mischievous boy himself, dragged off in chains. They said they were being exiled to Datong to serve as border soldiers—the lowest rank among troops.

Pan Yun wailed loudly.

Passersby paused to stare.

Tao Ji flustered. “You—you—don’t cry! It’s just candied haws—I’ll buy you some!”

He pulled out money and rushed to buy.

The candied haw vendor stretched his neck over, saw Tao Ji pay, and immediately smiled, plucking the largest, reddest stick from the straw pile. “Master Daoist, this one’s sweetest—most sugar.” Tao Ji glanced, satisfied. He thought a moment, then pointed to the topmost stick. “One more.”

Sister seems to like sweets too. Perfect—one for her, one for me.

Tao Ji held one candied haw in each hand, beaming as he turned—only to find the spot where Pan Yun had stood now empty.

His smile froze. Instantly, his hands and feet turned cold. He spun his head, scanning left and right. The girl who had been wailing a moment ago was gone. Ahead, behind—the long street held no one resembling Pan Yun.

“She—she—she,” Tao Ji frantically turned to the candied haw vendor. “Where is she? Where did she go?”

The vendor scanned the crowd too, face paling. “Oh no—could she have been kidnapped by a child-snatcher?”

Tao Ji dashed into the tailor’s shop with the candied haws still in hand. Inside, only a few scattered customers remained—no Pan Yun. “Shopkeeper, did the girl who was outside with me come in?”

The shopkeeper said, “No...”

Before she finished, Tao Ji bolted back onto the street, scanned left and right, chose a direction, and sprinted forward—eyes darting over every passerby. Still no Pan Yun.

His eyes burned red. He stomped hard, rushed back into the shop, and shouted, “Sister! Sister! Come out! I let Pan Yun run away!”

!

Outside, the candied haw vendor had kindly begun shouting, “Everyone, help look! The child-snatcher can’t have gone far...”

Tao Ji spat angrily. What child-snatcher could take her?

She ran away on her own!

Tao Ji looked at the candied haws in his hand, furious, wanting to throw them away—but then he hesitated. They were innocent. He shouldn’t take his anger out on them.

Just then, Xuan Miao stepped out, pack on her back, sword in hand.

Tao Ji looked at her, his eyes filled with grievance. "Sister, I—I didn't watch her. She ran away."

Xuan Miao’s face was cold, but she didn’t blame Tao Ji. She immediately looked at the two candied haws he held, counted them mentally, then calculated swiftly. Moments later, she said, “Upper trigram Kan, lower trigram Xun—Water over Wind, Well Hexagram. Since she ran of her own accord, she won’t escape. Near water, heading south—to the docks. We go to Kaifeng.”

“Yes, yes!” Tao Ji nodded fiercely, following Xuan Miao step by step toward the docks.

Hmph—his sister’s Plum Blossom Numerology was uncannily precise. Run? Not a chance—not even a crack.

Tao Ji’s eyes blazed with fire as he stormed toward the docks.

When they reached the docks, dozens of boats were visible—some already departed, others waiting to dock, countless more. He froze. “So many boats—on which one is she hiding?”

Xuan Miao frowned. She couldn’t get any more detail from the divination. She decided bluntly, “Search first. If we don’t find her, head straight to Kaifeng Prefecture.”

Pan Yun was hiding aboard a large ship.

Pan Yun had money—because she was always sick, her father loved to bribe her with cash, and so did her older and second brothers. But...

Mostly copper coins. The only silver she had was one piece—five taels of official silver—given to her because she’d been curious.

As Tao Ji approached the candied haw vendor, she stopped crying. In the instant everyone’s attention turned to him, she slipped like a fish into the crowd.

She sprinted toward the docks. While eating noodles, she’d overheard: small boats to Kaifeng left when full; large ships were official vessels, departing every hour, regardless of passengers or cargo.

Less than a quarter-hour until departure.

She rushed to the shore with the cat, just as the dockworkers were untying ropes and pushing the ship away...

Pan Yun stayed silent, sprinted forward, and leapt—landing firmly on the deck.

“Hey, kid, you crazy? The ship’s about to leave—what are you doing jumping on? Where are your parents?”

Pan Yun panted, pulled a handful of copper coins from her sleeve. “My family’s waiting for me in Kaifeng Prefecture.”

She paid the fare, sat down at the very edge. Soon after departure, she spotted Xuan Miao and Tao Ji rushing to the docks.

She immediately leaned back, hiding completely in the shadows, watching them ask about each boat.

The black cat meowed. “They’re moving too fast. Can you really escape?”

Pan Yun agreed—they were terrifyingly fast. Unless they’d immediately guessed her direction after she vanished—but she’d taken precautions...

Pan Yun: “If they search, they’ll head north. They won’t expect us to go south to Kaifeng first, then turn north again—that’ll throw them off...”

Pan Yun paused, frowning. “You’re right. They’re too fast. They might guess I’m heading to Kaifeng too...”

“Little girl, what are you muttering to yourself?” An elderly woman, looking kind, frowned at her. “You’re so young—how could your parents let you travel alone?”

Pan Yun glanced at her, swept her eyes across the cabin, then whispered softly, “My mother died. My father... went into business. My stepmother runs the house. She sent me to Great Ming Prefecture to collect money from my uncle—he owes my family a lot.”

The old woman, surprised by her honesty, blinked. “And... did you get the money?”

Pan Yun shook her head, eyes reddening. “No. My uncle gave me some copper coins and told me to go home. I—I can’t go back without the money...”

After reading readers’ suggestions, starting today, chapters will be three thousand characters each. So today’s six-thousand-character update is complete. Goodnight.

(End of Chapter)