Chapter 126: Changing Fate

Xiao Cui's complexion improved slightly; Wang Feiyin patted his body and pulled out a vial of medicine, pouring out one pill for her.

Xiao Cui, who had previously been wary of Pan Yun and the others, took the pill without hesitation and put it in her mouth.

Pan Yun, dying of curiosity, had long since abandoned her new disciple and pushed forward; seeing this, she swiftly handed over a bamboo tube.

The bamboo tube contained clean water; Xiao Cui took it, swallowed the pill with it, and after a moment, her complexion improved further.

Wang Feiyin examined the blood on her fingers, cleaned it off, applied medicine, and wrapped it with a clean linen strip.

"That's settled. I'll prepare two more doses for you; take them home and start taking them. By the third day, when the grand gathering ends, have your son bring you here so my younger brother can prescribe three more doses—after you finish them, you'll be nearly recovered."

Wang Feiyin gently advised: "I know you're quick-tempered, but times have changed. We're old now—what haven't we seen? Some things aren't worth dwelling on, and you shouldn't over-worry."

"Take buying this fabric, for instance—you only wanted to save money for the children, right? In my view, saving a little is enough. If we push the price down further, the children might find out and blame us for shaming them."

Xiao Cui: "How dare he?"

"Who cares if he dares or not? We don't know what he truly thinks. If he can't afford the fabric, it's not that you're bad at saving—it's that he's incompetent. He's well into his twenties and still can't support his family."

Wang Feiyin: "You mustn't let everything weigh on your heart. Life is but a few decades—live it lightly, joyfully, freely. Let your mind be free, let your body be free."

Xiao Cui gazed at Wang Feiyin with envy. "How could we compare to you, Daoist?"

"Same thing, same thing," Wang Feiyin smiled. "I'm just like you—I rely on my son for support now too. But I don't meddle in his affairs, so I'm broad-minded and healthy. If I managed his life like you do, I'd be bursting with anger too."

Xiao Cui fell into thought.

Xiao Cui's home wasn't far—just in the next village.

Those who came to the Sanqing Festival fair were all villagers from this ten-li radius, so news of the event quickly spread back to Xiao Cui's village.

Her son and daughter-in-law were composting manure in the fields; upon hearing their mother had fainted at the fair, they immediately dropped their shovels and ran toward the festival.

Her daughter-in-law followed right behind.

By the time the couple arrived, breathless, Wang Feiyin had already calmed Xiao Cui and helped her up from the ground.

Xiao Cui's son was Luo Dadong; he clearly remembered Wang Feiyin. Along the way, people had pointed him out, so he already knew his mother had collapsed and stopped breathing. He rushed forward, grabbed his wife's hand, and knelt to Wang Feiyin, banging his head hard on the ground. "Daoist, you've saved my family again."

Wang Feiyin quickly pulled him up, smiling. "You're bowing to the wrong person—this time, it was my younger brother and sister who saved your mother."

Xiao Cui then remembered she hadn't thanked Tao Ji and Pan Yun; she pulled her grandson over and told her son and daughter-in-law: "This young Daoist spotted I was ill; this Daoist gave me acupuncture and saved me. Bow to them."

Luo Dadong and his wife didn't hesitate—they immediately bowed their heads hard to Tao Ji and Pan Yun.

"And the Mountain God," Xiao Cui added. "The Mountain God protected me—I escaped unharmed this time. I'll burn three large incense sticks in thanks."

Luo Dadong and his wife turned on the spot, facing toward Mount Sanqing, and kept bowing their heads hard.

Tao Ji wiped sweat from his brow and hurried forward to help them up, while Pan Yun stared in astonishment at the Spiritual Realm.

The Spiritual Realm displayed: Merit +2 +2 +100 +100.

Pan Yun looked at Luo Dadong and his wife, then at Xiao Cui and her grandson, and used her talent to observe them again—she saw the crimson aura surrounding them had vanished.

But what did that crimson aura mean?

Wasn't it the sign of blood disaster?

She fell ill and was healed—the blood disaster disappeared, she understood that—but why did she get a hundred points? That was too much! And why did the child's count count too?

Oh dear, books are always too few when you need them—I still can't match my fourth mistress.

Just as she thought of her fourth mistress, her peripheral vision caught Xuanmiao standing among the crowd.

She had been standing there for some time, watching this scene intently.

Pan Yun was about to approach when she saw a faint shadow appear in midair, as if sketched by a few wisps of cloud.

She halted, looking up at the sky.

The Mountain God, Pan Gong, looked down upon all this, his expression solemn, silent.

Seeing the Mountain God merely observe without speaking or acknowledging her, Pan Yun quietly slipped back beside Xuanmiao.

Li Jisi followed closely, standing silently behind his young master.

Xuanmiao glanced at him, then at Pan Yun, said nothing, and made no move to stop them.

"Fourth mistress, I just received a huge amount of merit—I took an extra look, called out Third Brother, and yet earned so much merit? Why?"

Xuanmiao knew Pan Yun had received a Merit Stone from the Mountain God and forged it into an object that displayed her own merit. Though she didn't understand why Pan Yun wasted such a precious artifact on this trivial thing, she knew Pan Yun loved doing good deeds. Even when she didn't go to the county town, she'd periodically ask others to deliver rice and flour to the beggar children there.

Xuanmiao glanced again at Xiao Cui and her grandson, and said calmly: "You changed their fate. What did you see in their aura?"

Pan Yun replied: "Thick white qi, with a patch of red—cruel qi, striking straight toward the forehead, dark red to black."

Xuanmiao said: "Observing qi isn't just about seeing the qi—it's about observing the whole person. Her qi is pure, with little impurity, thick white—that means her life has been without fault."

"Look at her hands—large and calloused, clearly from hard labor. Her marriage palace is dim, meaning her husband died early; her children palace is bright, meaning she's a widow raising a child alone," Xuanmiao said. "A widow raising a child alone is especially hard. Yet she lived her whole life without fault—her character is clear."

"Haggling over prices may seem unkind, but since both sides agree, it's neither right nor wrong."

Pan Yun: "What if they misunderstood our kindness?"

"You mean she didn't recognize good intentions?"

Pan Yun smiled.

Xuanmiao said: "Every effect has a cause. She dislikes monks and Daoists because she's been betrayed by them—and suffered deeply from it."

!. Read

She said: "Observe their aura—her life has been full of hardship. This time, she collapsed suddenly, on the verge of death; her grandson is young, and in the chaos, misfortune was inevitable. You took an extra look—and saved their lives."

Pan Yun couldn't help but look at Li Jisi. If one traced the karmic chain, it was Li Jisi who first noticed the grandmother and grandson.

Li Jisi was also lowering his gaze in thought, occasionally glancing up at the pair, comparing their fate with Pan Yun and Xuanmiao's conclusions—he was beginning to grasp the edge of the Qi-Observing Art.

Pan Yun didn't disturb him—cultivation was like this: the master gives a hint, but mastery depends entirely on oneself.

She beamed at the merit progress bar—it had leaped forward so much. If she could gather another 7, 85 merit points, she'd reach ten thousand, fill the bar, and unlock one seal.

She wanted to see what new ability the Spiritual Realm would reveal when it unlocked another seal.

"You did well this time. Their fate has changed," came a voice from midair. Pan Gong had appeared beside Pan Yun without her noticing.

Pan Yun kept her gaze straight ahead and whispered: "Is their fate so important that even Master has come to watch?"

Pan Gong said: "She has devoutly worshipped me for nineteen years. This time, after quarreling with someone, her anger surged, and she collapsed dead on the spot. In the chaos, her young grandson was snatched by a human trafficker."

"Because the boy was clever—even young, he remembered his name and home—he was sold several times but never stayed. The traffickers broke his limbs, cut out his tongue and ears, and dumped him on the street to beg. He died of illness two years later, at only six years old."

Pan Yun fell solemn, silent.

Pan Gong continued: "Luo Dadong and his wife suddenly lost their mother and their son. Overwhelmed with grief, they fell ill and never recovered. Their clan took advantage of them. Unable to find their child and constantly bullied by their village kin, they sank into depression. After Luo's wife He Hua died, Luo Dadong took his own life."

"After Xiao Cui died, she refused to cross the Bridge of Oblivion. In the underworld, she saw the gruesome fate of her family—especially her grandson—and she harbored deep resentment. She appealed to the King of Hell against me."

Pan Yun: "What?"

Pan Gong spoke calmly: "She worshipped me faithfully for nineteen years, yet I failed to protect her family. So she accused me of neglecting my divine duties."

Pan Yun fell silent, then asked after a pause: "So she won?"

Pan Gong nodded. "Her accusation was correct. But my power is limited, and my devotional energy is scarce. I saw them suffer, tried to save them several times—but fate was not with them. I kept missing the chance."

He sighed sadly: "My followers are few. They were among the most loyal. Yet I still couldn't protect them. What use is a god who cannot protect his people? So her accusation was right."

Pan Yun looked up at him. "What is Master's meaning?"

Pan Gong: "You know."

Pan Yun said solemnly: "Rest assured, Master. I will strive to grow more followers and uphold your reputation and dignity. I rushed forward without hesitation because I saw the bond between her and Mount Sanqing."

Pan Gong's expression remained unchanged, but his tone softened. "My most steadfast followers were all brought in by your eldest brother. I hope you can be like him."

Pan Yun nodded vigorously. "I will learn from Elder Brother."

Pan Gong was satisfied. He cast one last look at Xiao Cui, his form fading, slowly dissolving into the air.

As soon as he left, a soft "pop" echoed—Pan Yun's body seemed to rupture a thin air membrane. Only then did Li Jisi notice her and step forward to ask quietly: "Master, I just saw a thick aura of misfortune hovering over their heads. It still seems they'll suffer more. Did I see it right?"

Pan Yun praised him: "You saw correctly. A promising student."

Today's lucky number is any number ending in 1, screenshot as proof

(End of Chapter)