Chapter 13: Strict

This time, the black cat was much more cautious; it wasn’t enough for Pan Yun to agree—it demanded a pact.

Both the black cat and Pan Yun knew the spell for forming a pact.

By communicating with heaven and earth, using one’s spiritual power and soul as a medium, the pact was written; those who broke it would suffer heavenly retribution.

Just like raising a hand to swear that breaking the oath would bring certain consequences, except the latter might not come true, while the former always would.

The human and the cat formed a pact; from this moment on, whenever Pan Yun cultivated, the Three Jade Spirit Realm within her crown dantian would automatically seize its rightful share of spiritual energy.

Pan Xiaohei finally relaxed, flopping onto its back with limbs spread wide, exposing its belly, and let out a long, sighing “meow.”

Spiritual life is so hard~~ Could this be heaven’s trial for it?

Pan Yun gathered more firewood nearby, moved the burning firepit to one side, swept the ashes aside, then shifted the branches and leaves beside it onto the scorched ground, pulled out her quilt from the Spirit Realm, and lay down on the warm, heated branches and leaves, sighing with comfort.

Since leaving the Pan household, this was the first time she slept soundly.

“You keep watch.”

Pan Xiaohei didn’t refuse; it wasn’t sleepy anyway. It half-dug itself into the quilt, its head pressed against Pan Yun’s, staring blankly at the starry sky.

Because they had formed a pact, Pan Yun was certain the Spirit Realm wouldn’t dare or could not return to its body now, and she trusted it to guard the night well.

As a Spirit Realm with vast experience, it had to possess such basic ability.

So she let herself fall asleep, and only woke when sunlight poured down and birds chirped loudly beside her ears.

Pan Yun sat up, stared blankly for a while, then folded the quilt and tucked it into the Spirit Realm. She asked: “Can your world-body, where the soul can exist eternally, be entered? If it’s a self-contained world, does it have food and drink, or is everything virtual, like data?”

Pan Xiaohei couldn’t answer; if it knew, would it be wasting time talking to Pan Yun?

It would’ve already broken the seal and roamed the world freely by now!

Seeing its blank expression, Pan Yun knew it didn’t know.

Clearly, everything was illusion—only saving her father and her brothers was real.

Pan Yun rubbed her empty stomach, buried the glowing embers with dirt, clapped her hands, and stood up: “Let’s go to Datong.”

Pan Xiaohei stretched out its paws; Pan Yun scooped it up, hugged it close, and headed north.

She had gained a little cultivation, but far from Grain Grain Bigu; after walking all morning, she was starving.

Due to her frail body and lack of food, her face turned pale, her lips slightly white—clear signs of qi and blood deficiency.

In the distance, she spotted the city gate ahead; her eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace, clutching Pan Xiaohei.

Near the city gate stood a tea stall, supported by a few tree trunks and roofed with straw; besides tea, it sold baked buns, noodles, and steamed buns.

Pan Yun clearly couldn’t wait to enter the city to eat; she hurried over with Pan Xiaohei, found a table, and sat down: “Shopkeeper, two buns and a bowl of noodles.”

“Alright!” the shopkeeper replied cheerfully, quickly grabbed two buns and placed them on a tray, then looked up—only to realize the customer was a child, face dirty, hair messy, clothes as if rolled in grass, and a light, flimsy satchel on her back—clearly unable to pay. He paused mid-motion.

But after a brief hesitation, he still smiled and brought the buns over: “Young guest, enjoy. I’ll prepare your noodles now—we have vegetarian, egg, and meat noodles.”

Pan Yun didn’t want to compromise, but remembered Datong was still far, she had little money, needed to move fast, and would need to hire transport or a cart later, plus food and lodging along the way; she bit back her craving: “Just a bowl of vegetarian noodles.”

The shopkeeper agreed and went to cook her noodles.

Pan Yun rummaged in her satchel—actually retrieving from the Spirit Realm a bowl she’d once used for medicine and tea—and split the buns: ate half herself, placed the other half in the bowl for Pan Xiaohei.

The shopkeeper saw her feeding the cat from her own bowl, opened his mouth to speak, then closed it silently and continued cooking.

Pan Xiaohei sat on the table eating, paws gripping the bun carefully, neat and tidy, not a crumb wasted.

As she ate, Pan Yun said to it: “See? I told you I’m kind. I hate deceit and lies. You treat me with sincerity, I return it in kind. As long as I have buns, I’ll share half with you—same with the noodles.”

“Meow—”

Pan Yun happily stroked its head.

The shopkeeper brought the cooked noodles—steaming, generous portions. Pan Yun glanced at other tables and raised an eyebrow slightly.

The shopkeeper was surprisingly generous—he’d given her extra noodles.

Pan Yun kept her word, giving Pan Xiaohei a good portion.

The two ate carefully; Pan Yun finished every last drop of broth.

The five grains nourished her body; color slowly returned to her face, her stomach and heart both felt warm and content, and she felt genuinely happy.

She glanced at the wooden price board beside her, pulled out copper coins, and said: “Shopkeeper, bill!”

Standing at the city gate, Pan Yun murmured: “Indeed, food is the one thing never to be betrayed.”

She walked cheerfully toward the gate, glancing casually at the two characters above it: Shexian.

A line formed at the gate—two queues. She picked one at random and stood, curious. Each person entering handed a paper to the guards, who inspected it before allowing entry; those with heavy luggage had their bags checked.

Pan Yun fell silent, then turned to the person behind her: “Do you need a travel permit to enter the county?”

The man behind her blinked, instinctively looking past her to the person ahead. Seeing that person didn’t turn, he wasn’t sure if she was asking on behalf of an official, so he replied: “We’ve required them here for a while now. Did your elders forget to bring yours? Or are you not from Shexian?”

Pan Yun didn’t answer his question, but asked again, frustrated: “What if someone from outside wants to enter just to buy things or sell vegetables—do they need a travel permit too?”

“Just bring your household registration page. Locals don’t need permits; you only need them when leaving the county.” The young man asked curiously: “Don’t other places require permits for entering or leaving?”

Pan Yun carefully recalled her journey: leaving towns never required permits—they carried no large goods. Only two cities checked, but since the three of them traveled together, the guards only looked at Tao Ji’s permit, ignoring hers and Xuanmiao’s.

Throughout the journey, it had been so lax; she’d assumed she could slip in and out easily. But now she saw families entering with children—even older ones, their elders carried household registration pages.

Where could she get a household registration or travel permit?

Well, she did have one—those two traffickers’—but the descriptions didn’t match.

Seeing her distress, the young man kindly explained: “Lately, human traffickers have been rampant. People often kidnap children for cruel purposes, so our county is checking extremely strictly—both entry and exit require permits and household registration.”

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Even farmers leaving to work the fields must carry their household registration pages.”

Well, this county magistrate was strict indeed.

After observing for a long while, Pan Yun confirmed she couldn’t sneak in and turned away from the line.

The young man behind her gaped after her. When she was far gone, he tapped the man ahead: “Brother, isn’t that your kid?”

The man turned around, glanced, and said: “What kid? I don’t have any children.”

Pan Yun had already walked far, returning to the tea stall.

She was considering taking a shortcut, bypassing Shexian County to head north.

She sighed. It seemed she’d be sleeping outdoors again tonight.

Pan Yun calculated her and Pan Xiaohei’s appetites and told the shopkeeper: “Wrap me ten large buns.”

The shopkeeper now knew she wasn’t poor—just messy—and happily agreed, handing her two paper bags, five buns in each.

Pan Yun took the bags, paid, then asked: “Shopkeeper, to reach the northern outskirts from outside the city—is it faster to go east or west?”

The shopkeeper paused, then said: “The fastest way is through the city.”

Obviously, she knew that.

Pan Yun said: “I’m not entering the city. I’m visiting my aunt. My mother passed away, my father remarried, and my stepmother won’t have me. But I can’t remember where my aunt lives—I only recall her saying it’s halfway to the northern outskirts, near the north gate.”

Shopkeeper: … Who gives directions like that?

He hesitated: “Girl, is your aunt trustworthy? Why not enter the city and ask the county office? Let the government office runners guide you. There are so many traffickers out there—you don’t want to get snatched.”

Pan Yun asked: “Are there many traffickers here?”

“Many. In Anyang, several children went missing. Last month, two vanished here too—parents cried themselves sick.” The shopkeeper noticed her dirty clothes but pale, soft skin, delicate hands—clearly a pampered child.

He urged: “Your father must love you—he’s just not good with words. I think you should go home. If your family can’t find you, how worried they’ll be?”

“I know,” Pan Yun said. “I’m just scaring them. I’ll stay with my aunt for a few days. When my father comes looking, I’ll return.”

Pan Yun insisted on the quickest route to the northern outskirts. The shopkeeper finally pointed: “Go west along that road—it’s a long way. Then turn north. There’s a river—the moat. Follow it. When you see the gate again, that’s the north gate.”

“But villages are far from the moat. I think you’ve got the location wrong.”

Pan Yun insisted: “I didn’t get it wrong. Thank you, shopkeeper.”

She hugged the bag of buns and walked off.

Just as she reached the side path, a group of officials drove a crowd out of the city.

She stopped to watch.

A group of ragged people were shoved out by soldiers. The lead officer, hands on hips, shouted: “If you dare sneak back into the city again, next time you’ll all be sent to the mines to dig!”

Pan Yun stood among the crowd, listening to their murmurs: “They say a censor from the capital is inspecting, so the county won’t allow a single beggar inside.”

“Sigh. What will these people do now? There are so many children among them.”

“They’ll wander village to village. If someone kind gives them a bowl of rice, they’ll survive somehow.”

(End of Chapter)