Chapter 131

Zhang Weiliang's face turned ashen, shouting: "Call the senior brothers and uncles from the Punishment Hall—she…"

Zhang Weiliang's eyes widened in shock, speechless.

The mud pit that had trapped him moments before instantly hardened and clumped together; the overturned blue stone tiles were moved by the earth itself and slammed down with a sharp *pa*—the entire path restored to its original state, showing not a trace of disturbance.

Zhang Weiqin stared in disbelief, asking: "If the senior brothers and uncles come, will they be able to tell this place was once a mud pit?"

Zhang Weiliang remained silent, his face still ashen; even he, the eyewitness, couldn't help doubting whether he'd just imagined it all.

He instantly reached out to touch his right leg, wondering if he'd fallen into an illusion—perhaps it had been a phantom array, not…

His leg was caked in mud, his trousers torn and shredded.

Zhang Weiliang's face turned pale; he shoved away Zhang Weiyi and the others supporting him and charged straight for Pan Yun's door.

Pan Yun opened her eyes, a faint smile curling at her lips.

Zhang Weiliang slammed into a barrier and was violently bounced back; Zhang Weiyi, expressionless, stepped aside effortlessly, while Zhang Weiqin and Zhang Weigang caught him, preventing him from crashing to the ground.

Zhang Weiliang, refusing to believe it, broke free from their grips and charged again—this time, his right hand formed a claw, his internal Qi coalescing into a ball in his palm, which he slammed forward with all his strength.

The house trembled; the barrier dented deeply under the impact. Zhang Weiliang saw the opening and prepared to press harder—when suddenly, the barrier violently rebounded, unleashing a far greater force with a sharp *pa*.

It struck his chest, and he was hurled backward…

Zhang Weiyi's pupils contracted; he finally stopped standing idly by, leaping forward to catch him, then striking the rebounding Qi sphere midair to disperse it.

Zhang Weiliang spat blood the moment his feet hit the ground, his face drained of color, clutching his chest unable to speak.

Zhang Weiqin and Zhang Weigang, enraged, turned to glare at the silent door. "Pan Yun, come out! You dare endanger lives within the Academy—come out!"

Pan Yun snorted coldly, flicked her finger, and the candle on the table ignited, filling the room with light—yet she remained seated on the bed, unmoving.

"Brother Wu Ge warned me when he brought me in today: stay inside, don't wander, the outside is extremely dangerous—so I've sealed my door and windows with array talismans. This array doesn't deter gentlemen, only villains and thugs. Tell me, who exactly are you, shouting my name outside?"

Zhang Weigang: "How dare you! Don't you know private combat and the use of force are forbidden within the Academy?"

"Ah~~" Pan Yun drawled slowly, "I'm new here—I didn't know private combat and the use of force are forbidden. Senior brothers have been here years—you know this rule. So why don't you follow it?"

Not only Zhang Weiliang and the others, but even Zhang Weiyi was infuriated by Pan Yun's mocking tone—but he couldn't rage at her, so he turned to the three and snapped, "Besides hanging a basin of water, what else did you do?"

If it had been only the basin, it would've hit Zhang Zi Fang; even if Pan Yun was angry at being tricked, she wouldn't have retaliated so violently.

Zhang Weiliang and the others fell silent.

Zhang Weiliang calmed slightly, sat on the ground, and began forming spirit-summoning hand seals—only to find he couldn't summon Xiao Hong. He tried twice, failed both times, his face darkening further.

Zhang Weiyi saw the hand seals and trembled with rage, his voice low and fierce: "How dare you! Keeping spirits within the Academy? Do you want to die?"

"Spirits can be useful if used properly. Other sects keep them—why can't we?"

"Shut up!" Zhang Weiyi slapped him. "Long Hushan forbids it. If you want to keep spirits, leave the Tian Shi Fu Zhang family now."

Zhang Weiliang licked the blood from his lip, glaring at him with hatred.

Zhang Weiyi no longer cared to deal with him, standing up: "This is your mess—solve it yourselves. Don't make a sound tonight, or I'll summon the Punishment Hall. None of you will be spared."

Zhang Weigang's eyes widened, pointing at the wounded, blood-spitting Zhang Weiliang: "You're just leaving him like this?"

"What do you expect me to do?" Zhang Weiyi retorted. "Can you break in? Or dare you call the Punishment Hall senior brothers?"

"You have no right on your side, and no strength to defeat her—what can I do?" Zhang Weiyi sneered. "Do you think our relationship is so close I'd risk my future for you? Who do you think you are?"

Zhang Weiliang and the others had no reply.

Zhang Weiyi turned away, indifferent, heading back to his room—then stopped, seeing Deng Ziyu and Xue Hua standing at the doorway.

The two had been standing there for a long time.

Zhang Weigang and the others followed his gaze and saw Deng Ziyu and Xue Hua—falling even more silent.

Deng Ziyu and Xue Hua gave the group a slight nod, stepped around them, and returned to their room without asking a word—but before entering, they couldn't help glancing at Pan Yun's door, curiosity flickering in their eyes.

Zhang Weiyi stood still for a moment, then took a deep breath and turned back: "Go back to your rooms. Don't cause trouble tonight."

Zhang Weigang seethed, resentful, turning toward Pan Yun's door—only to be grabbed by Zhang Weiliang.

Zhang Weiliang shook his head at him.

Zhang Weigang could only help Zhang Weiqin lift Zhang Weiliang and carry him back to his room.

The door swung open—*hua*—then three *ah! * cries, followed by the clatter of wooden basins hitting the floor.

"Pan Yun—"

Moments later, another clatter of banging, teeth grinding in fury echoed from Zhang Weiliang's room: "Pan Yun—"

"Pan Yun—"

The name mentioned most tonight was Pan Yun's.

Pan Yun sat on the bed, forming hand seals and chanting: "Fu Sheng Wu Liang Tian Zun—"

All the traps within her room activated—all of them the very devices Zhang Weiliang and the others had prepared for her.

Seeing these familiar yet altered devices, the three were filled with rage and shame, utterly speechless.

Zhang Weiqin wiped water from his face and said to Zhang Weiliang: "Deal with this at dawn. Rest and heal first."

Zhang Weiliang's eyes flashed with cold light: "Tomorrow, I won't let her off."

Zhang Weiqin and Zhang Weigang nodded in unison, sharing his fury.

Glancing at the chaotic room, none of them had the heart to tidy up—they returned to their own rooms.

Because Zhang Weiliang's room was packed with too many traps, and they'd only set up the ones in Pan Yun's room, they opened their own doors without a single precaution…

Another crash of clattering—Zhang Weiqin hadn't expected Pan Yun to set traps in his room too. He flicked his fingertip, a flame leapt to life in his palm, illuminating the room. He dodged the traps and dismantled them.

Looking at the devices, his face darkened, his anger rising—he grabbed the sword from the wall and turned to leave—when the door slammed shut before him with a *bang*, his heart jolting with it.

A cold wind brushed his neck, raising every hair—he spun around—and came face-to-face with a red-clad female ghost hanging upside-down from the ceiling beam.

Zhang Weiqin screamed involuntarily, stumbling backward, gripping his sword hilt, *pa*—he slammed against the door, drew his blade in panic, and slashed wildly—then the lantern went out.

Xiao Hong shot out of his room with a *xiu*, patted her chest in relief, then shot into Zhang Weigang's room. Zhang Weigang had suffered more than Zhang Weiqin—he was just unhooking a rat trap, remembering it had been placed on Pan Yun's bed, never imagining she'd moved it to his door. As he recoiled from the traps, his foot landed squarely on the trap.

Xiao Hong shot in with a *xiu*, flying directly over Zhang Weigang's head.

It wasn't until the dead of night that the Zhang brothers' room finally fell silent.

Pan Yun flicked her fingers, extinguishing the candle; a red shadow slipped cautiously through the door.

Pan Yun looked up, locking eyes with her precisely. "I still give you two choices: either reincarnate, or leave Da Shangqing Palace."

Little Red pleaded, "Little Daoist, can't I follow you? I swear, I won't do evil—I'll do whatever you tell me from now on."

"That's contradictory. You say you won't do evil, yet you say you'll do anything I command—what if I order you to do evil?"

Little Red opened her mouth but couldn't speak.

"Humans are complex. Their greed is endless. Little Red, you were once human—how can you trust them so blindly?"

Little Red's mouth hung wide open.

Pan Yun: "Choose."

!. Read

After a moment of silence, Little Red said: "I won't reincarnate."

"Then leave this place. Don't let Zhang Weiliang catch you again. Next time you serve him, I won't be so lenient."

Little Red fixed Pan Yun with a steady gaze, then turned and left.

Confirmed that Pan Yun hadn't grabbed her or killed her, Little Red immediately floated up and fled as if demons were chasing her.

Hahaha, she was truly free—

After Little Red left, Pan Yun pulled back the quilt and lay on the bed; Pan Xiaohei pushed open the window and leapt in, crouching at the foot of the bed.

The woman and the cat fell instantly asleep, until sunlight streamed through the window lattice onto her face, and she opened her eyes.

She stretched, rose, dressed, and went to open the door to Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He's room next door.

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He had been waiting. They'd heard all the commotion last night and had strictly followed their junior uncle's orders: no matter what happened, don't open the door.

So they hadn't opened it all morning.

The moment their three doors opened, the three rooms across the way opened too; six pairs of eyes met, sparks flying.

Pan Yun smiled faintly at them. Zhang Weiliang's gaze burned with fury—he was about to move when the three central rooms burst open simultaneously, and Zhang Weiyi, Deng Ziyu, and Xue Hua stepped out together.

The nine of them stared at each other in silence.

Pan Yun broke it first, bowing to the trio from the central rooms. "Three senior brothers, I am Pan Yun, a new student this year."

Deng Ziyu and Xue Hua exchanged glances, then smiled and returned the bow. "Senior Sister Pan, I am Deng Ziyu."

"Xue Hua."

Zhang Weiyi twitched his lips, then bowed to her as well. "Senior Sister Pan, the academy has its own rules. For instance, you and your two junior disciples are juniors outside, but here, you're classmates. Wang Cong is your senior disciple, but in the academy, he graduated before you—he's your senior brother."

"In the academy, you abide by the academy's rules."

Pan Yun: "I know. Kinship differs. My Sanqing Temple is a small temple; we follow our own ways at home. But outside, we follow outside rules. A household has its rules, a nation has its laws—I understand. I just wonder if the three Zhang senior brothers here understand?"

At this moment, the three Zhang brothers looked disheveled—their hair, faces, and necks were stained green, and the color wouldn't wash off.

They glared at the three of them as if burning with fire, especially Pan Yun—they longed to tear her flesh raw.

Pan Yun paid no mind to their stares, smiling faintly. "Senior brothers, I'm sure you all heard the commotion last night. To avoid misunderstandings, I must explain."

"I, this humble Daoist, am a good person—a very good person. My principle is: if others don't provoke me, I won't provoke them; if they do provoke me, I respond in kind—double the measure."

Deng Ziyu nodded, smiling. "That's a fine principle."

Xue Hua also nodded. "Good."

Pan Yun: "What does the headmaster think?"

Zhang Weiyi: "Senior Sister Pan's Dao heart is steady. I have no objections."

Pan Yun gave a sly smile toward the trio across the way. "What do the three senior brothers think?"

Remembering Little Red's appearance in their room last night, the three could only swallow their anger. "If Senior Sister Pan thinks it's fine, then it's fine."

Little Red was subdued by Zhang Weiliang and brought into the academy. Now that she's fallen into Pan Yun's hands, if the Punishment Hall gets involved and uncovers the truth, all three of us will suffer.

Pan Yun: "Since the three senior brothers agree, I'm relieved. I don't want to keep walking into the courtyard and getting a washbasin thrown at my head, or getting caught in a mouse trap when I get into bed, or waking up to see male or female ghosts—blindingly ugly."

"We share the same roof. We'll keep running into each other. I'd like to get along well with you senior brothers. Yesterday's incident? Consider it an exchange of welcome gifts. I'm very pleased with your gifts—I hope mine didn't disappoint you."

Zhang Weiliang sneered. "I'm not disappointed. But I'll warn you, Senior Sister—this academy is full of hidden dragons and tigers. Don't get too cocky, or you won't even know when you fall."

Pan Yun smiled sweetly. "Of course I know this academy is full of hidden dragons and tigers—otherwise, how would I have ended up in Fengqi Courtyard the moment I arrived? How would I have received such generous gifts from the three senior brothers? But do the three senior brothers truly understand what 'hidden dragons and tigers' means in this academy?"

The three Zhang brothers froze.

Pan Yun stopped there, waved to Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He. "Let's go!"

The three walked boldly past the three men and left first.

As Seeing Miao Zhen passed them, she couldn't help muttering: "Fools. You didn't even realize you were being used as knives."

Zhang Weiliang's face flushed crimson, making the green stain even more glaring.

Deng Ziyu and Xue Hua found it too painful to look at; they turned away simultaneously and left first.

Zhang Weiyi glanced at them, then followed Xue Hua to leave—but Zhang Weiliang blocked him.

He asked: "What did Pan Yun and her little follower mean? Who used us as knives?"

Zhang Weiyi brushed his hand away. "Figure it out yourself."

Zhang Weiliang watched him leave, fists clenched in rage. "So we really were used as knives—even Deng Ziyu and Xue Hua knew."

Zhang Weigang, equally furious, guessed: "Was it Uncle Five?"

Zhang Weiqin lowered his eyes. "Possibly. I heard Sanqing Mountain offended Uncle Five—he was forced to give up three slots, and came back to be scolded by Second Uncle."

Tail number 2

(End of Chapter)