Chapter 141

Wang Cong said gently, "Fourth sister, there are always places in this world where sunlight never reaches. The Academy is like a small imperial court, and naturally, there are those who seek only personal gain."

"Whether it was the letter stolen from our Three Pure Ones Monastery before, or the incidents after your enrollment, they're merely the result of selfish motives—and," Wang Cong paused, then lowered his voice, "how do you know this isn't your father's scheme? If it is his scheme, isn't that still selfishness?"

Pan Yun held up her thumb directly at him. "Wow, you just said exactly what I wanted to ask but didn't dare to."

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He stared in stunned silence.

Wang Cong mentioned his father only briefly, then changed the subject. "Little Uncle, the shop is arranged, Shopkeeper Chen has arrived—I'll head home first thing tomorrow."

"Go home without worry," Pan Yun tiptoed and patted his shoulder. "I won't cause trouble in the Academy, and I'll protect Miao Zhen and Miao He. Focus on your exam, don't stress too much—worse comes to worst, your father's got your back."

Wang Cong: …Now I'm even less reassured.

The four walked around the crowd. Xuan Li, who had been standing on tiptoe straining to see into the crowd, turned around and realized they'd left her behind—she was displeased.

She chased after them. "How could you do that? I deliberately stepped aside so you could whisper secrets, and now that you're done, you won't even invite me to walk with you?"

Pan Yun blinked, then immediately apologized. "I'm wrong—I thought you were still watching the spectacle and didn't want to interrupt."

Xuan Li's expression brightened instantly. "I forgive you. Let's go together."

But as they walked, she still kept craning her neck to peek at the spectacle.

Miao He did the same, stretching her neck to look.

Wang Cong quickened his pace and reached out to grab the back of Miao He's robe. "Hurry up."

Miao He was dragged forward, her head still stretched out. "I'll walk myself, I'll walk, Big Brother…!"

Wang Cong feared they'd see something unpleasant—he dragged them along while turning his body to block their view, refusing outright to let them join the crowd.

Only after they'd left the crowd did Wang Cong hear murmurs: Zhang Liuzhen and Zhou Wang Dao had already been taken away. Now the crowd gathered out of habit, likely discussing the earlier incident and their progress in this morning's meditation.

Zhang Liuzhen's lesson had already run late to bring them into stillness, and with the unexpected incident, it stretched straight to noon.

The remaining class was already halfway through; they couldn't join mid-session, so they'd have to attend the afternoon class instead.

So Wang Cong brought them straight to the dining hall.

"The dining hall has already served meals. While no one's around, eat your food, then walk back to digest, rest a while, and recall what you learned this morning—recharge your energy so you're ready for afternoon class."

Pan Yun and the other two nodded obediently.

Xuan Li turned to look at him. "How do you know all this?"

Wang Cong smiled at her. "I studied here for three years."

Xuan Li's eyes brightened slightly. "You studied here too? And graduated in just three years? So Big Sister was right—your Three Pure Ones Monastery does have capable people."

Wang Cong smiled at her. "Sister, you're a nun of the Jade Spirit Monastery, aren't you?"

Xuan Li lifted her chin. "Correct."

Wang Cong nodded, understanding.

Wang Cong fetched bowls and chopsticks and, relying on his youthful face, joined them to get food.

The old Daoist priest serving them stared at the large bowl extended toward him, fixed Wang Cong with a long look, then still served him food and steamed buns.

Wang Cong turned to leave, when the old priest asked, "Wang Cong, two steamed buns are enough for you?"

Wang Cong stiffened, turned back, and forced a smile. "Uncle, could you give me two more?"

The old priest snorted, but handed him two more, then asked, "Are you here to retrain, or just to eat free meals?"

Wang Cong hurried to explain. "I brought my little aunt and sisters to the Academy—I just missed the dining hall food so much, I followed along to eat with them."

The old priest's expression softened considerably. He leaned out to glance at Pan Yun and the other three standing nearby. "All four are your family?"

Wang Cong pointed at Pan Yun. "This is my little aunt. These are my two sisters. This is Xuan Li, the nun from Jade Spirit Monastery."

"Oh? You mean that little nun from Jade Spirit Monastery who kept chasing after your third master, only to have your father break them up?"

Xuan Li:!!??

Pan Yun and the other two instantly widened their eyes, their expressions visibly brightening with excitement.

Did Third Brother have something like this?

Wang Cong saw their expressions and hurried to explain. "Misunderstanding! All misunderstanding! Uncle, don't say things like that—my father, my father isn't that kind of person!"

The old priest lazily lifted his eyelids. "Is that so? Then what's the real story?"

Yes—what was the real story?

Pan Yun and the other three stared intently at Wang Cong.

Wang Cong: …How should he explain? Should he say that Master Sister Xuan Qiong had a crush on Third Master, but Third Master had no interest, kept refusing, yet couldn't shake her off—so his father intervened to sever this unreciprocated affection?

Wouldn't saying that damage Master Sister Xuan Qiong's reputation and heart?

Wang Cong slumped his shoulders. "Alright, I don't know the real story…"

The old priest smiled warmly and handed him another steamed bun. "I always said they had no fate. That little nun didn't believe me, hmph."

Wang Cong weakly replied, "Yes," took his five large white buns, and turned to leave. The old priest called him back. "How is Master Xuanmiao doing at your place?"

Wang Cong hurried to answer. "Fourth Master is well—her cultivation has advanced further."

The old priest nodded in satisfaction. "Who accompanies her now when she goes on her trials?"

"Third Master. The two sisters are still too young. Whenever Fourth Master goes on trials, Third Master always goes with her."

The old priest nodded, said no more, and waved him off.

Pan Yun fell into thought, then after a moment, smiled faintly and happily followed Wang Cong to find a seat.

Wang Cong looked up and saw her smiling, completely unaware of why.

Xuan Li, however, looked slightly displeased. She poked at her food with her chopsticks and asked Wang Cong, "Why did your father break them up? We've all taken vows—marriage should be our own choice. After escaping parental control, now we're controlled by our masters?"

Wang Cong evaded. "Perhaps there was a misunderstanding. These are elders' affairs—we juniors shouldn't pry."

Xuan Li thought that made sense, then turned to Pan Yun. "They're juniors. We're peers."

!. Read

Pan Yun: "... Xuan Li, I'm only nine. When this happened, I hadn't even entered the sect yet—I can't ask about it."

Xuan Li became depressed; she grieved for her senior sister.

Pan Yun cut off a piece of her own meat and gave it to her, saying, "Stop worrying about this. I think Master Sister Xuan Qiong is happy now—last time I saw her, she was lively."

Xuan Li frowned tightly. "How can there be happiness when separated from the one you love?"

"Happiness comes from contrast. Think—if she'd married my third senior brother, she'd have to live on Mount Sanqing, right? Every morning she'd wake up and argue with my eldest senior brother, and wouldn't stop until bedtime. Doesn't that sound terrifying?"

Xuan Li imagined it, shuddered, and silently lowered her head to eat, saying nothing more.

Xuan Li finally stopped obsessing over it, but Wang Cong didn't know whether to be glad, because it seemed his father's outward image had grown even worse.

After finishing her meal, Xuan Li recovered and asked, "What classes do you have this afternoon?"

"We're going to the Tai Su Academy this afternoon."

Xuan Li sighed. "I have class at the Ming Yuan Academy this afternoon—we can't go together."

"Why does everyone go to Tai Su Academy? Didn't you take the spellcraft exam? You should be at Ming Yuan Academy."

Pan Yun said, "I'm studying all three categories—I want to give each its due."

"Before I came, my eldest senior sister warned me: greed leads to indigestion; don't be greedy."

Pan Yun said, "My teeth are strong, and my heart is big—I'll digest it all fine."

Xuan Li stopped trying to persuade her, and the two left the dining hall, parting ways—Pan Yun pulled out two folded talismans and handed them to her.

"These are talismans of safety—they bring blessings and ward off disaster. Take one; give the other to Cui Huai Gong—he went to watch the commotion and didn't get one."

Xuan Li took them, nodded, and said, "Alright."

Wang Cong watched, and when they were gone, asked, "Is Little Auntie protecting them?"

Pan Yun said, "Li Qingyin's concern isn't wrong. When they can't harm me, they'll target those close to me."

"Seeing Miao Zhen and Seeing Miao He are always by my side—they're hard to reach. But what about Xuan Li and Cui Huai Gong, who are close to me?" she said. "When I was in such hardship, they still chose to be my friends—I must protect them in return."

"Especially Cui Huai Gong. Xuan Li comes from an official family—she already has one layer of protection. But what does Cui Huai Gong have?"

So he became the target beside Pan Yun.

She wanted allies, not people burdened by her—so basic protection was still necessary.

Wang Cong nodded. "The Shopkeeper downstairs studied some martial arts—he knows much about the Jianghu and has good intelligence. Little Auntie can rely on him for things, and he can handle tasks you can't do yourself."

Pan Yun nodded. "I do have something for him—I send letters to Datong every month. My eldest senior brother has blocked the heavenly patterns around me, so they can't trace my origins—but if I contact Datong too often, they'll notice."

My identity is a thunderbolt.

Especially now that I have enemies—I can't let them seize this weakness.

So I must reduce contact with Datong, and every letter sent or received must pass through someone else's hands.

"Before I left, Father instructed me—don't worry. I've already told the Shopkeeper: just hand him your written letter, and he'll send it. Getting letters back is even simpler—just have Datong write the address and name."

Pan Yun nodded. "Tell the Shopkeeper that next time we meet, pretend you don't know me."

Wang Cong nodded, suppressing a smile. "Alright."

It always felt like Little Auntie was more skilled at this than he was—like a foreign spy.

Pan Yun saw him smile and snorted. "This is caution. With our luck, we must be even more careful than others to survive—do you understand?"

Wang Cong nodded. "I understand!"

(End of Chapter)