Chapter 146: Retaliation

Zhou Wangdao said enviously and jealously, "Although Junior Sister suffered in the years before, you're doing well now. You're a disciple of the Mountain God, and you've become the temple keeper. In the future you'll surely serve the Mount Sanqing Mountain God — a divine post is guaranteed. If you can also pass the ordination certificate exam, entering the imperial court as an official isn't impossible."

"What's the fun of entering the imperial court as an official? Better to wander the world freely, do good deeds everywhere, vanquish demons and guard the Dao, and spread the prestige of our Daoist school. Oh right, Senior Brother Zhou, I heard that going down the mountain for training also earns merit points?"

Zhou Wangdao nodded: "There are two kinds of going down the mountain for training. One is to receive missions directly from the academy and go down the mountain, earning the corresponding merit points upon completion. The other is when, during training down the mountain, you happen to encounter demons or calamities — as Daoist disciples, we fulfill our duty to help and rescue the common people. As long as there's proof, you can also earn merit points when you return."

Pan Yun: "The first kind is fine, but how is the second kind verified? How do you get the proof?"

Zhou Wangdao: "Just go to the local government office. They'll issue you the proof."

Pan Yun's eyes went wide. "There's such a thing?"

"Of course there is," Zhou Wangdao said. "Junior Sister, are you thinking of exchanging merit points for things like cultivation techniques?"

Pan Yun nodded.

Zhou Wangdao then said: "But merit points have more uses than that. The academy's merit points are also a bonus item in the ordination certificate exam. The impressive ones can even exchange them for resources from the imperial court."

Pan Yun's heart stirred. She asked, "Always? What if I've graduated and left the academy…"

"Junior Sister forgot — there's still the Celestial Master Mansion," he said. "The Celestial Master Mansion manages all Daoist temples and Daoist priests under heaven, and merit points are used there too. The academy's merit points and the Celestial Master Mansion's merit points are interchangeable."

"Although the realm now enjoys peace and can be called prosperous and the people safe, demons still appear among the common folk. To encourage monks and Daoists under heaven to vanquish demons and guard the Dao, the imperial court and the Celestial Master Mansion specially established merit points."

"With merit points you can exchange at the Celestial Master Mansion for gold and silver, pills, cultivation techniques and spells, and other cultivation resources. So not only academy students go everywhere slaying demons and doing good deeds — other Daoist priests do too."

This world's Daoist system became clearer before Pan Yun. She asked, "How do I take on missions and go down the mountain for training?"

Zhou Wangdao frowned. "You can't right now."

Pan Yun: "Didn't Senior Brother just say my cultivation isn't bad? That Zhang Weiliang… Senior Brother can go down the mountain for training, so why can't I?"

Zhou Wangdao didn't mind the shift in the middle of her sentence — he and that idiot Zhang Weiliang weren't close anyway. Hearing this, he said: "It's not just about cultivation level. To go down the mountain for training, you need to study at the academy for at least one year. Only after next April can you receive missions and go down the mountain for training."

"This year is to let you understand the academy, understand the Celestial Master Mansion, understand the Daoist lineages under heaven, and at the same time understand the world beyond. You'll learn the most basic spells, talismans, and pills," he said. "As I said, some Daoist temples' lineages are incomplete. Even though they've cultivated in their original temples for many years, they still need to fill in the gaps and learn everything they should before going down the mountain for training."

"This is to ensure their safety," Zhou Wangdao said. "There are plenty of demons down the mountain. If you don't know enough and act rashly, your life could be gone in an instant."

"Take Junior Sister, for example," he said. "You came too early. Many things at Mount Sanqing didn't have time to teach you, so you don't know any of this. If you go down the mountain unprepared and meet demons disguised as people, what if you get tricked?"

Pan Yun sighed. "The demons in this world are that powerful?"

Zhou Wangdao: "Extremely powerful."

She was also extremely shocked.

Then the two chatted for another half a shichen. Only when the sky gradually darkened did Pan Yun leave reluctantly.

Zhou Wangdao also talked to his heart's content. It was rare for someone to be willing to talk with him so much — his throat had gone completely hoarse.

On the way back to the dormitory, everyone he passed greeted him: "Senior Brother Zhou."

Zhou Wangdao nodded with a solemn face, grunted "Mm" through his nose, and walked on.

Nobody minded. Zhou Wangdao was always taciturn, just like his master Lin Tangzhu — often with a grave expression.

If Lin Jing was the head of the teaching affairs office, then Zhou Wangdao was his lackey student union disciplinary committee member, daily carrying a small notebook to record everyone's mistakes.

So, who would dare chat with him at length?

Who knew if, once the conversation got heated, you'd spill something on yourself, or expose your companions' improper behavior?

For instance, at this moment, someone was hiding behind a few trees watching the passing freshmen. Seeing Cui Huai Gong, someone immediately spat out the grass root in his mouth. "That's him."

"He's Pan Yun's lackey? Looks pretty weak."

"A freshman who just enrolled — no matter how high his cultivation, how high can it be? I'm sure it's him. Several times in the big classes, he saved a seat for Pan Yun. Even when Pan Yun didn't attend the big class, he'd save one for Seeing Miao Zhen and the others too. If you say they're not in the same group, not even a dog would believe it."

"Didn't they say there's another one? We took someone's money, so we have to do the job properly. Just two freshmen — let's beat them both up and be done with it."

"The other one is a girl. It's hard to lay hands on her — her father is an official." Nong Zhiyi spat and said: "Is her family sick? An official's household sending their kid to be a Daoist priest?"

"Who knows? Anyway, she looks pretty favored, so let's not touch her."

The Celestial Master Mansion sounded pretty imposing — it managed all Daoist temples and Daoist priests under heaven — but in reality, the official posts inside started at the sixth rank, and it had little power in the imperial court.

They only handled Daoist affairs.

Only the Celestial Master was special — he could go straight to the emperor.

So their attitude toward children of officials had always been: can't afford to offend, can afford to avoid.

Of course, if the other side came looking for trouble, the vast majority of Daoist priests didn't back down. Basically, every case they knew of, the Daoist priests had fought back.

It's just that most of them weren't careful in their actions, got caught by the Celestial Master Mansion, and ended up being punished.

They weren't afraid of these children of officials — they just didn't want to lose their credits and merit points because of them.

That's right — they definitely weren't afraid.

Seeing Cui Huai Gong gradually approach, Nong Zhiyi looked left and right. The nearest person was just turning a corner — this was a blind spot. He immediately gave the order: "Go!"

At the word, everyone lunged at Cui Huai Gong.

Cui Huai Gong was quietly reciting the spell incantations he'd learned today. When they rushed at him, he didn't react at all. He stared blankly at the fists swinging toward his face…

They planned to knock him out with one punch, drag him to a secluded spot and beat him up, then tell him why they were hitting him, so he'd stay away from Pan Yun from then on — best if he'd join them in bullying Pan Yun.

Oh, forget that last part. Even Liang couldn't bully Pan Yun. Recently word had come out of the Punishment Hall too — no one in the academy was allowed to cause Pan Yun trouble.

In recent days, people from the Punishment Hall patrolled the Phoenix Rest Courtyard and the paths Pan Yun had to take three to five times a day. Nobody dared break the rules.

But if they couldn't use their hands, they could try the isolation game.

They just wouldn't talk to Pan Yun, wouldn't be her friend, wouldn't go in and out with her. Of course, they also wouldn't let others be with her.

This wasn't breaking rules — they just didn't want to be her friend. The Punishment Hall couldn't judge them at fault. Of course, they weren't planning to do it themselves — they wanted others to also not dare, to not be friends with Pan Yun.

After looking around, starting with Cui Huai Gong was the best option.

If they could make Seeing Miao Zhen and the others stay away from Pan Yun too, that would be great, but the difficulty was too high. Nong Zhiyi and the others decided to take down Cui Huai Gong first.

The fist came flying. The sachet around Cui Huai Gong's neck grew warm. The fist originally aimed at his temple veered off, grazing his head and smashing into the jaw of the person behind him.

A scream rang out: "Oww— who the hell are you hitting, my tongue…"

The words were unclear — clearly his tongue had been hurt.

After that one punch, Cui Huai Gong finally reacted. He squatted down on the spot. All the punches aimed at his upper body couldn't be pulled back, and they hit each other.

He crouched, trying to squeeze out of their circle, when Nong Zhiyi kicked at him.

Cui Huai Gong, seeing he couldn't dodge, grabbed the foot as it came toward him.

The kick was powerful, but the impact on his belly didn't hurt much; Cui Huai Gong gritted his teeth, gripped the leg tightly, and yanked it upward—Nong Zhiyi instantly fell, and a tangle of bodies erupted into chaos.

The talisman continued to heat up, then turned to ash; a fist struck, landing precisely and squarely on Cui Huai Gong's face.

!. Du

"His luck's gone! Brothers, attack!"

They were all Daoist Priests; after a string of failed attempts, they guessed Cui Huai Gong must be carrying a potent Peace Talisman or Luck Talisman.

So they'd already ripped off one money pouch and two sachets from him—but neither worked, and they didn't know where he'd hidden the talisman.

Now that they finally had a chance to hit him, their fury exploded, and they surged forward together.

Only Nong Zhiyi remembered the key point: "Take him somewhere quiet…"

Pan Yun, humming as she walked toward Fengqi Courtyard, spun around the instant the talisman turned to ash.

She'd only mixed her blood into the Peace Talismans for her father and brother; all others were ordinary drawings—unless she was extremely close, she wouldn't sense them shattering.

In this academy, the only ones who had her Peace Talismans were Seeing Miao Zhen, Sister Xuan Li, and Cui Huai Gong.

Pan Yun's heart tightened; a flash of cold light passed through her eyes: "It's Cui Huai Gong…"

She activated her lightness technique and sprinted toward the direction she sensed.

After a dozen breaths, she saw over a dozen people huddled together, peering forward; she leapt over them, stepping on their shoulders to fly past—and saw Cui Huai Gong pinned beneath a man who was punching his face, while three or four others kicked at his body…

A flash of killing intent crossed her eyes; Pan Yun leapt forward and kicked the man sitting on Cui Huai Gong clean off him.

The men surrounding Cui Huai Gong saw Pan Yun appear, their faces changed—they finally remembered they'd been so enraged by Cui Huai Gong that they hadn't dragged him to a secluded spot.

Four of them turned and ran without thinking; as soon as they turned, Pan Yun leapt up and kicked them into a half-kneeling position. She showed no mercy: as one knee touched the ground, she kicked his head—his body slammed to the earth with a thud, bounced once, then lay still, eyes wide open.

Nong Zhiyi, who had run two steps, saw this, his eyes bulged, and he screamed: "Dai Yong!"

He glared at Pan Yun with bloodshot eyes: "You're insane—you're killing your own sectmate!"

Merit -5

Pan Yun whirled toward him, silent, and charged straight at him with lethal intent.

Nong Zhiyi, panicked, stepped back two paces—then snapped to attention and rushed to meet her.

They exchanged fist for fist, leg for leg, clashing five or six times in an instant; Nong Zhiyi, who dared bully others in the academy, was no ordinary man. He'd been caught off guard before, but now that he was alert, he closed in for hand-to-hand combat, denying Pan Yun the chance to form hand seals and summon divine power.

And he denied her the chance to draw her sword.

Seeing his unconscious comrade on the ground, Nong Zhiyi's rage surged; he infused his fist with internal energy and struck fast and precise at Pan Yun's temple. Pan Yun stepped lightly, leaned back, spun—and instantly appeared behind him.

Her palm, coated in Yuan energy, slammed hard into his back.

Nong Zhiyi's heart meridian throbbed; blood trickled from his lips. Without a word, without turning, he changed his fist to a palm and struck backward. Pan Yun stepped lightly again, reversed, spun, and repositioned herself to his front-left—but his center of gravity was now behind.

Pan Yun slapped his face with a sharp crack, spun again, moved from his right-front to his left-front, then kicked his knee pit with full force. Nong Zhiyi dropped to one knee; he braced his hand to rise—but Pan Yun seized his throat, forcing his head up. In an instant, he realized his entire body had lost all strength.

His face twisted in terror.

The students watching from afar also looked terrified—but none approached; they only watched from a distance.

Pan Yun slowly tightened her grip; Nong Zhiyi's terror deepened.

The three fleeing companions, faces pale, clenched their fists and charged forward. Pan Yun lifted her head and stared coldly at them—their feet halted involuntarily.

They looked at her with fear, their voices trembling with pleading: "Pan Yun, killing a sectmate means expulsion—and punishment. You—you must think carefully."

"Is that so?" Pan Yun tightened her grip on Nong Zhiyi's throat again, watching his fear swell before asking: "Then why were you trying to kill Cui Huai Gong?"

"We didn't want to kill him—we only wanted to beat him up…"

The three turned quickly to look at Cui Huai Gong. Seeing him lying motionless, barely breathing, their faces paled. They'd been too carried away, nearly lost their reason—they'd only meant to beat him to threaten him, never to hurt him this badly…

Pan Yun sneered, lowered her head, and prepared to crush Nong Zhiyi's larynx—when Zhang Ziwang and Lin Jing rushed up, shouting: "Stop!"

Pan Yun paused, glanced at them, then slapped Nong Zhiyi's Upper Dantian with her left hand—only then withdrew her grip under Zhang Ziwang and Lin Jing's warning stares.

Nong Zhiyi collapsed, spat out a tooth, his face swollen and red with handprints, one eye nearly shut—but his greatest pain was the rising agony in his Upper Dantian.

Cold sweat poured down him; his face grew pale. He reached out, trying to grab Pan Yun's pant leg.

Pan Yun stepped aside, avoiding his hand, ignoring his plea, and fixed her cold gaze on Zhang Ziwang and Lin Jing: "Zhang Yuanzhu, Lin Tangzhu—the academy must give us a reckoning for Mount Sanqing and Fuxing Temple!"

Zhang Ziwang and Lin Jing:!!!

Pan Yun turned and walked to Cui Huai Gong, flipped him over, pried open his mouth, and shoved a pill between his lips.

(End of Chapter)