Chapter 149: Investigation

Li Wenying also rose, gave Pan Yun a long, deep look, then turned and left.

After changing rooms, Pan Yun pulled Miao He to stay with her; once everyone had left, Miao He hurriedly asked, "Little Master Aunt, where are Miao Zhen and Xiao Hei?"

Pan Yun: "Xiao Hei told me you two were splitting up and you were going down the mountain—I knew trouble was coming, so I sent Xiao Hei to find Miao Zhen."

Xiao Hei couldn't stray too far from her, or she'd just order Xiao Hei to fetch Miao He directly.

So she could only send Xiao Hei to find Miao Zhen, letting Miao Zhen bring Miao He back—before she herself was even free, she couldn't let Miao He get dragged in too.

Miao He stood up. "Then I'll go find Miao Zhen."

"No need—I told Xiao Hei to bring her back; they're still together."

It was just a thought—she and Xiao Hei were linked by a spiritual connection.

Xiao Hei, sprinting toward Da Shangqing Palace, paused slightly, then sprinted faster to catch up with Miao Zhen ahead, swiped at her with a paw, and meowed loudly.

Miao Zhen skidded to a stop. "What's wrong? Is there an enemy ahead?"

"Meow—" Xiao Hei shook its head, pointed with a paw toward the Tai Su Courtyard, meowed twice, didn't care if Miao Zhen understood, leapt from her arms, and dashed toward Tai Su Courtyard.

Miao Zhen glanced toward the mountain gate, then stamped her foot and turned back to chase Xiao Hei.

Could Little Master Aunt be in trouble at Tai Su Courtyard?

But didn't Senior Brother say Little Master Aunt wouldn't be in danger, and told her not to worry?

Miao Zhen sprinted into Tai Su Courtyard.

Ge Jingyi, on night watch downstairs in the clinic, was already used to the commotion tonight; hearing the noise, she lifted her eyelids, saw a young girl, and asked, "Are you another niece of Pan Yun?"

"Yes, Sister, where's my Little Master Aunt?"

"First room on the left at the top of the stairs."

Miao Zhen thanked her and immediately ran upstairs.

The three nieces met, their eyes instantly reddened; they embraced and burst into tears.

Pan Yun had no intention of crying at all—she thought herself strong; what was there to cry about? She hadn't been wronged.

But as Miao Zhen and Miao He cried, her own eyes welled up involuntarily, her heart turned sour and aching, and she joined them in wailing.

Below, Ge Jingyi looked up at the second floor and sighed softly; Zhang Yuyu muttered, "They're still children—they must be scared."

Ge Jingyi said, "Stop talking nonsense. Who's on night watch tonight—you or me?"

Zhang Yuyu: "I'll take it. You go rest."

Ge Jingyi put down her work and left.

Lou Tong, living nearby, also heard the three children crying; after a moment of silence, she rose and slipped quietly back into the ward, checked the injuries of Cui Huai and the other two, and changed their acupuncture regimen.

Of the three, only Nong Zhiyi was awake.

Though his dantian no longer hurt, he still couldn't sleep, staring blankly at the ceiling with a look of utter despair.

When Lou Tong came to change his needles, hope flickered in his eyes; he looked at her with eager anticipation.

Though Lou Tong despised him for bullying others and lacking righteousness, she couldn't help sighing at his gaze. "I can only stop the damage from spreading, but I can't heal him."

"Master Lou, who in this world can save me?"

Lou Tong said, "I don't know. If I were you, I'd give up."

"No, I won't give up, I won't give up—I've studied the Dao for twelve years, I'm about to graduate and receive my talisman; how can I give up?"

Lou Tong: "If you don't cultivate your heart, what's the point of refining techniques?"

She scolded him bitterly: "Since childhood, you've studied the Dao—your master, your old temple, even this academy—who ever taught you to bully the weak? We Daoists must exterminate demons, defend the Dao, crush the strong, protect the weak, and uphold our sect's prestige."

"What prestige do you have now? Every wrong deed you commit is a slap in the face of our Daoist lineage—so cruel, so bullying—what's the point of studying the Dao?"

Lou Tong pulled out the needles, packed her needle bag, and stood. "Without cultivating your Dao heart, no matter how gifted or high your cultivation base, it's useless. So I advise you to give up—don't be trapped by obsession."

Nong Zhiyi clenched his fists, tears filling his eyes.

Lou Tong paused at the door, then turned her head. "You should be grateful you're still alive—and conscious. Like Dai Yong—he may never wake up again."

Nong Zhiyi was startled. "Wasn't his life saved?"

"His life was saved, but his dantian was severely struck—he may become a living corpse. If his spirit is lost, what meaning is there in his existence?"

Nong Zhiyi couldn't speak.

Lou Tong left.

At this moment, whether Nong Zhiyi regretted it or not, Pan Yun certainly didn't. After crying, she wiped her tears away immediately and told Miao Zhen and Miao He: "Cui Huai is our friend—besides Xuan Li, he's the only one who dared befriend us, so we can't stand by while he's bullied."

"Besides, he's being bullied because of us. Of course, it's not our fault—it's all the fault of Zhang Weiliang, Nong Zhiyi, and the others. When faced with such injustice, we must strike back hard."

Miao He: "If Dai Yong dies, will they make Little Master Aunt pay with her life?"

Pan Yun: "Wait—I'll study the Great Ming Code. I vaguely remember reading a similar case: if someone saw their brother being beaten and killed accidentally while defending him, it was only a fine, a beating, and compensation to the family—no execution."

Miao Zhen: "Little Master Aunt, Cui Huai isn't your brother."

Pan Yun: "How isn't he? We're neighbors, we're fellow disciples—this is more than brotherhood."

Miao Zhen: "But this is a Daoist matter—will the government office get involved?"

"If they want to execute me or impose some other harsh punishment, I'll certainly request government intervention—sect rules can't override imperial law." Pan Yun naturally chose whichever side served her best.

Miao Zhen still felt she wasn't reliable; such serious matters should be left to adults. After all, "Little Master Aunt, have you finished reading the Great Ming Code?"

"How could I finish so fast? I've only read half… well, maybe a third. But don't worry—I've read the Great Gao, and I've read all the penal codes in the Great Ming Code. I just have fuzzy memories—I'll flip through them."

Miao Zhen sighed: "I wonder if Senior Master and the others have received our message?"

Pan Yun pinched her fingers to calculate the time. "They probably have—depends on whether my master is napping."

On Mount Sanqing, Wang Feiyin finished his meditation, rubbed his soles, and planned to warm his feet before lying down to sleep.

Suddenly, his heart stirred; the next moment, barefoot, he appeared in the main hall.

Beside the incense burner beneath the Three Pure Ones, a talisman appeared out of thin air, faintly visible—but enough for Wang Feiyin to see the four large characters on it.

He glanced at it once, and the talisman vanished into ash under the candlelight.

Wang Feiyin frowned deeply, touched his chest, muttered, "Great disaster? Why do I feel nothing? If Little Sister were in trouble, I should sense it…"

Still, he thought for a moment, then ran barefoot back to the back courtyard, banged loudly on Tao Ji's door to wake him, then shouted toward the next courtyard: "Sister, wake up! We've got a major crisis at Mount Sanqing!" Instantly, the quiet mountain erupted with roosters crowing and birds chirping.

Tao Ji and Xuan Miao lit lamps and came out; Tao Yanbai rubbed his eyes and appeared; only Wang Cong, the future examinee who'd stayed up all night, emerged fully dressed and alert.

Since Pan Yun and the others left the mountain, Mount Sanqing had never been so lively.

Wang Feiyin's face was grim. "Little Sister caused a great disaster at the academy."

Everyone remained expressionless, waiting silently for his next words.

Wang Cong, unwilling to let his father's silence hang, chimed in: "What disaster did Little Master Aunt cause?"

"I don't know—but it must be huge, or she wouldn't have used a transmission talisman to send word home."

Wang Cong frowned. "Maybe I should go to Long Hushan again."

Tao Ji: "No—you have an exam in a month. Focus on that. I'll go."

Xuan Miao: "I'll go with you."

Tao Ji opened his mouth to protest, then whispered, "I'll go alone. Sister, stay and cultivate here."

!. ead

Xuan Miao shook her head. "I entrusted Liuzhen to look after them. If Little Sister needs help from home, it means Liuzhen is in trouble too—I must go back."

Tao Ji stopped objecting.

Wang Feiyin still frowned, torn. "If you go, should I go too?"

Xuan Miao: "What would you do, Big Brother?"

Tao Ji thought a moment. "Big Brother, are you just bored and want to go out for a stroll?"

Wang Feiyin glared at him. "Do you think I'm that kind of person? I'm worried they can't handle the disaster she caused."

Tao Ji: "I might not handle it alone—but there's Fourth Sister. It's Long Hushan Academy—many fear her. So Big Brother, rest easy."

Xuan Miao glanced at him, then said to Wang Feiyin: "If you want to go, let me cast a divination to ask for auspiciousness?"

Wang Feiyin immediately said: "Yes, yes! Cast it now!"

Wang Cong confirmed: His father was just bored and wanted to leave—here was a perfectly legitimate excuse.

Xuan Miao went to the main hall to cast the divination; after a long while, she announced: "It's a Middle Auspicious hexagram, meaning…"

"Enough, that's enough," Wang Feiyin interrupted, smiling. "As long as it's not the worst hexagram, I'm going."

His requirement was that simple.

Xuan Miao swallowed her words. Fine—better not to know. As long as Big Brother was happy.

She said: "We should bring more money."

Wang Feiyin: "Why bring so much? I'm with you—if we lose it, what then? Better to bring less."

Xuan Miao: "Bring more. Give the money pouch to Third Brother—he won't lose it."

Wang Feiyin frowned. "Does this trip mean I'll lose money?"

Xuan Miao: "Losing money dispels disaster. If it wards off calamity, what's wrong with that?"

They decided to leave at dawn the next day, leaving Tao Yanbai to care for Wang Cong.

"You two brothers on the mountain—remember to offer incense oil to the Ancestors daily, and spend half a day each day on night watch at the Earth God Temple, understood?"

Tao Yanbai and Wang Cong agreed, watching their elders depart.

Once the adults' figures vanished, the two brothers exchanged glances, burst into loud laughter, and hugged each other.

Tao Yanbai asked Wang Cong: "Big Brother, what do you want for lunch? I'll cook."

Wang Cong: "I don't want anything. I want to practice grain Grain Bigu."

Tao Yanbai: "I want to practice grain Grain Bigu too."

So the two decided to fast.

The day after the elders left, the two of them descended the mountain together, didn't cook, ate a bowl of noodles at Wang Xiaojing's stall, and fasted that night…

On the third day, they ate a bowl of rice and stir-fried vegetables at Wang Xiaojing's stall, and fasted that night…

At this moment, Wang Feiyin and the others had arrived at the Academy, and Zhang Zi had come personally to the mountain gate to greet the three.

Wang Feiyin was stunned. He asked Zhang Zi, "Zhang Zi, how has your Academy been mistreating my three children that you've come all the way to the mountain gate to apologize?"

Zhang Zi's smile vanished. He said coldly, "Brother Wang, you jest. Who in the Academy would dare mistreat Pan Yun? I came because I haven't seen you in a long time, and when I heard you…"

"Enough, enough. What's the point of formalities between us? If you didn't commit a serious offense by mistreating my children, then you must be seeking my help. Is it because True Person Zhang is unwell? Or has Zhang Liuzhen's condition worsened?"

Zhang Zi fell silent.

Wang Feiyin: "Ah, so you really do need me. Has Zhang Liuzhen's condition worsened? Come on, lead me to see my three children first, then I'll go with you to see Zhang Liuzhen."

Zhang Zi turned and led them straight toward the Punishment Hall. "They just went to the Punishment Hall."

Upon hearing this, Wang Feiyin and the other two knew Pan Yun must have caused trouble. As they neared the Punishment Hall and saw the crowd packed tightly in the small courtyard, necks craned to watch, they realized the trouble was no small matter—only a major offense would warrant a public hearing in the courtyard.

It must have been a grave offense, with terrible repercussions.

Wang Feiyin glanced at Xuan Miao.

Xuan Miao met his gaze, then pressed her lips together and hurried forward.

The students parted to make way for Zhang Zi. Before they reached the front, they heard the sound of wailing.

Dai Yong's family had arrived. Their village was not far—just over sixty li away. No one knew who had notified them, but they came so quickly.

It was said Dai Yong contacted his family only four or five times a year, and each time he sent them all the money he had saved—so he disliked contacting them.

Cui Huai had also awakened, but his injuries were severe. He now lay on a wooden board alongside Nong Zhiyi. Xuan He, seeing he wanted to watch the spectacle, kindly propped up his pillow so he could see with everyone else.

The Punishment Hall fell silent, save for the loud sobs of Dai Yong's parents and elder brother and sister-in-law. Lin Jingle's face grew darker by the moment. He was about to order them to quiet down when he spotted Wang Feiyin and Xuan Miao approaching behind Zhang Zi.

Lin Jingle paused a moment before finding his voice. "Silence. Today, the Punishment Hall is adjudicating the case of the five students assaulting one."

"Cui Huai, you were the first victim. You speak first."

Dai's mother wailed, "Why should he speak first? My second son suffered the worst injuries!"

(End of Chapter)