Chapter 153: Crying Without End

Pan Yun rubbed her forehead and pouted, "Senior Brother, I'm really wronged, you know?"

Wang Feiyin took off all the bandages from Cui Huai Gong's body, examined the ointment he'd applied, then prescribed him a new formula, saying casually, "I know you're wronged, but who in this world isn't?"

"Just endure it—someday you'll reach a point where no one can wrong you," Wang Feiyin pointed at Cui Huai Gong, lying on the bed with every bone in his body broken, "Isn't he more wronged than you?"

Pan Yun looked down and met Cui Huai Gong's gaze, nodded, and said with deep sympathy, "Cui Huai Gong is more wronged than I am."

Who would've thought? He'd only gone to hold a seat for a classmate, chatted with a fellow townsman, made a friend—and nearly got beaten to death on the street.

"Looking at him, doesn't it make you feel better?"

Pan Yun nodded.

Cui Huai Gong's tears immediately spilled out.

Wang Feiyin gently wiped his tears, adjusted his pillow higher, and whispered, "Cry, cry—you're so wronged, how could you not cry?"

Cui Huai Gong's inner bitterness surged to its peak—he burst into loud sobs, tears streaming like a small stream…

Pan Yun was startled by his sudden outburst; seeing his face contorted in fear and sorrow, her heart ached and tears slipped down unbidden.

She wiped her face with the back of her hand, rushed forward, snatched the cloth from Wang Feiyin's hand, and began wiping his tears, sobbing, "Cui Huai Gong, I'm sorry this time. If you ever need anything in the future, just call out—I'll do whatever I can for you."

Cui Huai Gong didn't hear a word. His world now held only the terror of near-death and the injustice of this senseless attack; through blurred tears, he couldn't make out the faces before him or hear the voices around him.

He only knew Wang Guanzhu was grieving for him—his own heart ached, he felt so wronged, so heartbroken.

He didn't know how long he'd cried, but when his fear, wronging, and sorrow finally faded, he became aware of something on his face.

He stopped crying, his tears slowed, yet his body still shuddered involuntarily; his reason returned, and he turned his head.

There sat Pan Yun and Miao Zhen and Miao He, their eyes red, beside him; seeing he finally looked over, they hurriedly wiped the last traces of tears from his corners, all three watching him hopefully, "Are you still crying?"

Cui Huai Gong felt deeply embarrassed and sniffled as he shook his head.

Because he'd cried so hard, he now convulsed with every breath.

Pan Yun knew this was the body's habitual response—crying was a full-body exercise, activating every organ.

Pan Yun exhaled and quickly poured him a cup of water, feeding it to him, "Brother, where are you hurting now?"

"Get out, get out," Wang Feiyin, who'd been sipping tea nearby, pushed Pan Yun aside, then took Cui Huai Gong's pulse and pressed on his body.

He smiled warmly, "No serious issue—crying it out helped. Good boy, misfortune carries fortune within. You've suffered greatly and been deeply wronged, but now that you've understood it fully, it'll become an advantage in your cultivation."

He pointed at Pan Yun, "And you even got her promise for free. You were caught up in our Three Pure Ones' affairs—anytime you need help, come to our Three Pure Ones Sect. We'll never refuse you."

Cui Huai Gong opened his mouth wide, uneasy, "I—I can?"

"Of course you can!" Wang Feiyin praised him lavishly, "You're loyal, kind-hearted—our Three Pure Ones Sect is blessed to have formed a bond with you. Why wouldn't you?"

Cui Huai Gong's face flushed slightly, "I—I didn't think that far. I just felt our families have always been close—how could I abandon the sisters just because I feared being dragged in?"

"Good boy, you're just like your master—loyal. Study hard in the Academy, train often outside the mountain, broaden your horizons. Learn your master's loyalty, but keep your vision long-term."

Cui Huai Gong: "Are you saying my master has short vision?"

Wang Feiyin smiled faintly, patted his head, "On this point, you might learn from your senior master—he's an excellent man. Learning from him won't be wrong. Hahaha…"

Cui Huai Gong, hearing praise for his senior master, grinned foolishly along.

Tao Ji brought in a bowl of medicine, "Senior Brother, the ointment's ready."

"Bring it," Wang Feiyin ushered everyone out and, with Tao Ji, reapplied the medicine to Cui Huai Gong.

Cui Huai Gong was re-wrapped into a cocoon; when Pan Yun and the others entered and saw him, their eyes betrayed fresh sympathy. "Senior Brother, when will he recover?"

"Broken bones and torn tendons take a hundred days," Wang Feiyin said, "Though he won't need a hundred days to move again, at least forty days, I'd say. His meridians and organs are injured—especially his five viscera and six bowels. Fortunately, you gave him healing medicine right away to protect his heart and organs, but restoring them fully will take two or three months."

Tao Ji seized the chance to teach Miao He, "A human body's energy is finite. When his leg broke, energy flowed to the leg to mend it. Then his arm broke—energy split into two streams to mend both."

"Now his five viscera, six bowels, and entire body are severely injured—energy must be divided into many parts, each wound receiving less, so healing slows. That's why medicine is needed to supply energy."

Miao He: "Besides medicine, is there no other way to supply energy?"

"Of course. Food—though we might as well count it as medicine, since food and medicine are one," Tao Ji said. "Acupuncture can also stimulate stronger bodily energy, unblock meridians, maximize energy efficiency. And our cultivated internal power, yuan power—all can supply him energy."

Wang Feiyin decided to transmit some yuan power to him, to speed and improve his recovery.

Pan Yun volunteered, "Cui Huai Gong, from now on, I'll handle your three meals a day—I'll go to the canteen every day and bring you whatever you want."

Cui Huai Gong: "Thank you." He couldn't move—even if Pan Yun didn't bring him food, the clinic would assign Daoist acolytes to feed him.

Cui Huai Gong asked, "Master Wang, since you're here, why haven't my master and the others come?"

Wang Feiyin sighed, "We didn't know you were injured, so we didn't tell them. They probably just got the news now."

Cui Huai Gong froze, then asked, "Wait—Master Wang, you got here so fast. Can letters be delivered this quickly now?"

Wang Feiyin smiled, "Slow delivery has its way, fast delivery has its way."

Cui Huai Gong grew anxious, "I wonder if my master got a fast letter or a slow one."

Pan Yun: "Are you asking whether the Academy sent a letter to your master?"

Cui Huai Gong smiled sheepishly.

Pan Yun said, "They definitely didn't. Otherwise, they'd have come knocking like the Dai family did."

Cui Huai Gong widened his eyes, "My master isn't that kind of person."

!. Read

Pan Yun soothed him, "I know. So the Academy didn't write—but I did."

Cui Huai Gong: "Huh?"

Pan Yun: "Don't worry—I wrote two letters the day after it happened. One to Three Pure Ones Sect, one to your senior master. By now, they should arrive in one or two days."

The postal relay moved slower than walking, because each station passed it along—and even after reaching the final station, delivery wasn't immediate.

The relay only delivered imperial documents, due to too few couriers. Everything else relied on word-of-mouth—passed until it reached the recipient's home, then the recipient had to fetch it from the relay station.

This was far inferior to the Minxin Bureau.

But Pan Yun didn't use the Minxin Bureau because Fuxing Temple and Three Pure Ones Sect were far from the county town—sending via Minxin Bureau was slower than the relay.

So Li Qingyin didn't receive the news until two days later.

It was a villager from the town who came to Fuxing Temple to burn incense and casually passed on the message: "An urgent letter arrived—from Long Hushan."

Li Qingyin blinked. "Is it addressed to me? Not to the temple?"

Naive Pan Yun didn't know—if she'd sent it to the temple, the relay would've delivered it directly.

Personal letters weren't delivered.

"It's for you—the station chief told you to pick it up."

Li Qingyin guessed all the way to the station, opened the letter on the spot, and moments later screamed, "Aaah!" He crumpled the letter and ran back to the temple, shouting to his disciples, "Our Huai Gong was bullied at Long Hushan! Grab your weapons—we're going!"

Cui Huai Gong's master snatched the letter, read it, and screamed, "My disciple—how dare they beat him?"

Li Qingyin slapped him. "It's your fault! I told you—after he enters the Academy, keep him far from Pan Yun! You wouldn't listen. Now he's the monkey they use to scare others!"

"But the letter doesn't say why he was beaten—how do you know it's because of Pan Yun?"

"Do you think I don't know my own disciple? He's just like you—no vision, but loyal and kind. He wouldn't seek trouble. He's poor, talentless—why would anyone target him?"

Junior brother: …

"Only Pan Yun. He must've been dragged down by her."

The junior brother's breath quickened, turned, and walked away, "I'm going to Three Pure Ones Sect."

Li Qingyin grabbed him. "Go where? Pan Yun wrote me—wouldn't she have written Wang Feiyin too? They've probably received the letter already."

"The deed is done—no point regretting it," Li Qingyin said. "Since Huai Gong chose Pan Yun, he should stick with her."

The junior brother froze. "Didn't you tell us to stay away from her?"

"Not us—Huai Gong! Idiot—we're all from Three Pure Ones Mountain, the same faction. Why stay away? Our temple can follow Three Pure Ones Sect because Three Pure Ones Mountain is our territory—Long Hushan dares not bully us here."

"But Huai Gong went to their territory, with no talent and no money—how else to survive?"

"But now it doesn't matter. Since he's been beaten, the whole Academy assumes he stands with Pan Yun. So stand with her openly—don't turn traitor halfway."

Li Qingyin taught his students to avoid harm and seek advantage—but never to be fickle.

(End of Chapter)