Chapter 157

Pan Yun opened the box, kept only one silver note worth ten taels, and gave the rest to Wang Feiyin.

The senior sister and brother were counting money when Miaohe rushed in like a gust of wind, shouting: "Grandmaster, the senior masters and uncles from Fuxing Temple are about to fight with Yuanzhu Zhang and his group!"

Wang Feiyin, hearing this, had no time to finish counting—he shoved the money into Miaohe's arms and stood up. "These are the funds your junior uncle gave to the temple; keep them safe. I'm going to see what's happening."

Miaohe hugged the pile of silver notes, her attention instantly diverted. "Wow, so much money."

She barely had time to glance down before Wang Feiyin ran off, beaming with excitement: "Li Qingyin has finally arrived! All that waiting for two extra days was worth it."

Hearing this, Miaohe lost all interest in the money and wanted to join the commotion too—she shoved the notes back into Pan Yun's hands. "Junior uncle, watch this for me—I'll be right back."

Pan Yun extended her hand dramatically: "Miaohe—you're really going to abandon me like this?"

Miaohe vanished in a flash—utterly heartless.

Li Qingyin arrived at the worst possible moment, because Pan Yun was sent to Si Guo Cliff the next day and didn't see the outcome;

He couldn't have come a little earlier, or even a little later—wait until she was already inside. She didn't know, and perhaps then she wouldn't have been so tormented.

Pan Yun stuffed all her prepared items into the Spirit Realm space, then packed away her clothes, toothbrush, and other personal effects, and waited for someone to come and take her to Si Guo Cliff.

Si Guo Cliff lay among the high mountains behind the academy.

Sparse trees, composed entirely of rock, with natural caves formed along the towering cliffs—winding and labyrinthine. The academy had modified them, though she didn't know how—once inside, unless the academy released you, no one could get out.

Wang Feiyin delayed her departure until afternoon; as soon as the time came, disciples from the Punishment Hall arrived to escort her to Si Guo Cliff.

Pan Yun's buttock wounds had scabbed over—lying down was bearable, but any movement sent pain surging through her, so she gritted her teeth as she got out of bed, taking ten breaths to take one step.

She pleaded pitifully to the senior sisters escorting her: "Senior sisters, I really did my best, but I truly can't walk."

The four senior sisters stared at her for a moment, then waved their hands. "Bring the board."

A familiar bedslab was carried up.

The sisters gestured for her to lie down on it.

Pan Yun imagined the mountain path and decisively spread the quilt over the board before lying down.

She reached out to Pan Xiaohei, who crouched nearby: "Xiaohei, get up here."

The black cat leapt onto the board, crouching beside her head, tilting its small head up with hers to stare at the four senior sisters.

Pan Yun said: "Senior sisters, we're ready."

The four senior sisters: …

They looked at her for a moment, then lifted her up and carried her away.

As Pan Yun was carried out, not a single person came to see her off—she let out a long sigh. "I'm so pitiful."

One senior sister couldn't bear it: "Going to Si Guo Cliff isn't something to be proud of—why would anyone come to see you off?"

"Let me remind you, the caves of Si Guo Cliff are all sealed, but theoretically they're connected—some things can pass through the rock walls."

Pan Yun's eyes widened in terror. "Are you talking about… ghosts?"

Another senior sister frowned. "You've never been inside—how do you know what's in Si Guo Cliff?"

She told Pan Yun: "Little sister, don't overthink it. You're not the only one being sent there this time."

Pan Yun: "Who else?"

"Zhou Wang, the Daoist senior brother, went too—and…" she paused, then added: "Anyway, many others. Just settle in calmly—senior brothers and sisters who've been there before say that if you calm your mind and quiet your spirit, Si Guo Cliff can't harm you."

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow—her fourth senior sister had said the same thing: Si Guo Cliff was empty, but if you calmed your mind, you'd pass through safely.

If she could enter meditation inside, even without cultivating, she'd still gain something.

Pan Yun had been looking forward to this trip to Si Guo Cliff all along.

The four senior sisters carried Pan Yun up the mountain, their steps as steady as on flat ground. At first, Pan Yun tilted her head to look around, but by the time they reached mid-mountain, she clutched the quilt tightly, eyes lowered, no longer looking anywhere—even so, her face had turned pale.

Pan Xiaohei had planned to jump down and run ahead, but seeing her like this, he snorted and stayed crouched beside her head.

The sisters carrying her from behind noticed and asked: "Little sister, are you afraid of heights?"

Pan Yun denied it firmly: "No—I have excellent lightness kung fu, how could I be afraid of heights?"

"I've heard that fear of heights comes from fearing the fall—so if you fully trust your environment and yourself while high up, you won't fear it; conversely, even without danger of falling, if you lack inner trust, you'll still fear it."

"Are you afraid we'll drop you?"

Pan Yun half-tilted her head and asked: "Will you drop me?"

The senior sister laughed: "No. So little sister, rest easy."

Pan Yun didn't believe it at all—in this, she trusted only herself.

At that moment, she felt a tiny bit of regret—she shouldn't have lain down to be carried; her buttocks weren't that painful, and with careful movements, she could've walked herself.

But the words were already spoken—she wouldn't change them now. Other things could be sacrificed, but her dignity couldn't.

Pan Yun was carried all the way to the summit, still lying flat on the board.

The mountaintop, of course, was all rock—only a few stunted, clinging trees grew sporadically. A small wooden hut stood nearby, with two large water jars in front, and an open-air kitchen built of straw and wooden poles. All this? This was Si Guo Cliff?

Just as she thought this, a young Daoist Priest stepped out of the hut. He wasn't surprised by the four senior sisters, but he blinked at the bedslab. "What did she do to deserve being beaten and carried up?"

One senior sister replied: "Not a major offense—just didn't treat our academy like home."

The young Daoist Priest: …

After a long pause, he said: "That's actually a serious crime. What exactly did she do?"

The senior sister: "She threatened Yuanzhu Zhang and Tangzhu Lin to give her an explanation."

The young Daoist Priest's expression instantly normalized. "Oh, then it's fine."

He extended his hand.

One senior sister handed him a slip—he checked it, then looked at Pan Yun. "What's your name?"

"Pan Yun."

The young Daoist Priest nodded. "Nine years old. This height makes it impossible to misidentify. Alright, take her down—put her in Cave Jia-28."

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The four senior sisters agreed, turning together to look at Pan Yun, who was still lying prone.

Pan Yun blinked at them, slowly rising from the wooden bed, and extended her hand toward Pan Xiaohei.

Pan Xiaohei leapt into her arms.

"Wait a minute—why is there a cat? And why isn't she carrying any luggage? I don't deliver things for people."

One senior sister said, "She has a Sleeve of Heaven and Earth."

Pan Yun turned to look at her, smiling faintly. "How do you know that?"

The senior sister glanced at her. "Your wooden basin and toothware are gone, even the shelf is gone—clearly your luggage was packed. Mount Sanqing treats you so well, how could they not pack your things? Most likely, it's all in a Heaven-and-Earth pouch."

The young Daoist Priest's expression improved slightly. "As long as you bring your own things, settle in and treat this cave as your home. Handle your own affairs—don't keep relying on others to solve them for you, understood?"

He said, "I deliver food and water once a day, usually finished by morning. If I ever miss a day, it's because I'm too sick to get up—or dead. If that happens, shout loudly inside the cave to summon someone to come up and check. This isn't saving me—it's saving yourselves."

"Oh, I forgot to mention—only I guard Si Guo Cliff. So if I'm gone, you'll starve and die of thirst. Don't keep calling for me—people can die from exhaustion."

Pan Yun: "May I ask your name, Senior Brother?"

"I am Cheng Lingzi."

"Senior Brother Cheng Lingzi, you're working far too hard. When I go down the mountain, I'll speak with Lin Tangzhu about this—how can such a vast Si Guo Cliff be left to one person's labor?"

Cheng Lingzi bared his teeth at her in a grin. "Thanks a lot."

The four senior sisters no longer wished to listen to their banter. They brought up a large bamboo basket and gestured for her to get in.

Pan Yun: "... So this is how we enter Si Guo Cliff?"

"Stop wasting time—get in quickly. Night's coming."

Pan Yun stepped into the basket, holding Pan Xiaohei.

Under Cheng Lingzi's direction, the four women lowered the bamboo basket over the cliff.

The cliff plunged into unfathomable depths, where rushing river water churned below.

Pan Yun closed her eyes, trembling as she turned her body to face the cliff wall—only then did she feel slightly better. She asked Pan Xiaohei, "Check if this rope is sturdy. It won't snap halfway down, will it?"

Pan Xiaohei meowed, "The rope is strong."

"Then check if the basket is sturdy too. Has it rotted from rain?"

"The basket's solid too. Can you stop shaking? I don't believe you ever flew with objects in your past life."

"How could it be the same? I flew with objects because I knew I could. But this basket, this rope—even the people pulling the rope—are not me. How can I trust them? There are always malicious people trying to harm me—I must be cautious."

As they bickered, Pan Yun's sharp ears caught: "There—it's this cave."

Pan Yun stiffly turned her neck and saw the bamboo basket halted before a cave entrance.

Cheng Lingzi leaned over to look down. "What are you standing there for? Get in! Even if you can't use lightness skill, just step in! By the way—she's nine. Has she trained in martial arts? Don't scream and panic and disturb Si Guo Cliff."

"Senior Brother, don't worry—she's excellent at martial arts. She can beat Zhang Weiyi."

Cheng Lingzi: "Zhang Weiyi is that weak? Sigh—your generation is terrible. One generation worse than the next."

The four senior sisters fell silent.

While they spoke above, Pan Yun tugged the rope to confirm the basket was secured, then tossed the cat into the cave and cautiously climbed out of the basket.

Only when her feet touched the ground did her heart settle. She walked five or six steps into the cave without looking back, then turned to gaze outward. "Oh my god—this is way too high! Why can't I live somewhere lower?"

On the cliff top, Cheng Lingzi proudly shouted down: "How's this cave I picked for you? High, dry, sun-facing, great view, and spacious!"

Pan Yun: "..."

Pan Yun shouted upward: "Thank you, Senior Brother."

(End of Chapter)