Chapter 187: Still Angry

Pan Yun encouraged them, "Then go— I'll bring it up with them, get them to let you practice on them. If they refuse, I'll beat them first, then you step in."

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He both thought this idea was good.

Sister Xuan Li, upon hearing this, also grew eager, "Should I go too?"

Pan Yun didn't hesitate a second—that would be disrespectful to her—and shook her head directly, "You can't."

Sister Xuan Li protested, "Why can't I?"

Pan Yun: "Last time in sword class, Mr. Cao Jixiang had me spar with you. I deliberately used my left hand. On the third strike, you lunged straight into my blade. If I hadn't pulled back fast enough, you'd have been split open on the spot."

Sister Xuan Li blushed, whispering, "I tripped on a stone slab back then—who could've guessed a stone tile, worn out from age, would have one corner sticking up?"

Pan Yun: "In an actual fight, it's not just a sticking-up stone slab—you might face a mountain rising from flat ground. What then?"

"Why would I go fight my senior and junior brothers and sisters? Are they stronger than me? Do they have more battlefield experience? Do they know how ruthless opponents in the cultivation world can be—how they'll use underhanded tricks to corner you, and then turn those same tricks against you?"

Pan Yun said, "Sparring with them lets me learn what techniques people in the cultivation world actually use. I can't claim to know them all, but with so many senior and junior brothers and sisters, I can at least grasp three or four tenths of it."

"And by understanding their positions in the cultivation world, I can estimate what position I might reach if I ever venture out."

Sister Xuan Li stared, dumbfounded, asking, "Aren't you the temple attendant now? Your cultivation is already high—what a bright future! Just stay on Mount Sanqing and cultivate peacefully. Why go out into the cultivation world?"

"The cultivation world is dangerous. None of you should go—let me go alone."

Pan Yun said this, but Sister Xuan Li suddenly grew curious about the cultivation world, changing her mind: "You're right—the cultivation world sounds so fun. How could we not go explore it?"

Pan Yun: "... Don't you dare spread that around. I never said that."

"The words weren't, but your tone was."

Pan Yun couldn't argue with her, so she decided not to argue anymore.

But this incident did catch Sister Xuan Li's attention—she too wanted to spar with her senior and junior brothers and sisters.

When Pan Yun and the others went again to challenge their senior and junior brothers and sisters, she followed, drew her sword, and charged in yelling.

This left even the battle-hardened senior and junior brothers and sisters flustered—they had to be careful not to actually pierce Sister Xuan Li and kill her.

Because of Sister Xuan Li's involvement, the academy instructors, who had previously pretended not to notice, swiftly intervened and shut down this entire small corner of mutual training.

The senior and junior brothers and sisters preparing for exams were ordered not to step outside a certain area. Anyone caught violating this rule would be expelled immediately and left to find their own lodging.

Pan Yun and the other three, especially Pan Yun, were sentenced to wash laundry for a month.

Pan Yun was furious, shouting, "Why do other students get punished with cleaning duty, but I have to wash clothes?"

Lin Jing, who issued the punishment, replied coldly, "One and a half months."

Pan Yun immediately shut up—she wasn't afraid of the penalty being extended to two months; she realized this wasn't really a big deal.

She roughly understood: they didn't make her sweep floors because sweeping lets you talk to many senior and junior brothers and sisters.

Only the laundry bureau, tucked away in a remote corner, made it nearly impossible to meet anyone—whether washing or hanging clothes—completely cutting off any chance of reconnection with her senior and junior brothers and sisters.

Pan Yun sighed, and the next noon, she, Miao Zhen, Miao He, and Sister Xuan Li reported to the laundry bureau.

Since Sister Xuan Li had just joined, she was only sentenced to three days—so long as she completed her assigned tasks daily.

Miao Zhen and Miao He, for colluding with Pan Yun, were sentenced to half a month.

Pan Yun, as the ringleader, was sentenced to a month—but she managed to stretch it to one and a half.

Upon arriving at the laundry bureau, Zhang Guanshi frowned at the four of them. "Why did the Criminal Law Hall send you four little brats here to wash clothes?"

She lifted their palms to inspect them, her frown deepening. "These soft, delicate hands—no calluses except from holding brushes and swords. Are these even hands meant for labor?"

"Sending you here isn't punishment for you—it's punishment for me," Zhang Guanshi muttered, yet still led them to a pile of dirty clothes, pointing, "Wash them all before class. If not, tomorrow's double. If you still haven't finished tomorrow, double again. After three doublings, I'll report to the Criminal Law Hall: either extend your sentence, or skip class entirely—wash every single garment within one day before you can resume lessons."

So cold. So heartless.

Pan Yun and the other three exchanged glances, then looked at the mountain of dirty clothes—and shuddered.

Pan Yun asked cautiously, "Guanshi, whose clothes are these?"

"The clothes of academy staff and Dao cultivation disciples."

Not everyone is like Zhang Liuzhen, with a Dao attendant to care for them—most Dao masters take care of themselves.

To avoid disrupting the instructors' cultivation and teaching, the academy sends Dao attendants daily to collect their dirty clothes and wash them.

With meals provided in the cafeteria and lodging within the academy, the academy covers clothing, food, and shelter entirely—with one goal.

To cultivate in peace. To teach in peace.

There are many instructors and Dao cultivation disciples in the academy.

The pile assigned to Pan Yun and the others is but a drop in the ocean. All four knew this well—they silently picked up wooden buckets, stuffed the dirty clothes inside, and carried them to the river.

Pan Yun glanced at the eight fully packed buckets and said, "Two buckets each. Split up. Whoever fails to finish must find their own solution."

Sister Xuan Li: "..."

She stared wide-eyed at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun met her gaze calmly. "So you knew you'd fail?"

Sister Xuan Li, guiltily, said, "Are you angry at me? I got you caught, and got you punished."

"We weren't punished because of you," Pan Yun was clear-eyed about grievances. "Even without you, the three of us would've been punished eventually. But you did get us caught—had we been caught, it would've been after the Shoulu Exam."

"All that training time—even if we'd been punished later, I wouldn't regret it. But now, half a month remains before the Shoulu Exam. Getting caught now? I deeply regret it."

Sister Xuan Li blinked, finally realizing: "So... the instructors already knew you were sparring here, but stayed silent—until I showed up, and then they 'discovered' you?"

Pan Yun: "That corner is secluded, but not so secluded that dozens of us gathering there for days went unnoticed by the Criminal Law Hall?"

!

"If that's true, the Criminal Law Hall should replace its Tangzhu."

Sister Xuan Li fell silent.

Miao Zhen said, "It's too late to say anything now. The deed is done—don't dwell on the past. Focus on now. Sister Xuan Li, we rarely do chores on Mount Sanqing—we can't help you with this."

"Little Auntie specifically mentioned this for everyone's sake. We're punished longer than you—if you drag us down, and Zhang Guanshi counts this as everyone's failure, do you know how many extra garments you'd force us to wash daily?"

Sister Xuan Li shuddered at the thought. "I won't drag you down."

Pan Yun nodded. "I hope so."

Because of those words, Xuan Li washed the clothes with exceptional vigor, her speed so fast it left Pan Yun and the other three gaping.

Miao He stared blankly at her, then said after a moment: "You just drop them in, stir twice, and pull them out—how can they get clean?"

Xuan Li: "As long as they're washed, isn't that enough? They only require washing, not how clean. And how do you define 'clean'? Everyone has their own standard."

Pan Yun thought she had a point, but she glanced down at the dirty clothes in her hands and still couldn't cross the mental barrier—she washed them properly anyway.

Miao Zhen and Miao He did the same.

They thought Xuan Li's way was wrong, but they didn't try to talk her out of it, because with her ability, she truly couldn't finish two buckets of clothes normally.

This was fine too—even if caught and punished, the punishment would be for something else, not doubled… right?

After finishing, the four carried the clothes back to the Laundry Bureau and spread them out directly on the drying ropes.

Zhang Guanshi examined each one carefully; when checking Xuan Li's clothes, his brow furrowed, and he immediately punished her: "Take these clothes and wash them again."

But he did not punish her with double work tomorrow.

Xuan Li quietly exhaled in relief and looked at Pan Yun.

At the same time, Zhang Guanshi now treated them as individuals; when assigning tasks the next day, he gave each person a separate pile of clothes—fail to finish yours, and you alone are punished.

All four exhaled in relief; Xuan Li no longer feared she would drag them down.

Yet Xuan Li never held them back—she preferred to wash roughly, even if it meant being punished with a repeat wash that day and missing class, she absolutely refused to face double punishment the next day.

Pan Yun couldn't help but marvel: "I didn't expect Xuan Li to be so clever. This is truly a good method. I'll write this rule into the Student Handbook so future punished students will know it."

Xuan Li, carrying her wooden bucket over and hearing this, quickly said: "You're taking my idea—aren't you going to pay me?"

Pan Yun: "The Student Handbook is given free to students. I don't make money from it either."

Xuan Li looked skeptical. "You'd do something that doesn't make money?"

Pan Yun: "I'm a good person, okay? It's you who's never acted like one."

Xuan Li: …

Seeing the two about to argue, Miao Zhen quickly interrupted: "Xuan Li, tomorrow is the last day—don't mess up, or all your effort will be wasted."

Xuan Li blushed and grunted an "Mm," then carried her bucket to the stream.

This stream flowed down from the mountains; its source was said to lie deep within the range behind them, never drying year-round, though in winter the water dwindled to a shallow layer, just enough to step across on stones.

The streambank had many stones—some natural, others brought by the Academy specifically for washing clothes, vegetables, and even rinsing rice.

Since the water flowed continuously downstream, no one could touch the same patch of water at two different times.

Xuan Li washed the clothes clean, then looked at Miao Zhen and asked softly: "Is your junior uncle still angry at me?"

(End of Chapter)