Chapter 200: Reminder

Pan Yun: "Prick a drop of blood!"

This idea was familiar—last night, she and Miao Zhen had lain awake and seriously discussed it, agreeing that blood-dropping was necessary to authenticate the object.

So she swiftly drew out the short needle she had prepared earlier, stabbed her fingertip, and squeezed out the blood.

Pan Yun taught her, "See this spot? This is the core of the space array. Drip your blood here, then calm your mind and sense your connection to it…"

Miao He dripped the blood onto it, then closed her eyes and held the jade tablet, focusing hard—but felt nothing.

She grew anxious, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

Pan Yun whispered, "Don't rush. Take your time. It takes time for the jade to absorb your blood. Right now, the tablet is in your palm—you can feel it's there. Close your eyes and look inward. You can inner-see, so you must also be able to outer-see without your eyes. Do you see that red dot at the array's core? That's your blood. Sense it—it's flowing through the core into another space…"

Miao He sensed the blood she had just dripped—suddenly she "saw" it, watched it slowly seep into the array's core, her consciousness following the blood inward, and in an instant she entered a space…

Miao He snapped open her eyes, overjoyed, "I saw it!"

Pan Yun grinned, "Remember this feeling. Your consciousness can enter now—you can store things inside, or retrieve them. This space belongs to you."

At once, Miao He closed her eyes to sense it again.

This time, she smoothly found the array's core and entered—and now, she felt an inexplicable bond with this space, like a tether; she could directly sense it.

When Miao He exited the space, she saw the single drop of blood had fully seeped in, leaving no trace—only green and white remained.

Miao He couldn't help stroking the jade tablet, murmuring, "So miraculous."

She grabbed the teapot on the table and shouted, "Recollect!"

The teapot vanished.

Miao He burst into loud, joyful laughter.

Miao Zhen: …

This person is so foolish. She didn't want to know her.

Miao Zhen rose silently and sat farther away from her.

Pan Yun sighed, "You don't need to shout. I've noticed—few in the academy have space arrays. Don't flaunt wealth. We should be more careful in daily life."

Like her, she was always careful about such things.

Pan Xiaohei sensed her thought and snorted.

Pan Yun heard its voice, turned to glare at it, then turned back to Miao He: "Put your most important things inside. Don't store all your money—keep some on you for daily expenses. Besides that, stock plenty of food and drink inside, for emergencies."

Pan Yun paused here, "If you put food inside, control yourself. That's for emergencies—don't finish it all in one night."

She spoke with solemn concern, "Miao He, being plump is fine, but if you get any fatter, it becomes a health issue."

Miao He immediately said, "I won't sneak snacks."

Miao Zhen: "Just put in the most disgusting, most filling dried rations."

Though Miao He loved food, she was a plump girl with standards—she'd only nibble on bad food, never wolf it down.

Pan Yun nodded—her own spiritual realm space was stocked with the most disgusting yet most filling dried rations.

She descended the mountain once every half-month to replace them, giving the old ones to beggars, and had earned several merit points for it—no waste at all.

Now there was one more person preparing rations. She felt her future merit accumulation would grow further, so she patted Miao He's shoulder and said, "Don't worry about waste—I'll handle your rations later. You too."

Pan Yun turned to Miao Zhen.

Miao Zhen's eyes sparkled. "Little Master, would you rest a few days before carving my jade tablet?"

"Fine. I'll rest two days." Her dantian's golden core energy was less than half replenished—she definitely needed two days to recover, but she wouldn't tell her two junior sisters.

How could she let them know she wasn't as powerful as they imagined?

Miao Zhen found Miao He a red cord, tied it around her neck, then ran back to her room, took out all her money, and divided it into two boxes to store inside the space.

The small box held her own coins, mixed denominations; the large box held the money "borrowed" from Pan Yun.

Pan Yun changed into her Daoist robe, tied her hair neatly, then led the two to the dining hall for food.

It was just after morning cultivation, when everyone came for breakfast—the dining hall was bustling.

Today, Pan Yun carried an enormous bowl, nearly as large as a soup basin. She told Miao Zhen and Miao He, "Get plenty—right now, I'm so hungry I could eat a whole ox."

Carving arrays drained too much energy—she felt she could devour an ox.

Pan Yun walked to the window, handed up the bowl, received half a bowl of rice piled high with vegetables, then pointed to the bamboo steamer beside her: "Four steamed buns."

The old Daoist looked up, sized her up, then gave her two. "Don't overeat."

Pan Yun said, "Absolutely not!"

The old Daoist studied her a moment longer, then added two more, saying, "If you can eat all this without getting bloated, go to Fanxi Court."

Pan Yun paused, then took her bowl and left.

She truly wouldn't get bloated. Food replenished essence and qi—warriors who couldn't yet absorb spiritual energy had to convert their body's essence into internal force.

Where did that essence come from?

A significant portion came from food.

So eating well and appropriately extended life—even without deliberate refinement, food essence gently nourished the five organs, leaving residual qi within the body.

Pan Yun had expended too much essence—no matter how much she ate, she still felt unsatisfied.

And the old Daoist's remark made her chew slowly—this allowed food to better transform into essence and store within her body.

Miao Zhen and Miao He finished eating and propped their chins, watching her first clear the rice, then pick up the gray, dense steamed buns, tear them apart, and eat them leisurely.

Twenty minutes passed before she finished two buns; half an hour later, the dining hall was empty, and only then did she slowly swallow her last bite.

The old Daoist walked over, glanced at her stomach, and said, "Go to Fanxi Court. You'll gain something."

Pan Yun bowed in thanks, then, with Miao Zhen and Miao He curiously in tow, headed for Fanxi Court.

Fanxi Court still housed only Zhang Liuzhen.

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He had already begun teaching, but only two lessons per ten-day cycle—one small-class session, one large-group session in the courtyard.

Whoever attended, the demand was high—but everyone knew his health was poor, so even students who couldn't get in never demanded he teach more, as they might with other instructors.

What puzzled Pan Yun was that Zhang Liuzhen rarely left the mountain, and Zhang True Person below hardly ever came to visit him—the father and son seemed estranged.

Aside from seeing them stand together briefly at the recent talisman-bestowing ceremony, she had neither seen nor heard of them meeting again.

Zhang Liuzhen had always lived in Fanxi Court with only one Daoist attendant.

Yet the Tian Shi Fu had never missed a single payment for his medicine.

Hearing the knock, Si Dao opened the door, saw Pan Yun and the two others, brightened, and flung both doors wide. "Are the three young Daoists here to see our Master?"

Pan Yun nodded. "Has Big Brother's condition improved?"

"Much better," Si Dao led them upstairs without making them wait outside. "Master said, if any of the three young Daoists come, bring them straight in—even if he's not here, you may read books in Fanxi Court."

One could say the freedom was considerable.

Pan Yun followed him upstairs, pushed open the door, and saw two teacups on a low table by the window behind the screen, with incense curling gently from the brazier—someone had just brewed tea.

"Does Big Brother have a guest?"

Si Dao smiled. "It was Daoist Li Wenying—he was just here drinking tea, but now I don't know where he went. Please wait a moment—I'll go find Master and Daoist Li."

Pan Yun nodded. After he left, she surveyed the room.

Seeing seven or eight books stacked on the mat, she leaned in curiously—and to her surprise, the top one was the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*.

A flicker of strangeness crossed her mind—before she could ponder further, two footsteps approached, one light, one heavy.

She looked up and saw Zhang Liuzhen in a straight-collared, wide-sleeved Daoist robe, relaxed and at ease; beside him, Li Wenying wore a tight-sleeved, light martial robe, clearly a cultivator, gripping a sword in his hand.

Li Wenying's gaze landed directly on Pan Yun.

Pan Yun immediately lowered her eyes and bowed. "Greetings, Big Brother, Senior Brother Li."

Miao Zhen and Miao He followed, calling, "Big Brother, Senior Brother Li."

Li Wenying said, "You calling me Senior Brother Li is fine, but you two—you're not currently serving in the academy. From your Master's lineage, you should address me as Junior Uncle."

Miao Zhen and Miao He pretended not to hear.

Their rank was always the lowest, so they refused to lower it if they could avoid it.

Pan Yun spoke for them: "Big Brother's right—in the academy, we ignore lineage from below. All academy members, regardless of age, are fellow brothers and sisters. If Senior Brother Li wants them to call him Junior Uncle, wait until they've completed their studies and leave the mountain."

Li Wenying didn't bother arguing over such matters. He lifted his robe and sat on the mat, poured himself tea, and asked, "Why are you here?"

Zhang Liuzhen smiled, gestured for Si Dao to bring three cushions, and invited them to sit. "Sit, have some tea. No rush."

Pan Yun indeed took her time.

She sipped the tea Si Dao poured and sighed, "Big Brother's tea is exquisite—far better than what we have on Mount Sanqing."

"My father brought it from the capital. If you like it, I'll have Si Dao pack you a box to take back and brew yourself."

Li Wenying: "You're generous—there's only one box total."

Zhang Liuzhen laughed. "I'm drinking medicine—I don't usually drink tea. If you hadn't come today, this pot would've been plain boiled water."

Li Wenying gave Pan Yun a half-smile, waiting to see how she'd refuse.

But Pan Yun simply nodded and said, "Thank you, Big Brother."

Li Wenying was astonished. "I thought you were like Zhang Li. Now I see—you're more like Wang Guan."

(End of Chapter)