Chapter 234: Misunderstanding, Misunderstanding (Make-up Update for Yesterday)

Pan Yun moved fast, but Pan Xiaohei moved even faster; by the time Song Bei raised his hand to block, it was far too late—his face was clawed open, and even his arm was clawed open.

Fury flared up in an instant, his five fingers forming a claw as he lunged at the black cat, but Pan Yun suddenly stepped forward to block him. The two exchanged three moves back and forth; Pan Yun's hand formed a claw and clamped onto Song Bei's throat, about to knock him out, when suddenly a sound of something tearing through the air came…

Pan Yun turned her head to look—Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He had already leapt into the air, one blocking Hu Jing, the other blocking Su Ying. As the four scattered to either side, Zhu Zixun flew in from dead center through the air and brought a palm strike down at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun didn't even think, and with Song Bei still in her grip, she spun around in an instant.

Zhu Zixun saw Song Bei's back appear beneath his palm and hurriedly pulled his hand back; after spinning twice in the air, he landed, but his movements didn't stop—his palm became a fist and he attacked toward Pan Yun's face.

Pan Yun flung Song Bei aside and met the fist head-on.

Song Bei clutched his throat and staggered back a few steps; seeing that most of the caravan had been pulled into the thick fog, his face changed slightly and he hurriedly shouted, "Stop! Stop! It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!"

Hu Jing and Su Ying heard it, and after clashing palms with Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He, they separated and spun down to the ground.

Hu Jing didn't draw his blade, and Su Ying didn't unsheathe his sword either—clearly, neither of them had gone all out.

Because they had no idea what was going on at all. They were guarding the middle section of the caravan; they had watched Song Bei's carriage and Pan Yun's three people vanish into the thick fog, and just as they were puzzling over it, the thick fog, as if it were alive, rolled and rolled until it covered them too.

Then, although the fog was heavy and chilly, they saw Song Bei's four people at a single glance.

Pan Yun was choking Song Bei; as retainers, of course they had to strike at once to save him.

Zhu Zixun carried a private grudge, and before parting he still viciously blasted a fist toward Pan Yun.

Pan Yun dodged by tilting her body, her palm snatching his wrist in one grab, embracing the half-spent fist, dissolving his qi force with elemental power, then giving a fierce yank toward herself and sending him flying out in an instant.

Zhu Zixun flew past Pan Yun and stumbled a few awkward steps before steadying himself.

He turned his head in annoyance. Song Bei, seeing that nearly the whole caravan had been pulled in, felt a chill in his heart and finally stopped holding back; he hurried to run between the two, holding out a hand to stop them and saying, "Gentlemen, hear me out—what just happened was all a misunderstanding."

Enduring the pain in his throat, he said in a hoarse voice, "I was bewitched by yin evil; Daoist Priest Sanzhu was exorcising it for me."

He turned his head to look at Pan Yun. "Daoist Priest Sanzhu, isn't that right?"

The entire caravan had already been surrounded by the thick fog. A Xin stood with his blade guarding in front of the carriage, his hand resting on the hilt as he glared fiercely at Pan Yun; the guards behind him were all staring tensely at the women.

Two legs are no match for four fists—Pan Yun decisively backed down, nodded with a solemn face and said, "That's right, the employer was indeed possessed by yin evil just now; even I was bewitched for a brief instant. Thinking of yesterday's matter, the fury in my heart flared up, and I nearly hurt the employer by mistake."

Pan Yun wore a look of shame and said decisively, "Employer, because I was also bewitched for a moment just now, you may dock half of our payment."

Hu Jing, hearing this, immediately stepped forward. "Employer, this is very strange—didn't the fog only rise at the bend five li ahead in the past? And the fog wasn't this thick either."

Su Ying glanced at him, knowing he was showing off to compete for a red envelope.

Hu Jing was thinking in his heart: I've worked this hard, he should have seen it, right? He won't dock my pay, will he? I should have drawn my blade just now.

Song Bei had not expected the fog to be so abnormal this time, actually encompassing the entire caravan; he didn't dare gamble, so he tried his best to win people's hearts. "I don't blame Daoist Priest Sanzhu—it's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. No need to mention the pay again. As long as Daoist Priest Sanzhu can resolve this fog, I'll give you a big red envelope." Hu Jing let out a sigh of relief and stepped back to stand and watch the show.

Only Zhu Zixun's face was the ugliest, but at this moment Song Bei had no mood to soothe him; he himself felt fury constantly welling up, and violent qi running rampant—he had to work very hard to suppress the abnormality in his chest.

Pan Yun stared at his face for a glance, lowered her eyes to think for a moment, and said with a look of difficulty, "This…"

Song Bei immediately said, "If you can't dispel the fog, leading the caravan out will do."

Only then did Pan Yun let out a breath and nod, saying, "That one I can try."

She looked around to the left and right, focusing especially on the barren graves on both sides and the bones piled together, and asked, "This fog is a formation. To break the formation, we need to know its cause. Employer, when did this fog appear?"

Song Bei said, "The seaside has high humidity; encountering special weather or geography, fog easily forms. This stretch is like that, but in the past the fog wasn't this thick, nor this wide."

Pan Yun: "Where before, and how long is the stretch?"

Song Bei gestured and said, "At the bend five li ahead; the stretch is only about the length of our half a caravan."

He gave a bitter laugh and said, "That's why I invited Daoist Priest Sanzhu to travel with us—to resolve this fog. I never expected that before we even reached the bend this time, the fog came, and it actually affected the two of us."

!.

Song Bei had truly been affected by the fog, so he was half-believing, half-doubting Pan Yun's words, and didn't doubt her entirely.

Although her words and those of her two junior disciples sounded as if they had come with an ulterior motive, it could also be explained that they were dissatisfied with him, and under the influence of yin evil, the dissatisfaction in their hearts had erupted.

Song Bei was now half clear-headed, half muddled; sometimes in the middle of speaking he would zone out. He realized the fog was affecting him greatly, so he only hoped Pan Yun's three little Daoist priests would quickly resolve the matter and see them out.

Pan Yun had been watching his expression all along. He was already in this state—if she didn't do something, she'd be letting herself down. So after turning in a circle, she picked a direction in the fog and walked. "Follow me."

Song Bei hurriedly told everyone to follow, called A Xin over to whisper, "I have a bad feeling. You watch them. If she plays any tricks, immediately have Hero Zhu kill the three of them."

A Xin was puzzled: "Didn't you say it was all a misunderstanding?"

"It's a misunderstanding, and it might not be a misunderstanding. In short, be careful."

A Xin, hearing this, looked at Pan Yun with a less-than-friendly gaze and gave an acknowledging sound.

"You go ahead and watch them. I'll sit in the carriage. If anything happens, come find me."

A Xin accepted the order and left. After he walked far away, Song Bei immediately tilted his head; a man in grey stepped forward, bending respectfully at his waist to listen.

Song Bei said softly, "You go to the rear. If Sanzhu can't resolve it, you make the offering."

The grey-clothed man accepted the order and assented. The moment he left, another grey-clothed man immediately stepped forward. Song Bei lowered his voice even more, muttering into his ear; not to mention Pan Yun, even Pan Xiaohei who had been left behind didn't hear what they were saying.

(End of this chapter)