Chapter 317: Happiness Is Not Shared

Pan Yun was not there, but Miao He was.

When Master Qian arrived at the Mountain God Temple, Miao He was squatting on a rock holding a bowl, gnawing on a bone. Seeing him come, she said, "My master and little martial uncle are both out. My grand martial uncle is up at the Daoist temple on the mountain."

Master Qian stood before the temple and carefully examined the pots and stoves on the plaza, then asked Miao He, "Why are you the only one gnawing on a bone?"

Miao He said sorrowfully, "Because I'm the only one gnawing. Grand Xiao Shishu and Third Senior Brother think the bone has no meat on it and refuse to gnaw it. Little Xiao Shishu took Grand Senior Brother and Miao Zhen out, but didn't take me."

Saying this, Miao He grew even more sorrowful and stressed, "Little Xiao Shishu didn't take me."

Master Qian reluctantly comforted her with a word, then asked, "Where did they go?"

Miao He: "Fucheng."

Master Qian immediately said, "That's too much. How could they go somewhere like Fucheng without bringing little Daoist Master Miao He?"

Miao He couldn't help but speak up for Pan Yun again. "Little Xiao Shishu didn't deliberately leave me behind. It's just that the Mountain God Temple is about to hold its temple fair, and there's a lot to do. I had to stay to take charge of things."

Master Qian found it amusing in his heart. "Little Daoist Master Miao He is truly impressive — so young and already able to oversee such a grand affair."

Miao He said proudly, "What's so great about that? My little martial uncle is even more impressive. She became a temple warden at an even younger age."

While they were talking, Wang Feiyin came ambling down from the mountain carrying a few vegetables in his arms. Seeing Master Qian, he stroked his beard and laughed, "No wonder I heard magpies chattering early this morning — turns out an honored guest has arrived."

Miao He: ……In weather this cold, do they even have magpies up on the mountaintop?

Wang Feiyin said they did, and shoved the vegetables into Miao He's arms. "Don't be like your grand senior brother, parading through the village all day. The villagers don't have it easy growing vegetables, and you've nearly converted all of them."

Miao He took the vegetables and said, "It's because the kind people saw how cute I am and gave them to me on purpose."

"Yes, yes, yes, you're adorable. Now hurry and put the vegetables inside, don't let them freeze."

Miao He turned around holding the vegetables. "There are barely any vegetables left on the mountain. By the time Master and Fourth Xiao Shishu come back, there won't be any vegetables to eat."

"Just buy more…" Wang Feiyin said sheepishly, smiling at Master Qian. "This child worries too much. She's always fretting that the Daoist temple has no money — saving here, saving there. Sigh, even when buying bones, she has to specifically pick clean bones without meat. The butcher says those are usually used to feed dogs."

Qian Dahong, who had brought his father here to chat and eat melon: ……

Somehow felt his money pouch aching a little.

Miao He, who had come out after putting the vegetables away: ……

Why did it make her want to bark twice like Wang Wang?

Wang Feiyin led Master Qian on a tour of the Mountain God Temple — which really just meant letting him look at the villagers working inside.

Master Qian's gaze swept over the villagers' hands, feet, and clothes, finally settling on the bonfire they were gathered around. He asked, "How much firewood does this take in a day?"

Wang Feiyin was about to answer when he saw someone walking up the road, so he gestured for Master Qian to look. "Just about that much. That's why the children have to go up the mountain to chop firewood every day."

Master Qian and his son turned their heads and saw Tao Yanbai coming down the mountain with two middle-aged men in tattered clothes, each carrying a bundle of firewood on their backs.

Tao Yanbai tossed the firewood from his back onto the ground, untied the rope, and kicked it once to spread the wood out to dry.

The two middle-aged men didn't have his strength. After putting down the firewood, they spread it out stick by stick to dry.

Master Qian knew of Tao Yanbai's medical skills and immediately felt for him. "Doesn't little Daoist Master Tao still need to study medicine? Spending time chopping firewood is such a waste of time. Why not just buy firewood, or hire someone? There should still be plenty of people in the village willing to go up the mountain to chop and sell firewood, right?"

Wang Feiyin sighed. "He's basically an apprentice at the pharmacy now, not earning any money. The temple fair costs quite a bit, so all he can do is help the Mountain God Temple with these little things to save money."

Master Qian spoke quickly, immediately saying, "Does the temple fair cost a lot? How much more do you need?"

Wang Feiyin sighed.

Master Qian took his hand and said, "Temple Master Wang, little Daoist Master Pan saved my life. Given the relationship between us, is there anything you can't tell me?"

He said in front of his son, "Tell me how much money you need, and I'll figure something out."

Wang Feiyin then took his hand. "Master Qian is truly, as my little martial sister said, a great benefactor unseen since the dawn of creation. No wonder Heaven always looks kindly upon him."

Master Qian was flattered body and soul; he couldn't suppress the smile on his face no matter how he tried.

Qian Dahong: "……"

Seeing that his father actually believed it, his face was full of disbelief. Wasn't it obvious from one hearing that this kind of talk was a lie?

But his father had already gone hand-in-hand with Wang Feiyin to the storage room.

Oh, the storage room now served as a granary, a workspace for Pan Yun and the others, and many other things — and now it had one more function: receiving honored guests who came for the temple fair.

Wang Feiyin carefully explained to Master Qian the main expenses of this temple fair, as well as the preparations the Daoist temple had made for it.

"It's also that my little martial sister is naive. Seeing the unusual weather this year and how many common folk in the county are having a hard time, she came up with the idea of a temple fair to pray for the people. She thought it would be simple, but she didn't expect so many people to want to come," Wang Feiyin sighed. "She's young and soft-hearted, and can't bear to disappoint anyone. So the temple fair keeps getting bigger and bigger, and the expenses keep getting bigger and bigger."

Master Qian sighed along with him. "Little Daoist Master is too kind-hearted, but being kind is always better than being wicked."

Wang Feiyin nodded: "So I am quite gratified." Master Qian lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, then said: "I am willing to donate another sum of money to the Mountain God Temple."

Wang Feiyin shook his head slightly. "Benefactor Qian has already given so much for the people of Yushan County. How could we ask a benefactor to give more money?"

Master Qian thought again and nodded. "You have a point. Then I'll put in a little more, and find other people to cover the rest."

Wang Feiyin raised an eyebrow. "What does Master Qian mean?"

Master Qian said, "Master Fang and the others just got into trouble. They should be very willing to spend money on some merit-making."

The corners of Wang Feiyin's mouth lifted slightly. "I'm just afraid Master Fang and the others harbor resentment. Sigh, it's little martial sister's bad luck — she happened to go see County Magistrate Ming that day and was seen. People outside started making wild guesses, linking her to all the recent disturbances in the county seat."

"But at her age, how could she possibly care about these things?" Wang Feiyin said. "Benefactor Qian, do you think she's been wronged?"

Master Qian sighed inwardly. Sigh, that's exactly why he wanted to come chat with Pan Yun. Chatting with someone like Wang Feiyin was no fun at all — things everyone knew, yet he had to go along with them against his conscience.

He had connections in the county office. If Pan Yun hadn't brought Su Dashan before Ming Ren, the corvée labor affair would never have come to light.

During the time no one entered the study, who knew what she and Ming Ren discussed?

To the point that County Magistrate Ming flew into such a rage and conducted an investigation from the inside out.

!. Read

This time, those who suffered weren't only Master Fang and his group — from the County Lieutenant at the top down to a single clerk in the government office, all were reprimanded and heavily punished by Ming Ren.

Master Qian had made a special trip to Mount Sanqing, not just to find Pan Yun to chat and get some firsthand gossip, but more to warn her: when she goes to Yushan County in the future, she should be more careful, and not end up walking along and getting a sack pulled over her head.

Master Fang and his group might still have some scruples, but the county officials she had offended could harass her in every way imaginable. Some of them, with a bit of outlaw spirit, would really pull a sack over her head and beat her up.

But after arriving, he found his worries seemed a bit unnecessary.

Wang Feiyin said, "The temple fair is short on money, so she went to Fucheng to take down a public notice and claim the reward."

Master Qian: "At her age, she can take down a bounty and collect the reward?"

"Catching a criminal — whoever catches them gets the credit. My little martial junior sister may be young, but her skills are top-notch. In the jianghu, she barely counts as an expert."

Master Qian gaped in surprise. Alright then, so no one in Yushan County could put a sack over her head.

Wang Feiyin: "Once the Shangsi Festival is over, she'll head back to Long Hushan Academy to keep studying. Another year away from home. Sigh — this whole big Mountain God Temple rests on this old man's shoulders alone."

Master Qian: …Very well, understood. Even if someone in Yushan County could put a sack over her head, they couldn't, because she isn't here.

Besides… this old fox Wang Feiyin knew everything that happened in Yushan County like the back of his hand. He had only opened his mouth, and already he was suggesting inviting Master Fang, the county commandant, the clerks, and so on to the temple fair. Clearly, he had a way to deal with them.

Master Qian actually had ways to persuade a few of the Master Fangs, but he had no way with the officials in the county government office.

Those people were awfully proud, yet also carried a roguish streak. If they insisted on a contest of pride, he had no recourse.

But clearly, Wang Feiyin did.

Master Qian agreed almost without thinking. "I'll set it up and invite them here to pay respects to the Mountain God. Once the date is set, I'll send word to Abbot Wang."

Wang Feiyin smiled and thanked him.

Master Qian asked: "When is Daoist Pan Xiao coming back? How many days has she been out? Has she caught the criminal yet?"

Wang Feiyin smiled without answering. "Master Qian, rest assured. Although my little martial junior sister is young, she's very reliable. A mere wanted criminal is nothing to her."

Master Qian felt his words were quite ambiguous. Mere~ criminal? Can a wanted criminal really be 'mere'?

But Master Qian said nothing, silently accepted his explanation, and led his son away.

Did Pan Yun catch the criminal?

Well, of course… she hadn't.

It wasn't that Pan Yun lacked the ability to defeat the person, but… she couldn't find anyone to defeat.

Wang Cong took five sacks of copper coins to the prefecture government office to exchange for silver, and sent the remaining ten sacks to the money shop. When he came out, he felt light as a feather, with nothing but a wad of banknotes.

Wang Cong found Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen squatting by the street. He casually bought two steamed buns for them, then squatted down beside them. "The reason wanted criminals become wanted criminals isn't just that they can fight — it's that they can hide."

Pan Yun, bun in hand, looked up with a face utterly devoid of hope for life. "In this vast sea of people, how do you find a wanted criminal?"

Seeing Miao Zhen, expressionless: "Little Xiao Shishu sent me here to pick out wanted criminals from the street, but he never said there'd be this many people on the street, and the criminal might not even be among them."

Pan Yun, despondent: "Heaven knows where they've hidden themselves?"

Seeing Miao Zhen was also despondent.

Only Wang Cong was happy — in less than three days, he had earned over five hundred taels.

(End of chapter)