Chapter 322: Watch Me Bluff

"Although Da Chun complains occasionally and says unpleasant things, your mother-in-law treats you well. She knows your hardships and helps you day to day. You run the whole household inside and out, and you can hold Da Chun in check. Remarrying might not land you such a good family."

"Right, you still have a child here. For the child's sake, Da Chun will treat you a little better."

"Men outside don't know your background. Once they learn of these matters, and you're on a second marriage, they'd likely torment you even more."

"Da Chun just can't get past it in his heart, that's why he loses his temper at you. Bear with him a little more."

Zhou Wan Niang slapped the clothes down with a *pa*, her face dark as she said, "He can't get past it in his heart—does that mean I can? I'm the one who was hurt, not him. His wife was carried off right in front of him, and yet he didn't go fight, didn't go risk his life!"

No one spoke; they could only sigh.

After a long while someone said, "That heaven-cursed flower thief—may his root rot and his face fester, may he die a wretched death."

"That's right, root rot and face rot, a wretched death."

By the river at once rose a chorus of curses, every one of them cursing Hua Bu Liu.

Pan Yun was eavesdropping with great interest when suddenly a pebble flew over and a sharp rebuke rang out, "Who's hiding over there?"

Pan Yun hurriedly pulled Seeing Miao Zhen up from the riverside and, separated by a willow tree, greeted them, "Hello, sisters."

Seeing they were two young girls, and moreover dressed in Daoist robes, the young women's expressions eased considerably. After looking them up and down, one beckoned and said, "You look a bit unfamiliar. Which village are you from?"

Pan Yun cupped her fist and said, "This poor Daoist is Pan Sanzhu, just passing through. I came into the village to beg a drink of water—I didn't mean to eavesdrop on the sisters' talk."

Zhou Wan Niang, hearing they were just passing through, grew wary and stared at them. "You're so young, no elders with you, out on your own?"

Seeing Miao Zhen racked her brain for an excuse, but Pan Yun already opened her mouth and, in a downcast tone, said, "Winter's here, the Daoist temple is in hard straits. Master said we're old enough to go out and fend for ourselves, and come back next spring."

Seeing Miao Zhen: …

The kind-hearted young women, hearing this, were instantly filled with righteous indignation. "Isn't this just throwing you out to beg? How can there be such a master? Where are your parents?"

Pan Yun lowered her head and said nothing, silently apologizing to her father in her heart.

Seeing Miao Zhen lowered her head and said nothing—she truly didn't know, and felt no remorse.

The young women filled in a whole stack of stories in their heads. When they looked at the two again, their gazes inevitably softened. Even Zhou Wan Niang's expression eased, and she volunteered, "The water in this river isn't clean. Everyone washes clothes here, livestock drink here too. I still have one piece of clothing—wait, let me finish washing it and I'll take you home for a drink."

Pan Yun agreed at once, then scrambled up in a flash, rolled up her sleeves, and was about to wash Zhou Wan Niang's clothes for her.

Zhou Wan Niang refused, fished the clothes out of the water herself, scrubbed them, rinsed them twice, wrung them dry, tossed them into the wooden basin and hugged it up, then beckoned the two of them, "Come with me."

The others hadn't finished washing yet, so they could only wave Zhou Wan Niang off. But before she left, they still urged her once more, "Zhou Wan Niang, talk it over slowly with Da Chun, don't act rashly. It's not that we're speaking ill of your husband, but people's hearts are hidden behind their bellies—when something comes up, you still have to think it over twice."

Zhou Wan Niang agreed, but how much of it she took in was anyone's guess.

Pan Yun studied her features closely and rather felt she had taken it in, but her life in her husband's house couldn't be easy either—a brooding gloom filled her brows and eyes.

Zhou Wan Niang's home was not far from the village entrance; behind it lay farmland, and outside the enclosing wall was a vegetable plot.

Pan Yun swept a glance and felt the vegetable plot didn't look like one family's—it looked like many families' plots gathered together, and quite large at that, probably five or six *mu*. One glance took in vegetables of every kind.

Zhou Wan Niang pushed open the wooden gate. The little brat in the yard, who had been wildly thrashing about with a stick, saw her, immediately dragged the stick and came flying over, dashed into Zhou Wan Niang's arms, tilted his little head up and called out nonstop, "Mama, Mama…"

Zhou Wan Niang's face broke into a smile. She set down the wooden basin, picked up her son, and said to Pan Yun, "You two wait here, I'll go get you some water."

The child clung to his mother's shoulder, watching them with eyes full of curiosity.

Pan Yun met his gaze, raised an eyebrow, then activated her art and used her innate ability to take a look at him.

Seeing Miao Zhen also moved her fingers lightly, formed a hand-seal and used her Heavenly Eye to read his features, and raised an eyebrow too. "This one has far more talent than that Qu Le."

Pan Yun nodded.

Seeing Miao Zhen: "Little Martial Uncle, if you really want to take a disciple for my master, why not take him."

She said, "You should also pick a good one for my master."

Pan Yun: "I'm here to earn money, not to raise and mind a child. No!"

She lowered her voice and said, "Besides, this child's future lies not in cultivation but in the officialdom."

The more she looked, the more certain Pan Yun became. "This matter, I'm taking charge of it. That idiot Hua Bu Liu—I will catch him!"

Zhou Wan Niang came out carrying two bowls and handed them to Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen.

The two looked down—not water, but porridge.

Zhou Wan Niang urged them, "Eat up quick. When you're done, head into the city. You can't survive begging in the village. While it's still early, hurry into the city—at night the area outside the city is very dangerous."

Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen agreed, took the bowls and drank the porridge down.

A few grains of rice clung to the bowl walls, so Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen carefully licked them off. Just as they were licking away with gusto, a woman of forty or fifty came back from outside carrying a load on a shoulder pole, and froze at the sight of them.

Zhou Wan Niang hurriedly explained, "Mother, these are two little masters here to beg alms."

"Begging alms, eh?" The mother-in-law looked Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen over. Their cheeks were rosy, not at all like begging monks or nuns, but the two really were dressed in Daoist robes and were young. The mother-in-law still couldn't help softening, thought a moment, then said to Zhou Wan Niang, "Pour them two bowls of rice and see them off."

Zhou Wan Niang agreed and went back inside at once to scoop the rice.

Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen both went blank.

Although Wang Feiyin said every year that times were hard, he had never sent them down the mountain to beg, so they were unprepared.

The two's minds churned furiously. Pan Yun's mind was fast and so were her hands—she swiftly flipped open the cloth bag for dry rations in her Spirit Realm space and took out the empty bag.

Zhou Wan Niang measured two bowls of rice into the cloth bag for them. Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen hurriedly formed hand-seals and chanted, "May the Heavenly Worthy of Infinite Fortune bless the kind folk with peace, health, and success in all things."

Zhou Wan Niang answered and was about to see them off.

But Pan Yun looked past her at the child sitting on the threshold and said to Zhou Wan Niang and her mother-in-law, "Kind folk, you are great kind folk. Heaven will send blessed virtue to be reborn into your family."

Zhou Wan Niang couldn't help a wry laugh. "What blessed virtue does my family have?"

"How could you not?" Pan Yun smiled. "Kind folk are people of virtue—that's why you gave birth to a great kind person."

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She pointed at the child and said, "This is the reincarnation of a great kind person of our Daoist tradition. He will have a great future ahead. Kind folk, raise him well, send him to school—he will surely bring blessings to a whole region."

Zhou Wan Niang frowned, her face full of disbelief, but her mother-in-law believed. She hurried forward and asked eagerly, "Is what the little master said true?"

Pan Yun smiled and said, "Naturally true. All the trials of the past will dissolve; those who do evil will meet their retribution, and the kind will receive their blessings."

"The old kind person and the kind person are both great people of kindness. It was for the two of you that Heaven specially sent down a little kind person to be born into your family."

The mother-in-law couldn't help crossing her fingers and murmuring, "May the Heavenly Worthy of Infinite Fortune, may the Heavenly Worthy of Infinite Fortune…"

Zhou Wan Niang frowned and said, "Young Daoist, my family has no money."

Pan Yun shook her head slightly and said, "This is the blessing of a good person, and it has nothing to do with me."

She lightly tapped Zhou Wan Niang's forehead with her finger and smiled faintly, "But I do have a connection with good people—I accepted two bowls of rice from you, so I am willing to fulfill your heartfelt wish."

Zhou Wan Niang suddenly felt her mind clear, her spirit refreshed, and a cool sensation rising in her chest and abdomen; the simmering anger that had plagued her for half a year vanished instantly, and her body no longer felt so miserable.

Zhou Wan Niang's gaze toward Pan Yun burned with intensity; she seized Pan Yun's hand and asked urgently, "Is what the Daoist says true? Can you truly fulfill my wish?"

Pan Yun said, "Give me some clues or belongings of his—I guarantee I will settle it."

Zhou Wan Niang lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly, "Wait for me."

Saying this, she turned and walked toward her mother-in-law's room.

The mother-in-law opened her mouth but said nothing.

Zhou Wan Niang quickly returned with a bundle, opened it for Pan Yun to see, "This is the dress I wore that day, and this…"

She unfurled a handkerchief, revealing a small clump of hair; Zhou Wan Niang's face turned ashen as she said, "This is what I tore from his head."

She fixed her piercing gaze on Pan Yun, "Young Daoist, do you know what I'm talking about?"

Pan Yun reached out and took the handkerchief, her expression equally cold and grave, "Of course I know. Good person, rest assured—no matter how far he flees, I will capture him and fulfill your wish."

Zhou Wan Niang handed both the bundle and the handkerchief to her.

Pan Yun took the items and left.

The mother-in-law stood beside Zhou Wan Niang, lips moving but words unspoken: "Wan Niang, you really trust them enough to give away that thing? Even when the government office Runners came to investigate, you didn't give it to them."

Zhou Wan Niang said flatly, "Didn't you hear what the government office Runners said? That lecher has harmed several women and still hasn't been caught—so what difference does it make whether you give them these things or not?"

"Don't you trust them too?"

The mother-in-law: "... I believe they said our child was the reincarnation of a great good person, not that I believe... never mind, never mind—the items are already given. I saw their complexions, flushed and healthy—they don't look like Daoist priests out begging for food. Maybe they truly have power."

Zhou Wan Niang reached up and touched her forehead, "I believe in them."

It wasn't just her imagination just now—so perhaps they really came to help her.

Pan Yun tucked the bundle and handkerchief away and dropped them into her Spirit Realm space; just as she was about to leave the village, she heard a commotion not far off.

Pan Yun immediately pulled Seeing Miao Zhen to go see the spectacle, just in time to see Qu Le kick a villager flying through the air, while the villagers, faces flushed with rage, waved their hoes and shovels, ready to attack Qu Le.

Qu Le was clearly furious; after dodging left and right, his temper flared, and his sword hissed as he drew it...

Pan Yun frowned, tossed Pan Xiaohei into Seeing Miao Zhen's arms, leapt into the circle, and kicked Qu Le and his sword flying with one foot, "Petty thief! So you're here—watch my Shadowless Divine Leg!"

Good night

(End of Chapter)