Chapter 334

Twenty taels? Pan Yun leaped up and crouched down to examine him.

She felt his neck, pried open his eyelids, took his pulse; after this sequence, she couldn't help gently pressing his chest, regretting she'd used too much force.

She frowned and said, "I should've been gentler…"

Wu Lao Ye, just climbing off the ground, shouted loudly: "Gentle? He was trying to kill my wife and grandchildren—murderer! You should've kicked him to death!"

As he shouted, he rushed forward again, aiming to kick him twice more.

Pan Yun sidestepped and shoved him back.

Wu Lao Ye stumbled backward three steps and plopped onto the ground.

He stared blankly, then slapped his thigh and burst into tears: "Unjust! You won't beat the murderer—you beat me!"

"Twenty taels," Pan Yun said, "if you give me twenty taels, I'll beat him—dead, and it's your responsibility."

Wu Lao Ye's cries choked in his throat. "What twenty taels? He killed my wife—I'm just hitting back, and now I have to pay?"

Pan Yun nodded. "He's mine. Alive, he's worth a hundred taels to deliver to the magistrate's office. Dead, he's worth only eighty. If you kill him, you'll have to make up the difference."

Wu Lao Ye opened his mouth, but for a long while couldn't find a reply.

Wu Tai Tai, having just regained her wits from the chaos, rushed forward and embraced her two terrified grandchildren.

The two children flung themselves into their grandmother's arms, wailing loudly; Wu Lao Ye forgot about confronting Chang Mingwei, rushed forward with open arms, and together with his wife, held the children close, whispering soothing words.

Pan Yun watched Chang Mingwei for a moment, then fed him a pill.

One pill cost two taels—eat it, and you recover twenty taels. No loss.

But counting up all the expenses of this trip, Pan Yun still felt unhappy.

Why should capturing a criminal cost me money?

When I captured Hua Buliu, I spent not a single cash—and even made money off the Liu family.

But now, capturing Chang Mingwei, I've already spent nearly four taels.

Pan Yun's dissatisfaction settled on the two children, still wailing uncontrollably.

Seeing Miao Zhen also found the noise grating and said, "They're frightened—they need calming."

Wu Tai Tai immediately said, "Please, Daoist, calm my two children."

Seeing Miao Zhen was about to act, but Pan Yun stepped forward first and held out her hand to Wu Lao Ye: "Two taels."

Wu Lao Ye looked bewildered. "What?"

Pan Yun: "Calming the spirit and stabilizing the soul—one tael per child. Two children, two taels."

Wu Lao Ye jumped up. "Your calming spells are made by gods? A calming decoction costs twenty-eight cash!"

Pan Yun withdrew her hand. "Then give them the calming medicine—if it works."

Wu Tai Tai slapped him. "At a time like this, you're stingy with silver? Look at how they're crying—if they're permanently scarred, how will you explain it to your son and daughter-in-law when they return?"

"Fine, fine, I'll pay, I'll pay—is that enough?"

Wu Lao Ye returned the one-tael silver ingot he'd just earned, then dug another one-tael ingot from his own purse.

It hurt his heart.

Pan Yun took the money and, with Seeing Miao Zhen, each took one child, silently recited the Soul-Calming Incantation, sent a spiritual light into the girl's forehead, then gently stroked her hair.

The little girl, who had been trembling and screaming, suddenly felt calm. She looked closely at Pan Yun, recognized her as the hero who defeated the villain, then turned to glance at her grandmother holding her.

She immediately turned back and clung tightly to her grandmother's waist.

Wu Tai Tai gently patted her back; beside her, the boy, now calmed, also threw himself into his grandmother's arms, clinging to her on either side—his fear faded, and his crying stopped.

Seeing Miao Zhen and Pan Yun both stroked the children's heads and smiled: "Divine spirits guard you on the three-foot altar, aiding you to escape suffering and overcome hardship—fear not."

The two children stared at them with wide, wet eyes, their sobs completely silenced.

Seeing how effective it was, Wu Lao Ye hesitated, touched his purse, then pulled out another tael. "Could you… also chant over my wife? Just stroke her head?"

How frustrating—he hadn't heard their incantation. Otherwise, he might've tried it himself and earned this money.

Pan Yun glanced at him and reached for the silver, but Wu Tai Tai stopped her.

Wu Tai Tai blushed. "No, no need—I wasn't frightened."

Pan Yun withdrew her hand, glanced at Chang Mingwei lying on the ground. "The medicine's taking effect. While he's still alive, let's hurry back."

Seeing Miao Zhen agreed.

Chang Mingwei was much taller and larger than Hua Buliu; Pan Yun couldn't lift him, so she hauled up his upper body and dragged him along.

Seeing them about to leave, Wu Tai Tai hurried to stop them. "Wait—won't you two young Daoists eat before going?"

Pan Yun said, "We're in a hurry to deliver our prisoner—no time to eat." Wu Tai Tai still called them back, then went inside and returned with two silver ingots, pressing them into Pan Yun's hands. "Thank you, Daoist, for saving our lives. A small token—barely enough to show our gratitude."

Pan Yun glanced at Wu Lao Ye.

Wu Lao Ye's heart ached; he opened his mouth several times to protest, but met the children's eyes—and said nothing.

Pan Yun smiled, accepted the money without hesitation, and took her leave.

She took this money without a shred of guilt.

Pan Yun dragged Chang Mingwei away.

Wu Lao Ye and Wu Tai Tai brought the children back to their room and immediately summoned servants to surround them.

Surrounded by so many familiar faces, the children felt immense safety, and their fear slowly faded.

Once away from the children, Wu Lao Ye scolded Wu Tai Tai: "Why did you give them so much? Twenty taels! If I'd known you'd pay that, I should've kicked that laborer to death—then those twenty taels would've just been compensation to them."

Wu Tai Tai spoke softly: "Would you sleep at night if you'd killed him? You weren't there—you don't know how close I and the children came to death. Thank heavens the young Daoist arrived in time—if she hadn't, I and the children might've…"

She covered her face with her handkerchief and wept. "Are my life and the children's lives not worth twenty taels?"

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Wu Lao Ye grumbled: "Did I say that? Even if it's worth it, you still bargain! These savings go to our grandchildren in the end—do you think I'll take them to the grave?"

He said, "Two or three taels would've been plenty. They're young—they'd still be happy. In matters like this, everyone just needs to be pleased."

Madam Wu had just been through a shock, so she didn't feel like going along with Master Wu this time. She retorted, "Just now, in front of the Daoist Priest and the children, why didn't you say anything?"

"What was I supposed to say?" Master Wu said angrily. "That little Daoist Priest is one thing — I don't care about losing a little face. But the children were right there. What if they learned to act like that?"

"You yourself know this kind of behavior is wrong — it's ingratitude. You can't let the children learn it," Madam Wu said. "If it's something you don't want the children to learn, why do it yourself?"

Master Wu faltered, his face flushing red. He stamped his foot and said, "You've gone mad! You want to rebel? I say one word to you, and you've got ten waiting for me! I-I-I — I'll spare you because that villain scared you half to death. I won't bother arguing with you…"

After saying his piece, Master Wu shuffled off, still muttering to himself.

Meanwhile, Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen had already led Chang Mingwei quite a distance. Finding a hollow where no one was around, Pan Yun tossed the man into a medicine cauldron, grabbed Seeing Miao Zhen, and shot off toward Fucheng—

She had just shot up into the sky when, in the distance, a dark speck was sprinting wildly toward Wu Family Village. He seemed to sense something, stopped, and looked up — and there in the not-so-distant sky was a pot flying. No — not a pot. It looked more like the sacrificial cauldron they used as decoration in the ancestral hall at home.

He stared dumbly as the cauldron flew up into the air, then whooshed off toward the east. Inside the cauldron were two heads — though they were too far away to see clearly — but Qu Le just knew it was Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen.

Only when the cauldron vanished over the horizon did he look away, then sprint toward Wu Family Village.

He ran into Wu Family Village, stood in the village and listened for a moment, and finally chose the liveliest household — Master Wu's.

Master Wu, alone in his room grumbling and fretting over the twenty taels, had just poured himself a cup of tea when his window slammed open with a crack — a black shadow whooshed in.

Master Wu's eyes went wide, and the teapot in his hand dropped to the floor.

Qu Le, who had just tumbled in, strode forward and sealed Master Wu's acupoints before he could cry out. "I have a few questions for you. Once I'm done, I'll leave."

Tears immediately streamed down Master Wu's face. In that instant, he understood — Pan Yun had been truly polite to him. At least when she asked him questions, she paid him.

Master Wu didn't dare talk back to the man in black and nodded rapidly.

Qu Le unsealed his acupoints and asked, "Did two little female Daoists just come into the village?"

Master Wu nodded rapidly. "Yes, two little Daoist Priests, both only about ten years old."

Qu Le: "Did they capture someone?"

Master Wu nodded. "They did. They took away a villain."

Qu Le felt a twinge of annoyance, but only a small one. He quickly pushed the feeling down and asked, "How did they get here? Did they fly?"

Master Wu's eyes went blank. "Fly? They walked here."

Qu Le knew then that the man knew nothing. He turned to leave, but after two steps remembered his real business and asked, "The man they captured — is his name Chang Mingwei? Is he a wanted criminal?"

Master Wu sobbed, "I don't know what his name is, but he really is a wanted criminal. Although he doesn't look much like the wanted criminal in the portrait, he is a villain — he even tried to kill my old woman and the children…"

Qu Le had no interest in listening anymore. He found the man too long-winded, and his wailing was getting louder and louder, so he chopped him unconscious with a hand-knife and tumbled back out the window.

Qu Le had sprinted back intending to settle the score with the villager who had given him the wrong directions, but now none of that mattered — not even the fact that Chang Mingwei, whom he'd been tailing, had been snatched away by Pan Yun.

Because he had, in one stroke, found his life's purpose.

Qu Le strode into the sunset, running toward Fucheng.

When Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen dragged Chang Mingwei to the government office, it had already closed for the day — but that was fine, because Pan Yun could knock it open.

The government office Runner threw open the gate with a fierce look. The moment his eyes met Pan Yun's, the anger on his face subsided, and he asked as politely as he could manage, "What is it?"

Pan Yun pointed at the person at her feet, who looked half-dead, and said, "I'm here to turn in a captive!"

The government office Runner glanced at Chang Mingwei, his lips trembling, and said, "The office is closed. The Constable, the Clerk, and the Judge are all out. Come back tomorrow."

(End of chapter)