Chapter 366

Xiao Hong: "She's going to be sold anyway—might as well be me who sells her."

She said: "I took her with me all the way to Changzhou Prefecture. At night, I went out to ask around and heard that the pleasure barges there allow you to sign up independently, so I took her to sign up with a barge—we're going solo!"

Pan Yun: …

She looked troubled but still asked: "You're a fox and a ghost—how have you not been exposed all this time?"

Hong Yan said: "I found illusions and seduction techniques in my ancestral memories. If they get suspicious, I cast an illusion—they end up hugging pillows and bedposts, playing with them. Oh, Xiao Hong learned illusions too—no problems at all."

Pan Yun: "For those with strong willpower, illusions may fail midway."

Hong Yan: "One slap—that's all it takes. Knock them out. Second, they get a stiff neck."

Pan Yun couldn't help but raise her thumb. "Impressive, impressive. But one question—does this kind of trial truly benefit your inner state?"

Hong Yan: "I think it's great. I'm happier than following hunters, scholars, or merchants. I meet more people, gain more experience."

Xiao Hong leaned against the bed, twisting her hair: "They're all men—what's the difference?"

Pan Yun frowned: "Why is your trial tied to men? My senior brother told me to observe common folk's lives, understand human relations when I descend the mountain. The Imperial Academy sent me out to slay demons and eradicate evil, to protect the weak."

Hong Yan and Xiao Hong froze. Xiao Hong looked at Hong Yan: "You started this—you said you wanted to live a woman's life. Isn't a woman's life all about men?"

Hong Yan herself was confused: "A woman's life must revolve around men? I didn't know that. In my ancestral memories, the fastest way to train is to marry a man. It said: once you marry, live like a human, and you'll gain a heart. With a heart, you'll nearly be ready for Tribulation Crossing."

Pan Yun, born in the 26th century, was equally baffled. After a moment of eye contact with Hong Yan and Xiao Hong, she decided not to interfere. "Forget it. Keep training. Just remember what my senior brother said."

Hong Yan didn't leave. Xiao Hong didn't move either.

Pan Yun looked up: "What are you doing?"

Hong Yan: "I'm tired of the pleasure barge. I don't know where to go next for training. Since you're training too, why not take me along?"

Xiao Hong added: "I can only appear at night. During the day, I vanish. People on the barge are already suspicious. But leaving just a fox to wander alone—I'm afraid she'll turn around and get sold again. Maybe you should just take her with you."

Pan Yun: "But our training methods may not suit you. What if you stray off course?"

Hong Yan took it lightly, waving her hand: "No problem. What's a few wasted years? I can afford to waste time. If I can't follow you, I'll just find a man to marry later—like the ancestral memories say."

Pan Yun didn't refuse—after all, the fox and the ghost were powerful. She didn't need to worry about them.

"Do as you please. We're staying in Changzhou for a few days—you can keep working the barge."

Hong Yan: "Then let's make some extra money during the Lantern Festival."

She tugged at her skirt and sighed: "My tail's tied too tight—it hurts."

Only then did Pan Yun realize: Hong Yan had shrunk her tail into a thin strip and tied it tightly around her thigh, to prevent it from twitching up during emotional surges.

Pan Yun told her to let her tail out. She held it in her arms for a long time until it grew fluffy again.

Hong Yan leaned comfortably against the wooden bed, drowsy from the stroking. "Those men are too timid—they act like they've seen a ghost just because of a tail…"

Pan Yun felt sorry for her—mostly for the tail. "Stay here tonight."

Hong Yan agreed at once.

The next morning, when Seeing Miao Zhen rolled over and opened her eyes, she saw a streak of red hanging from midair. She slowly looked up along the red hem of the robe—and saw a red-clad woman hanging from a red sash, swaying gently…

Miao Zhen shrank back in fright. When the woman's face swung into view, she calmed her pounding heart, face dark with exasperation: "Xiao Hong!"

Xiao Hong opened her eyes, her neck still looped in the sash. She pulled the sash forward with both hands and grinned: "Miao Zhen, you're awake?"

Miao He rubbed her eyes as she sat up, still half-asleep: "Where's Xiao Hong?"

Xiao Hong floated down lightly from the ceiling beam, untying the sash as she descended. "I'm right here."

Pan Yun, still lying on the bed, opened her eyes. She was hugging Hong Yan's tail—comfortable and warm.

Miao Zhen and Miao He rose and saw Pan Yun nearly buried under a red tail. Both eyes sparkled with envy.

Pan Xiaohei, expressionless, poked his head out from beside her leg, stepped on her thigh, and leapt down to the bedside.

Miao Zhen said: "Little Auntie, Xiaohei is jealous."

Pan Xiaohei growled angrily at Miao Zhen twice: "Blind? Where's the jealousy?"

Pan Yun said: "It doesn't get jealous."

For some reason, Pan Xiaohei grew even angrier.

Pan Yun stroked the fox's tail slowly: "After all, it doesn't need to be jealous—the fox's tail is in my arms, but Xiaohei is in my heart."

Miao Zhen and Miao He froze. "Little Auntie… that sounded like a love confession."

Xiao Hong added: "If Hong Yan had your talent, we wouldn't have to keep switching pleasure barges every few days."

Hong Yan had woken up too. She flicked her tail. "This is the earliest I've risen in a long time."

Pan Yun: "If you don't go back to the barge, won't they notice?"

"No," Xiao Hong said. "People on the barge don't wake until the sun is high. Even if they miss us, we've got excuses ready." So the fox and the ghost joined them for breakfast.

Pan Yun deliberately chose a secluded corner, placed a bowl of rice before Xiao Hong, lit three incense sticks, murmured a chant, then stuck them into the crack between the table's planks.

Wang Cong and Tao Yan Bai, being the tallest, sat facing outward, blocking the view.

This table was near the stairs, tucked into a corner—unless someone deliberately looked, no one noticed what was happening here.

Xiao Hong closed her eyes, savoring the scent of rice. Ooooh—since leaving Mount Sanqing, she hadn't tasted rice in a long time.

Pan Yun had lit short incense—only three inches long—burning quickly. By the time they finished breakfast, the incense had burned out.

Pan Yun waved her hand and swept the incense ash clean. At that moment, Xiao Hong's form had grown faint, slowly vanishing from everyone's sight.

Of course, Pan Yun could still see her. Wang Cong and the others, though lacking Heavenly Eyes, could still sense her presence.

"Go on. Return to the barge. We have matters to attend to."

Pan Yun casually tossed Hong Yan a pouch: "Inside are talismans of safety and location—one for you, one for Xiao Hong."

Hong Yan shoved the pouch into her robe and asked: "Do you have a talisman that can make a tail disappear?"

!. Read

"No. Wait till I develop one—I'll tell you first," Pan Yun said. "I don't have a talisman to hide a tail, but I do have a clever trick to make one appear."

"Appear?" Hong Yan said. "Why need a trick? Just poke a hole in your skirt."

"No, no, no! After you poke a hole, you'll need two or three fake red fox tails—that's how you fool the eye and deceive the heavens!"

Hong Yan: "I don't understand."

Xiao Hong, now completely invisible, excitedly said: "I understand! I understand! I know where to buy fox tails—come with me!"

Pan Yun waved her hand: "While the sun is still low, hurry off with Xiao Hong—this concerns your freedom."

Hong Yan went off, dazed and confused.

Real fox tails didn't exist, but fake ones did.

Some were made by bleaching dog hair and gluing it on, with flexible rods inside; others were sewn from fox fur…

Different materials had different prices.

Hong Yan and Xiao Hong spent little but earned much…

Oh, but it wasn't quite that they earned much.

Every time they left, they took a little money from each other—according to Xiao Hong, these were all the money they'd earned from selling you, so how could they let them off cheap?

So they never lacked money.

Hong Yan directly bought seven or eight beautiful, soft-to-the-touch fake tails, following her heart.

She returned to the painted boat, hugging the fake tails, puzzled: "Why did we buy these? Are they more comfortable than my tail?"

"No, but they can make your tail comfortable."

Back on the painted boat, away from the sunlight, Xiao Hong appeared and taught her to tie two tails around her waist: "Let your tail out."

Hong Yan dumbly let her tail out, perfectly centered between the two fake ones.

She wagged her tail, then frowned: "Three tails? But I have one—I don't need fakes."

As she spoke, her tail, now merged into one, whipped out and instantly shoved both fake tails aside.

Xiao Hong slapped her tail, half-angry, half-laughing: "We use fake tails so people think all your tails are fake—you can do this…"

Xiao Hong swiftly pulled out one fake tail and scratched it across Hong Yan's face: "Let them know your tail can be pulled out!"

Hong Yan's tail tightened, a little afraid.

The fox and the ghost pondered how to make their real tail seem more fake, and their fake tails seem more real.

Meanwhile, Pan Yun was strolling down the street, occasionally buying things, planning to give them to her grandmother and second aunt.

Pan Yun didn't know what they liked—before, when she was weak, even her grandmother and Pan Ershu's family rarely saw her.

But she wanted to give them something besides talismans and pills.

Yet after wandering around, Pan Yun had bought only a pile of food—all things she herself wanted to eat—and hadn't found a single thing she truly wanted to give them.

Pan Yun sighed and carried the heavy pile of food to Wanhe Restaurant.

The entire Pan family had already been waiting at Wanhe Restaurant.

They had specifically reserved a private room, so they could be discreet.

As soon as Pan Yun appeared at the street corner, Pan Tao spotted her and glanced at Pan Bai.

Pan Bai immediately stood up: "I'll go get Little Sister."

Good night

(End of Chapter)