Chapter 374

Sister Hong Yan didn't understand: "Can they beat you? If you're not afraid, beat them back!"

"Beating them back adds another crime—will you go or not? I still need to take the ordination exam and receive the talisman." Both depended on the imperial court and the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion; she had to be restricted, didn't she?

Xiao Hong tugged Sister Hong Yan's sleeve and whispered, "The Daoist priests in the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion aren't good at all—they raise little ghosts. Let's go play somewhere else."

Sister Hong Yan: "Wait—I'm going back to my room to get something. I've realized you all love money, so money must be a good thing. I've decided: I'll love money too."

Pan Yun muttered to herself: Isn't loving money just natural?

Those around them strained to hear what they were saying, but couldn't catch a single word.

Just as they finished speaking, Sister Hong Yan turned and ran up to the second floor of the painted boat.

Sister Hong Yan gathered all the money, jewelry, and clothes inside the room.

She also collected all of Xiao Hong's belongings—she owned little, and many things were useless anyway.

Sister Hong Yan didn't care much for these things; normally, aside from gold and silver, she discarded everything when moving to a new place, never caring at all.

But now she knew these were all money.

Xue Yi finally realized and hurried to block them, shocked: "Sister Hong Yan, Xiao Hong—the painted boat just had a disaster, and you're leaving already?"

Pan Yun said: "We're together."

Xue Yi immediately stopped trying to stop them, but kept staring at Sister Hong Yan and Xiao Hong—Heavens, she had two experts on her painted boat?

And they do this kind of business?

Xue Yi looked at them, her thoughts tangled—she could understand Pan Yun and the others, young as they were, visiting a flower boat, but she couldn't fathom how Sister Hong Yan and Xiao Hong, with such abilities, came to a flower boat to earn money.

The hull shuddered; a crewman entered: "Madam Xue, the boat has docked."

The girls nearest the shore rushed toward land, but several men grabbed them and threw them aside, rushing on themselves.

Pan Yun saw this, flicked her sleeve—bam! —the men who had grabbed the girls plunged into the water with a splash.

Xue Yi cried out, "Oh no!" and immediately ordered people to fish them out.

But the boatmen and crew didn't move.

The onlookers on shore burst into laughter but didn't move either—they'd all seen how those men had dragged the girls.

Someone spat into the river: "Serves them right!"

They might not have cared for the flower boat girls, but they despised even more those who shoved girls aside to save themselves.

In the end, Xue Yi paid the boatmen to pull them out.

Pan Yun called to the girls: "What are you standing around for? Get ashore!"

Saying this, she pulled Sister Hong Yan and Xiao Hong ahead onto land.

As soon as they stepped ashore, the girls and guests followed—this time, no conflict at all; the guests bowed politely to let them pass, and the girls did the same.

As soon as they landed, Pan Yun pushed through the crowd and slipped into an alley, heading back through it.

Away from the riverbanks, the alley had far fewer people—only occasional pairs or singles passed by.

All seven quickened their pace; Wang Cong turned and asked Miao Zhen: "Fourth sister, did you perform the avoidance spell on the boat?"

Miao Zhen: "I did."

Wang Cong: "Do it again here. Once we leave the alley, we split up and meet at the inn."

Pan Yun: "If Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion people are this powerful, even an avoidance spell won't hide us?"

Miao He also said: "We've disguised ourselves—surely no one knows we're us?"

Wang Cong: "You've disguised yourselves, but I and Third Young Master haven't. If someone remembers our faces and draws portraits, who won't guess we're us?"

Pan Yun rubbed her chin: "Looks like disguise arts are useful. You all need to learn them—next time you go out, put on some makeup."

Miao Zhen stopped, closed her eyes slightly, spun the tally sticks in her hand, then opened them and said: "Done."

Wang Cong: "Let's go."

Just as they were about to leave the alley, someone crept up behind them. Everyone stopped at once and turned back—Pan Xiaohei, who had already leapt onto the rooftops to circle back, nearly tumbled off from braking too late.

Lao Ye Lu caught up, panting: "Great Immortal, wait—wait a moment!"

Pan Yun stared at him in surprise: "How did you avoid them and get ashore?"

She'd assumed Lao Ye Lu and Young Master Chen would be the last to land—after all, those who fell in didn't seem like they'd let it go.

Lao Ye Lu dropped to his knees before Pan Yun, weeping: "Great Immortal, please save my life—Prefect Chen and Young Master Chen won't let me live!"

Pan Yun sneered: "Lao Ye Lu, speak honestly—this all started because of you. Had you not been blinded by lust, those three wouldn't have drowned." "Life for a life—you didn't kill them yourself, but they died because of you. I have no wish to save your life."

Pan Yun turned to leave.

Lao Ye Lu immediately pulled out a stack of silver notes and offered them with both hands, tears streaming: "Please, Great Immortal, save my life!"

Pan Yun paused.

Wang Cong's eyes darted, then he stepped forward and whispered loudly enough for Lao Ye Lu to hear: "Little Master, this will bind you to karmic debt—and the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion people are coming."

Lao Ye Lu immediately emptied his pockets—every coin, his jade pendant, even his jade crown—he took it off, hair disheveled, pitifully pleading: "Great Immortal, if you save me, I'll give you my entire fortune—one… ten thousand taels!"

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow, glanced once—Miao He and Miao Zhen immediately stepped forward and took everything from his hands, hugging it to their chests.

Tao Yanbai stared, dumbfounded.

Pan Yun finally said: "I can't wait for your ten thousand taels. If you truly mean to give, divide it into three parts: four thousand taels each for the frightened girls, boatmen, and crew—give more to the injured; the remaining two parts, three thousand taels each—one for the frightened guests, the other—you must do good deeds along this river. Whether you help the poor, care for the elderly, or just hand out porridge and medicine, this is your merit."

Lao Ye Lu's heart ached—he couldn't help saying: "So much for the flower girls and boatmen? That's nearly enough for them to buy their freedom!"

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Pan Yun's face was expressionless: "Once the money is in their hands, whether they use it to buy freedom or something else is their own business. Lao Ye Lu, don't give it to the wrong person—if it reaches the madam and I find out…"

Lao Ye Lu hurriedly said: "No, no, I won't give it to the wrong person!"

But still, it hurt.

Ten thousand taels—giving them to Pan Yun saved his life; he ached, but gave willingly.

But giving them to the people on the painted boat—especially those flower girls and lowly crewmen and boatmen—his heart felt like it was shattering.

But Pan Yun hadn't yet told him the way to save himself, so Master Lü could only agree.

Seeing that he agreed, Pan Yun then said, "Master Lü's mind is clear at the moment. This poor Daoist has calculated on his fingers — Prefect Chen truly will not let you off."

"Not only you, but the entire Lü family will go—" Pan Yun flicked her fingers open before his eyes and said softly, "poof into ashes."

Master Lü's face went white and he collapsed to the ground. He reached out and grabbed Pan Yun's trouser leg, weeping, "Exalted one, Daoist Priest, save me, save my Lü family!"

Pan Yun said, "Worldly matters are settled in worldly fashion. This poor Daoist can only point out a path for you. Whether you walk it, and how far you get, will depend on Master Lü's own choices and abilities."

Master Lü had in the past also sought out monks and Daoist priests, and knew they were something like advisors at best — at most they'd perform a ritual for him. But right now he didn't need a ritual; he needed a plan.

So Master Lü kowtowed with a thud-thud, "I beg the Daoist Priest to point out a clear path for me."

Pan Yun crouched down and said softly to him, "The best defense is offense. Master Lü, you've given Prefect Chen so much money over the years — what you have in hand is more than enough to send the Chen father and son straight to hell. Rather than waiting for them to strike you, strike first."

Master Lü's face went white and he shook his head repeatedly, "No, no, that won't do. If I do that, I won't die a good death either."

Pan Yun reached out and patted his shoulder, saying, "Master Lü, by the law, if Prefect Chen is flayed and stuffed with straw, you might only need to be beheaded. He gets beheaded, you at most get exiled. As long as you can make the investigators believe you were extorted — that you had no choice but to hand over the money — the charge won't be heavy, and in the end you can even use money to redeem your crime."

Master Lü, pale-faced, shook his head. "Daoist Priest, your Daoist arts are profound, but you don't understand worldly affairs. I'm afraid the Chen father and son won't even be jailed before my whole family is slaughtered."

Master Lü glanced at Pan Yun's youthful face, felt he had come to the wrong person, and hurriedly asked, "Daoist Priest, I — could I request a protective ritual artifact to ward off disaster?"

Pan Yun shot him a sideways glare and said, "Your disaster has already taken shape — how could you ward it off? If you'd asked me before tonight, I could have given you one. Wearing it would have kept you clear-headed, so you wouldn't have drunk a few cups of wine and become so lust-addled you didn't know life from death."

Master Lü's face turned ashen, and he slowly released Pan Yun's trouser leg.

Pan Yun: "Hmph. Master Lü, you have money, you have power — what are you afraid of the Chen family for? You think my method is no good? Yet this is the very best method I've calculated to save your life and your family's."

She said, "If you fear you and your family will die unjustly, then spend money to hire armed escorts. Through an escort agency, you can even hire men of the jianghu to protect yourself and your family. As long as you have money, jianghu men don't care who comes — they'll fight to the death to protect you."

"If you fear you and your family will be arrested and jailed by the law, you've forgotten that you yourself know plenty of high officials and great ministers. Not to mention the distant ones — the Yang Ji you mentioned at the banquet. As long as you can get him to act, could Prefect Chen still pin a trumped-up charge on you?"

Master Lü fell into thought, his gaze gradually firming, his complexion improving. The more he thought, the more he felt this plan was wonderfully clever — he really could use it.

Pan Yun, seeing the changes on his face, knew he had been persuaded.

She reached out and pressed his shoulder to bring him back to himself. "Master Lü, a county magistrate can ruin a household, a prefect can wipe out a clan. You must move fast enough to break the deadlock."

Master Lü gave a shudder, gulped, and knelt properly. He respectfully kowtowed to Pan Yun once, then said, "Many thanks to the Daoist Priest for your guidance. I'll go back right now to find people, go back right now. I know — I have plenty of leverage on him."

Pan Yun's lips curved slightly. She gave his shoulder a final pat and rose. "Good, hurry back. I think I hear someone looking for you. I suggest you go home through the side gate."

Master Lü agreed, scrambled to his feet, bowed again, and then scampered off in a flurry.

Everyone watched in silence.

(End of chapter)