Chapter 376: Grudges Dissolve Naturally

He said: "We can see darkness, but don't let these things occupy your heart or control your emotions. Third Xiao Shishu is a renowned physician of this age, frequently visiting official households—he has seen no less than you, yet look, when has he ever let external matters tug at his inner peace?"

"Not just Third Xiao Shishu, even Young Xiao Shishu, though so young, knows how to take and let go," Wang Cong said: "As for worldly matters, aside from her family's wrongful case, everything else, she sees, does, and is satisfied—she doesn't cling to them."

"Human energy is limited; if you cling too much to external affairs, what you ought to do and learn will suffer."

Tao Yanbai's heavy heart lifted slightly; he hugged his quilt and said: "Big Brother, let me think this through myself."

Wang Cong nodded, "You need to think this through yourself."

Next door, Pan Yun, having finished washing, casually hung her dried clothes on the screen, then rolled up her sleeves to prepare for drawing talismans—she would settle the final thread of karmic debt tonight.

Only when this karmic debt was settled could she truly let go of tonight's events and sleep in peace.

Sister Hong Yan had also washed; having just soaked in the river, she now lay on the wooden bed, using her demonic power to dry her fur.

Seeing Pan Yun still picking up her brush to draw talismans, she spoke in human voice: "Are you even human? Didn't you collapse from exhaustion on the boat just now?"

Pan Yun, grinding cinnabar, replied: "You said exhaustion, not depletion of primordial energy. On the walk back from the riverbank, my strength recovered."

Pan Yun said proudly: "As long as primordial energy remains, temporary exhaustion is merely sore arms."

Hearing this, Sister Hong Yan refused to yield, propping up her fluffy red head: "I was just exhausted too."

Xiao Hong glanced at the girl and the fox, unable to help but say: "Young people really have boundless energy."

No sooner had she finished her remark than from behind the screen, Miao Zhen and Miao He giggled and splashed water as they bathed.

Pan Yun waved her hand—a silent barrier enveloped the washing area, blocking splashing water and muffling sound so as not to disturb those outside.

Seeing Pan Yun merely seal off water and noise and then return to drawing talismans, Xiao Hong said: "You spoil them so much… but honestly, your energy levels are incredible."

This time she didn't perch—she floated up to the rafters and lay down, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling just above.

She was tired—truly tired. Aside from nearly being shattered into soul fragments by Pan Yun, this was the most exhausted she'd ever been.

So saving people is this tiring~~

Xiao Hong's eyes half-closed as she heard Pan Yun below say: "Xiaohei, place these three talismans under his and his parents' pillows—hide them well, don't let anyone sweep them away, but make sure they touch them."

Pan Xiaohei mewed at her, snatched the pouch, and leapt out the window.

Pan Yun walked to the window, watching it land gracefully on the ground, sprint swiftly forward, then climb nimbly onto the opposite rooftop, and follow the ridge straight toward that household.

As Pan Yun watched Xiaohei's silhouette vanish, she formed a hand seal before her chest and murmured: "Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun, grudges dissolve naturally, heart knots are resolved."

The fox on the bed lazily rolled its eyes: "What 'grudges dissolve naturally'? You dissolved them with brute force."

Pan Yun ignored this, returned to the wooden bed, and swept her palm over the fox's body—the fox felt warmth spreading, residual moisture evaporating visibly, and even the damp wooden bed instantly turned dry and warm.

The fox, comfortable, rested its head on the pillow and immediately said: "Dissolving with force—Heaven won't blame you, and others can't envy it."

Pan Yun had already withdrawn her hand, but hearing this, she let it fall again, rubbing the fox's belly—gentle primordial energy flowed into the fox, lingering only on the surface.

The young fox immediately absorbed it, transforming the energy into her own.

The red fox lay content on the pillow, eyes glistening as she gazed at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun rubbed the fur on the fox's belly, then went to collect her clothes from the screen.

Miao Zhen and Miao He stepped out wearing their undergarments, holding half-dried clothes, and pleaded: "Young Xiao Shishu, our internal energy hasn't recovered."

Pan Yun glanced at their wet hair, took the clothes, and used primordial energy to dry them.

Who would have thought? Away from home, her primordial energy's greatest use was drying clothes.

Miao Zhen and Miao He grinned as they dried their hair, then sat on the bed to meditate—steam rose visibly from their heads like steamed buns.

Pan Yun watched, her eyes smiling.

The room fell quiet, save for occasional street cries and laughter drifting from across the road—making the night feel even quieter.

As Pan Yun dried the clothes, she lowered her gaze, drowsy.

This feeling—calm amid noise—was best for sleeping.

Just as sleep was deepest, a scream pierced the night—Pan Yun opened her eyes, touched the clothes in her hand—they were completely dry.

She folded them and placed them at the foot of their beds; passing by as they still struggled to dry their hair, she brushed her palm over their heads—their hair instantly became fluffy and dry.

Miao Zhen and Miao He immediately opened their eyes.

Pan Yun said: "It's late—sleep now."

Miao Zhen: "I just heard a scream."

Miao He: "I heard it too."

Pan Xiaohei leapt through the window like a gust of wind, landing lightly on both paws, then tilted its head to look at Pan Yun, Miao Zhen, and Miao He.

Pan Yun glanced at its bloodied paws: "Unrelated matter—ignore it. Sleep."

Miao Zhen also glanced at Pan Xiaohei's paws, murmured "Oh," then spread the quilt and lay down. Miao He: "But—"

Miao Zhen pulled her: "Sleep. Xiaohei did it."

Miao He instantly relaxed, murmured "Oh," and lay down.

Pan Yun said to Pan Xiaohei: "Wash and dry your paws before getting on the bed."

Pan Xiaohei, having just avenged itself, was in high spirits; it mewed and dashed into the washing area to clean its paws and body.

Pan Yun tidied the table, looked up, and said: "Xiao Hong, lying on the rafters isn't cramped? Come down—sleep on the table. I don't mind you snuggling next to me or Sister Hong Yan."

After all, she takes no space—she can press against them like a paper slip.

Xiao Hong floated down from the rafters: "Cramped?"

"Yes," Pan Yun said: "When the bed is too close to the ceiling, it feels oppressive—don't you feel that?"

"I'm a ghost. I don't have a heartbeat."

"But you still have sensations, right?" Pan Yun made Sister Hong Yan move aside, laid a quilt on the bed first, then spread the covers and curled up with Sister Hong Yan; she patted the spot beside her against the wall: "Come up."

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Xiao Hong turned and lay down on the table: "I'll sleep on the table."

Pan Yun didn't press—she hugged the fluffy fox and closed her eyes to sleep.

That day, tired yet fulfilled, even though she was an energetic young person, the moment she closed her eyes she fell asleep.

The next morning, when she went downstairs for breakfast, she ate a big bowl of noodles while listening to the gossip in the city, and after finishing she still complained, "The rice noodles at Mount Sanqing are still better."

Wang Cong ate his noodles with great difficulty. "But from what I can see, you ate quite happily."

Pan Yun: "That's because there was gossip to go with the meal, but it's still not as tasty as the rice noodles at Mount Sanqing, and the noodles here can't compare either."

The two biggest pieces of gossip in the city today: "I heard that last night a painted pleasure boat on the canal caught fire, and a lot of people died."

"I heard that the city's Master Lü and the Prefect's Young Master got into a fight, and early this morning the soldiers surrounded Master Lü's residence to arrest people."

The second piece of gossip was clearly a continuation of the first; pity that at this moment no one had yet connected the two events together.

Pan Yun put down her chopsticks, dabbed the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and said: "Eat quickly, we need to leave the city quickly."

Wang Cong agreed, and regardless of how the noodles were both salty and sweet, he held his breath and finished them, then put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked toward his junior brothers and sisters.

The junior brothers and sisters were also stuffing noodles into their mouths with their eyes shut, and after finishing with great difficulty they nodded at the two of them with teary eyes.

Pan Yun muttered: "Is it really that hard to eat?"

The four nearly shed tears. "Little Martial Aunt, you're from Changzhou Prefecture, so naturally you don't think it tastes bad. Next time let's just eat buns."

The five of them hitched up the cart. Pan Xiao Hei hopped onto the cart holding a fox, and the fox was still holding a golden hairpin in its paw.

Pan Xiaohei walked over to the cart on her own with elegant steps and leaped aboard in a single bound.

It swept a contemptuous glance at the red fox, then sat itself on the cart's shaft, alongside Wang Cong and Tao Yanbai.

The cart had to cross a river to leave the city. As the cart crossed the bridge, several people in Daoist Priest robes were standing by the bridge, holding compasses and other ritual instruments in their hands.

Wang Cong's gaze swept across their faces, then immediately looked away as the cart passed by them.

He didn't want to eavesdrop, but their words automatically drilled into his ears.

"Senior Brother, I've questioned everyone on the boat except that Master Lü and Young Master Chen, and they all say they don't remember what those five people looked like."

"Did you find out how they got on board?"

"I found out. A boatman colluded with small boats on the river, took money and let people onto the ship, but he also says he doesn't remember what they looked like."

"Senior Brother, I divined all night without a single clue. I could only vaguely divine that they entered a nearby alley, and after that their trail scattered—I couldn't divine any further."

"Hmph, they've blocked divination. Judging by how practiced the technique is, they must be old hands. I wonder what other crimes they've committed in private."

"But there were so many people on the boat—even if divination is blocked, it should be hard to completely cover the memories of so many people, right? How is it that not a single person remembers their appearance? Could there be a First Marquis or Second Marquis level expert among them?"

"What are you thinking? Forget a First or Second Marquis—even a Fourth Seat wouldn't be possible. What kind of expert would be so sleazy as to sneak onto a flower boat?"

"True, an expert of that level wouldn't be so broke they couldn't even afford to visit a flower boat and would have to sneak aboard in secret. So why do so many people not remember their faces?"

"Either those five used some other sorcery, or the people on the flower boat are deliberately hiding it."

"Because those five saved them?"

"Money moves the human heart. If they won't betray them out of gratitude, just offer more coin and you can always pry their mouths open. Go find a few people who are poor and greedy—you must get the portraits. I want to see who has the nerve to play these games right under our noses."

With such an incident under his jurisdiction, he was going to be held accountable by the Celestial Master Mansion and the imperial court, wasn't he?

If things went badly, he could lose the hard-won official post he'd finally passed the exam for—so he absolutely had to find those people!

(End of chapter)