Chapter 401: Find the Yang Family

Pan Yun put on a Daoist robe, took out the banners for fortune-telling and healing from her space, tied them to a stick, slung her pack over her shoulder, and prepared to leave.

Seeing Miao Zhen spotted her and ran out immediately. "Little Master Shu, aren't you taking us along?"

Pan Yun paused briefly, then beckoned to her. "Call Miao He. Let's go!"

Tao Yan Bai: "Little Master Shu, what about me?"

Pan Yun: "You stay home and look after Hu Daxia."

In the end, Hu Jing was entrusted to Wang Cong, who had been to Jingcheng many times, had no interest in the city, and only wanted to sleep and rest.

The four of them changed into Daoist robes, took up their respective magical artifacts, and set out.

Tao Yan Bai carried the banner and stood at the street's edge. "We haven't even made ourselves look old. Who'll come to us for fortune-telling or healing? Whether for fortune or healing, the older the better—we four look utterly untrustworthy."

Pan Yun said: "Under the same price, we certainly can't compete with my lord, but what if we're cheaper?"

Seeing Miao Zhen: "Then we'd have to be much cheaper!"

Pan Yun's gaze swept the street and quickly spotted a fellow practitioner.

His sign was far grander than theirs—he had tables and chairs set up on the street, and a long line of people waiting beside him.

Pan Yun walked up and asked: "Fellow Daoist, how much for a fortune reading?"

The Daoist looked up at her, saw her robe, sized her up thoroughly, and raised an eyebrow. "Young Daoist—are you here to get your fortune told, or to tell fortunes?"

Pan Yun smiled at him. "New to the city. Just trying to earn some meal money."

The Daoist stroked his beard. "My rates start at six cash, no upper limit—depends on what the benevolent seeker requests."

Pan Yun understood, bowed, and said: "Thank you, fellow Daoist."

The Daoist nodded, stroked his beard, and watched her leave.

They didn't linger. Carrying the banner, they walked quickly away. Once far enough, Pan Yun turned and fiddled beneath the banner, soon peeling off a thin layer of cloth to reveal a line of writing.

Tao Yan Bai and the other three leaned in to look.

Tao Yan Bai: "Immortal Child Enduring Trials—Fortune-Telling and Healing, Just One Cash!"

The three stared silently at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun: "What are you staring at? This is Jingcheng. We have zero foundation. Starting fresh—don't we have to win with low prices?"

Seeing Miao Zhen: "But we're not short on money. Why not go with the flow?"

They mainly wanted to go out and play, not to wander the streets seeking people for fortune-telling or healing.

Pan Yun took the banner and carried it herself. "I'll just stroll around. You three go play first—as long as you know the way home."

Seeing Miao Zhen opened her mouth to protest, but Pan Yun tilted her chin slightly behind them. "Keep an eye on Sister Hong Yan. Don't let her cause trouble."

The three turned around together to look at Sister Hong Yan, immediately decided to abandon Pan Yun, and sprinted toward her. "Little Master Shu, we're off to play!"

Pan Yun snorted twice, grabbed Pan Xiaohei as it turned to run away. "They can go, but why are you running? Can you get far from me?"

Pan Xiaohei: "Are you going far?"

It wasn't far—still within the range of Pan Xiaohei's senses—but Pan Yun pretended not to hear, picked it up, and walked on.

Pan Yun carried the banner along the main road, calling out: "Fortune-telling—Healing Doctor—Only One Cash!"

People on the street turned to look, then collectively averted their eyes upon seeing Pan Yun.

Pan Yun didn't care. She walked down the main street, passed two intersections, turned, and kept calling: "Fortune-telling—predicting good and bad fortune, revealing your future—only one cash!"

This was a residential area; the streets were nearly empty. The few passersby watched curiously as Pan Yun strolled slowly toward them.

Pan Yun slowed her pace and continued calling: "Fortune-telling—"

People chatting together instinctively looked away, avoiding Pan Yun's gaze.

As long as they didn't meet her eyes, they wouldn't spend a single cash.

Pan Yun's gaze swept over them, then tapped her stick twice on the ground—dong, dong—and walked past, adding: "One cash can determine good or bad fortune, reveal your marriage and future—"

Several households couldn't resist opening their doors to peek out. Seeing Pan Yun, they looked disappointed but didn't go back inside—just leaned against their doorframes to watch her.

As soon as their eyes met, Pan Yun asked: "Big Sister, want a fortune reading?"

"No!"

Pan Yun sighed, turned, and walked on. As she passed, she said: "Your rice is burning."

The big sister snorted. "If you can't read fortunes, don't pretend. I just put the pot on the stove—there's no way the water's boiled yet."

Pan Yun shook her head and kept walking. An old woman from the neighboring house stood by her door, arms folded, watching Pan Yun pass by.

Just as Pan Yun was about to pass completely, the big sister sniffed suddenly. "Oh no!" She spun and ran toward the kitchen. Moments later, she shouted: "Damned Daoist! I forgot to add water just to watch you—my rice—"

The cry carried. Pan Yun's lips curled slightly. The old woman immediately dropped her arms, crossed the threshold, and grabbed Pan Yun's sleeve. "Daoist, wait!"

Pan Yun stopped and turned to look at her.

"Daoist, no matter what you read, it's one cash?"

Pan Yun nodded. "Correct. One cash for the reading. If you need my magic power to resolve the issue, that's extra."

Hearing this, the old woman hesitated and let go of Pan Yun's sleeve.

Pan Yun wasn't one to wait passively. Seeing her wavering again, she said bluntly: "Big Aunt, your house… isn't auspicious."

The old woman immediately slapped her thigh. "Yes! Not auspicious at all! Daoist, how exactly is it not auspicious?"

Pan Yun: "At night, do you always hear sobbing—mournful, chilling? When getting up to relieve yourself, whether young, old, or strong, do you all stumble and trip?"

The old woman nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! Last night I nearly fell getting up. Two days ago, my son tripped getting up. And we keep hearing faint sobbing—can't tell if it's male or female…"

She shuddered and lowered her voice. "Daoist… could there be something unclean lingering in our house?"

Pan Yun frowned, pinched her fingers in calculation. After a moment, she said: "An inauspicious presence lingers in the house, but I must examine it in person to know the details." The old woman hurriedly invited her inside. Just as Pan Yun was about to enter, the old woman stopped her. "Entering the house is still one cash?"

Pan Yun: "... Yes, one cash. If I'm wrong, I won't take your money."

The old woman finally agreed.

Pan Yun asked: "What is your family name? How many people live here?"

The old woman: "Aren't you a fortune-teller? Can't you figure it out?"

Pan Yun glanced at her and said: "I see you have two sons. The eldest works as a minor official in Jingcheng; the younger one failed at his studies, his future dim, but he is filial."

The old woman stared at her in astonishment. "Did you inquire about me before coming here?"

Pan Yun glanced at her again and said: "See? I tell you, and you still don't believe me—you think I've already dug up your secrets."

"But this alley alone has at least a hundred households. Do you expect me to investigate every single one? You were the one who stopped me on the street. If I could read your thoughts, why couldn't I read these things? If I couldn't read them, how could I have possibly learned your family's secrets in advance and known you'd stop me?"

The old woman opened her mouth, bewildered by Pan Yun's logic, and could not answer.

!. Read

Pan Yun shook her head and turned to leave. "Forget it. If you don't believe me, there's no point in reading your fate."

"No no no, I believe you, I believe you!" The old woman immediately grabbed her. "My husband's surname is Zhao; my maiden name is Zhang. No one's home now but me."

Pan Yun called her "Zhang Da Niang" and asked: "Are they all out working to earn money?"

"Yes. Things in Jingcheng are too expensive—even a bunch of greens costs money. Life is unbearable, so I sent them all out to work."

Pan Yun's gaze swept over the courtyard, slightly smaller than Yin Song's house, and said: "Hard labor brings illness; washing clothes gathers cold qi—it's not good."

This sigh struck a chord with Zhang Da Niang. "Who says otherwise?"

"If we had money, would I make them do these backbreaking jobs?" Zhang Da Niang frowned. "They say promotion brings wealth, but when my son was promoted, I didn't feel richer—I felt life got harder."

Pan Yun smiled but said nothing.

Zhang Da Niang hurriedly asked: "Daoist Priest, is our suffering because the feng shui of this house is bad?"

Pan Yun looked around, examining the main hall, the second courtyard, and the back courtyard, then frowned slightly. "Strange. This house appears to have excellent feng shui—so why does it cling with a aura of grievance?"

Zhang Da Niang's heart tightened. "What harm does this grievance cause?"

Pan Yun said: "The harm isn't great—it doesn't target your family, nor does it intend to harm. But it's not small either. This grievance taints your family's fortune: it hinders your eldest son's official career, poisons family bonds, breeds resentment, and over time, causes marital discord, estrangement between mother and children, and constant quarrels with neighbors."

"I knew it—those ghosts of Yang An or Yue Shi must be haunting us!" Zhang Da Niang glared at empty air, one hand on her hip, pointing and shouting: "I don't care which one of you two is to blame—this house is mine now. You're dead! Why won't your ghosts leave? Grievances have a source, debts have a debtor—go haunt the people who killed you! Why are you clinging to my home?"

Zhang Da Niang circled the yard, then ran into the kitchen, grabbed a bundle of straw and a firestone, lit the straw, and waved the burning bundle everywhere, shouting: "You were pathetic in life—do you think I fear you as ghosts? Get out of my house now, or I'll douse you in black dog blood and kill you!"

Zhang Da Niang marched around the yard, main hall, and back courtyard, cursing until the fire burned out, then stopped, panting.

She stared intently at Pan Yun. "Daoist Priest, has the grievance dispersed?"

Pan Yun opened her mouth to speak, but Zhang Da Niang suddenly shouted: "Wait! That doesn't count as a solution—that's still just fortune-telling!"

Pan Yun: "... I know. One copper coin. The price hasn't changed."

Zhang Da Niang relaxed, her eyes fixed on Pan Yun. "Has the grievance left?"

Pan Yun shook her head. "It hasn't left."

Zhang Da Niang's smile collapsed with a clang. She eyed Pan Yun suspiciously. "Daoist Priest, are you lying? I yelled at them so hard—they still won't leave?"

Pan Yun: "They have nowhere to go."

Zhang Da Niang's face darkened. "This is my home! Their having nowhere to go is their problem—why must they stay in my house?"

"This was their home in life. After death, they instinctively return here," Pan Yun said. "If you want them to leave, you must give them a destination."

"Oh my, so now I have to find them a grave?"

Pan Yun: "Not necessarily. Where family is, there is home. Do you know where their children or relatives are now? If you can guide them, they might leave to find their kin."

Zhang Da Niang paused, then thought. "The Yang family? I'd have to ask neighbors—but they might not know either..."

Pan Yun: "True. So many died unjustly—they'd avoid old neighbors. Alas, my skills are too weak to trace where their new home might be."

Zhang Da Niang lowered her voice. "Daoist Priest, you know their family died unjustly?"

Pan Yun: "Who said they didn't?"

"Ah~" Zhang Da Niang sighed suddenly. "Not that anyone said otherwise—we've only lived here less than a year, and only learned later. That family, and this one nearby—they died terribly."

Pan Yun listened intently. "My skills are too weak—I only discerned both families died due to imprisonment. I can't see the details. Is there some hidden truth?"

Zhang Da Niang gave Pan Yun a smug look. "No wonder you only charge one copper coin—I don't need to read fate; I know it all."

She spent every day alone cooking, cleaning, doing chores—longing for company. Now, with someone to talk to—a wandering Daoist Priest who wouldn't damage her reputation—she eagerly pulled Pan Yun into a lively discussion.

"I only found out after living here half a year. The man was a Jin Yi Wei hundred-commander, surnamed Yang. His wife, Yue Shi—oh, she was stunning. They say she was the most beautiful woman in this alley—even the concubines of wealthy households couldn't match her."

Pan Yun chimed in: "So beautiful?"

"Exactly. But that beauty drew the attention of a Jin Yi Wei Captain, surnamed Chen. Even while Yang An was alive, he was unfaithful—but Yue Shi refused, so he dared not force her. Then Yang An fell ill and died, leaving Yue Shi vulnerable. That Chen man then demanded to marry her."

Pan Yun: "How utterly unjust."

"Exactly! Yue Shi was fierce—she refused. Enraged, Chen falsely accused Yang An of being poisoned by Yue Shi and her son-in-law. And so—Yue Shi and her son-in-law were beheaded. The whole family fell apart."

"This place is full of sorrow—perhaps they've already left Jingcheng," Pan Yun sighed. "It seems this grievance won't leave."

Zhang Da Niang's heart leapt.

She snapped out of her lamentation and rushed out: "Daoist Priest, wait! I'll ask the neighbors—I heard someone say they're still in Jingcheng!"

Zhang Da Niang grabbed Pan Yun's hand and went door to door asking neighbors.

The neighbors eyed them suspiciously. "Zhang Da Niang, the house was rented through the broker—why not ask the broker? Why look for the Yang family?"

One more chapter missing, good night

(End of this chapter)