Chapter 507: Heavy Reward

Pan Yun's eyebrows twitched, her face solemn: "Of course I remember—since leaving the Academy, I've only revealed my arts when the people's safety demanded it, and I've never broken the law."

Li Wenying stared at her steadily.

Pan Yun gazed back at him with innocent eyes.

"Good that you remember," Li Wenying rose to his feet. "I feared you'd been blinded by the Mu family's petty favors and done something foolish."

Pan Yun immediately raised her hand in oath: "I will never teach any arts or techniques I've learned without the consent of my sect and Long Hushan."

Li Wenying nodded in satisfaction, turned to leave—then paused, tilting his head: "You haven't learned any other techniques elsewhere, have you?"

Pan Yun lowered her fingers, blinked: "How could I? I was once a government official's daughter—do I look like someone who could acquire cultivation techniques?"

Because she had been so sincere and sworn an oath, Li Wenying believed her and departed, thoroughly satisfied.

Pan Yun exhaled, silently thinking: I didn't swear to that last part.

Pan Yun finished her meal, washed the bowls and chopsticks, poured herself a pot of boiling water, then extinguished the fire, poured the remaining hot water into a bucket, diluted it into warm water, and returned to her room to soak her feet.

Though slightly drowsy from eating, she refused to sleep; after soaking her feet, she sat cross-legged on the bed and meditated to cultivate.

But she only completed one full cycle before stopping, then emptied her mind into meditation.

I don't know whether Mu Ang had learned of her conversation with Li Wenying, but he summoned Mu Xi and Mu Lin to reprimand them; afterward, whenever Pan Yun went to guide the father and son in cultivation, the side courtyard was empty—only the two of them remained.

Pan Yun sat aside watching them enter stillness, primarily watching Mu Xi.

She saw him communicate with the insects inside his body through consciousness, forcing them to tremble in fear, and nodded in satisfaction.

When the father and son emerged from meditation, she said: "You've both entered the threshold. The rest of your cultivation depends on yourselves—I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."

Mu Lin exclaimed: "So soon?"

Pan Yun nodded. "Hasn't the imperial court replied yet?"

Mu Lin lowered his eyes, calculated briefly, then said: "My letter may have just reached Jingcheng—it won't arrive so quickly."

Pan Yun sighed: "Then we must part. I'd hoped that if the Emperor refused to let you stay, we could leave together."

The Emperor wasn't that cruel—he was quite reasonable.

Upon receiving Mu Lin's letter, he praised Pan Yun publicly in court, and also complimented Pan Hong, saying he raised his daughter well.

Then he agreed to let Mu Lin remain in Yunnan to care for Mu Xi: "Return to Jingcheng for the Emperor's birthday."

The Emperor's birthday is in November—eight months away—meaning he can stay in Yunnan at most seven months.

As long as he returns to Jingcheng before the Emperor's birthday, it's fine.

Besides, regional princes usually come to Jingcheng to pay respects on the Emperor's birthday—he can represent the Prince of Qian's mansion and return from Yunnan to pay homage.

This fulfills both filial piety and loyalty.

The court ministers had no objections.

The Prince of Qian and his wife are still in Jingcheng, and the ministers don't believe the Mu family would rebel, so they tolerate such matters when they can.

Thus, Mu Lin gained over seven extra months of leave.

By the time the imperial edict left Jingcheng, Pan Yun and the others had already departed Yunnan.

Mu Lin saw them off for a hundred li, escorting them for three full days before stopping.

I don't know if it was because Mu Lin accompanied them, but their journey out of Yunnan was twice as fast as their journey in.

Pan Yun began to suspect their guide had taken detours when entering Yunnan.

Mu Lin escorted them across a river and stopped at the foot of a mountain.

He said: "From here, the main road begins—it's much easier. I can't accompany you further."

Pan Yun produced her universal gift—a talisman. She placed it in a pouch and handed it to Mu Lin: "A protective talisman. Take it back and divide it among yourself and your family."

Mu Lin knew her talismans weren't ordinary, unlike those sold on the market; he accepted it solemnly and nodded: "Thank you."

He then pulled out a brocade money pouch and handed it to her: "This was prepared by my grandfather. I wanted to give it to you when you left the mansion, but feared you'd refuse, so I was told to wait until now."

Mu Lin said: "If you don't take it, I won't be able to explain to my grandfather."

Pan Yun beamed, reached out to take it: "General Mu is too kind—it's truly unnecessary. I came here under imperial order."

Mu Lin smiled as he watched her accept it while still making polite excuses: "I knew my grandfather overthought it—he should've given it to you then. You'd have been happy for three extra days."

Pan Yun: "That's not true—even without this pouch, I was happy these past three days."

Mu Lin laughed: "As long as you're happy."

The pouch was light—she could tell at once it didn't contain gold or silver. She tore it open and pulled out a bundle of silver notes rolled together.

Wang Cong had quietly moved closer; seeing the silver notes in Pan Yun's hand, he gaped: "So much…"

He involuntarily swallowed.

Pan Yun instantly felt guilty, her face twisted in distress: "This is too much…"

She quickly scanned the notes—all were one-hundred-liang denominations. The two at the bottom were larger, their color different; she glanced and realized they were one-thousand-liang notes.

Pan Yun's hands trembled: "This is far too generous…"

Mu Lin smiled warmly: "It seems holding off until now was right—if I'd given it earlier, you'd have been agonizing over it these past three days."

He leaned close to her ear and whispered: "My grandfather said you saved my father's life—that alone is a debt beyond measure. What you've given us is beyond valuation. This is merely money. The Mu family can offer you a promise."

He slipped a token into her palm without drawing attention, murmuring: "With this token, you may command the Mu family to perform one task—so long as it does not harm the state or betray the Emperor, the entire Mu family will spare nothing to fulfill it."

Pan Yun was stunned, gripping the token tightly.

Mu Lin straightened, smiling brightly: "My grandfather submitted a petition days ago pleading for your father's pardon. Rest assured—he'll be looked after in Jingcheng."

Pan Yun's expression was complex: "No wonder emperors through the ages have trusted and valued the Mu family."

If it were me, I'd trust them too.

Mu Lin smiled, stepped back two paces, clasped his fists: "I won't see you further. Daoist Pan, take care."

Pan Yun also clasped her fists: "Take care. Farewell."

She tucked the token clutched in her palm into her space and turned to leave.

Mu Lin stood at the crossroad watching them fade into the distance; only when the caravan vanished completely did he turn back: "Let's go."

"Young Master, the guide and the men are ready—do we really go to Burma?"

Mu Lin's face was grim: "As long as the Gu Master lives, this grudge won't end. Si Jifa thinks hiding his people can threaten my Mu family? Hmph. We go to kill the Gu Master—and if we can kill Si Jifa along the way, all the better."

"The men are ready, all waiting in the woods."

Mu Lin thought for a moment, pulled a sachet from his sleeve, separated five notes, and handed them to one man: "Take this sachet home. Tell Grandfather to send two Peace Charms to my uncle and aunt in Jingcheng."

The servant took them and bowed in assent.

Mu Lin kept only one for himself; the remaining four he distributed to his trusted close aides.

Everyone knew these weren't ordinary talismans; they accepted them with solemn, moved expressions.

Seeing Miao Zhen lowered the curtain only after they were far away, then turned to Pan Yun: "Little Master, why didn't you warn him? He's in for bloodshed."

Pan Yun was counting silver notes; she replied indifferently: "It's a scare, not death. No need to warn him."

Seeing Miao Zhen wrinkled her little nose: "Even a warning to be careful would help."

Pan Yun shook her head: "Some bloodshed can be warned against; others cannot."

Seeing Miao Zhen frowned: "Why?"

"Sometimes action depends on a single surge of spirit—a headlong rush. If that spirit is blocked, the edge is lost. The bloodshed may be avoided, but so is success."

Wang Cong leaned in, nodding deeply: "Great achievements always come with great risks. His risk means he's about to earn glory. Little Master, how much money do you have? Can you take it?"

One sentence dragged Pan Yun's mood from the heavens straight to the ground.

She sighed, looking at the stack of silver notes in her hand, pulled out one hundred taels for herself, and stuffed the rest into a money pouch, handing it to Wang Cong: "Once we leave Lingnan, find someone to send five hundred taels to my father and brother in Jingcheng—they need money now. Keep the rest. All of it… all of it goes to the public fund!"

Wang Cong happily accepted.

He continued counting the money Pan Yun had left, asking: "Is five hundred taels enough? Should we send more? If my lord is still in prison, we need to bribe; if he's out, we need to buy or rent a house, and cover living costs…"

Wang Cong was generous—he cleanly pulled out a thousand-tael note: "Why not send them a thousand taels?"

Pan Yun frowned. She'd offered five hundred because the Mu family had given two thousand six hundred taels; she kept one note and distributed five hundred.

"A thousand-tael note—isn't that too large? My father might not be able to cash it…"

"With Master here, what money can't be cashed? Rest easy—even a ten-thousand-tael note, my Master can turn into cash."

Pan Yun blinked: "Do banks issue ten-thousand-tael notes?"

Wang Cong tilted his head, uncertain: "Some large trading houses might. But such high-denomination notes usually have special withdrawal procedures."

Pan Yun pondered, pulled Wang Cong over to sit beside her, and lowered her voice: "If we find the treasure, can we deposit the money in a bank and turn it into high-denomination notes?"

Wang Cong blinked, lowering his voice too: "You want to launder money? But… wasn't the plan to use it for charity?"

Pan Yun's lips moved faintly, murmuring: "You do charity with pearls and jewels? Don't you still have to convert them first—buy supplies or break them into small change to hand out?"

Wang Cong's mind flashed an image: Little Master leading his four fellow disciples, carrying a burlap sack of pearls and jewels, placing a string or small bag at each door.

Poor villagers rushed the pearls and jewels to pawnshops—only to be arrested by officials the next moment…

He shuddered, face serious: "Little Master, you're right. Wait for my news—I met several bank managers last year handling silver speculation. Let me contact them."

Pan Yun nodded in satisfaction, tapping the silver notes in the pouch: "I checked—these are all Chengfeng Bank notes. They're big, trustworthy. Since the Mu family trusts them, if you can get in touch with their manager…"

Wang Cong instantly understood: "I remember there's a Chengfeng Bank branch in Guangxin Prefecture."

The uncle and niece exchanged a glance, then both smirked slyly.

Seeing Miao Zhen waited until they finished before speaking: "Little Master, Big Brother, the Embroidered Uniform Guards are still following us."

The two instantly stopped smirking.

Pan Yun began circling the question with An Chen: "When are you returning to Jingcheng?"

An Chen gave no clear answer.

After two days of forbearance, Pan Yun finally snapped: "The mission to Yunnan is over. I'm not going back to Jingcheng. Our paths diverge now—when will you leave?"

An Chen glanced at her: "My orders are to guard Daoist Pan. I've received no order terminating the mission."

Pan Yun stared: "What does that mean?"

An Chen's face was blank: "It means: until the Emperor's decree arrives, we will continue to follow Daoist Pan."

Pan Yun placed her hands on her waist: "The mission's done! Why are you still following me? I'm going back to Guangxin to take the exams."

An Chen coldly replied: "We, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, will escort you."

"No need," Pan Yun waved dismissively. "Besides, after the exam, we still have to attend the Imperial Academy."

An Chen: "We, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, will escort you."

"Can you fight demons? Can you subdue ghosts?" Pan Yun retorted sharply. "Who's protecting whom here?"

An Chen's face remained expressionless: "We follow orders."

"Don't give me that. The Emperor's decree didn't order you to protect me—it ordered you to watch and escort me to Yunnan, to oversee my healing of Mu Xi. Both tasks are done. Why aren't you rushing back to Jingcheng to report? Why are you still following me?"

An Chen said nothing. When she pressed too hard, he simply mounted his horse and ordered full speed ahead. The carriage jolted violently, nearly shaking Pan Yun's head off.

Finally, Zhang Ziming and Li Wenying couldn't take it—they exited the carriage and followed on qinggong, refusing to ride.

They could do it. Pan Yun could too. But Wang Cong and the others couldn't.

In the end, Pan Yun surrendered, face dark, abandoning her pleas, silently letting the Embroidered Uniform Guards escort them toward Guangxin.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards wouldn't leave—but what about Zhang Ziming and Li Wenying?

Pan Yun looked at the two.

One tilted his head left, the other gazed upward—neither looked at her.

Pan Yun turned to the quietly silent Zhang Weiyi and Xue Hua: "School starts soon—you two…"

Zhang Weiyi: "We've already graduated."

"I mean your monastic certificates…"

Xue Hua: "We've qualified for the preliminary exam. We failed the re-exam last year—we'll take it again directly next year."

Xue Hua's words instantly diverted Pan Yun's attention; she widened her eyes: "No way—you two did so poorly in both general and specialized subjects? How did you still fail the re-exam?"

Xue Hua's expression remained calm: "You'll understand once you take it yourself."

Zhang Weiyi: "It won't be long now."

Obtaining a degree certificate was one of the essential achievements Pan Yun must accomplish in her life, for only with the degree certificate could she go wherever she wished in the future.

The documents from Long Hushan Academy were valid for only a few years; they expired the moment she graduated.

If she wanted to go elsewhere again without a degree certificate, she would either have to become a refugee and wander aimlessly, or obtain a travel permit.

Obtaining a travel permit was not only troublesome but also expensive, and Pan Yun found it utterly distasteful.

She muttered: "I'll see just how hard this is."