Chapter 509

Wang Cong stiffened, then stepped forward with a smile, positioning himself between Hu Jing and the others: "I need hands to move my goods, so I asked Elder Gu for help—he's useless here anyway."

"Elder Gu knows how to do business?" An Chen said gravely. "Earlier you said he knew about corpse worms and could help treat Elder Mu Two, but throughout our journey, I've never seen him touch Elder Mu Two's treatment."

Pan Yun slammed her chopsticks down with a snap, frowning: "Who says he's useless? On the way to Yunnan, if he hadn't told me about the corpse worms' habits and helped me connect them to the Qi-draining worms, how could I have cured Elder Mu Two so quickly?"

Hu Jing stood silently behind Wang Cong, hugging Xiao Huang, head bowed, saying nothing.

Pan Yun waved directly at the two: "It's getting late—go on, leave."

An Chen frowned; Pan Yun turned to him: "What? Are you, Captain An, going to arrest my guest?"

An Chen opened his mouth but had no evidence, despite suspecting Elder Gu's true identity.

Throughout the journey, even in Yunnan, he'd probed repeatedly—but found nothing.

An Chen fell silent.

Wang Cong immediately pulled Hu Jing away and ran.

Zhang Ziming watched quietly, saying nothing.

Outside the posthouse, the rumble of carriage wheels and the shouts of servants echoed—Pan Yun knew they were gone, and picked up her chopsticks again to eat.

She urged the three Seeing Miao Zhen: "Hurry up and eat—we're registering at the Daoji Office after."

Pan Yun called over An Chen and the others: "Don't say I'm running off and hiding from you."

After entering Guangxin Prefecture, An Chen no longer wanted to keep a close eye on Pan Yun—perhaps he knew she wouldn't cause trouble in her own territory.

People are like that—they always prefer to do bad things away from home, yet want to leave a good impression in their hometown.

To An Chen and the others, Guangxin Prefecture was Pan Yun's second hometown; she wouldn't dare do anything wrong here.

Even if she did, they weren't afraid—this place was close to Mount Sanqing; they could storm the Sanqing Temple directly.

But people are like that—when An Chen and the others didn't want to follow, Pan Yun insisted they did, stubborn to the core.

With no choice, everyone ate, then followed Pan Yun to register at the Daoji Office.

The Daoji Office stood on the same street as the Prefectural Government, just over a hundred paces away—but its entrance faced backward, since the front facing the main road had been taken over by the Prefecture for other offices.

Their entrance opened onto the alley behind.

Without Zhang Weiyi and Xue Hua leading the way, even the Embroidered Uniform Guard wouldn't have known the Daoji Office's entrance faced backward.

As soon as they entered the alley, Pan Yun and the others saw two long lines of people packed tightly together.

The four unworldly ones gaped, "So many people~~"

Pan Yun disbelievingly asked: "Does Guangxin Prefecture have this many Daoist Priests?"

Zhang Ziming: "You're ignorant—Guangxin Prefecture has Long Hushan; it's never lacked Daoist Priests."

Pan Yun's eyes flickered: "What about monks and nuns? Do they fall under the Daoji Office too?"

Zhang Ziming gave her a sly smile: "Guess."

Beside her, Seeing Miao Zhen lowered her voice: "Little Master, the office that oversees monks and nuns is the Sangang Office—they, like us, take exams every three years, must pass both preliminary and re-exams before going to the capital for their ordination certificates. If I'm right, their exam schedule is the same as ours, just different location and content."

Pan Yun nodded.

Seeing Miao Zhen: "Little Master, write this down—I feel this will be on the exam."

"They'll test this? I thought they'd only test spells, rituals, talismans, and such."

Seeing Miao Zhen herself wasn't sure: "It might not be tested—just a feeling it might be." Pan Yun understood.

The group moved closer, about to peer ahead, when a Daoist Priest lining up stopped them: "Those registering must queue—everyone queues."

Pan Yun could only line up obediently at the back—but not entirely obediently; she asked the person ahead: "Friend, when did you arrive?"

"Me? Before noon—I've been waiting since then. They're so slow."

Pan Yun agreed: "Why so slow? Have many people gone in already?"

"No, not many—in half a day, only twenty-some have entered."

Pan Yun frowned: "Then why's it taking so long?"

This efficiency was abysmal.

The Daoist Priest said: "Probably coaxing a child?"

Pan Yun blinked: "What?"

Before she got an answer, a Daoist Priest stormed out from the front with a bang, slapped a stack of papers against a man's chest: "Distribute these—one each! Read how to fill them out! When it's your turn, just shout your answers—no dawdling!"

!

The Daoist ahead passed the papers back quickly.

Pan Yun took hers, glanced once, kept one, and passed the rest back.

The Daoist Priest saw leftover papers, snatched them back with a snap, reclaimed them, then stood with hands on hips beside Pan Yun's group, shouting toward the alley entrance: "You sons of thunder and lightning—can't raise kids, don't breed! Breed them and don't care for them, can't even properly abandon them! Next time you dump a child, use my Daoji Office's stones to weigh it down—I'll burn three incense sticks daily and curse you to die childless, impotent, sterile—next life, be born in the Animal Realm, forever trapped, never to rise again—"

Pan Yun and the others leaned against the wall, dodging his spittle, stunned as he ranted at the alley for fifteen minutes!

Jing Xuan, hoarse and breathless, felt better—then glanced at the dozen or so people huddled by the wall, frowning: "Who are you? Why are you here if you're not taking the exam?"

He was asking Zhang Weiyi, An Chen, and the others who hadn't taken papers.

Zhang Weiyi immediately said: "We've already passed the preliminary exam—we…"

He glanced quickly at Pan Yun: "We're here to escort our junior sisters to take the exam."

Jing Xuan's gaze shifted to An Chen and the others: "Are you Daoist Priests too?"

An Chen raised his embroidered sword without expression—his identity was clear.

Jing Xuan fell silent. Embroidered Uniform Guard—what the hell are you doing here?

Embroidered Uniform Guard really was impressive.

The Daoji Office was too small—he begrudgingly stepped aside to let them enter.

Pan Yun hadn't expected bringing An Chen and the others would have this effect—she immediately followed.

The Daoji Office wasn't just a government office—it was also a small Daoist temple, housing the Three Pure Ones and many other deities.

But it was more than just a small Daoist shrine, for few came here to burn incense and pray; instead, people often came here to abandon children and the elderly.

Because the Daoist Records Office sat next to the Foundling House, and the two shared a single entrance facade.

Before Pan Yun and the others arrived, a child had been left in a corner not far from this facade, crushed beneath a stone.

Had the Daoist Priest on duty not heard the infant's weak whimpers and rushed over to check, the baby girl would have been crushed to death by the stone.

The child had been saved, just soothed and delivered to the Foundling House next door, which was why Jingxuan had come out to glare and scold.

No one knew whether the person who abandoned the child had heard.

Pan Yun very much hoped he had heard. (End of Chapter)