Chapter 512: Warning

Pan Yun dragged Zhang Ziming as she flew a great distance, then with a flick, hurled him toward the ground just like shaking off a piece of clothing.

Zhang Ziming spun through the air, finally flying backward more than ten meters at a height of five or six meters above the ground before landing, barely steadying himself.

No sooner had he steadied himself than Pan Yun slowly descended from midair.

Zhang Ziming watched Pan Yun slowly land before him, his face darkening completely: "You used me to practice?"

Pan Yun: "You're only a bit stronger than my Second Senior Brother—why would you think I can't beat you?"

Zhang Ziming shot her an irritated glare, turned, and walked off.

Pan Yun flashed in front of him, blocking his path: "Explain yourself clearly. What are you trying to do?"

Zhang Ziming: "I thought we both understood without saying it. Spelling it out wouldn't look good for either of us."

Pan Yun lifted her eyes, her gaze sharp and fierce: "He is my man."

Zhang Ziming smiled noncommittally: "And the item?"

Pan Yun: "Also mine."

"You're quite overbearing. I thought this was a matter of each relying on their own ability."

Pan Yun: "Even by ability, it's still mine."

Zhang Ziming: "Long Hushan has more than just me. Are you sure you can outcompete them?"

Pan Yun ground her teeth inwardly, forced herself to soften her attitude, and looked at Zhang Ziming with a pitiful face: "Zhang Shixiong, would your people really have the heart to make things hard for a student of the Academy over a little money?"

Zhang Ziming said irritably: "Is this 'a little'? This is a treasure trove that even the imperial court has its eye on."

Pan Yun pressed her lips together.

Zhang Ziming said softly: "Long Hushan has plenty of ways to make money, so we wouldn't go to war over this sum. But without Long Hushan, there's still the Jianghu Alliance. They're not like Long Hushan—they can't just decide with one voice to drop the matter and never pursue it again.

And then there's the Brocade Guard, the open and hidden powers in Jiangnan, even the Japanese across the sea. They know those Japanese pirates lost the coordinates to the treasure. Now that island is unclaimed treasure—who wouldn't want it?"

Zhang Ziming said meaningfully: "Two fists are hard pressed against four hands. What's more, you face so many enemies. Take any one of them alone, and they might not be your match, but once they cooperate, do you really think you can fight them all?"

Pan Yun said nothing.

Zhang Ziming lowered his voice: "How about we cooperate?"

Pan Yun's expression showed interest, but after a moment she shook her head, looking troubled: "I can't decide this matter alone."

Zhang Ziming understood at once: "You have allies. Who?"

Pan Yun stayed silent.

Zhang Ziming pondered briefly, then said: "It wouldn't be someone from the navy, would it?"

Pan Yun stared at him steadily, thinking to herself: As expected, a clever one.

She didn't like dealing with fools, but she didn't like dealing with overly clever people either.

Pan Yun didn't continue the topic, changing the subject instead: "In any case, with me here, Zhang Shixiong, don't even think about touching him."

Zhang Ziming snorted: "No matter—Zhang Ziming; small matter—Zhang Yuanzhu; big matter—Zhang Shixiong. You certainly know how to address people."

Pan Yun cracked her knuckles right in front of him.

Zhang Ziming instinctively stepped back, then stopped: "Although I can't beat you alone, there's still Li Wenying."

Pan Yun's knuckle-cracking paused, and she smiled: "Zhang Shixiong, let's head back to Fucheng together. It'll be nice to have company."

Zhang Ziming didn't want her company, but he had no choice—he couldn't beat her.

He could only bring her back.

The moment they were above the inn, Zhang Ziming flung off the person clinging to his leg, his face full of disgust: "I already told you I won't go looking for him again…"

Pan Yun landed and slowly moved her hands, then her feet. Zhang Ziming frowned at her: "What, still want to fight?"

Pan Xiaohei and Sister Hong Yan, who had landed with Pan Yun, looked at Zhang Ziming with expressions of caring-for-the-mentally-disabled.

Pan Xiaohei meowed: "So stupid—he couldn't even tell you were putting on a brave front out of fear."

Pan Yun: 【Shut up!】

Sister Hong Yan, meanwhile, squeaked: "If I hadn't been with you so long, I wouldn't have noticed she was putting on a brave front either. I just thought she was expressionless, cold and solemn, looking rather terrifying."

Pan Yun listened, lifted her chin slightly, and once she wasn't quite so shaky, looked up at Zhang Ziming standing on the rooftop: "Zhang Shixiong, we've agreed. If you go looking for him again, I'll chase you down even if I'm in the middle of an exam."

Zhang Ziming, who had indeed been planning to look for the person once she went in to take her exam: …

Pan Yun narrowed her eyes and threatened: "If you dare mess up my exam, I'll hold a grudge against you for life!"

Zhang Ziming flared up: "You abandoned the exam yourself and you blame me?"

Pan Yun said coldly: "If you weren't going to look for him, would I have abandoned the exam?"

She said: "For me, this exam is like moving from elementary to middle school. If you dare mess up my exam, from now on, don't expect any exam at your Ten Flower Academy to proceed normally!"

Not a single error—in every word, every line, every chapter—read it all here!

Zhang Ziming opened his mouth, realized she wasn't joking, flared up briefly, then silently swallowed it down.

Forget it—she really would do something like that.

Although they had allied with the Jianghu Alliance, finding the people and the map was the Jianghu Alliance's job; killing the bandits and taking the money was Long Hushan's job.

Zhang Ziming decided to take a moderate, peaceful approach. As a Daoist Priest, what kind of behavior would it be to fight and kill all day long?

Zhang Ziming turned and went back to his room.

Pan Yun let out a breath, turned her head to look at the fox and cat crouching at her feet.

The two stepped back in unison, watching her warily, and said in unison: "What do you want?"

Pan Yun said expressionlessly: "I think I need to make a trip to Kaifeng to get my flying artifact back."

Pan Xiaohei let out a breath and meowed: "Wait until the exam's over, then make the trip. You've got several days before school starts anyway, there's plenty of time."

Pan Yun thought the same.

As for the exam, she was brimming with confidence. As long as Zhang Ziming and Li Wenying didn't sneak attack while she was taking it, she felt the preliminary Daoist spells were child's play for her.

In her past life, she had gone through so many exams—how could she possibly fear one now?

After formally joining Mount Sanqing as a disciple, in order to better understand this world and blend into it, Pan Yun read through quite a number of this world's cultivation methods and spells, including the procedures for performing rites and all the points to note—she had them memorized backwards and forwards.

She had even tagged along with Wang Feiyin to several rites.

This first attempt, for her, was a sure thing.

Therefore, Pan Yun stepped into the examination hall brimming with confidence.

As a Daoist Priest, how could one's energy not be abundant?

So the examination started at the Chen hour and lasted all the way until the You hour.

First came the written test.

Pan Yun took the paper, lowered her head for a look, blinked, and muttered inwardly: "Isn't this paper way too easy?"

Pan Xiaohei, crouched in a corner outside the examination hall, casually asked: "How easy?"

Pan Yun flipped a page, saw the questions on the back, and fell silent.

The middle-aged Daoist Priest walked down the aisle with his hands clasped behind his back, his voice drawn-out as he admonished: "This Daoist knows that the fact you could come take the examination means you each have your own skills, but do not, just because you have studied the Dao for many years, look down on these questions.

These questions may be simple, but each one has its reason for existing. You must answer every single question with the utmost care, only then will you not let yourselves down."

The middle-aged Daoist Priest waved his hand: "Alright, begin answering."

Pan Yun silently ground ink, and in the process of grinding ink she read through the densely packed questions carefully from beginning to end. (End of chapter)