Chapter 536: Protecting Animals

Zhang Zhenren said solemnly: "Humans and demons walk different paths, Pan Yun, may you cherish yourself."

Pan Yun's heart tightened; she stole a glance at Zhang Liuzhen.

Zhang Liuzhen's eyes were lowered, yet he seemed to sense her watching him—he quickly lifted his gaze and looked at her.

Their gazes met and parted instantly.

Zhang Zhenren's expression remained stern; he feigned ignorance, pretending not to notice, and said in a deep voice: "Third matter: the Tian Shi Fu and the Jianghu Alliance will choose a day to sail to the coast and suppress pirates. If you cannot control your abnormal state, you will remain at the Academy."

Pan Yun immediately said: "I can manage."

Zhang Zhenren stared at her with heavy eyes: "Really?"

Pan Yun said: "If I cannot, I will stay at the Academy and never go near the sea to cause trouble for everyone."

Zhang Zhenren finally nodded and added one final warning: "May you cherish yourself."

He rose and left.

Zhang Liuzhen bowed his head; Pan Yun stepped aside.

As he passed them, he paused slightly and said in a low voice: "Long Hushan strictly forbids keeping ghosts, Liuzhen—do not let the Tian Shi Fu down."

Zhang Liuzhen bowed his head and replied: "Yes."

Zhang Zhenren departed.

Pan Yun, hearing his footsteps fade, raised her head and hurriedly asked Zhang Liuzhen: "Zhang Shixiong, the ones I asked you to look after…"

"They're in my courtyard—don't worry, they're fine."

Pan Yun finally exhaled in relief and followed him to Fanxi Courtyard to retrieve them.

She lowered her voice: "How were they discovered?"

Zhang Liuzhen glanced at her: "Zhang Zhu Zhu Zifang assigned Tao Yanbai to live in Fengqi Courtyard. Although Tao Yanbai ranked first in the medical exam among new students, he still drew too much attention."

"Last year, after you three were illegally assigned to Fengqi Courtyard and caused such a scandal, the Tian Shi Fu took notice. This year, the same thing happened again—so the Elders' Council reported it to my father."

Zhang Liuzhen paused: "Last year, by bad luck, my father was away when you enrolled, and all the chaos never reached him. But this year, he's at the Tian Shi Fu—new incidents dragged up old ones. He got angry and dealt with them all at once."

So not only was Zhang Zhu Zhu Zifang punished again, but Zhang Ziwang, the mastermind behind last year's scheme, was also severely punished.

This is the Tian Shi Fu, the Long Hushan Academy—not the imperial court, where cases require strict evidence.

Once the investigation reached this point, it was enough. Evidence wasn't needed; everyone already knew the truth. So Zhang Zhenren acted.

Pan Yun exhaled: "Zhang Zhenren is so upright—why not correct the injustice and expel our four disciples from Fengqi Courtyard?"

"The fault lies with the Academy's teachers first, and the Tian Shi Fu's lax oversight. If we moved you out of Fengqi Courtyard, wouldn't that force you to bear suspicious glances and gossip?" Zhang Liuzhen said: "Let the mistake stand."

Pan Yun's lips curled slightly; she hurried after Zhang Liuzhen.

The gate of Fanxi Courtyard opened and closed, revealing an entirely different scene inside.

Sister Hong Yan wore a red gauze robe, layers upon layers, light and flowing, yet lavish—under the sunlight, the red gauze shimmered faintly, exquisitely beautiful.

She reclined lazily on a tree branch; hearing the gate open, she turned her head slowly, looking down from above.

Pan Yun had never seen such a seductive beauty—her appearance dazzled Pan Yun's eyes, leaving her stunned for a long moment.

Zhang Liuzhen extended his hand; Sister Hong Yan rose, the red gauze slipping from her shoulders. She kicked off the branch with her bare feet, her entire body leaping out—and instantly transformed into a fox, landing lightly in Zhang Liuzhen's arms.

The red gauze fell from midair; Pan Yun instinctively reached out and caught it, staring blankly at the man stroking the red fox.

She looked utterly incredulous: "Only two days… you already…"

Zhang Liuzhen smiled: "Sister, don't misunderstand—I simply like foxes, especially red ones."

Sister Hong Yan rested her head against Zhang Liuzhen's chest and spoke in human speech: "I simply like being kept by him."

Pan Yun: "Then… you'll stay?"

Sister Hong Yan immediately stretched her head away, refusing outright: "No!"

Zhang Liuzhen also sighed: "I can't keep her here—the Tian Shi Fu would notice and cause trouble."

Sister Hong Yan leaned back against his chest, her voice soft: "Young Master Zhang, I'll visit you often—don't forget me."

Zhang Liuzhen: "Not often. If Pan Shimei brings you, you may enter. If not, I advise you not to come near Long Hushan."

Pan Yun, seeing their tender gestures yet cold words, shivered and quickly changed the subject: "Where's Xiao Hong?"

Sister Hong Yan lifted a paw and pointed upstairs: "The sunlight was too good today—she didn't want to come out."

As if hearing their conversation, the tightly shut window on the second floor slid open halfway—a ghostly face flickered within.

Seeing Zhang Liuzhen still stroking Sister Hong Yan, Pan Yun volunteered: "I'll go up and get her."

Though reluctant, Zhang Liuzhen said: "I'll go with you."

Mainly because he had many things to give Xiao Hong.

Like several sets of brightly colored clothes, balls, combs, and more.

Yes, he had prepared three combs just for Sister Hong Yan.

Pan Yun had already taken the gold hairpin; Xiao Hong floated silently in midair, watching Zhang Liuzhen hand things to Sister Hong Yan.

Pan Yun's expression grew increasingly blank: "Why three combs?"

Sister Hong Yan purred: "This one is for brushing my hair, this one for my tail, and this one for brushing my fur when I'm in my true form."

Pan Yun's gaze shifted to the balls: "And these?"

Sister Hong Yan immediately pulled the balls close to her chest: "They're all my toys."

Pan Yun: "Only two days…"

How did it feel like two months?

Xiao Hong urged: "Let's go quickly—if we stay any longer, we won't be able to afford Sister Hong Yan."

Zhang Liuzhen stroked Sister Hong Yan's head gently: "I prepared a voice-transmitting talisman for you—anywhere within five hundred li, you can send me your voice. If you need anything later, use it to tell me."

Pan Yun quickly gathered Sister Hong Yan: "Zhang Shixiong, we're leaving now."

Xiao Hong was right—if they stayed any longer, she truly couldn't afford Sister Hong Yan.

Zhang Liuzhen escorted her to the door, then turned his gaze back to Pan Yun's face: "The campaign against the Japanese pirates is still classified—don't leak it. The timing isn't set because the three parties involved have grand designs and must calculate the wind direction."

"Three parties?" Pan Yun raised an eyebrow. "Is the imperial court also involved?"

Zhang Liuzhen did not answer directly, but said: "The Japanese pirate problem is growing worse; the imperial court also wishes to restore peace to the coastlines."

Pan Yun lowered her eyes in thought, then said after a moment: "I understand. I'll do my best to keep it under control before June."

Zhang Liuzhen's gaze settled on her, hesitated a moment, but still didn't ask.

The anomalies in the imperial court's prison in Jingcheng are still classified; few know of them.

Zhang Ziwang and the others might no longer notice, but Zhang Liuzhen, standing beside her now, couldn't help but be drawn to her.

If he is so affected, how much more so the demons?

A mere mortal suddenly bearing great merit is a blessing—but also a curse.

Fortunately, those who bear great merit not only secure a favorable rebirth after death, but also enjoy extraordinary luck in life, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Yet looking at Pan Yun's experiences, she hardly seems to bear great merit—her luck is truly average.

Everyone has their secrets. Zhang Zhenren doesn't ask, so Zhang Liuzhen couldn't bring himself to ask either, and could only say: "If you need help, just speak up."

Pan Yun actually did: "I want to go to the Academy's library to find books, but I'm only in my second year—many areas are off-limits."

Zhang Liuzhen smiled and handed her a plaque: "Take this plaque—you may read any book in the library."

Pan Yun immediately beamed, teeth showing: "Thank you, Senior Brother Zhang!"

Zhang Liuzhen smiled and pointed to Fanxi Court: "There are also many books here—if you can't find what you need in the library, come here."

Pan Yun readily agreed, then hugged the fox and left happily.

There are no demons in the Academy; animals are mostly in the kitchen, at most a few dogs and cats, so the fox in Pan Yun's arms drew many eyes.

Especially since this fox was red and exceptionally beautiful—dogs passing by would lift their heads to stare, let alone humans.

So students walked while turning their heads, and accidentally bumped into each other.

Pan Yun shook her head: "These people clearly will one day be enslaved by beauty—this won't do."

But some with cultivated insight noticed: one glance and they were smitten, a second and they were startled—they realized this red fox wasn't ordinary, but a demon, and rushed over: "Sister, wait! That's a fox demon!"

Hearing this, the other students didn't retreat—they grew even more excited, cried out "Wow!" and surged forward, surrounding Pan Yun: "It's a demon? Sister, where did you catch it?"

"No wonder it's so beautiful—it's a demon!"

"I don't sense any blood-evil aura on it—has it never committed any crimes?"

The senior student who had exposed Sister Hong Yan's identity nodded solemnly: "It hasn't committed murder, but it's still a demon. As Daoist Priests tasked with hunting demons and purging evil, we must never forget our duty—even if it hasn't killed, Sister, you shouldn't be carrying it in your arms."

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow, noticing the jade plaque on his person marked him as a fourth-year student—two years above her—and asked: "Then what do you think should be done?"

"Of course, take it out of Long Hushan and release it back into the wild," he said solemnly. "Long Hushan forbids keeping demons."

Pan Yun immediately beamed, hugging Sister Hong Yan: "I've released it—but it refuses to leave, keeps following me tightly. It hasn't committed any crimes; I can't just kill it."

Sister Hong Yan immediately clutched her chest with both paws, turning its wet, pleading eyes toward them.

The crowd erupted in commotion.

Before the fourth-year senior could speak, he was shoved aside. Someone asked: "Sister, where did you catch this fox? No—I mean, where did you subdue it? I've learned a spell—I want to test it against a fox demon!"

"Get lost! Fox demons are delicate—how could they endure your spell? Sister, demons share common traits—I've heard snake demons are causing trouble in Minnan; I intend to eliminate them. I'd like to ask the fox demon about the snake demon's habits and weaknesses—where should I go to make contact?"

A female Daoist Priest pushed through, eyes gleaming at Pan Yun: "Sister, ask her—does she have any siblings? Ones that haven't committed crimes? I want to befriend them."

Too enthusiastic. Sister Hong Yan was bewildered, and Pan Yun was too.

She quickly found an excuse to push through the crowd and hurried toward Fengqi Court.

Pan Yun shut the door, exhaled, and felt pain in her back and shoulders. As she set Sister Hong Yan down, she hissed and clutched her shoulders.

Sister Hong Yan was delighted: "Looks like Long Hushan Academy isn't as terrifying as the rumors say—everyone wants to be friends with me."

"That's because you haven't done anything evil," Pan Yun's gaze shifted to the balls. "Then what are these?"

Sister Hong Yan immediately pulled the balls close to its chest: "These are all my toys."

Pan Yun: "Only two days…"

How does it feel like two months?

Xiao Hong urged: "Let's go quickly—stay any longer and we won't be able to afford Sister Hong Yan."

Zhang Liuzhen stroked Sister Hong Yan's head gently: "I've prepared a voice-charm for you—within five hundred li, you can transmit sound. If you need anything, use the charm to tell me."

Pan Yun quickly scooped up Sister Hong Yan: "Senior Brother Zhang, we're leaving now."

Xiao Hong was right—if they stayed any longer, she truly couldn't afford Sister Hong Yan.

Zhang Liuzhen escorted her to the door, then turned his gaze back to Pan Yun's face: "The campaign against the Japanese pirates is still classified—don't leak it. The timing isn't set because the three parties involved have grand designs and must calculate the wind direction."

"Three parties?" Pan Yun raised an eyebrow. "Is the imperial court also involved?"

Zhang Liuzhen did not answer directly, but said: "The Japanese pirate problem is growing worse; the imperial court also wishes to restore peace to the coastlines."

Pan Yun lowered her eyes in thought, then said after a moment: "I understand. I'll do my best to keep it under control before June."

Zhang Liuzhen's gaze settled on her, hesitated a moment, but still didn't ask.

The anomalies in the imperial court's prison in Jingcheng are still classified; few know of them.

Zhang Ziwang and the others might no longer notice, but Zhang Liuzhen, standing beside her now, couldn't help but be drawn to her.

If he is so affected, how much more so the demons?

A mere mortal suddenly bearing great merit is a blessing—but also a curse.

Fortunately, those who bear great merit not only secure a favorable rebirth after death, but also enjoy extraordinary luck in life, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Yet looking at Pan Yun's experiences, she hardly seems to bear great merit—her luck is truly average.

Everyone has their secrets. Zhang Zhenren doesn't ask, so Zhang Liuzhen couldn't bring himself to ask either, and could only say: "If you need help, just speak up."

Pan Yun actually did: "I want to go to the Academy's library to find books, but I'm only in my second year—many areas are off-limits."

Zhang Liuzhen smiled and handed her a plaque: "Take this plaque—you may read any book in the library."

Pan Yun grinned broadly, showing all her teeth: "Thank you, Brother Zhang!"

Zhang Liuzhen smiled and pointed to Fanxi Courtyard: "There are also many books here. If you can't find what you're looking for in the Library Tower, you can come here."

Pan Yun readily agreed, then hugged the fox and left happily.

There were no demons in the Academy; animals were mostly in the kitchen, at most a few dogs and cats, so the fox in Pan Yun's arms drew a lot of attention.

Especially since this fox was red and exceptionally beautiful—dogs passing by would lift their heads to stare, let alone humans.

So students walked while turning their heads to look, and accidentally bumped into each other.

Pan Yun shook her head: "These people clearly will one day be consumed by lust. Not good."

But some with cultivated insight glanced once, then stared again in shock—they clearly recognized the red fox as no ordinary beast, but a demon, and rushed over: "Sister, wait! That's a fox demon!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding students didn't retreat—they grew even more excited, cried out "Wow!", stepped forward, and surrounded Pan Yun in a circle: "It's a demon? Sister, where did you catch it?"

"No wonder it's so beautiful—it's a demon!"

"I don't sense any blood-evil aura on it. Has it never committed any crimes?"

The senior student who had exposed Sister Hong Yan's identity nodded solemnly: "It hasn't committed any murders, but it's still a demon. As Daoist Priests sworn to hunt demons and eradicate evil, we must never forget our duty. Even if it hasn't killed, Sister, you shouldn't be carrying it in your arms."

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow, noticing the jade tablet hanging from his belt—it marked him as a fourth-year student, two years ahead of her. She asked: "Then what do you think should be done?"

"Of course, take it out of Long Hushan and release it back into the wild," he said solemnly. "Long Hushan forbids keeping demons as pets."

Pan Yun immediately beamed, hugging Sister Hong Yan: "I'll release it—but it refuses to leave, keeps clinging to me. It hasn't committed any crimes; I can't just kill it."

Sister Hong Yan immediately clutched her chest with both paws, turned her head, and stared at them with wide, glistening eyes.

The crowd erupted in commotion.

Before the fourth-year student could speak, he was shoved aside. Someone asked: "Sister, where did you catch this fox? No—I mean, where did you subdue it? I've learned a spell and want to test it against a fox demon."

"Get lost! Fox demons are delicate—how could they endure your spells? Sister, since all demon races share common traits, I've heard of snake demons causing trouble in Minnan. I intend to eliminate them and want to ask this fox demon about their habits and weaknesses—where should I go to make contact?"

A female Daoist Priest pushed through, eyes gleaming as she stared at Pan Yun: "Sister, ask her—does she have any siblings? Ones that haven't committed crimes? I want to befriend them."

Too enthusiastic. Sister Hong Yan was bewildered, and Pan Yun was too.

She quickly made an excuse and squeezed out, hurrying toward Fengqi Courtyard.

Pan Yun shut the door, exhaled, and felt pain in her back and shoulders. As she set Sister Hong Yan down, she hissed and clutched her shoulder.

Sister Hong Yan was delighted: "Looks like Long Hushan Academy isn't as terrifying as people say—everyone wants to be friends with me."

"That's because you haven't done anything evil," Pan Yun said. "Try carrying blood-evil aura on you—you won't make five steps before you're splattered, turned into a demon corpse for students to collect credit points."

Sister Hong Yan snorted, dissolved into a wisp of smoke, and reformed into human shape, clad in a red robe woven from her fur—far less beautiful than the red gauze.

Sister Hong Yan scowled: "Quick, give me that dress."

Pan Yun pulled the dress from her space and handed it over. Just as she turned to return inside and check her wounds, the courtyard gate was flung open.

Pan Yun and Sister Hong Yan turned together. Sister Hong Yan clutched the red gauze and shrieked: "Pervert!"—then covered her face and bolted into Pan Yun's room.

Too fast—Zhang Weiliang, just opening the gate, saw only a red blur, but it was definitely a woman, holding clothing…

He and the others instinctively turned their backs to the courtyard, incredulous: "Pan Yun, are you insane? Who changes clothes in the courtyard? Are you even girls?"

Bang—the door slammed shut.

Pan Yun: …

Pan Yun sighed wearily: "She's inside."

Zhang Weiliang turned, glaring at Pan Yun, about to yell—when she suddenly asked: "How come you weren't expelled?"

Zhang Weiliang choked, glanced quickly at his new friend, then shouted: "Last year I earned merit suppressing pirates along the coast!"

"Oh, so you redeemed yourself with merit—I get it," Pan Yun said, nodding toward the other two. "Where's Zhang Weigang? Didn't he earn merit last year?"

Zhang Weiqin fell silent. Zhang Weiliang fell silent.

Qu Le, sandwiched between them, looked left, then right: "Who's Zhang Weigang?"

Zhang Weiliang pressed his lips together: "Irrelevant. Brother Qu, my room's over there. After you."

"Oh, oh," Qu Le followed him forward, but stopped before Pan Yun, struggling to suppress his grin: "Daoist Pan, I'm now a student of Long Hushan Academy too."

Pan Yun nodded. "Work hard. Strive to learn how to draw Qi into your body, transform your internal strength into Yuan Power—only then will you truly enter the path of cultivation."

Qu Le said: "I won't slack off. I'll prove to you I have talent for the Dao!"

Pan Yun nodded at him.

Once they shut their door, she straightened her back and returned to her room.

The moment she closed the door, she immediately clutched her waist and groaned: "Ow! Ow!"

Sister Hong Yan materialized with a bang and hurried to support her: "Pan Yun, what's wrong?"

Sister Hong Yan, now dressed in the red gauze, leaned close and sniffed: "I smell blood."

"Your nose is sharp," Pan Yun said, walking to the bed and carefully removing her clothes before lying face-down. "Check—did it bleed?"

Sister Hong Yan glanced at the bandages wrapped around her body and nodded: "A little."

"I knew it…" Pan Yun pulled out a vial of medicine and handed it over. "Here, apply it for me."

Sister Hong Yan took the vial and asked: "Where are your junior disciples?"

"Probably getting books. Classes start tomorrow."