Chapter 549

The widower Elder Wang Feiyin had already stood atop Mount Sanqing's grand plaza, looking up and waiting.

Seeing the tripod flying through the night, he couldn't help but smile and waved his hand.

Pan Yun descended from the tripod, leapt out of the pot, and ran forward laughing: "Senior Brother, I'm back!"

"Good you're back, good you're back—did you bring food?"

Pan Yun pulled out a food box: "I brought it. Before I entered seclusion, I specifically went to the canteen to get it—Old Zhang the Daoist there knew I was going into seclusion and even had the kitchen prepare a special meal for me."

Pan Yun opened the food box.

Wang Feiyin exhaled deeply—none of his fasting for a day after hearing the news had been in vain.

The two senior siblings returned to the back courtyard to eat; oh, Pan Yun propped her chin up watching while Wang Feiyin chewed noisily.

Pan Yun thought this was unacceptable: "Senior Brother, eating irregularly like this—won't it ruin your stomach?"

Wang Feiyin: "Don't talk nonsense. My diet is perfectly regular—two meals a day. Today I only fasted half a day because I knew you were coming back."

"Fine, whatever you say—you're the Physician, you must know better than me."

Wang Feiyin ate until seven-tenths full; though he still wanted more, he remembered Pan Yun's words about the stomach and reluctantly put down his chopsticks, turning kindly to Pan Xiaohei: "Xiaohei, you can have the rest."

Pan Xiaohei looked disgusted: "I won't eat it—too much salt, I'll lose fur."

Wang Feiyin blinked in surprise, rubbed his ear, then exclaimed joyfully to Pan Yun: "Little sister, I can understand Xiaohei now! Hahaha—has my Dao cultivation finally borne fruit? Have I gained the ability to comprehend all living things?"

Pan Yun looked at him with pity: "Seeing Miao Zhen and the others can understand him too."

Wang Feiyin's face froze, still stubborn: "Could it be that disciples of Mount Sanqing are blessed by heaven, all awakening this innate talent?"

Pan Yun stared silently at him.

Wang Feiyin understood. His gaze settled on Pan Xiaohei: "Alright, Xiaohei—in just a few years, your cultivation has advanced so much you can now speak human speech?"

Wang Feiyin looked left and right; Pan Xiaohei still appeared to be First Rank—but its energy was indeed far fuller than before, distant it looked like a small energy cluster, close up it was a large one.

But… could a First Rank creature speak human language?

Pan Yun: "It understands human nature, so it learned to speak early."

Wang Feiyin thought about it—black cats were naturally spirit-sensitive, and Pan Xiaohei was smarter than most.

He nodded with satisfaction: "Good, good—keep striving."

Disciples of Mount Sanqing were truly formidable—even a cat here outshone those from other mountains.

Wang Feiyin smiled warmly and asked Pan Yun: "You said you came back to seclude yourself—did you sense an abundance of Qi and plan to break through to the next rank?"

The First Marquis rank has three tiers: Low, Mid, and High; only upon reaching Great Perfection can one breakthrough to the Second Marquis.

Wang Feiyin knew Pan Yun had high talent and fast cultivation—he assumed she was about to ascend to Mid Rank, and spoke earnestly: "Though Mount Sanqing is relatively safe, the Long Hushan Academy isn't bad either. You're already a First Marquis—your status isn't ordinary. You could easily seclude yourself there; no need to keep running back and forth…"

Pan Yun: "I'm not aiming for advancement."

Wang Feiyin stared: "Then why did you come back?"

Pan Yun opened her palm—a large piece of Merit Stone appeared in her hand. She grinned: "I came back to refine it!"

Wang Feiyin: …

Meeting Pan Yun's sparkling eyes, Wang Feiyin swallowed hard: "You… how do you plan to refine it?"

Pan Yun's lips curled: "Senior Brother, do you know what kind of relationship is the most stable in this world?"

Wang Feiyin: "What kind?"

"A triangle!"

Wang Feiyin: …

"I plan to divide the Merit Stone into three parts: one to refine into my own body, one into my treasure, and one into Master's divine form."

Wang Feiyin's mind raced, frowning: "You want to use the Mountain God Temple to share your spiritual pressure? Is that feasible?"

Pan Yun tilted her head to gaze at the dark sky, a faint smile on her lips: "Master is a deity—I'm certain Master has a way, right, Master?"

A gentle mountain breeze brushed her face, stirring the strands of hair at her forehead.

Wang Feiyin: …

Though the Mountain God did not appear, Wang Feiyin already knew His answer.

Wang Feiyin's heart swelled with a bittersweet ache: "Little sister, have you truly decided? To divide the Merit Stone and refine it into Master's divine form—Mount Sanqing's share of Merit won't be trivial."

Pan Yun's face turned solemn: "Honoring Master is every disciple's duty, Senior Brother. Don't persuade me—this is what I must do."

Wang Feiyin looked at the righteous Pan Yun: "…If you've made up your mind, then so be it."

Pan Yun grinned happily.

She couldn't keep receiving Master's and Senior Brother's kindness forever, could she?

The elders had already shouldered her spiritual pressure—why shouldn't she give back some Merit?

She wasn't just a disciple of the Mountain God—she was also the temple's shrinekeeper. One prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer.

If they shared the sins, why shouldn't they share the wealth?

Pan Yun clapped Senior Brother on the shoulder with grandeur: "Senior Brother, just wait—you'll feast and drink with me soon!"

Wang Feiyin gave a perfunctory bow: "Senior Brother thanks you in advance."

"Cheer up, Senior Brother! With our united efforts and Senior Nephew's earning power, we'll gather more Merit—maybe even redeem Master's sins within our lifetimes. Then Mount Sanqing can focus on growing strong."

Wang Feiyin froze, then snapped his head up: "You know?"

Pan Yun sighed: "It's not exactly a secret—how could I not know?"

Wang Feiyin sighed too: "I knew this couldn't stay hidden… Sigh, love truly ruins people. Master was just born in the wrong form—if He weren't a crane, He wouldn't care so much about unwavering devotion…"

Pan Yun: …

"Wait," Pan Yun cut him off: "What does this have to do with love?"

Wang Feiyin paused, stared at her. After a moment, he asked: "Who told you about Master? What exactly did they say?"

Pan Yun twisted her fingers tentatively: "The Divine-Beast War? The flood that submerged Mount Sanqing? A thousand li of marshland?"

Wang Feiyin rolled her eyes dramatically: "Only process and result, but no reason yet?"

Pan Yun blinked: "What's the reason? Did Master do all this because of Mistress? Then… that's… really tragic."

Pan Yun's last sentence was spoken so softly, yet everyone who needed to hear it heard it.

Wang Feiyin tapped her on the head: "What are you imagining? Master was still just a young crane, not even mature. I only learned bits of the truth after becoming Master's disciple."

Pan Yun's eyes sparkled; she propped her chin in her hands and listened intently.

Wang Feiyin sighed: "When Master was granted the title of God of Mount Sanqing, He was still young, protected by the merit of His master's predecessor. That elder protected the people of Mount Sanqing; the people revered Him, and their bond grew deeper over time."

Later, the world fell into chaos. A divine retinue from another god crossed boundaries and seized the people under Mount Sanqing's protection as Offerings. Master, too young and impulsive… Well, it was originally a mortal matter, meant to be handled by mortals—but it ended up becoming a divine war…"

Pan Yun: "... Did Master start the war?"

"Not the great war, of course," Wang Feiyin hurried to say. "Master was just a minor god. Tensions were already high everywhere, but Master did add fuel to the fire. And indeed, this local conflict was sparked by Master's impulsiveness—later, you know what happened: waters flooded Mount Sanqing, turning thousands of li into a sea."

"Sigh… so many lives lost. Even if Master was right at first, in the end… So, sister, no matter whether your original intent was right or wrong, you must be cautious and prudent in action—never lose sight of great righteousness."

Pan Yun trembled at the thought of the lives lost in that divine war, nodding vigorously.