Chapter 555: Sneaking Out Again

Seeing Miao Zhen: ……

She pretended not to see anything and stepped forward, holding out her bowl.

The old Daoist Priest greatly favored Seeing Miao Zhen, so he gave her a large spoonful of food, with several slices of meat shaken off from Pan Yun's plate.

After politely thanking him, Seeing Miao Zhen left, silently wondering: what's the point of this?

The shaken-off meat and vegetables took a detour, yet ultimately ended up in Pan Yun's bowl.

Seeing Miao Zhen served her plenty of food, tore open a steamed bun, and handed half to Pan Xiaohei, who was devouring his meal: "Little Master, I think Xiaohei's appetite has increased lately."

Pan Yun: "His cultivation has improved, so his appetite is better than before."

Pan Yun split a steamed bun, shoved two chopsticks' worth of cabbage and two slices of meat inside, and placed it into Pan Xiaohei's two paws.

One advantage of the academy cafeteria is that the dishes are light, with absolutely no excess oil or salt, so throughout the entire academy—from teachers to students—there isn't a single fatty.

It's also perfect for a cat's taste.

Pan Xiaohei ate with great relish.

Pan Yun watched him, wondering if that was why he'd grown fond of his cat form and no longer yearned to return to his original body.

After all, a cat can savor all the delicacies under heaven, while the Spirit Realm has no such ability.

Pan Yun's lips curled slightly: Indeed, desires are hard to extinguish, yet easy to arise.

Pan Xiaohei's appetite had surged, and he now paid attention to his diet: 【When we go out on cultivation expeditions, shouldn't we prepare more dried rations?】

Pan Yun: 【Who prepares dried rations when going out? When you're away, you bring money and sample every delicacy along the way.】

Pan Xiaohei: 【Do you have money?】

Pan Yun paused, looked up at Seeing Miao Zhen: "Any good ways to earn money lately that suit me?"

Seeing Miao Zhen thought for a moment and said: "Yesterday was my day off; we went down the mountain and ran into that wealthy Young Master who came before, asking for talismans—he's back again, requesting an exorcism talisman."

Pan Yun: "How many demons does his family have that he comes twice a month?"

Seeing Miao Zhen: "When I passed by them, I overheard their master and servant discussing plans to hire a Daoist Priest at great expense to inspect their home."

Pan Yun: "What's 'great expense'?"

Seeing Miao Zhen held up one finger: "Up to a hundred taels."

That was indeed quite a lot.

Because even Daoist Priests with some reputation on Long Hushan charge a minimum of twenty taels for a visit.

For lesser ones, like me—who haven't built a big name among the common folk but still hold a Daoist title—the base price is ten taels;

For Seeing Miao Zhen, five taels!

Seeing He and Tao Yanbai perform rituals even worse, with unimpressive records, and can be hired for just one or two taels.

This price list circulates among academy students, and everyone privately sticks to it when setting prices.

It's said this pricing has remained unchanged for decades—the cost of living is rock-solid, even the Ministry of Revenue would bow to it.

Pan Yun sped up her eating; visiting homes was out of the question, but she could sell talismans.

Pan Yun returned, rinsed her mouth, washed her hands, sat in meditation, then took a sheet of gold-leaf talisman paper and began drawing an exorcism talisman.

The talisman script flowed smoothly; as her brush lifted, the talisman was complete—a flash of spiritual light, her Yuan Force firmly seizing the spiritual energy, hidden within the script—the exorcism talisman was done.

Pan Yun admired it herself, thoroughly satisfied.

Gold-foil talisman paper was more precious; she planned to save it for a critical moment to trick… oh no, to lure—so she didn't use it.

She took out ordinary talisman paper and swiftly drew ten exorcism talismans.

After putting the talismans away, the sky was still not dark, so she calmed her emotions and went to the Doumu Hall to clean.

The senior brother on duty at the Doumu Hall watched her silently, then handed her the broom.

Pan Yun immediately took it, grinning: "Senior Brother, have you been cleaning for me these past three days?"

The senior brother's face was expressionless: "Occasionally Seeing Miao Zhen comes to help, but the three days they've done for you don't count toward your punishment period. Punishment must be carried out personally—we're not like the Law Hall crew. This punishment was ordered directly by the True Person…"

Pan Yun nodded vigorously: "I understand, I understand—these three days are extended. I'll make up every day of the punishment."

The senior brother finally nodded and waved: "Go clean. Also, wipe the candlesticks."

Pan Yun agreed.

She worked until nightfall.

When she stepped out of the Doumu Hall, the path was nearly empty; everyone had returned to their rooms to meditate or prepare for sleep.

Occasionally someone brushed past her—late returnees from cultivation, hurrying along.

Pan Yun hurried past them, and without realizing it, reached the wall.

She glanced quickly left and right, saw no one, then leapt up, gripping the wall with one hand and vaulting over, landing lightly.

This side was the Grand Shangqing Palace; passing through the corridor between the Thirty-Six Thunder Halls and the Celestial Emperor Hall led to the Houtu Hall.

Pan Yun had sneaked out of the palace before; she knew the two grand halls ahead had senior brothers and sisters on duty, and their cultivation was not low.

This place was different from the Doumu Hall.

The Doumu Hall was inside the academy, and its duty officers were mostly fourth- and fifth-year students. The Grand Shangqing Palace was not only the academy's front courtyard but also a separate Daoist temple that welcomed lay worshippers, so its duty officers were all graduates who held official Daoist titles. In short, they either had profound doctrinal knowledge or outstanding cultivation.

Every time Pan Yun passed here, she tiptoed.

She imitated Pan Xiaohei, moving silently through the grounds, reached the wall of Long Hushan Gate, stepped onto the wall, leapt upward, and landed as lightly as a great eagle spreading its wings.

She glanced up at the towering wall, turned back with a smile—and locked eyes with a figure in the dim moonlight.

Pan Yun: "Senior Brother Li? It's the middle of the night. Why are you sneaking out of the palace?"

Li Wenying: "... You've got nerve turning it around. Look where you are—I'm facing Long Hushan Gate, clearly returning late from official duties. You're facing Shangqing Town, looking exactly like someone sneaking down the mountain."

Li Wenying grunted: "Spill it. What are you sneaking out for?"

Fifteen minutes later, the two stood on the streets of Shangqing Town.

Unlike the quiet, chilly academy, Shangqing Town was still lively.

The sounds of street vendors hawking their wares, diners eating, tea drinkers sipping, and people chatting and exchanging information blended together—suddenly, silence turned to bustle, giving Pan Yun a sense of having stepped out of another lifetime.

Not a single mistake in word, line, content, or meaning!

Pan Yun turned to look at Li Wenying, puzzled: "With all this bustle, how could you bear to return to the palace?"

Li Wenying sized her up, amused: "I'm not a child—I don't particularly enjoy such commotion."

Pan Yun muttered: "Neither do I."

Li Wenying tucked his hands behind his back and asked: "Where is the person you're looking for?"

Pan Yun glanced at the bustling street and walked straight in: "At the best inn in all of Shangqing Town."

How could a wealthy young master not stay at Ping'an Inn?

Pan Yun went straight to the inn's attendant to inquire.

The attendant swiftly glanced at Li Wenying, then pointed to the back courtyard: "That distinguished guest is staying in Room Yi-3 in the back courtyard."

The two immediately headed there, Pan Yun constantly turning her head to look at Li Wenying.

Li Wenying, without glancing aside, reached out and pushed her head aside, then straightened it: "Careful—you'll snap your neck."

Pan Yun: "Li Shixiong, is this inn yours?"

Her voice brimmed with excitement, making Li Wenying involuntarily glance at her: "No, it has nothing to do with me—why aren't you less thrilled?"

"I feel like a piece is missing from my chest—I originally wanted to be your adoptive sister, with neither of us sharing the same father or mother," Pan Yun said, her gaze somewhat sorrowful.

Li Wenying: "... Didn't your Fourth Shixiong tell you? Every best establishment in Shangqing Town is owned by the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion."

He gestured vaguely at the inn before them: "Ping'an Inn, Shenshen Tower, Nishang Tower, and seventy percent of the shops lining the streets belong to the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion; the remaining thirty percent—one percent belongs to the Third Clan, two percent to the Zhang family's various branches."

Pan Yun's mouth hung slightly open as she said solemnly: "So my Fourth Shixiong and I really are adoptive sisters after all."

Li Wenying couldn't help laughing.

Though it was a joke... the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion and the Zhang family really are rich.

No wonder the big landowners of Jiangnan all seize land and people, yet the Zhang family has always stayed above the fray—they simply don't need to.

Pan Yun murmured: "To forge iron, you must have strong iron itself—how vital it is to possess a skill..."

The Zhang family can remain detached from the world, avoiding the struggle over land that common folk depend on for survival, precisely because they built this entire Shangqing Town and hold talismans and magical swords—they need not rely on land to live.

Li Wenying heard her muttering and smiled: "Otherwise, do you think the Imperial Academy's many disciples survive solely on the meager tuition fees you pay?"

He said: "Even just feeding and clothing you all consumes considerable resources, let alone the various cultivation materials. Beyond the academy, the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion must also maintain the operation of Daoist Oversight Offices across the realm and support a large number of people—do you really think the imperial court's meager funding can sustain so many Daoist Priests?"

Pan Yun had never considered this question.

Li Wenying smiled at her: "The officials have long criticized monks and Daoists. Though Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism have long blended together, and individuals speaking of the Dao are influenced by all three schools, whenever the matter is discussed as a whole, every official wants to abolish monks and Daoists.

Dao Yan was mighty—a key minister in the Jingnan Campaign, a trusted confidant of Emperor Taizong. While he held office, every official revered him. Yet in his later years, his book 'Dao Yu Lu' severed all family and friendship ties. Despite his great merits, a century later he was still erased from history due to his identity and that single book—what chance do we have?"

"The court's funding barely sustains the officially appointed Daoist Priests. Yet beyond those with official posts, there are countless Daoist Priests without appointments or ordination certificates—the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion must manage them and support them, which requires substantial funds."

A monk or Daoist without an ordination certificate is still a monk or Daoist.

Both the court and the people need to grant them some space to survive; rigidly enforcing distinctions only intensifies conflict.

As the governing body for all Daoist Priests, one of the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion's duties is to monitor their movements and prevent unrest, maintaining stability.

And maintaining stability requires money.

A Daoist Priest who has studied for twenty years but still fails to obtain an ordination certificate—the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion must find a way to persuade him to return home, marry, raise children, honor his parents, engage in productive labor, and pay taxes to the state.

What?

Unwilling to abandon the Dao, yet still wishes to cultivate?

Then no problem—practice at home in quiet seclusion.

The Dao is about cultivating body and mind, returning to one's origin—quiet home cultivation is just as valid.

Nine out of ten Daoist Priests fail to obtain ordination certificates.

Thus, every year the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion must allocate a large sum to assist unlicensed Daoist Priests in securing livelihoods.

Even so, they are still occasionally impeached by officials and rebuked by the Emperor, due to the excessive number of unregistered monks and Daoists lingering in the countryside.

Pan Yun rubbed her chin and said: "If monks and Daoists paid taxes, would they no longer have grounds for impeachment?" (End of Chapter)