Chapter 57

Hearing the shout behind her, Pan Yun quietly exhaled, softly curving her lips into her warmest smile as she turned around.

The steward swiftly scanned her from head to toe, then forced a smile and offered the red envelope with both hands. "Thank you, young Daoist Priest, for making the trip specially—this is a small token from our master."

Pan Yun didn't move; Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He looked puzzled, but Tao Yanbai was the first to react, stepping forward quickly to take the red envelope.

Only then did Pan Yun smile and say, "Mr. Qian is too kind."

After a pause, she repeated her warning: "Please, Mr. Qian, be extra cautious—do not leave your home for the next three days."

The steward nodded vaguely, surprised that Tao Daoist had such a sister—she didn't study alchemy or medicine, but instead followed the path of those outside Daoists, devoted solely to deception and fraud.

Pan Yun glanced at the steward, frowned, and could only warn again: "If you must go out, be sure to carry your Peace Talisman."

Misfortune can usually be avoided, but kind words cannot persuade a man doomed to die.

She had done what she must; taking this red envelope brought her no guilt. What happened next depended on Mr. Qian's fortune.

If he had fortune, he would listen to her and avoid this calamity.

Pan Yun turned and left.

The steward was taken aback by her swift departure—he'd expected her to drone on further, trying to curry favor with the Qian family.

Pan Yun walked quickly; Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He were equally inept in social graces and simply hurried off, while only Tao Yanbai bowed before departing with the steward.

"Little Master Auntie, Little Master Auntie…" Tao Yanbai caught up to Pan Yun. "Do you truly think Mr. Qian's fortune is so poor?"

Miao He said, "Can't you see, Third Brother? Even I can see it."

Seeing Miao Zhen said, "If even you can see it, this isn't a matter of today—it's tomorrow's fate. So Little Master Auntie was right to tell him not to leave for three days."

Pan Yun: "Open it and see how much money there is."

Only then did Tao Yanbai realize—he handed her the red envelope, worried: "Little Master Auntie, should we tell Third Master? Let him go back and warn them again? What if Mr. Qian doesn't believe us and still goes out?"

Seeing his persistent concern, Pan Yun turned and asked Seeing Miao Zhen, "What do you think?"

Seeing Miao Zhen shook her head directly. "Three days ago, Third Master taught in class: we may use divination and face-reading to help others avoid disaster and attract fortune, but we must not forcibly alter fate."

Tao Yanbai: "I was still tending the fire in the alchemy room three days ago—I didn't attend class."

Seeing Miao Zhen simply relayed the lesson content: "Third Master said, if we foresee an invisible pit ahead, we warn passersby to detour.

Those who detour—this is our good karmic connection. Those who ignore us and insist on walking forward—we feel pity for their impending death, so we knock them unconscious and forcibly lead them around—that is bad karma."

"If we foresee a red envelope descending from heaven, we warn passersby. Some believe us, stop, and reach out to catch it—that is good karma. Others ignore us and walk straight on—we pity them for missing fortune, so we knock them unconscious, tie them to the spot, and wait for the red envelope to fall—that is bad karma."

Pan Yun nodded. "We have fulfilled our duty to warn Mr. Qian. This is good karma. Do not go further—do not turn good karma into bad karma. Let's go—it's getting late. I still need to visit the Minxin Bureau."

A red envelope with ten taels of silver is not small—it equals Tao Ji's weekly income from his rural medical rounds.

Pan Yun was satisfied.

Yushan County had a Minxin Bureau; Pan Yun had confirmed its location before descending the mountain, so she had already prepared what she needed to send.

She took down her satchel, opened it, and placed two boxes before the clerk. "Do you need to inspect the contents?"

The clerk glanced and shook his head. "Too small to inspect. Daoist Priest, are both boxes going to the same destination?"

Pan Yun nodded. "Yes. Both to Datong."

The clerk pulled out a larger rectangular box, placed both inside, and reached for a seal strip to close it. Pan Yun's eyes narrowed. "This box holds only my boxes?"

The clerk nodded, smiling as he explained: "Since you wish to insure your items, our Minxin Bureau must be extra cautious. These will be transported on a separate cart—rest assured, they won't be mixed with other cargo. No damage or loss will occur."

"I naturally trust your bureau," Pan Yun said, pulling a yellow talisman from her sleeve. "But adding this yellow talisman will make it safer."

She personally affixed the Peace Talisman to the long box. The clerk, speechless, followed her guidance and placed the seal strip beside the talisman.

Pan Yun paid, received the receipt, and hurried to the city gate—she was running late.

The three followed her in a sprint, still curious. "Little Master Auntie, what did you send home? Those boxes looked very valuable."

The street was crowded; the four of them used their meager lightness skill to run, zipping past people like a gust of wind. Many turned to glare. "Where do these brats come from? Running wild on the street—what if they knock someone over?"

Before the words were even out, the four had vanished. They sprinted straight to the city gate. Pan Yun leapt onto the cart and sat down before answering: "I sent a lot—pills, powders, talismans—all specialties of Mount Sanqing."

Tao Ji, who was leading the mule, froze, then realized: "You asked me yesterday for so many pills and powders—you were going to give them away?"

Pan Yun: "To my father and brothers."

"Oh." Tao Ji's annoyance vanished. "Next time, tell me ahead of time. I'll brew some tonic pills for you. Datong is cold and harsh—what good are your wound and cold remedies? They need tonics."

Pan Yun nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Third Master! I knew you were the kindest to me!"

Master Xuanmiao: "Tonic pills? Big Master makes the best."

Pan Yun said: "Big Master is kind to me too—like a father." Tao Ji: …

Pan Yun smiled sweetly. "Sister is kind to me too—like a real sister. Third Master is like my brother."

Miao He hurriedly asked, "What about me? What about me?"

Pan Yun smiled at her. "You're like my daughter."

Miao He: "... Little Master Auntie, I'm the same age as you."

"Enough, enough. Stop joking. Get on the cart—we won't make it back before dark."

It wasn't going to get dark—it was still broad daylight. But Yushan County was far from Mount Sanqing, and they'd still have to climb the mountain after reaching the foot.

Everyone immediately climbed aboard.

Master Xuanmiao handed out the buns she'd bought. Tao Ji leapt onto the cart, cracked his whip to make the mule trot, and grabbed a bun to munch with them.

Only after they'd traveled far did Tao Yanbai remember to inform the two adults they'd just visited the Qian household.

!. Read

Tao Ji didn't care that Pan Yun had gone to sell talismans to the Qians—he was merely curious. "Mr. Qian is shrewd. How did you convince him to buy your talismans?"

"I didn't sell them. I gave them to him. He insisted on giving me the red envelope—I couldn't refuse." Pan Yun said. "Ask Tao Yanbai. When I met Mr. Qian, it was like meeting an old friend—such a karmic connection. He believed me the moment he saw me."

Tao Ji turned to Tao Yanbai.

In front of Pan Yun, Tao Yanbai couldn't say otherwise—he nodded stiffly.

Tao Ji studied Pan Yun from head to toe. "You don't look especially trustworthy."

Master Xuanmiao tilted his head to look at her and asked, "Is something amiss with Master Qian?"

Pan Yun said, "His yintang has turned blue-green — his fortune these past few days has been extremely poor."

Master Xuanmiao: "Has he already been warned?"

Pan Yun: "Of course. I came to him of my own accord. Since I saw the calamity, how could I not warn him?"

Master Xuanmiao nodded. "Since the human effort has been done, let us leave the rest to fate."

Fate, perhaps, still favored Master Qian.

The steward watched them walk off into the distance, and when he turned back toward the main hall, he still reported to Master Qian the words Pan Yun had urged upon him twice.

Master Qian waved a dismissive hand and said, "I only just recovered my health recently, and I have no plans to travel in the coming days. Her warning is of no use to me."

The steward thought the same, and glanced at the Peace Talisman laid on the table. "Then this…"

"Put it away."

Master Qian never wore objects of unknown origin from outside like this. For things such as Peace Talismans, he would only go in person to the temple to seek them from the great masters.

The ten-tael silver red envelope was merely to befriend Mount Sanqing — he did not wish to make enemies of them, for after all, Mount Sanqing's alchemy and medical arts were truly formidable. If he fell ill in the future, he would still need to invite Mount Sanqing's Daoist Priests to attend him.

The steward, knowing Master Qian's taboo, took the Peace Talisman away, intending to burn it.

Master Qian, hands clasped behind his back, went back to his room to rest. No sooner had he sat down than a servant came rushing in to report, "Master, Master — a letter has come from the Sun family. They say the son-in-law took a turn for the worse this morning; it may be today."

Master Qian sprang up abruptly. His brother-in-law Sun Quan was not only his brother-in-law, but also his good friend, his confidant — the two of them were extremely close.

"Quick, have them prepare the carriage. We leave for Sun Family Manor now."

The servant acknowledged and went at once to make preparations.

As Master Qian was being helped along hurriedly outward, his heart suddenly clenched. He reacted in an instant, seized the steward's hand, and asked, "The talisman — where is the Peace Talisman?"

The steward froze for a beat, then hurriedly replied, "It's still here, hasn't been dealt with yet. I'll go fetch it right now."

The steward jogged back to fetch the talisman, and shortly came running back panting, handing two folded Peace Talismans to Master Qian.

Master Qian took them in both hands, looked them over, then tucked them into his pouch and hung it at his waist. "I'm heading to Sun Family Manor now. Send someone to invite Physician Zhao in the east of the city, and send another to Mount Sanqing to invite Daoist Priest Tao. Be sure to have them all brought to Sun Family Manor."

The steward acknowledged, saw Master Qian onto the carriage, and only then went to make the arrangements.

Master Qian sat in the carriage, gave the pouch at his waist a squeeze, and let out a breath of relief. He consoled himself inwardly — those children's calculations may not be accurate; after all, they are still young…

Yet a vague unease still lingered in his heart. Until now, he had never imagined he would leave the residence today.

But I have the Peace Talisman. I have the Peace Talisman.

At this moment, Master Qian both hoped Pan Yun's divination was wrong, and hoped her skills were genuine.

Today's and tomorrow's lucky numbers are those ending in 9 — screenshot to prove it.

(End of chapter)