Chapter 59: Ritual

The medicinal potency was fully absorbed; the herbal bathwater grew thin, and after a moment, impurities within the body were expelled through the cultivation technique, causing the water to turn cloudy again, emitting a foul stench.

Pan Yun woke up from the stench.

Xuan Miao stood beside Miao Zhen and Miao He, nodding to her: “You’re done. Go bathe and change your clothes.”

Pan Yun looked at herself, then at Miao Zhen and Miao He, puzzled: “Why am I smellier than them?”

“First, your diet since childhood was mixed and irregular; second, you’ve been taking medicine since you were young—medicine is three parts poison.”

Pan Yun: “Then what about Senior Brother and the others who enter the Dao through elixirs? Aren’t they eating poison?”

Xuan Miao: “Alchemy involves properly balancing herbs to remove toxins and maximize their efficacy—completely different from your simple boiling of raw herbs.”

Pan Yun accepted this explanation and rose to bathe and change.

Halfway through dressing, she suddenly realized—the golden bar on her spiritual realm surged forward, showing the value: 99.

“Meow—” Pan Xiao Hei leapt through the window, excitedly shouting at her: “Did you see? You’ve gained merit!”

Pan Yun’s eyes sparkled: “I saw. It seems Master Qian is safe. But can saving one person really yield so much merit?”

Pan Xiao Hei was just as clueless as she was—how would it know?

But that didn’t stop it from sharing her joy.

The girl and the cat exchanged a glance, grinning foolishly—merit was something worth pursuing: it accumulated virtue and earned money.

Pan Yun put on her clothes and ordered Pan Xiao Hei: “Record this in your little notebook—note the time and place: sold Master Qian two Peace Talismans, gained 99 merit points.”

Pan Xiao Hei instantly recorded it with a thought.

Pan Yun felt her title as Little Uncle of the Sanqing Talismans was now established; next came spreading her reputation.

Next time she met Master Qian, she’d ask him to introduce more friends.

Wealthy people’s friends are also wealthy; those who cherish life naturally have friends who cherish life too.

People with money who fear death—wouldn’t they need talismans for protection?

Pan Yun mentally calculated the money and merit per talisman, cackling with delight.

Pan Yun cheerfully stepped out of the room and called toward the alchemy chamber: “Fourth Sister, I’m heading back.”

The fourth sister’s cold voice replied: “Go cook. No cold water today.”

“Oh.” Pan Yun, still lost in the joy of earning both money and merit, passed through the bamboo grove back to the temple and saw Qian’s steward bowing repeatedly to Tao Ji at the mountain gate.

Pan Yun froze.

The steward also spotted Pan Yun and hurried over, bowing: “Little Daoist, thank heavens we’ve found you! Yesterday, my master narrowly escaped a rockslide thanks to your warning and the Peace Talisman.”

He pulled out a large red envelope from his chest and offered it respectfully: “Little Daoist, this is a small token from my master—please accept it.”

Pan Yun’s smile faded slightly; she took the envelope and asked: “Master Qian was in danger yesterday?”

“Yes. Shortly after you left yesterday, we received word that his sister’s husband was gravely ill, so my master set out to visit him. On the way, a rockslide struck—likely from recent rains loosening the soil and causing stones to roll down…”

Pan Yun: “Then what is Master Qian’s schedule today?”

The steward, sensing her serious expression, grew anxious: “My master left early this morning to attend a funeral at Sun Family Village. Little Daoist—has my master’s danger not passed?”

Pan Yun had the same doubt—this shouldn’t be happening.

She pinched her fingers to calculate, frowned, hesitated, then decided to trust her intuition and smiled: “I’ve calculated—it’s already passed. Master Qian can rest easy; just be more careful on future journeys.”

The steward sighed in relief.

Tao Ji waited until they finished speaking before approaching and inviting the steward inside to burn incense.

Indeed, Master Qian was generous—no wonder he was a famed benefactor of Yushan County. His steward didn’t just come to top up Pan Yun’s red envelope—he also donated oil money to pray for his family’s blessings.

Sanqing Temple often lost worshippers due to its high altitude and treacherous path; in all the time Pan Yun had been there, she’d never seen anyone climb up to burn incense.

If not for these offerings, the Sanqing Ancestors would have abandoned this temple.

The steward went to burn incense. Pan Yun felt she needed to be still, so she squatted on the large stone before the mountain gate and pondered: [Could it be that his danger yesterday caused the merit to arrive only now? Does merit have delayed settlement?]

[Surely it doesn’t require them to come back and thank me before merit is granted? That would be too cruel. Only Master Qian is generous and doesn’t mind the trouble—others might not send anyone at all. And right now I’m at Sanqing Temple, but what if I one day leave to wander the world?]

[I can’t have a crowd chasing after me to shower me with merit, can I?]

Pan Xiao Hei didn’t know—but based on its limited experience, it mewed: “Meow, you might be looking in the wrong direction.”

Pan Yun’s gaze grew deep: [Pinpoint the exact hour when the merit arrived. Next time I meet Master Qian, I’ll ask him.]

Pan Xiao Hei agreed.

Pan Yun stood up, brushed off her pants, and was about to return to cook when she saw a group of people panting their way up the mountain.

Pan Yun’s eyes lit up—fresh customers!

Anyone who climbed this far with such sincerity—how could the Sanqing Ancestors not bless them?

Pan Yun was about to greet them with a smile, then remembered something and stopped, merely standing with a faint, restrained smile, gazing calmly ahead.

The weary climbers spotted Pan Yun and hurried over, supporting each other: “Little Daoist, is your abbot here?”

“He is. Follow me, good people.”

Pan Yun led them to find… Tao Ji. She glanced around, then leaned close to him: “Where’s Senior Brother?”

Tao Ji: “Senior Brother is cultivating.”

Tao Ji went to greet the newcomers. The steward who had just finished burning incense saw them and froze, then rushed over: “Old Sun?”

The man turned and exclaimed: “Old Qian?”

Inquiry revealed the man was a steward from Sun Family Village, here to invite Sanqing Temple’s Daoists down the mountain to perform a ritual.

Tao Ji confirmed the time and number needed, and agreed immediately.

After Sun’s party finished burning incense and left, Pan Yun approached Tao Ji: “Third Brother, can I come down with you?”

Tao Ji agreed instantly: “Of course!”

When Miao Zhen and Miao He emerged and heard about the ritual, they returned to their rooms to pack.

Miao He even brought out a bell: “This is the Sanqing Bell. Take it—I’ll teach you how to use it later.”

Pan Yun lifted the Sanqing Bell, examining it closely—she sensed a thick, potent energy within. This was a true magical artifact.

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She gave it a gentle shake—dingling! Her spirit stirred instantly; her mind sharpened, her spirit brightened.

“Amazing…” Pan Yun held the bell and asked, “Don’t you ever use these artifacts normally?”

Miao He: “We don’t perform rituals here, and there are no demons or monsters on the mountain—why use magical artifacts?”

Pan Yun: “To build affinity?”

Miao He: “Any Daoist here can use the temple’s artifacts. We’re still young. When we’re older, our masters will give us materials to forge our own artifacts—we’ll nurture them from childhood, so they’ll serve us better.”

Miao He whispered: “Fourth Aunt has a magical sword—said to have been nurtured since childhood. It’s incredibly powerful.”

Pan Yun felt a deep longing.

“How effective was your herbal bath?”

Miao He activated her technique and stomped her foot—CRACK! A lightning-like fissure split the stone slab beneath her.

Pan Yun couldn’t help crying out: “Whoa—” before Miao He clutched her foot and yowled: “Ow! Ow!”

Pan Yun: “…I get it. Force is reciprocal.”

Miao Zhen watched the two silently from the side.

Under their guidance, Pan Yun searched and gathered many artifacts and ritual robes, packing them up.

The more she saw, the more uneasy she felt: “You’re going down the mountain, Third Brother and Fourth Sister are going down—this ritual robe… does that mean Senior Brother is going too?”

Miao He nodded: “Yes, it’s a ritual. Too bad Second Uncle isn’t here—if he were, he’d come too. He holds an official post; if he went, we’d get more merit money.”

The entire mountain was mobilized.

Wang Feiyin returned from cultivation, heard about the ritual, immediately gathered his personal belongings, then went to burn incense before the ancestral statues in the main hall, and carried an incense stick to the cliff behind the courtyard, murmuring softly.

After planting the incense on the cliff’s edge, he turned—and saw the three little ones staring intently at him.

He waved: “What are you standing there for? Come quickly and pay your respects to your Ancestors!”

Pan Yun stepped forward, bowed repeatedly, then gazed down the cliff: “So the cliff below is Master Himself? This direction—doesn’t it face the mountain god shrine down below?”

Wang Feiyin: “Something like that. Hurry and pack your things—we’re leaving immediately.”

Tao Yan ran out of the kitchen: “Master, what about the food?”

“Stop cooking! Just eat something quick—the ritual is urgent; we can’t keep the hosts waiting.” Wang Feiyin was already heading down.

Perhaps because he hadn’t descended the mountain in so long, Wang Feiyin seemed more energetic than the four youngsters, chattering nonstop along the way.

At the foot of the mountain, Tao Ji fetched the mule cart and loaded everyone aboard, setting off for Sun Family Village.

Even as she sat on the cart, Pan Yun was still dazed: “Senior Brother, I don’t know how to perform a ritual…”

Wang Feiyin: “Don’t worry—I’ll teach you. It’s simple.”

Tao Ji was more reliable: “You don’t need to do anything. This time, you’re here to observe and assist. The ritual will be handled by Senior Brother and us.”

Pan Yun relaxed: “I wonder if Master Qian will still be at Sun Family Village when we arrive.”

Wang Feiyin: “I’ve calculated—it’s certain he’ll be there. Master Qian and Master Sun are close friends.”

Pan Yun urged Tao Ji to hurry the cart.

Tao Ji murmured to the mule: “Come on, run faster.”

The mule indeed quickened its pace, and they arrived at Sun Family Village before dusk.

Entering the village, wooden sheds lined both sides of the road; farther off, a grand house with blue-tiled roofs and gray walls echoed with wailing, incense smoke rising thickly into the sky.

This spectacle meant either the death was unnatural—or the descendants were extraordinarily filial.

Today’s lucky number is any number ending in 9, screenshot as proof.

(End of Chapter)