Chapter 591

Pan Yun kicked down cleanly and decisively; crack—a sharp sound—Cen Yuan let out a scream, his upper body jerking up, eyes rolling back, and he fainted from the pain.

Cen Dachuan gasped: "You, you torture people like this—you've lost all sense of righteousness!"

Pan Yun replied coldly: "A collaborator in village massacres and clan exterminations talks to me of benevolence?"

Cen Dachuan had no reply; this was his fatal weakness.

Pan Yun shifted slightly and stepped on Cen Yuan's neck right before Cen Dachuan's eyes.

Cen Dachuan's pupils shrank, his fist clenched tightly, and he glared furiously at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun smiled faintly at him: "Second Master Cen, do you want him put on trial under the law—or do you want me to eradicate your bandits tonight?"

Cen Dachuan breathed heavily, unable to speak.

Pan Yun slowly increased the pressure under her foot.

Cen Yuan, who had fainted from pain, woke again—gasping for air, he barely managed to grab Pan Yun's foot with both hands, trying to push it away, but could not budge it at all.

He could only look at Cen Dachuan with a pleading expression.

Tao Yanbai stepped forward and said gravely: "Cen Dachuan, my junior aunt captured both of you—she can capture the rest too. If you won't talk, we'll capture others."

Cen Yuan's face turned redder by the second, his eyes bloodshot.

Cen Dachuan closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and said: "I'll talk!"

Fifteen minutes later, Pan Yun blew on the freshly written list, dried the ink, folded it, and tucked it away.

Cen Yuan lay sprawled on the ground like a dead pig, wiping tears with his right hand, his left arm resting at his side, not daring to move.

Pan Yun nodded approvingly at Cen Dachuan: "Good. I hope you remain this cooperative from now on. Let us work well together."

Cen Dachuan's face turned ashen.

Seeing Miao Zhen said: "The porridge is ready."

Pan Yun: "Distribute some to everyone. Eat, then rest. We depart at first light tomorrow."

They will have a two-day head start leaving here.

Seeing Miao Zhen brought over a bowl and kicked Cen Yuan: "Get up. You're blocking the way."

Cen Yuan jumped in fright, quickly propping himself up with his right hand—but since he only used his right side, he lost balance and toppled forward, instinctively using his left hand to brace the ground.

Cen Yuan froze.

Cen Dachuan looked over and also froze.

Seeing Miao Zhen snorted and stepped around Cen Yuan.

Cen Dachuan rushed forward and gripped Cen Yuan's arm; Cen Yuan cried out in pain—but the bones felt intact.

Cen Dachuan still didn't believe it, felt again, then checked his knee—Cen Yuan screamed again, but the knee also seemed unbroken.

Cen Dachuan looked at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun stirred her spoon, ladled porridge, and said softly: "Bone cracked. Tao Yanbai, apply medicine and splint it later."

Tao Yanbai replied: "Understood."

Cen Dachuan's heart burned—he shot Cen Yuan a furious glare. It wasn't even broken, so why was he howling like a dying beast?

Cen Yuan, near tears: "Big Brother Dachuan, when she stepped on me, it really hurt—crack, crack—I thought my bones were crushed to dust. I didn't know they weren't broken…"

Cen Dachuan fell silent.

Five of them escorted the two without stopping, heading straight for Quanzhou City—passing the city gates, avoiding towns and villages entirely, camping outdoors every night.

Along the way, Qu Le and Pan Yun each sent out a message.

Qu Le sent his to the Wu Lin Alliance; Pan Yun sent hers to the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion.

With the information from Cen Dachuan and the others, the Wu Lin Alliance and the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion would find it far easier to track down that group of Japanese pirates.

But Cen Dachuan was not as optimistic: "From what I know, those Japanese pirates sailed straight back to Japan—they're not ordinary pirates."

Pan Yun watched him silently.

Cen Dachuan: "The pirates and sea bandits you later wiped out were another group. The ones who landed and slaughtered villages—I don't think their goal was plunder. The key is that witch."

Pan Yun: "You think they escaped back to Japan, and we can't touch them?"

Cen Dachuan: "Can you even cross the sea to kill them in Japan?"

Pan Yun: "If they can come, why can't we go?"

Cen Dachuan stared at her in shock.

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled lightly.

For some reason, Cen Dachuan felt a chill in his chest. He asked: "What did you do to Cen Ermu?"

"Him?" Pan Yun turned her head to look out the carriage window and smiled faintly: "Don't worry. It's only been two days—he's still alive."

Cen Ermu was indeed still alive, but he was parched and starving, weak all over, stars dancing before his eyes.

He had bad luck—no one had come to the Earth God Temple these two days, so he remained tied to the pillar.

The knife hanging above him had not fallen yet; every day he stared up at it, and countless times, when the breeze blew, he thought it would drop—but it never did.

Cen Ermu grew more and more desperate, regretting again—he shouldn't have given in to greed and broken into Pan Yun's room; even if he had to go, he shouldn't have gone alone…

Pan Yun studied Cen Dachuan curiously: "You're full of bandit ways, yet you have a touch of righteousness—why do you rely heavily on someone like Cen Ermu?"

Cen Dachuan said nothing.

Cen Yuan beside him said: "Originally, Cen Ermu was the one who made contact with Fan Family Village and led us out to sea. But compared to Cen Ermu, we all trusted Big Brother Dachuan more—so Dacun Village follows Big Brother Dachuan."

Pan Yun understood: "So it's gratitude."

She sized up Cen Dachuan, shook her head slightly: "You were born for nobility—why become a bandit?"

Cen Dachuan sneered: "If we didn't become bandits, we'd have been dead long ago."

"There are plenty of honest professions. With your abilities, you could live openly and honorably."

Cen Dachuan fell silent for a long while before saying: "If we didn't go to sea, we wouldn't even know which way the county gate opened. In the past, half the people in Dacun Village died without ever leaving those mountains. Fan Family Village was even more remote and poorer—even now, they don't know what the world beyond is like. Fan Ming says what it is, and that's what it is."

He asked Pan Yun, "Do we err in wanting to live? Do we err in wanting a better life?"

Pan Yun: "I want a better life too. I crave wealth and luxury. My blade is sharper than yours. My Wu Gong is higher than yours. I can not only kill you, but slaughter your entire family, wipe out the whole Dacun Village."

"Over these years, you've made plenty from the sea. Once I kill you, all the money you've earned becomes mine."

Cen Yuan stared wide-eyed at her, utterly incredulous.

"Besides Dacun Village, there's Fan Family Village—they're even richer. Then there are the wealthy households and officials in the county. There are countless rich people across the land. I'll kill them all and seize their wealth." Pan Yun asked him, "Do I err in wanting a better life?"

Cen Dachuan breathed heavily: "Don't twist my words. You have strength—you can survive. We are cornered, driven to desperation…"

Pan Yun said coolly, "There are countless hardships in this world, like the fibers of a melon—thousands of threads converge, yet only two choices remain: up, or down. Your actions are no different from what I just described." Pan Yun sighed, "If this world is reduced to nothing but the strong devouring the weak, with no morality, no law—who do you think dies first?"

Cen Dachuan slumped, silent.

Pan Yun fell silent too.

Qu Le pulled back the curtain: "Quanzhou City lies ahead, but night is falling. We can't enter tonight. To avoid drawing attention, we'll make camp just ahead, and enter the city at dawn."

Pan Yun agreed: "Find a spacious place to camp."

Qu Le found a small hill, its base crossed by a river, where a flat patch of grass lay beside it, still bearing traces of a fire.

Clearly, people often camped here.

Qu Le, more experienced, said, "This spot is surely a favorite for townsfolk on spring outings. It's perfectly safe."

Pan Yun waved her hand, telling them to prepare camp, then took Pan Xiaohei to gather firewood.

As she gathered, she walked to the hilltop.

The hill wasn't tall, but it was the highest point nearby—she could see three nearby villages and the city gate.

!

It was sunset. Smoke curled gently from the villages; the setting sun blazed red across half the sky. Gray-white smoke rose straight, then swayed crookedly in the wind. Pan Yun seemed to smell the fragrance of rice.

Pan Xiaohei leapt up, landing on her shoulder. After watching awhile, he snorted, "If you don't come down soon, your spoils will slip away."

Pan Yun glanced casually downhill—Qu Le and Seeing Miao Zhen were watching, while Cen Dachuan and Cen Yuan carried a wooden bucket, drawing water from the river…

Pan Yun turned her gaze back to the distant villages. "Where could they run? Besides, I placed talismans on them."

Pan Xiaohei: "You're so cunning."

Pan Yun: "Thank you for the compliment."

Pan Xiaohei: "Since you've time, tell me—why are you in a bad mood?"

Pan Yun: "Cen Dachuan's actions are wrong, but his question isn't. The people suffer. If the imperial court cannot feed or clothe them, disaster will come."

Pan Xiaohei snorted derisively: "Feed and clothe? If they don't starve or freeze to death, they're lucky. I searched Dacun Village inside out. Even as sea bandits, they're poor—what must they've been like when they weren't?"

Pan Yun frowned: "Right—Dacun Village is already sea bandits. Why are they still so poor?"

Pan Xiaohei: "It's because you merchants are too greedy. Such a huge gem—and you paid them so little…"

Pan Yun pondered, but before she could think deeper, two splashes came from below, followed by Qu Le and Seeing Miao Zhen's cries.

Pan Yun turned—Cen Dachuan and Cen Yuan had plunged into the water, vanishing instantly from the surface.

Qu Le and Seeing Miao Zhen jumped in shock—one tore off his clothes and dove in, the other ran along the riverbank, peering into the water, throwing stones in…

But after the two loud splashes, the water grew still, calm as glass—as if they'd vanished entirely.

Qu Le surfaced, then dove again, nearly crying: "No one! Go call them back!"

Seeing Miao Zhen and Tao Yan Bai, who had been processing food downstream, ran back and searched the riverbank—but found no trace. They shouted up the hill to Pan Yun.

Only then did Pan Yun shift her gaze to another spot downstream.

Pan Xiaohei tensed, ready: "Catch them? Catch them?"

Pan Yun: "They've too much energy. Let them run a little longer."

Water drains energy fast, especially with their diving. Pan Yun waited nearly half an hour before drifting slowly down the hill.

Seeing Miao Zhen had calmed under Seeing Miao Zhen's soothing, but seeing Pan Yun, her eyes welled: "Little Master, they escaped. We can't find them."

Pan Yun beckoned them: "You lack experience. Follow me."

The four followed her, fierce and determined.

They sprinted downstream using lightness arts, traveling far, entering the forest along the river.

Cen Dachuan and Cen Yuan, breathing carefully, felt safe—they quietly lifted their noses and mouths above water.

They didn't even raise their heads fully, only tilting back to expose their noses and half their foreheads, hidden among waterweeds. Honestly, if Pan Yun hadn't pointed them out with her finger, the four would never have noticed.

Seeing Miao Zhen and the others stared wide-eyed—even Qu Le held his breath.

Pan Yun crept forward, reached out, and pinched the exposed nose.

The man panicked, slipped under instantly. The waterweeds trembled, then stilled again—as if only stirred by wind.

Pan Yun snorted, stared at the ripples, and walked ten steps forward.

Seeing Miao Zhen dragged a long branch over and handed it to Pan Yun.

Pan Yun took it and plunged it into the water—thrust, thrust, thrust.

The water churned like ducks flipping over. Soon, the two burst up, gasping with open mouths.

Pan Yun snorted, returned the branch to Seeing Miao Zhen, and asked, "Gentlemen, is the water cold?"

Cen Dachuan and Cen Yuan were deeply embarrassed, hearts pounding. They thought their swimming was excellent—they'd shown no trace. How had they been found?

They'd finally found a chance, slipped close to the water while Pan Yun was away…

Seeing Miao Zhen, seeing them motionless in the water, poked them with the branch: "Aren't you coming out?"

Cen Dachuan and Cen Yuan, helpless, swam ashore under the gaze of five.

Soaked through, they bent low, wringing out their clothes, trying to avoid interrogation.

In truth, Pan Yun didn't ask them a thing. When they'd wrung the water nearly dry, she said, "Let's go."

She walked ahead.

Miao He and the others walked viciously behind the two of them, shoving them along: "Get moving!"

The two followed Pan Yun back to the meadow the whole way, feeling uneasy.

Pan Yun untied the firewood, took it out to start a fire, and looked at the two with a half-smile: "Are you going to start the fire? Although it's summer now, the evening gets cool, and sleeping in wet clothes all night will still make you sick. I don't want to pay for your medicine."

Cen Dachuan and Cen Yuan looked very guilty under her gaze, said nothing, and silently stepped forward to start the fire.

Miao He frowned: "Little Xiao Shishu, you're just letting them off like that?"

Only then did Pan Yun turn to face them, her face stern, and asked: "If you were captured by someone, would you run or not?"

Miao He stared blankly: "Of course I'd run!"

Pan Yun: "How do you run without conditions?"

Miao He: "No conditions? Create conditions and still run!"

Pan Yun nodded approvingly: "So isn't it only right that they ran?"

Not to mention Miao He, even Qu Le was stunned.

Pan Yun said: "Their running isn't the problem. The problem is, you didn't keep watch over them. Knowing full well they were sea bandits, why did you still let them go fetch water, near the water's edge?" (End of chapter)