Chapter 6: Caught in the Act

Pan Yun's face was pale as death, but her movements were decisive; all her remaining Qi transformed into sealing talismans, one after another, slamming into it.

The Realm Spirit darted left and right, the white jade lotus petals quivering, as if ready to explode and break free—but Pan Yun refused to yield…

It was inside her own Upper Palace of Clarity; one misstep and she'd become a fool or die outright, yet she carried herself like a barefoot woman unafraid of shoed opponents.

The Realm Spirit had slumbered for years; having finally awakened, it refused to fall asleep again, dared not die—artifacts gaining sentience were one in ten thousand; it had already used up all its lifetime's luck to become sentient, and dared not risk it.

It could only abandon direct confrontation, abandon its physical form, exhaust its energy to burst through the talisman circle, and shot out of Pan Yun's body in an instant.

A streak of spiritual light shot from Pan Yun's forehead, whooshing into the plum tree beside her; Pan Yun's eyes snapped open, her right hand lashed out, a talisman woven from Qi appearing in her palm, swiftly slapping toward the plum tree…

The Realm Spirit wailed loudly; as the talisman descended, it fled from the plum tree, didn't even look back, and darted into the body of a nearby cat.

As soon as it entered, it tried to run—but discovered it was a dead cat, its legs broken; it barely stood before collapsing again.

Seeing the approaching figure, the Realm Spirit screamed and cried, "You violate the code of martial virtue! We agreed to cooperate—you're going back on your word!"

Pan Yun's Qi was exhausted; as she walked, she refined the essence within her, waiting for new Qi to form before drawing another talisman—but her face showed nothing; she stopped before it and spoke nonsense, "When did I ever agree to cooperate with you?"

It meowed meowed meowed, but Pan Yun understood its words: "You just agreed to me!"

Pan Yun: "I said 'I understand'—that doesn't mean I agreed to cooperate."

The entire cat stiffened; it recalled—indeed, she had only said "oh," without explicitly agreeing to cooperate.

The cat—no, the Realm Spirit—was furious.

After refining the essence into Qi, it flowed into the Upper Dantian; she immediately mobilized it, a talisman appearing in her palm, her hand lifting to strike—when the cat screamed, "If you seal me, you won't get my help—"

"In your past life, you never awakened in the research institute—we still used you, merely with many abilities sealed. But we could still read the information once unsealed. You waking up is too troublesome; better to stay asleep."

The Realm Spirit shrieked desperately, trying to persuade her—but the talisman pressed against it, silencing it instantly; then a thunderous shout rang out: "Stop!"

A force slammed into her; Pan Yun flew backward, crashing to the ground with a thud.

The cat was snatched up by a hand; it froze instantly.

Pan Yun felt her internal organs shift, but she dared not cry out; she scrambled up the moment she hit the ground, eyes blazing red as she stared at the sudden figure.

A young man in gray-green Daoist robes held the black cat, frowning at her; seeing her small frame, barely six or seven years old, he stiffened: "So young?"

Then he grew furious: "So young and so cruel—truly a born monster! Let me teach you a lesson."

He raised his hand to strike—but a hand caught his wrist: "Wait!"

Pan Yun silently stepped back two paces; seeing the second figure appear, her hair stood on end—she sensed danger.

The second person also wore gray-green Daoist robes, but was a young woman, cold and detached, her eyes icy; her gaze swept over Pan Yun, then fixed on the empty ground behind her: "You killed someone."

A definitive statement that made Pan Yun's heart pound violently.

The young man scrutinized Pan Yun, frowning: "Sister, you're mistaken—this child looks only six or seven. Even killing a cat would be hard—how could she kill a person?"

The young woman replied coldly: "Eight years old. Don't you see the massive bloodstain on her?" The young man's gaze sharpened: "That's not cat blood…"

He paused—how much blood could a cat have?

He re-examined Pan Yun, his face darkening: "What a cruel little brat—could this be a fake child? A dwarf? Or some technique that shrinks the body?"

The young man grew far more cautious, approaching step by step with the cat, sniffing lightly—the stench of blood grew stronger, his expression worsening.

Such heavy bloodstains—was this torture-murder?

Pan Yun retreated step by step with his advance, frantically refining the essence within her—but she'd eaten little today; her stomach was empty, her body at its limit.

Though Qi drifted in the air, it was scarce; she could only desperately snatch at it to absorb any at all.

She drew closer to the plum tree—just a little nearer, just a little closer, and she could…

Just as she neared the plum tree's shade, a figure shot forward like lightning; Pan Yun's heart leapt—she swung her hand, her last Qi splitting in two: one half became a silver-white blade, whooshing toward the young woman's throat; the other half propelled her backward, whooshing into the plum tree.

Just a little longer, just a little longer—until she refined more essence and Qi…

【Take me away…】 A weak voice echoed in her mind—the original Three Jade Realm still lingering in her Upper Palace of Clarity.

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Pan Yun sneered inwardly: 【Take you away, then drain my Qi?】

If not for it, why would she have spent eight years refining Qi so frugally?

The Realm Spirit: 【All things have spirit—even plants. The plum tree you're near holds essence; absorbing it will be faster than drawing Qi from outside. Feel it—imagine yourself one with the tree…】

Pan Yun's heart stirred; she calmed her mind, sensing the tree. For eight years, her cultivation had advanced not an inch—but she never gave up; struck down, struck down again—she'd developed the habit of entering deep meditation swiftly.

Now, as she drew impossibly close to the plum tree, she felt it drawing energy endlessly from the earth; her feet seemed to become roots, joining it in absorption, feeling its pulse—she "saw" green energy flowing within its trunk…

Pan Yun seized it without hesitation—only a few strands gathered when the tree shuddered violently, hurling half her body outward.

The young man attacking the plum tree gasped: "Sister, you were right after all—she's hiding inside the tree, not fleeing!"

Pan Yun dodged to escape, but the energy she'd gathered was too little; she formed a hand seal and whispered, summoning Qi from the air to burrow underground—but the moment her feet touched the ground, a hand seized her.

The young woman swiftly tapped Pan Yun's body; the gathered Qi instantly dispersed, her meridians blocked, her energy collapsing.

Pan Yun: …

A large and small figure stared silently at each other.

Pan Yun: This isn't Wu Gong—she, like me, uses magic—and can disrupt my spells.

The young woman confirmed it: Pan Yun indeed wielded arcane arts; the Qi she'd just summoned had vanished instantly into the air, scattering the surrounding Qi and diluting the bloodstink—making her breathing easier.

The young man rushed forward, taking Pan Yun from the woman's hands and shaking her midair.

Pan Yun's head spun; the young man exclaimed in surprise: "Sister, look—she didn't change. She's truly human, not a spirit or monster."

New book out! Thank you, readers, for your continued support—welcome to collect and read!

(End of Chapter)