[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming":3,"chapter-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-6":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Unorthodox Sword of Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2337211,4570,"Chapter 6: Caught in the Act","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-6",6,"\u003Cp>Pan Yun’s face was pale as death, but her movements were decisive; all her remaining spiritual power transformed into sealing talismans, which she hurled one after another at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit-essence darted left and right, the white jade lotus petals quivering as if ready to burst and break free, but Pan Yun refused to yield…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was inside her own dantian—one misstep and she’d become a fool or die outright—yet she carried herself as if she had nothing to lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit-essence had slumbered for years; having finally awakened, it refused to sink back into slumber, dared not die—spiritual awakening in a tool was one in ten thousand, and it had already used up all its lifetime’s fortune to become sentient; it dared not risk it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A streak of spiritual light shot from Pan Yun’s forehead, zipping into the plum tree beside her; Pan Yun’s eyes snapped open, her right hand lashed out, a talisman woven of spiritual power appearing in her palm, swiftly slapping toward the plum tree…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit-essence wailed loudly; as the talisman descended, it fled from the plum tree without looking back and plunged into a nearby cat’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tried to bolt the moment it entered, but realized the cat was dead—its legs were broken—and it collapsed the instant it tried to stand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the approaching figure, the spirit-essence screamed and cried, “You’re not playing by the rules! We agreed to cooperate—you’re going back on your word!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun’s spiritual power was spent; as she walked, she refined the essence within her, waiting for spiritual power to regenerate before drawing another talisman—but her face betrayed nothing; she stood before it and chattered, “When did I ever agree to cooperate with you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meowed frantically, but Pan Yun understood its words: “You just agreed to me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun: “I said ‘I see’—that doesn’t mean I agreed to cooperate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire cat stiffened; it recalled—indeed, she had only said “oh,” without ever explicitly agreeing to cooperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cat—no, the spirit-essence—was furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After refining the essence into spiritual power, it sank into her dantian; she immediately mobilized it, a talisman appearing in her palm, her hand lifting to strike—when the cat shrieked, “If you seal me, you won’t get my help—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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 already unsealed. You waking up is too troublesome; better to stay asleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit-essence let out a piercing scream, still trying to persuade her—but the talisman pressed against it, silencing it instantly. Then a thunderous shout rang out: “Stop!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A force slammed into her; Pan Yun was flung backward, crashing to the ground with a thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cat was snatched up by a hand; it froze instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun felt her internal organs shift, but she dared not cry out; she scrambled to her feet the moment she hit the ground, eyes blazing red as she stared at the sudden arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man in gray-green Daoist robes held the black cat, frowning at her; seeing her slight frame, barely six or seven years old, he stiffened: “So young?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his anger flared: “So young and so cruel—born evil! Let me teach you a lesson.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his hand to strike—but a hand caught his wrist: “Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun silently stepped back two paces; seeing the second figure appear, her hair stood on end—she sensed danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second figure also wore gray-green Daoist robes, but was a young woman—cold, her eyes colder; her gaze swept over Pan Yun, then fixed on the empty ground behind her: “You killed someone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A definitive statement that made Pan Yun’s heart pound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man scrutinized Pan Yun, frowning: “Sister, you’re mistaken—this child looks no older than six or seven. Even killing a cat would be hard—how could she kill a person?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young woman replied coldly: “Eight years old. Don’t you see the bloodstain all over her?” The young man’s gaze sharpened: “That’s not cat blood…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused—how much blood could a cat have?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reexamined Pan Yun, his face darkening: “What a cruel little brat—could this even be a real child? A dwarf? Or some technique that shrinks the body?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man grew far more cautious, advancing step by step with the cat, sniffing lightly—the stench of blood grew stronger, his expression darker still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such heavy bloodstains—was this torture and murder?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun retreated step by step with his advance, frantically refining the essence within her—but she’d eaten little today, her stomach empty, her body at its limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spiritual energy drifted in the air, but in scant amounts; she could only desperately snatch at it to absorb even a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She edged closer to the plum tree—just a little nearer, just a little closer, and she could…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she was about to vanish beneath the plum tree, a figure shot forward like lightning; Pan Yun’s heart leapt—she swung her hand, her last spiritual power splitting in two: one half became a silver-white blade, zipping toward the young woman’s throat; the other half propelled her backward, zipping into the plum tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a little longer, just a little longer—until she refined more essence and spiritual energy…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Take me away…】 A weak voice echoed in her mind—the original body of the Three Jade Spirit Realm still lodged in her dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!. Read\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun sneered inwardly: 【Take you away and then drain my spiritual power?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for it, why would she have spent eight years cultivating and still have to ration every scrap of spiritual power?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit-essence: 【All things have spirit—even plants. The plum tree you’re near holds essence; absorbing it directly will be faster than drawing from the air. You must perceive—imagine yourself as one with the tree…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun’s heart stirred; she calmed her spirit, sensing the tree. For eight years, her cultivation had made no progress—but she never gave up. Repeated setbacks had forged in her the habit of entering deep meditation swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, as she drew near the plum tree, she felt it drawing energy ceaselessly from the earth; her feet seemed to become roots, sharing its absorption, feeling its pulse—she “saw” green energy flowing through its trunk…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, she reached for it—only to seize a few strands when the tree shuddered violently, hurling half her body backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man attacking the plum tree gasped: “Sister, you were right after all—she’s hiding inside the tree, not fleeing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun dodged to escape, but the energy she’d gathered was too little; she formed a hand seal and whispered a incantation, drawing spiritual energy from the air to burrow underground—but the moment her feet touched the ground, she was snatched up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young woman swiftly tapped Pan Yun’s body; the gathered spiritual energy instantly dispersed, her meridians blocked, her internal energy collapsing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun: …\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large and a small figure stared silently at each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun: She doesn’t use martial arts—she uses magic too, and can disrupt my spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young woman confirmed it: Pan Yun indeed wielded arcane arts—the spiritual energy she’d gathered had vanished instantly into the air, scattering the surrounding spiritual energy, diluting the bloodstink and making her breath easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man rushed forward, took Pan Yun from the woman’s grasp, and shook her midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun’s head spun from the shaking; the young man exclaimed in surprise: “Sister, look—she hasn’t changed. She’s truly human, not a spirit or monster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New book launched! Thank you, readers, for your continued support—welcome to collect and read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1295,"2026-06-20T22:03:57.478Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","820369b75584123bee526f0e7a7cfa379a779ffcc64efb916cce81c49e84dacc","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-7","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-5",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-cover.jpg"]