Chapter 621: Come Along!

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow and said, "Though the Emperor is indecisive, he still has some ability to judge people—placing you as Censor was the right move. As long as you live, you'll help him see every demon and specter lurking within the Great Ming Realm."

Xue Shao: "You didn't say that when the Emperor favored Wang Zhen."

Pan Yun sighed, "Looking back, he likely knew full well who Wang Zhen was—he merely used him to fight the court officials."

She shook her head. "The court is truly complicated, not fun at all. Better to cultivate—the true is true, the false is false. Even when truth and falsehood mix, without worldly ties, there's no emotion, and the heart doesn't ache."

Xue Shao let out a laugh. "You're truly naive."

Pan Yun shot him a glare.

Xue Shao said, "Everything in this world revolves around human relations. If your cultivation sect could avoid them, how could Zhang's prodigy have been injured?"

Xue Shao asked her, "Of the friendship between him and you, how much is due to your own merit, how much to calculated advantage, and how much to old ties? Don't tell me you don't know—even he probably can't say. Isn't that human relations?"

Pan Yun: "Xue Taixu was right—you really should cultivate."

"Thank you for the compliment. I'm cultivating already—just differently from you."

Pan Yun: "Then why don't you learn more Daoist arts? At critical moments, they could save your life."

Xue Shao: "With my swordsmanship and Wu Gong, I tower over all scholars. Even among generals, I fear none. I never imagined I'd end up not in the scholarly world, but in the Jianghu."

Pan Yun burst out laughing, slapping his shoulder. "No problem—it's not too late to start now. Your bones are still growing."

Xue Shao wasn't comforted much—he was no longer just a student, but a laborer.

Every day, besides work, he had to study. Time once spent reading leisure books was already cut, and now with Daoist cultivation, he was merely clever, not capable of splitting himself—how could he possibly learn so much?

Still, he wanted to live. He wanted Xi Jin to live too.

So he pulled out his schedule, squeezed time out of it—cutting down meals, bathing, and sleep—to carve out half an hour.

He took his schedule to Pan Yun and said, "I've decided to study Daoist arts from the second half of the Si hour to the end of the Si hour each day. Do you have any books I can borrow?"

Pan Yun generously lent him the books from her academy, even marked the key points. "Your inner cultivation method is good, but with your talent, you can learn a better Daoist inner method. Wait—I'll find you a suitable one later."

Xue Shao agreed: "If I encounter difficulties during cultivation, may I come to you for answers?"

"Come! Anytime!"

Pan Yun's generosity surpassed Xue Shao's imagination.

Even Xue Taixu, though fond of his talent and bound by blood, had only given him one inner cultivation method.

That method was one all academy disciples practiced—a martial foundation for those not yet initiated into the Dao.

It wasn't a secret within the academy, nor was its transmission forbidden, so many outside also knew it.

But Daoist methods were different—transmission was extremely strict.

The academy did have Daoist methods passed down; third-year disciples generally began cultivation, and the most gifted could start in second year.

Each disciple received instruction individually, and before transmission, they swore an oath: the Daoist method would never be leaked. Violators would be struck by thunder, expelled from the sect.

The oath was grave, and cultivators took oaths seriously—so far, no Daoist method had ever been leaked, not even to one's own children or descendants.

Pan Yun naturally wouldn't break this oath.

But the Daoist methods she could offer were limited.

In her past life, the entire world used one method, already proven by Wang Feiyin to be incomplete.

Oh, no need for him to prove it—the whole world knew.

So for the past century, the method had been endlessly revised—

Officially called "repair and development," but from the expression on her beloved mentor's face when he first saw the method she'd shown him, she doubted they'd improved it.

So she passed over this method riddled with flaws.

Besides that, there were three Daoist methods from Mount Sanqing—one of which was her own, Kunyuan Gong.

It too was incomplete, only the first half existed, no second half.

But according to her senior brother, if she completed the first half, she could ascend to heaven and descend to earth, living freely in this world.

Since no one had ever completed the first half of Kunyuan Gong, neither she nor her brother felt any urgency to find the second half.

Why rush? Something that might be needed decades—or even a century—from now could be searched for slowly.

Besides Kunyuan Gong, there was Wanmu Guichun, practiced by Seeing Miao Zhen and others, and Master Xuanmiao's Jiuzhuan Xianghe.

Wanmu Guichun was Mount Sanqing's true lineage method—her senior brothers all practiced it.

Master Xuanmiao's Jiuzhuan Xianghe was said to be a new method she and several companions had synthesized from a fragmentary scroll in the Zhang family's library, so it could be transmitted outside.

Mount Sanqing had very few high-grade Daoist methods—only these three. Pan Yun, whether she practiced them or not, had copied them all down.

The middle- and low-grade methods, she hadn't bothered memorizing.

Now, she sat in her room, selecting one by one, finally settling on Kunyuan Gong.

Pan Yun picked up the Kunyuan Gong scroll, chuckled, then instantly stilled, shaking her head with a sigh: "Looks like he's destined for incomplete scrolls, just like me."

Pan Yun happily took the Kunyuan Gong scroll to Xue Shao.

Pan Xiaohei rolled over in the cabin, giving her back a disdainful glare.

Pointing fingers like that? With her brain, she just picks whatever she wants—she knows the outcome the moment she starts. Pretending to pick by chance.

Pan Xiaohei muttered: "She just wants someone to help her figure out the second half of Kunyuan Gong later."

Pan Yun handed Kunyuan Gong to Xue Shao, explained its origin, and was about to teach him how to practice when a commotion erupted outside.

She turned her head—Miao He burst through the door. "Little Master, we've spotted the coast! There are people there! We must have reached Japan!"

Xi Jin squeezed in behind Miao He. "Master, we've arrived! Inspector Qu said the people on shore are armed!"

Pan Yun immediately went to the deck.

Xue Shao shoved the Kunyuan Gong scroll into his robe and followed at once.

Everyone gathered on the deck, staring at the gradually clearer coastline.

Qu Zhixing handed Xue Shao the telescope and whispered, "Little Lord Xue, we're so few—landing rashly…"

Xue Shao peered through the telescope, studied the shore, then passed it to Pan Yun: "There are so many Japanese pirates' families aboard—we can't even pretend to be merchants. How do you plan to fool them?"

"Deceive?" Pan Yun snorted. "I never once thought of deceiving."

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly: "These family members on the ship are all gifts I brought specially. What did you think the Japanese pirates were, something good, back in their own country?" (End of chapter)