Chapter 626: Punish You

Miao Zhen on the boat spotted Pan Yun first and shouted happily: "Little Master has returned!"

Hu Jing and the others perked up, leaning forward to look—and their attacks grew even fiercer: "Kill them down!"

Soichirō Shōgō was still incredulous when seized; there were so few people on the boat, yet they simply could not board—anyone who managed to climb aboard either swung their sword wildly at nothing, or turned and slashed their own comrades.

Otherwise, with so many of them, they would have taken the ship long ago.

Soichirō Shōgō forced calm, glanced around, then shouted: "The Demon God! They've summoned the Demon God—don't let them reach shore, or—puff—"

Pan Yun stamped him down, grinding her foot across his face before looking down at him: "You knew there was a Demon God and still dared to raid and murder? Do you have bear's heart and leopard's guts?"

Pan Yun turned to the nervous retainers and snorted: "The Demon God has no interest in you—it serves us, protects only our safety. As long as you don't kill us, nothing will happen."

Everyone's gaze shifted from her face to the black cat on her shoulder.

Meeting its clear, lively eyes, they trembled—those with guilty consciences stepped back half a pace in terror.

Pan Yun followed their gaze to her shoulder, raised an eyebrow, then curled her raised finger, lifted the black cat onto her head, and surveyed them all with proud satisfaction.

Everyone who wasn't with her and met Pan Xiaohei's gaze lowered their heads in fear.

Pan Yun: …No wonder my cat.

Pan Xiaohei's round cat head lifted higher: No wonder me.

Miao Zhen and the others fell silent.

Qu Le stared at Pan Xiaohei with bright eyes, his expression torn between belief and doubt.

Where no one noticed, the captives locked in the cabin had quietly gathered at the ship's edge and now stared intently through the door slits at Pan Xiaohei.

When Pan Yun turned to look, they swiftly averted their gaze and slipped back into the cabin.

Pan Yun left men to guard the main ship and took a portion of her crew back to Benshan's estate with Soichirō Shōgō and Ichirō Taro.

It was still early; when Pan Yun locked the three clan heads together, Miao Zhen and the others could still sleep an hour before dawn.

Pan Yun told them to sleep—she would negotiate with the three clan heads.

But everyone had just finished fighting and was too exhilarated to feel any sleepiness.

So Pan Yun let them stay; the group gathered around the three middle-aged men.

Benshan Yousun & Soichirō Shōgō & Ichirō Taro: …

Under their stares, the three silently bowed their heads.

Pan Yun pulled over a chair and sat before them, glancing into the courtyard: "Where are their sons?"

The courtyard was filled with bound captives kneeling on the ground; to Pan Yun, their hairstyles were nearly identical—she couldn't tell them apart at a glance.

Miao Zhen had an excellent memory for faces and had already identified who mattered and who didn't during the fight; she volunteered to pick them out.

Five young men were dragged out and forced to kneel outside the door—when they raised their heads, they faced their fathers directly.

Pan Yun nodded in satisfaction and asked Benshan Yousun: "Their two families still have sons—surely all your children have fallen into my hands?"

Benshan Yousun's heart turned cold; he crawled forward on his knees, frantic: "Master Pan, if you want to go to Kyushu and Honshu, you cannot kill my family."

"Oh?" Pan Yun leaned forward, intrigued: "Why not?"

"If you kill people in Japan, how could merchants from Kyushu and Honshu still do business with you? The Great Ming officials there won't even allow you to land—you'll be wanted across Japan."

Pan Yun burst out laughing, wiping away tears with her finger: "Benshan, you're an old man—how can you still be so naive? Shikoku is the smallest island in Japan, Kochi Prefecture is average even within Shikoku, and your Benshan clan is average even in Kochi."

"The smallest of the average—why would anyone care if you live or die?" Pan Yun smiled. "Why would merchants from Kyushu and Honshu refuse profitable trade just for a stranger like you? As for the Great Ming officials there… after all, you're the bandit, while I'm a Great Ming smuggler who stumbled onto Shikoku, was robbed by you, and had no choice but to kill in self-defense. Even to protect their own illicit trade, wouldn't the Great Ming officials of Kyushu and Honshu owe me an explanation?"

Benshan Yousun's eyes widened: "You…"

"Don't get excited. Think—Japanese pirates have slaughtered villages in Great Ming and escaped unharmed, with local gentry secretly helping them flee. Don't you think Japan… oh no, Japan—might have gentry like that helping us?"

Benshan Yousun swallowed hard, his limbs going weak.

Pan Yun wasn't done—she crouched before him and whispered a threat: "Or I won't go to Kyushu or Honshu at all—I'll slaughter all three of your clans, load the loot onto the ship, and sail home. Come back in a year or two—or send my brothers. Do you think merchants from Kyushu and Honshu won't welcome us?"

Soichirō Shōgō and Ichirō Taro were terrified, shaking their heads frantically and pleading: "Master Pan, let's talk this over!"

Benshan Yousun grabbed Pan Yun's sleeve, bowing so low his body nearly touched the ground: "Master Pan, name your demand."

Pan Yun finally smiled, patting his shoulder: "Why not start this way? Why force me to do bad things? I'm clearly a good person, sigh~"

Pan Yun's smile vanished: "You forced me to do bad things—harming my Dao. You are punished."

Benshan Yousun blinked: "Punished how?"

"With money!"

Pan Yun nearly looted the entire Benshan estate—emptying all cash, seizing cloth, pottery, weapons, everything.

Especially the weapons.

The Benshan clan had many different types of swords; Pan Yun tested one and found it no worse than the crossbows they'd seized last year.

Chen Liutao and Qu Zhixing were experts—they touched one and knew: "It's a craftsmanship issue. Their iron is excellent, but their tempering lags behind domestic artisans. If we reforge these blades back home, they can slice through iron."

Pan Yun: "Sounds great—take them all. Make Soichirō and Ichirō's families send equal quantities of weapons, plus money…"

Pan Yun paused, deciding the money from the other two families shouldn't match Benshan's—after all, Benshan had been looted, while the others still had people alive; pushing them too hard would backfire. So she said: "The other two families pay two-thirds of what Benshan paid."

Qu Zhixing: "What if they refuse?"

Pan Yun pointed at Xue Shao: "Ask him."

(End of Chapter)