Chapter 640: Night Reconnaissance at Yihatai Temple

Zhang Li~~

Before setting out, several of his uncles — including his father — had each separately sought him out, telling him to keep an eye out for news of Zhang Li once he went out to sea; if he could help her, it would greatly benefit both him and his family.

Apart from his father, Zhang Weiyi had always doubted the sincerity of the other uncles.

Aunt Zhang Li had made plenty of enemies back in the day at Long Hushan; those people were both her kin and her foes.

So his father had said: "Even if you do help her, do it on the sly. Don't listen to them — if you just up and draw your sword, not only might Zhang Li not appreciate it, even if she did, once you came back you'd still be remembered with a grudge.

They just enjoy the spectacle and don't think things will get out of hand. The previous generation's affairs — you shouldn't get involved."

After saying that he also muttered: "I always feel that rather than helping Zhang Li, you'd do better to stick with Pan Yun — you two are the ones of the same generation."

He sighed and said: "Each generation has its own affairs, its own debts of gratitude and enmity. For you to rashly insert yourself into bygone matters is no good, no good…"

Because even his father was wavering, Zhang Weiyi kept things even simpler — all along the way he honestly went about his training, and kept an eye on his junior brothers and sisters, not letting them cause trouble; he felt that was enough to fulfill what the elders had entrusted to him.

Zhang Weiyi fell silent, but Zhang Weiliang was full of enthusiasm, excitedly saying: "I'll go with you."

Pan Yun glanced at him: "What are you going for?"

Zhang Weiliang: "My family and Aunt Zhang Li are on the same side!"

Pan Yun gave him an unceremonious sidelong glance: "On the same side? On the same side, and yet you picked on me when we enrolled?"

Zhang Weiling opened his mouth, then went timid, muttering softly: "It was only later that my father told me…"

Pan Yun snorted: "I'm afraid there's quite a lot of water in that 'same side,' no?"

Zhang Weiliang fell silent.

The heroes were thrilled; heads lowered as if they were busy eating, but in fact every one of them had their ears pricked up, listening.

This counts as a Daoist secret, right?

Having heard the beginning, they wanted to keep listening.

But Pan Yun said no more, and the Zhang brothers and the others silently dared not speak again either.

Pan Yun set down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, nodded to the others: "You all eat slowly."

Saying so, she rose and left.

Everyone watched her go. Song Xuan said uneasily: "Just let her go alone like that? Don't we provide any support?"

Seeing Miao Zhen gently soothed her: "Sister Song, our not going is the best support — Little Xiao Shishu will be safer with nothing to worry about."

Miao He nodded repeatedly. Seeing that Song Xuan wasn't touching the vegetable dumplings in her bowl, she asked: "Sister Song, don't you like eating vegetable dumplings?"

Song Xuan looked embarrassed: "I've never seen this vegetable before, I keep feeling it has a strange taste."

Miao He immediately said: "It tastes a bit like wild greens, a little bitter, but there's an after-sweetness. If you don't like it, I'll eat it for you!"

Song Xuan, hearing that, quickly handed the bowl to her.

Miao He took it happily and ate it up.

The others stopped dawdling too, hurriedly bowed their heads and finished their own food, then took their bowls to the kitchen before going off to wash up and rest.

There were a lot of them, so the hot water had to be fought over.

Xi Jin had long since rushed off to fetch hot water for him and Xue Shao. Xue Shao, with nothing to do, rested his chin on his hand and sat on the steps, watching the whole courtyard's people bustling back and forth like a battle, lively and bustling.

That liveliness made the Yihatai Temple on the opposite mountain seem all the more quiet and still.

Wang Cong and Hu Jing had come over at some unknown time, sat down on either side, sandwiching him in the middle.

Xue Shao: "You two aren't busy, why are you crowding around me?"

"The kitchen is only so big, one pot of hot water is only so much — why bother fighting over it?" Wang Cong said: "Better to wait here with you for Little Xiao Shishu."

Although Little Xiao Shishu said no support was needed, they still had to keep watch — what if?

Xue Shao, hearing that, seemed to find a reason. He stood up and said: "Let's get on the roof. Down here we're in the way, and we can't see clearly enough."

Saying so, without waiting for the two to reply, he flew up onto the roof first.

Wang Cong and Hu Jing craned their necks to look at the person standing on the roof — hadn't he long wanted to go up, just too embarrassed, so he never did?

Xue Shao looked down at the two, his face full of puzzlement: "What are you two still gawking at? Come on up. Do the two great heroes need a ladder?"

That, they didn't need.

Wang Cong and Hu Jing flew up onto the roof, and together with Xue Shao sat on the ridge looking in the direction of Yihatai Temple.

Yihatai Temple really does look quiet.

Yihatai Temple was indeed very quiet. Pan Yun flitted through the trees like a magpie, nimbly leaping over a wall and landing on the ground. All around was silent; only the dim yellow glow of the lanterns on the lamp posts lit the way.

It was dim and hazy — this lamplight wasn't even as good as the moonlight above; better off without it.

Pan Yun felt the light made her eyes swim. She turned her head away from it, swept a glance at the courtyard, and decided to start searching from the central axis.

After two steps, Pan Yun grabbed Pan Xiaohei, who was perched on her shoulder, and pulled him down: "Stay a bit farther from me."

Pan Xiaohei looked at her with an accusatory face.

Pan Yun gently explained: "I'm wearing night-clothes to conceal myself — if you squat on my shoulder, aren't you actively giving me away? Here's the plan: I'm in the open, you're in the shadows. We support each other without exposing our identities."

Only then did the air of grievance around Pan Xiaohei dissipate, and he reluctantly agreed: "Don't forget to support me."

Pan Yun nodded repeatedly, cradled him and set him on the ground: "You and I are one body — I'd forget anyone before forgetting you."

Pan Xiaohei, soothed, the moment his four paws touched the ground darted off into the shadows with a swish; combined with his already all-black coat, he was even harder to spot.

If Pan Yun and he weren't of one body, able to sense his position, she wouldn't be able to make him out either.

Pan Yun moved quickly and nimbly through the temple.

The smell of incense and candles in the temple was obvious — she didn't need to look on purpose. Just by the scent, Pan Yun guessed seven-tenths of each hall's function.

She didn't go in, only paused briefly at the hall doors, listening carefully to the sounds within.

The sounds of people moving, breathing, even heartbeats — as long as she quieted herself and let her awareness ride the spiritual energy trembling around her, she could hear every kind of sound inside the halls from afar.

So, how many people were in a hall, what they were doing, how skilled — she only needed to pause briefly outside to get the general idea.

She probed deeper and deeper, following the slope of the mountain upward, and soon saw the main hall.

Behind the two sides of the main hall, the houses hidden by the trees held a great many living human auras.

Pan Yun stopped and looked left and right.

Walking all the way here, from the layout of Ichibata Temple one could tell how deeply the Wa Kingdom had been influenced by China.

Unlike the messy arrangement of the civilian houses opposite, the layout of Ichibata Temple conformed to feng shui, every brick and tile following feng shui principles.

Here, the chou-yin position is inauspicious — it is the Ghost Gate, unlucky, and absolutely could not be used for guest rooms, so the row of brightly lit houses to the northeast could be ruled out;

The wei-shen position is also inauspicious, yet it assists the Ghost Gate; this temple doesn't look large, but its incense offerings are thriving, so it might be used for guest rooms, but if the Divine Physician were honored, Ichibata Temple would show due courtesy, and naturally would not arrange people to stay there — the lively cluster of houses to the southwest could also be ruled out;

Pan Yun's gaze turned toward the chen-si position and the li position; chen-si represents prosperity, and the li position carries the meaning of brightness…

After a moment's hesitation, Pan Yun rushed toward the houses at the li position.

Her figure swept past the tree branches, lightly brushing the leaves; leaping through, she saw three quiet little courtyards lined up behind a row of trees, all three lit with lamps.

Pan Yun flew straight toward the center without thinking; the instant her feet touched the ground, a whoosh — a faint sound of cutting through the air rang by her ear. Pan Yun flipped aside, and with a clang, a short arrow grazed the sash at her waist and embedded itself in the wall.

Pan Yun raised a brow and looked up; countless arrows came shooting in from all directions. She immediately leapt into the air, knocked away seven or eight arrows, and looked down — the spot where she had been standing was bristling with arrows; had she not dodged quickly, she would have been shot into a porcupine. (End of chapter)