Chapter 641: Meeting

Pan Yun landed with three or four arrows in her hand; not knowing whether the hidden figures were friend or foe, she suppressed the urge to retaliate and did not throw the arrows back.

The hidden figures saw her land with effortless grace, then lift her gaze openly and fearlessly.

Had she not been dressed in black night attire, they might have praised her—and perhaps stopped fighting.

But dressed in black night attire, no matter how composed and fearless she appeared, it was still the act of a sneak.

The hidden figures raised their crossbows again, but Pan Yun had already discarded the three arrows in her hand, swiftly formed a hand seal, and in an instant, the single remaining arrow shot skyward, blazing crimson, exploding with a bang halfway up, scattering sparks like blossoming pear flowers…

The hidden figures all looked up, stunned—could arrows really do that?

Master Xuanmiao, seated in meditation in the guest room, snapped open her eyes and rose at once.

Tao Ji, who had been napping beside her, jolted awake, sniffed the air, and said: "That's yuanli—did they summon a Divine Path to hunt us?"

Master Xuanmiao stood still for a breath, then hurried toward the door: "That feels like Little Sister's yuanli?"

"Little Sister? Impossible—how could she be here?" Even as he spoke, Tao Ji hurried after her.

Opening the door, they saw fierce combat on the neighboring wall: a group of monks in saffron robes were surrounding a black-clad figure, striking wildly—but despite their furious assault, they hadn't even touched the black-clad figure's sleeve, and several of their own had been kicked flying.

Master Xuanmiao's sharp eyes recognized at once that the black-clad figure leaping and teleporting along the wall was Pan Yun; she moved to rush forward, but as soon as she stepped out the door, a soft "pop" sounded beside her ear—she leapt back, snatching Tao Ji, who was lunging forward, into the room.

Boom—the air exploded. A black hole appeared suddenly behind and to her side where she had just stood; had she been a moment slower, she'd be pulp now.

Pan Yun whirled around, locking eyes with Master Xuanmiao, who had just retreated through the doorway.

At the same time, the monks, just repelled, attacked Pan Yun again; hearing the explosion, they screamed in Japanese with all their might: "How dare you desecrate Ichibata Temple!"

Pan Yun ignored them, turned and dashed toward the left courtyard, slamming her palm downward midair—with a bang, the air trembled, and a shadow took human form, hurtling backward.

Simultaneously, the air before the door rippled like water—two pops, and two more black-clad figures materialized, their attacks failing to pierce the doorway.

This house had a protective barrier.

Seeing this, Pan Yun unleashed her full strength, striking the black-clad figure before her with ferocity; yuanli gathered in her palm—the opponent struggled to block, and worse, fireballs suddenly appeared, wind surged, and in an instant, he was engulfed in flames.

Under the blazing heat, he cried out in pain, abandoning his counter to her palm strike, summoning a cloud of black mist to shroud his body—the flames faded, but he was still blasted backward by Pan Yun's blow, flying through the air and crashing into a tree, snapping the first tree, then striking the second before slowly falling.

His head lolled to the side—he passed out completely.

Pan Yun didn't stop; she turned and charged toward the two black-clad figures still attacking the barrier…

Three black-clad figures fought together; had Pan Yun not been slight of build and clearly female, no one could have told them apart.

The monks, fists clenched: …

The monks exchanged glances and asked: "Which one do we fight?"

The black-clad figures didn't seem to be allies.

The crossbow-wielding warrior also leapt from the shadows, watched for a moment, then said: "These later black-clad figures are Divine Path from Kyushu!"

The monks decided instantly: "Attack them!"

They charged toward the two black-clad figures.

Pan Yun, agile as ever, spun ninety degrees on the spot the moment they rushed in, vacating her position for them; once they had taken over, she swiftly withdrew from the fight, zipping away with a hiss, diving into the barrier and grabbing Master Xuanmiao and Tao Ji, who stood inside the door watching, dragging them into the room.

Master Xuanmiao didn't resist, letting herself be pulled; Tao Ji, lost in thought, was yanked off balance and stumbled, kicking twice before steadying himself.

He clutched his nearly crushed throat, gazing at Pan Yun with a wounded, resentful look.

Pan Yun pulled off her face mask, scanning Master Xuanmiao up and down: "Sister, are you injured?"

Her breath was uneven.

Master Xuanmiao's expression remained calm: "Minor wound. How did you come to Japan? When did you arrive? What are you doing here?"

Pan Yun: "The Wu Lin Alliance and the Celestial Master's Mansion joined forces to suppress bandits; we seized a sea vessel and came over. We've only been ashore a few days—we're heading to Iwami Province to avenge the village massacre by the Uesugi clan. You know the Uesugi of Iwami?"

"I know them," Master Xuanmiao's face darkened. "Did they commit the massacre? I thought it was the Kikuchi clan…"

"Oh, not them—but even if you went after the Kikuchi, it wouldn't be wrong. This time we split into three groups; we heard the Fujian contingent was targeting the Kikuchi's forces—they've been raiding Great Ming too, no less guilty."

Pan Yun seized Master Xuanmiao's hand, sliding her index and middle fingers onto her pulse. Master Xuanmiao tried to pull away, but Pan Yun yanked it back firmly.

Master Xuanmiao let her check: "Can you possibly be better than Third Brother?"

Tao Ji sighed: "Little Sister's yuanli is profound, but unfortunately she practices Kunyuan Art—if she'd trained in Wanmu Guichun instead, she might actually be able to heal you."

Pan Yun finally looked at Tao Ji and saw his Upper Dantian was empty, barely any yuanli left.

She: …

Tao Ji's face flushed; he hurried to explain: "I've overextended my cultivation—I just need to meditate and I'll recover…"

Master Xuanmiao took over: "Third Brother had to heal me and save Mao Li Xinfu—his yuanli was drained."

Pan Yun was both frustrated and pained: "Why must you save Mao Li Xinfu? Couldn't you just keep him alive temporarily? Draining your yuanli is dangerous."

"It's the condition for us to shelter at Ichibata Temple," Master Xuanmiao said. "If the Mao Li clan don't see results, why would they let us stay in their temple—or send so many guards to protect us?"

As they spoke, the fighting outside ceased. A monk and a warrior stood at the door, nervously asking: "Master Xuanmiao, Master Tao, all the intruders have been captured—what about the one inside…?"

"She's our friend," Master Xuanmiao said coldly. "Thank you for your efforts. I'll escort her out shortly—please allow your temple to let her leave."

The warrior said: "If she's your friend, why not stay as a guest at Ichibata Temple? The Mao Li family will host you all—no outsider will harm you three."

Master Xuanmiao declined politely: "She has no grudge against the Kikuchi clan—she only came to see me. I won't keep her from her path."

The warrior fell silent, whether he listened or not, unclear.

The monk finally spoke, asking if the guests needed meals, and apologized for the earlier clash: "We didn't know this guest was Master Xuanmiao and Master Tao's visitor. Our rudeness—please forgive us."

Pan Yun had intruded uninvited, dressed in black night attire, fighting inside someone's home—and now expected them to apologize? How could she have the face? She quickly and sincerely apologized in return, explaining: "I heard my friend was here, and in my haste, I acted improperly. Please forgive me, esteemed monks." (End of Chapter)