Chapter 649

Whether the Wa kingdom is thriving for them remains debatable, but the Izumo domain is truly thriving for them—they not only met here, but also opened a breach into the Wa kingdom here.

The Izumo domain is the Mao family's territory; if he dares to challenge the Kikuchi clan, he is not without capability.

In just three days, Yoshikawa Hiroshi placed two sets of identity documents before them.

One set bore their real names and origins, forged as monks from Great Ming come to Iihara Temple for exchange and study.

The monks here include monks, Daoist Priests, shamans, samurai, and others who seek self-mastery and power.

This set proves they are legally registered—well, at least in the Wa kingdom;

The other set bears Wa kingdom names: Pan Yun became a noble daughter of a minor branch allied to the Yoshikawa clan, but since childhood she possessed spiritual sensitivity, thus trained at Iihara Temple, mastered her arts, and then traveled to Kyoto with her household servants and slaves…

As is well known, the Yoshikawa clan is subordinate to the Mao family; her identity thus openly shelters under the Mao family.

Mao Xinfu hoped she would use this identity cautiously—if she committed too great a crime, she must not use it: "Your Excellency comes from the Upper Country; no matter what you do in Japan, as long as you depart the shore, the sky is high and the sea vast—you may fly freely, and no one can catch you. But if you reveal this other identity and flee, we who remain cannot escape. There is an ancient Chinese saying: 'The monk may run, but the temple cannot.' Please, Your Excellency, do not forget us, your allies."

Pan Yun immediately agreed, saying: "I am always sincere to my friends—I would die for them. Rest assured, even if they capture me and torture me, this other identity was forged by me alone, with no connection to the Mao family."

Mao Xinfu was delighted and promised: "If unfortunately I am captured, my Mao clan will do our utmost to mediate and rescue you."

Pan Yun had no faith in him—he dared not even admit they were allies, yet dared to rescue them?

But who cared? With this identity, they no longer feared checkpoints.

Ichi no Kenjin also exhaled a long breath of relief.

To be honest, the Ichi family still held some weight in Kōchi Prefecture, but across all of Japan, they were truly insignificant—merely a wealthy family with some heritage.

Along the way, they had relied on ancestral experience and connections, buying their path with money.

Passing checkpoints was easy in theory, hard in practice—because Pan Yun brought too many people, many of whom clearly had problems, clearly were not Japanese; under other circumstances, they would have been checked long ago.

Now, with the Mao family's endorsement, they had legitimate identity documents and no longer feared checkpoints.

But to survive, Ichi no Kenjin revealed his ability to coordinate.

He feared Pan Yun would deem him useless and kill him.

He had seen her kill—truly without blinking; he did not wish to follow the fate of Benshan Jirō and Chōsokabe Jirō.

To avoid being killed, Ichi no Kenjin worked diligently—without Pan Yun needing to worry, he arranged everyone according to her chosen departure time and had all carts and mounts ready.

Here, with the Mao family and Iihara Temple, the cart and mount market was large; he finally bought a cart and… a mule.

Horses were out of the question—there were hardly any in all of Japan; they were not tradable goods.

They could only buy mules, donkeys, and oxen at the cart and mount market.

Pan Yun saw he performed well, kept him as their guide, and entrusted him with managing the captured slaves.

This was Qu Le's job.

Qu Le glared at her: "You no longer include me in your talks, not even giving me any servants—do you plan to abandon me?"

"What are you thinking?" Pan Yun shot him a sharp look. "I'm giving you time to cultivate. Two days from now we fight—have you cultivated lately?"

Qu Le: …

Pan Yun scolded him: "You want to slack off? Dream on—go cultivate!"

Qu Le was delighted, said nothing in return, and walked off cheerfully.

"He's happy even after being scolded," Miao He couldn't help saying. "Is he mad?"

Seeing Miao Zhen looked up briefly, then lost interest and returned to studying the talisman array in her hands—it was a technique their Fourth Master had just taught them; their Young Master learned it instantly: first stroke shaped the form, second stroke channeled Yuan Power through it—the array completed.

She, however, always broke at the turning point; the Young Master said it wasn't a turn, but a Yuan Power recoil—like a person flipping underwater, the body doesn't stagnate, the Yuan Power must not pause a single instant; that flip must be smooth, rounded…

She understood—but she couldn't execute it, so she could only study hard.

Seeing Miao Zhen's mind was entirely on the talisman array, Qu Le kept crowding near her.

Seeing Miao Zhen grew exasperated and asked outright: "What do you want?"

"I want you to teach me—I can't cultivate at all. Isn't there a simple technique, one even someone like me, slow to awaken and low in talent, can practice?"

Seeing Miao Zhen frowned: "Why don't you ask someone else?"

"No one else is as skilled as you," Qu Le said. "Though Senior Brother Zhang and others have higher cultivation, I can see—you're more meticulous, more comprehensive in technique. I want to learn from you."

Seeing Miao Zhen's expression softened; after a moment's thought, she said: "There is such a technique, but it has flaws—cultivating too fast easily causes qi deviation. The Academy now forbids disciples from practicing privately. If you want to learn, you must ask the Young Master—have her guard you."

Qu Le hesitated.

Seeing Miao Zhen frowned at him.

Qu Le whispered: "She's too powerful now. I'm a bit afraid to approach her."

"…The Young Master has been powerful for more than a day or two—why weren't you afraid before?"

Qu Le: "I didn't know she was that powerful—and so fierce!"

Seeing Miao Zhen dared not privately teach him Zhang Liuzhen's technique—if he suffered qi deviation, she couldn't control it.

Guarding should be left to the Young Master, who can overpower ten with one.

Pan Yun originally planned to teach Qu Le later.

But Qu Le was too idle now—he couldn't sit still; he insisted on learning right away.

Pan Yun thought they were about to leave, and the coming journey by cart would give them ample time; she agreed.

Pan Yun taught him.

Master Xuanmiao and Tao Ji arrived at the perfect moment to see them off—just as the spiritual energy flowed toward Qu Le.

Both paused, Tao Ji delighted: "Has Qu Le finally drawn spiritual energy into his body?"

Master Xuanmiao's face darkened, her voice low: "Is this Zhang Liuzhen's technique?"

Pan Yun nodded, eyes gleaming, watching Qu Le meditate with satisfaction: "I always thought this technique suited him—I never expected it to suit him so perfectly."

Master Xuanmiao, hearing this, suppressed her faint anger and studied Qu Le intently.

The more she watched, the more her expression changed—until finally, she stared at him in astonishment… and speechlessness.

Tao Ji, seeing this, also fixed his gaze on Qu Le; once he sensed the speed of spiritual energy flow and its retention within Qu Le's body, he suddenly understood.

"Heaven never seals off the path for man," Tao Ji paused, then said: "Heaven truly is fair..."

Pan Yun sighed: "It's perfectly fair—this cultivation art is utterly devastating for someone like him, half-understanding and slow to grasp."

Master Xuanmiao: "This is a shortcut method. With his partial understanding, he won't go far on the Dao path."

"What does it matter?" Pan Yun said. "Without this art, he couldn't even enter the Dao—but now he has entered, hasn't he?"

"Perhaps when he needs to advance further in the future, he'll gain insight—or a new art suited to him will appear?"

Pan Yun said: "Some are born slower than others, but being slow isn't necessarily bad."

Master Xuanmiao looked at her in surprise: "You've improved a lot. Half a year ago, you wouldn't have thought this way."

Pan Yun sighed: "Maybe it's because I've met more people—thoughts always change. Who knows? Next time we meet, Sister might find my views changed again."

Master Xuanmiao turned and walked away: "We'll talk when we meet again. Since we've met, I won't see you off—safe travels."

But Pan Yun saw her to the roadside and said solemnly: "Brother and Sister, take care."

Master Xuanmiao and Tao Ji nodded, and replied solemnly in return: "Take care."

Pan Yun returned to the inn. Qu Le had just emerged from meditation; he was scratching his head and pacing: "Why did I wake up so fast? Isn't it said that even the worst first-time meditator can stay in meditation for half an hour? I've only been in for less than two ke—only completed one small cycle."

Pan Yun: "Just tell me—did you guide Qi into your body?"

Qu Le exclaimed excitedly: "I did! I did! There's now a thread of Yuan force settled in my Upper Dantian."

"Then isn't that enough?" Pan Yun called to him. "Gather everyone and set off. Practice on the road. Memorize the art thoroughly—ideally, recite it backward by heart."

Qu Le, buzzing with excitement, nodded vigorously and trailed after Pan Yun chattering: "Sister Pan, now that I've generated Yuan force, how do I convert my internal force into Yuan force? And how do I use the Qiankun Bag…"

A flood of questions.

Pan Yun stood aside watching everyone line up orderly to depart, and replied offhandedly: "Practice a few more times. When you can enter meditation and complete a full great cycle, I'll teach you how to convert internal force into Yuan force. As for the Qiankun Bag…"

Pan Yun paused, turned, and glanced at his head: "You must first learn inner vision and locate the Niwan Palace."

Qu Le felt it was too hard and doubted it: "Tao Yanbai and Miao and Wu Gong have even lower cultivation than me—could they already do inner vision?"

Pan Yun looked at him sympathetically: "Of course—they're Daoist Physicians."

Comparing inner vision with a Daoist Physician? That's insane.

Qu Le realized it too, fell silent, and silently prayed Pan Yun would forget his earlier question.

Qu Le quietly withdrew.

They left Yifan Temple and headed northwest—that was the direction of Ishi Country.

With the new checkpoint, their journey was smooth. Qu Le sat in meditation on the cart.

Each time he entered meditation, it lasted only about two ke—almost always ending right after completing a small cycle.

He thought it was because he couldn't sit still, his mind too excited—but the more he tried to suppress himself, the faster he emerged. Sometimes he couldn't even finish a small cycle; the Yuan force he cultivated hadn't returned to his Upper Dantian before he woke up.

Each time he emerged, he lost control of the Yuan force inside him, forced to let it linger in his meridians, then leak out and revert to spiritual energy.

So recently, Pan Xiaohei loved staying beside him—each time he emerged, the drifting spiritual energy and leaking Yuan force, having nowhere to go, were immediately absorbed by Pan Xiaohei.

Pan Yun pretended not to notice, but seeing him grow increasingly restless, she said: "You haven't awakened to the Dao, so you struggle to enter meditation—but that's fine. Just calm your mind. The vast majority of Dao cultivators begin with stillness."

"That's why the Second Stage is called the Period of Stillness: the mind is still, movement is rare; one must restrain agitation to achieve stillness. The mind scatters easily; hard to control. Only through diligent discipline can one begin the path. Your martial skill is high—if you fought with force, you could rival Daoist Priests of the Third Stage, even challenge those of the Fourth. But from the Dao's perspective alone, you're still in the Second Stage."

Pan Yun explained it all plainly. Qu Le wasn't stupid—he understood: "Because my mind is restless, and I move too much?"

Pan Yun nodded.

"Can diligent practice really extend my meditation time?" Qu Le had doubted himself these past two days: "The more we practice, the shorter our meditation becomes?"

"Because your mind grows increasingly agitated."

Qu Le: "The Second Stage is called the Period of Stillness—what's the Third Stage called?"

Pan Yun: …

Seeing Miao Zhen beside them couldn't help but say: "You've been in school for two months, right? The cultivation stages are the first lesson—didn't you attend?"

Qu Le's face flushed. The more guilty he felt, the louder he spoke: "The lessons are so long—I came to cultivate! The Master's lectures were endless—I couldn't remember any of it."

Pan Yun sighed: "The Third Stage is called the Period of Balanced Stillness: the mind is half still, half active. Stillness is like restraint; the mind is often half still, half scattered. Only through diligent discipline can you gradually grow refined. When you can meditate through an entire night, entering and exiting meditation in a single thought—you'll reach the Third Stage."

Seeing Qu Le slump his brows and eyes, Pan Yun added: "When you reach the Third Stage, you can use the Qiankun Bag."

Qu Le perked up: "Really? Like you—stuff everything inside, invisible and untouchable to outsiders, only I can take things out?"

Pan Yun nodded. As long as you can keep hold of the Qiankun Bag.

Of course, she didn't say that aloud—to new students, encouragement came first.

Qu Le was cheered again. He returned to the cart to resume seeking the meditative state.

But before he could find it, they arrived at a city.

Yi Jianren, knowing their purpose, swallowed hard and lowered his voice: "Your Excellency, this is the city where the Uchi clan resides."

Pan Yun gazed solemnly at the bustling city gate and asked: "If so, their clan isn't near the sea—how did they come to control the inspection trade? And how do they have so many secret ships?"

Yi Jianren replied: "It's not far from the sea—two days' journey. West from here all the way to the coast is Uchi clan territory."

"Oh? Then where does the Daimyo of Ishi Country, the Yamana clan, now hold power?"

Yi Jianren didn't know much, but he was certain: "The place Your Excellency especially wants to go is Yamana territory. But I heard the Uchi clan is expanding toward it. Yesterday I learned two villages fought over a well—one village belonged to each side, so both sent warriors."

Pan Yun: "Who won?"

Yi Jianren said: "They've traded victories—fighting still continues, occasionally breaking out. But I heard the Uchi clan seized one village, captured all its people as slaves, and took the women back to their own village. The Yamana clan is petitioning higher authorities, demanding the Uchi clan release the people and return the village." (End of Chapter)