Chapter 687: Sudden Enlightenment (Make-up Update 10)

The whole ship's company were desperate to get home, with no intention of stopping midway to put Yi Jianren ashore.

Of course, Yi Jianren himself didn't want to leave the ship either.

Along the way, he had come to understand that Pan Yun was broad-minded and wouldn't fuss over much.

Moreover, she wouldn't treat him differently just because he was from the land of the Wa.

He received the same treatment as the people she had brought along; aside from not being allowed to attend their meetings, every reward he was due, she gave him.

She even agreed when he wanted to take a batch of goods to sell in the Great Ming.

The Ichijō clan on Shikoku was nothing more than a tiny local landholder, and in twenty years Yi Jianren had never had the chance to meet disciples of the Ōuchi clan or the Yamana clan.

But in this trip of just over a month, he had not only met disciples of the Ōuchi clan and the Yamana clan, he had even killed some of them, and met the Yamana clan head…

Yi Jianren realized that if he missed this chance with Pan Yun, he would surely regret it in the future.

So, to keep himself from regretting it, he decided that no matter where Pan Yun went from here on, he would follow.

He was determined to become one of Pan Yun's most trusted people…

At the very least, one of the most trusted people in Japan.

Pan Xiaohei watched him fawning around Pan Yun like a lapdog and sneered inwardly: *If only she knew what a bellyful of dirty tricks you carry…*

Before the thought was finished, Xue Shao walked over and said: "I think the Ichijō clan can be put to use as well. Shikoku is very close to the Great Ming. If we lay out our plans across all three islands separately, the Great Ming can let them check and balance one another, which can keep the Great Ming's coastal regions peaceful."

Pan Xiaohei: *She's just as black-hearted as you. *

Pan Yun: *Shut up! Aren't you sleepy anymore? *

Pan Xiaohei scratched furiously at the air three or five times in indignation: *It's all your fault — how much merit has been docked from us? You said you'd come back in the end, didn't you? Where is it? *

Pan Yun glanced back in the direction the great ship had come from and calmly soothed it: *Don't rush. Good food is never afraid of being late. *

Pan Xiaohei was soothed down.

It realized belatedly that its temper was getting better and better; in the old days, it would never have agreed to this!

Pan Yun answered Xue Shao: "He's been prepared for you."

Xue Shao was taken aback: "Me?"

Pan Yun: "I can't do everything myself. I'm a Daoist Priest — Daoist Priests focus on cultivation."

Xue Shao said thoughtfully: "This assignment won't fall to me."

Pan Yun looked down on him: "Can't you try a little harder?"

Xue Shao: "…This isn't something that can be achieved just by trying. Yinshan… in the end, the ones who come are either sons from families of merit, or imperial clansmen. One tier below that, with so many fine sons among the civil and military ministers in court, there's no way it falls to me."

A sudden thought flashed through Pan Yun's mind. She blinked: "You… you performed this great merit, there shouldn't be any trouble, right?"

Xue Shao's body stiffened. He met Pan Yun's eyes, and belatedly caught on as well.

In court, his second uncle had offended quite a number of people;

In the past half year, he himself had offended quite a few as well…

He had already been living on the brink, and now…

Xue Shao fell silent.

Pan Yun frowned.

Seeing her anger slowly rising, Xue Shao hurriedly soothed her: "It's not a big problem. At worst I'll be dismissed from office. With this kind of merit, they won't exile me, let alone kill me."

Pan Yun pressed her lips together without speaking, quietly watching the sea vessel cut through the water.

The sea wind scooped up seawater, slapping against the ship with a slap-splash, slap-splash, like the conversation just now striking her heart again and again.

After a long while, Pan Yun said lightly: "Sure enough, in this world, doing good deeds doesn't necessarily bring good results."

Xue Shao smiled faintly: "Just do good deeds, and don't ask about the road ahead."

Looking at his smiling face, Pan Yun murmured: "Just do good deeds, and don't ask about the road ahead…"

Xue Shao nodded: "My own end may not be good, but the thing we wanted to do has already been achieved. The fruits we've borne are growing in the direction we hoped for, aren't they? The difference in one person's fate is nothing worth mentioning before the masses…"

Pan Yun, however, didn't see it that way: "How can it be nothing worth mentioning? The masses are made up of one person after another…"

Xue Shao smiled, about to speak, but saw that Pan Yun, standing opposite him, had gone glassy-eyed, and then slowly closed her eyes.

He was mildly startled, and looked up at the sky.

The sea wind came sweeping in with a blast of moisture, slapping against one's body with a thick, damp heaviness. Xue Shao nearly couldn't keep his footing, but Pan Yun stood rock-steady, her Daoist robe snapping in the wind, and before long she was wrapped round by the sea wind and moisture…

The wind was so fierce it seemed as though it would sweep her away.

Xue Shao turned to look at the sea. The wind and waves on the ocean were still as great as ever, the waves striking the hull rising and falling just as before, no different from half a quarter-hour ago.

Xue Shao sensed a heavy gathering of spiritual energy.

He carefully stepped back. Seeing Pan Yun too close to the ship's rail, he couldn't help stepping forward again, wanting to pull her back a little, yet afraid of disturbing her.

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He sensed something was off, and rushed out, just in time to see Xue Shao reaching out. They couldn't help shouting: "Don't touch my little martial uncle!"

Xue Shao withdrew his hand.

Tao Yanbai and Zhang Weiyi and a few other Daoist Priests lived farther away and arrived a step later.

They immediately set up a barrier between Pan Yun and the crowd.

Zhang Weiyi swept a glance around and also felt this wasn't a good place for a sudden enlightenment, but the person had already entered samadhi — they couldn't very well wake her.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance; once broken, it would be gone.

Zhang Weiyi directly pointed out Seeing Miao Zhen, Miao He, and one junior brother, and said in a low voice: "The four of us will stand guard during the day. Tao Yanbai, you and the other two junior brothers wait and take over at night."

Tao Yanbai looked toward Seeing Miao Zhen.

Seeing Miao Zhen gave him a slight nod.

Only then did Tao Yanbai head back to the cabin to rest.

Not far off, a number of Wa people had gathered — these were all men from the Masuda clan escorting the ships. Pan Yun had put them on her own ship for the safety of the other two vessels; she had never expected that in the end, she herself would become the least safe one.

Xue Shao quietly watched her for a while, then turned to disperse those Wa people, ordering heroes like Gao Zhiming to lock them in the cabin under guard, not allowed to wander about at will.

Anyone who might be dangerous was locked away, and the deck instantly emptied out, looking much quieter and safer.

Zhang Weiyi and Miao Zhen—the three of them—sat down cross-legged facing Pan Yun, watching her unmoving in the sea breeze as the spiritual energy around her curled and spread by turns; one could tell her enlightenment was not going so smoothly.

By nightfall, Tao Yanbai and two other senior brothers came to relieve Miao Zhen and the others.

Zhang Weiyi did not move.

He said to the few of them: "My cultivation is higher than yours, I can go several days without sleep, don't worry."

Miao Zhen: "Several days?"

She glanced quickly at Tao Yanbai and said: "Little Xiao Shishu has had enlightenment before too, I don't remember it lasting this long."

Zhang Weiyi's face was helpless, half jealous, half worried: "She's different now from before. She's the First Marquis now—if it were an ordinary enlightenment, she could easily suppress the feeling, wait until she got back and found a safe place, then bring the inspiration back out and think it through carefully.

But she entered it so fast… from my experience, she won't come out in less than three to five days."

Miao Zhen's eyes went wide: "Then won't we all have to make landfall? What if Little Xiao Shishu still hasn't come out of samadhi and someone storms the ship?"

"So we'll head back, but not dock yet—first we'll drift on the sea, and wait until she wakes up before deciding," Zhang Weiyi said: "If we're lucky, maybe in two or three days she'll think it through and attain it." (End of chapter)