Chapter 696

Because some treasures had been sitting for a long time, some might have fallen into cracks between the stones, and the soldiers picked them all out — to retrieve a plain silver bracelet, two soldiers actually chiseled the stone and widened the crack before pulling it free.

Pan Yun watched the whole process; even the soldiers sorting through the copper coins did not pocket a single one. Such strict discipline reminded her of an army from a later age.

Pan Yun felt even more at ease entrusting the remaining half of the treasure to Chen Wen.

When they walked out of the cave, it was already broad daylight; the round, plump sun bounced up from the sea's surface, and the colored clouds around it were gradually fading.

Pan Yun faced the sun for a glance, exhaled the pent-up breath in her chest, and gave Chen Wen a slight smile: "I still need to hitch a ride on Commander Chen's ship back. Just drop me off halfway."

From here to Quanzhou and to the island where Commander Chen was stationed, only half the voyage overlapped; at the parting point, she would head west, while he would head southwest.

Commander Chen already had a guess in his heart — Daoist Master Pan probably could not leap across the sea in a single bound and had to stop midway.

For some reason, Commander Chen felt a little better about it; he was not entirely useless, at least he could let her ride his ship for a stretch.

Commander Chen agreed at once, then led his men aboard.

To make it easier for them to leave later, he also arranged most of the soldiers onto the other two ships.

The large ship set sail; after half a shichen out at sea, with the ocean on all sides, Commander Chen finally waved his hand and had the gray-robed Japanese pirate dragged out.

"Take care of it on the sea — no trace, no one will know who took the treasure."

Pan Yun nodded.

The soldier stabbed the gray-robed Japanese pirate straight through the chest, then shoved him into the sea.

The sea surface instantly churned; a school of fish arrived in a flash, and before long, only bloodstained seawater remained on the surface.

But their large ship quickly pulled away, leaving only the occasional little shark leaping out of the water in sight.

Pan Yun felt the radish in her sleeve, then patted Pan Xiaohei on her shoulder, and sighed: "The sea is still dangerous~~"

The radish gave a shudder under her hand, but Pan Xiao Hei only sniffed disdainfully — trying to scare whom? Did they really think she was raised to be frightened?

After another shichen of sailing, Chen Wen had the soldiers all return to the cabin, and the soldiers on the other two ships did the same.

Only then did Pan Yun take out the Three Treasure Tripod, cup her fist to Chen Wen, and say: "Many thanks, Brother Chen. This little sister will take her leave first."

After half a day and a whole night together, the brother-and-sister pair's bond had leapt forward by leaps and bounds. Chen Wen also cupped his fist and said with reluctant parting: "Once little sister is safely ashore, remember to have someone send this big brother a letter."

Pan Yun agreed at once, then leapt into the Three Treasure Tripod, and with a whoosh shot up into the sky.

Pan Yun had the Three Treasure Tripod rise — rise, and rise again.

Primordial force poured in, setting the formations inside the tripod to work — warming against the cold, compressing the surrounding spiritual energy and air and channeling it in — so that they would not suffer the cold and lack of oxygen once they reached the high altitude.

Pan Yun's primordial force drained rapidly; she could not help gazing at the sun in the sky and sighing: "That's why I prefer traveling at night, or at least on cloudy days. A clear sky for ten thousand li really tests my abilities too much."

Seeing Miao Zhen comforted her: "Over the sea, even if someone saw you, they'd just think they'd seen an immortal, or that their eyes were playing tricks. They won't go report it to the Celestial Master Mansion."

Pan Yun was instantly relieved: "Makes sense."

She decided — the moment she was back over land, she would descend, so that even fewer people would know about this.

Chen Wen craned his neck to watch that pot fly off into the distance, and exclaimed: "Truly a man of divine powers!"

He looked away, glancing behind him; his trusted old soldier was peering out from the cabin. Their eyes met, and the old soldier immediately let out a sheepish grin and stepped out: "Boss, have we really managed to get in good with a half-immortal?"

Chen Wen stroked his little mustache and said proudly: "Naturally. Didn't you hear her address me as brother and sister?"

The old soldier gave a thumbs-up.

Chen Wen instructed: "Don't spread what happened today outside. Just keep it in mind."

The old soldier agreed at once: "The brothers all understand. When we went back in, so much of the stuff inside was missing — we're not blind. We figured these Daoist masters, like Master Xuanmiao from last year, have supernatural powers."

He sighed: "Just didn't expect it could be this supernatural."

Chen Wen murmured: "I didn't expect it either…"

Still, it was a pleasant surprise.

He had a premonition that there would be many chances for them to cooperate in the future; this would be his opportunity, and the soldiers' as well.

"Boss, how do we arrange so many treasures?"

Chen Wen lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, then said: "We'll do an inventory later. Keep two-tenths — one-tenth to be distributed to the brothers as military pay, one-tenth for brothers in difficulty to support their families. Count all the brothers who went out to sea this time; treat it as a reward."

He sighed and said: "Last year the Japanese pirates came ashore, and this year the sea winds struck. Fujian has suffered two great disasters in a row. Convert the remaining eighty percent into money and grain. Find someone in the army who knows the shore-side merchants and grain shops, escort bureaus and the like, and spread the money out for disaster relief."

The old soldier acknowledged, his voice hoarse: "Thank you, Boss."

Chen Wen tilted his head to look at him: "Your home is in Tingzhou Prefecture, right?"

"Yes."

"Tingzhou Prefecture was also severely hit this time. I heard Ninghua County is still in military chaos…"

The old soldier's eyes reddened at once, and with a thud he dropped to his knees: "my lord, my home is right next to Ninghua County, in Qingliu County — it's now in the hands of the rebels too. my lord, I, I…"

Chen Wen reached out, hauled him up, pressed his shoulder firmly, and said: "I understand, I know it all. This time you lead men ashore, quietly, go home and take a look. If you can't survive there, bring your family over — the island is short on people.

But you know too, life on the island isn't easy — even going out is hard…"

The old soldier: "Being able to stay alive is enough."

Chen Wen had a bellyful of words stuck in his chest; he patted the old soldier's shoulder and sighed: "Go on."

The old soldier happily agreed, looking forward all the more to escorting the treasure ashore.

Pan Yun flew through the sky for a shichen, and finally saw the coastline. She glanced down and immediately felt dizzy, and the treasure tripod wobbled along with her a few times.

Hong Yan and Xiao Hong, just let out, were scared into shrieking.

Miao was well used to it, and swiftly stuffed a piece of brown sugar into Pan Yun's mouth: "Little Xiao Shishu must be hungry!"

"Exactly right!" Miao Zhen nodded hard, then clung to the rim of the pot and peered down, pointing the way: "There's a grove over there — let's go there."

Tao Yanbai reported in real time: "No one on the beach — one look across, not a single person. Little Xiao Shishu can fly with peace of mind; absolutely no one will see."

Pan Yun descended at ease, slowly pressing down through the branches and leaves, and landed in the grove.

Pan Yun climbed out of the Three Treasure Tripod, waved a hand to fan herself cool: "It's too hot up in the sky — I got sun-stunned."

The three martial siblings nodded together: "Too sunny, too sunny!"

Hong Yan & Xiao Hong: ……

Pan Xiaohei snickered and snorted with laughter.

Pan Yun pretended she hadn't heard, pulled a big white radish from her sleeve, looked at it and said, "Truly white and tender, just looking at it seems thirst-quenching."

The Ginseng Spirit trembled in her hand and couldn't help but shriek, "I'm not thirst-quenching! I'm not a radish!"

Pan Yun stroked it and said, "I couldn't bear to bite the whole thing, just give me one little root-tendril to taste~~"

The Ginseng Spirit couldn't refuse; its green tassel drooped, and it pulled out a root-tendril as thick as a little finger from beside its own foot and gave it to her.

Pan Yun took it, then stuffed it into her sleeve, bit off a raw mouthful of the ginseng tendril, and held it under her tongue.

The meridians and Upper Dantian, exhausted from over-consuming elemental force, were instantly relieved.

The moment the ginseng's power entered her body it replenished her essence and qi; the essence and qi then transformed into elemental force, and she immediately felt refreshed.

"Ginseng really is a great tonic!" Pan Yun instructed Tao Yanbai: "Plants like you best, go back and look up how to raise a Ginseng Spirit. We want to raise it fair and plump, bright and spirited, with children and grandchildren filling the house."

Tao Yanbai: "... The books don't seem to record how to raise a Ginseng Spirit, only how to catch one, and how to... eat it."

The Ginseng Spirit in her sleeve heard this and could hold back no longer, bursting into tears with a wail.

Pan Yun hurriedly comforted it through her sleeve: "These people just don't understand sustainable development, don't be afraid, I'm not that sort of person. You've already become a spirit and can take human form; in my eyes you're the same as a person—how could I possibly eat you?"

The Ginseng Spirit poked its head out, its face transformed into a human one, crying in a wretched, sobbing mess: "You just ate me!"

"That was only your root-tendril, just like your hair. People, after all, occasionally lose a strand of hair—how normal. Like us, we shed hair every day, and there are even people who specialize in selling hair..."

The Ginseng Spirit's face was full of disbelief.

Pan Yun: "If you don't believe me, I'll take you to see later. If I'm lying, may heaven strike me with five thunderbolts!"

Only then did the Ginseng Spirit reluctantly stop.

Pan Yun then scolded Tao Yanbai: "You're also silly—if there are no records on raising a Ginseng Spirit, can't you just raise it the same way you raise ordinary ginseng?"

Tao Yanbai lowered his head and admitted his fault.

(End of chapter)