Chapter 733

Wang Xiaojing returned at dusk with the five others who had rebelled with him.

The village elders, watching these children they had raised since infancy, could not bring themselves to scold them harshly; they gave them a light beating, then prepared firepans and wormwood water.

Again, they crossed the firepans, sprinkled wormwood water, then prepared the evening meal.

But the villagers, having just endured a great disaster and now suffering famine, could not afford to prepare anything fine—they did not even dare slaughter chickens, instead producing only a few eggs.

But once Wang Feiyin and the others returned, everything changed.

One household slaughtered a chicken, another chased down a duck, and yet another brandished a cleaver to pursue a goose.

Chickens flew, dogs barked.

The goose, its eyes blazing, seemed to glare at Pan Yun with fire—Pan Yun immediately stepped forward to stop it: "Don't kill it, don't kill it, keep them for laying eggs—I've already bought meat. Tao Yanbai—"

Tao Yanbai, surrounded in the center, shouted at once: "Here!"

"Hurry and bring the meat you bought!"

"Oh." Tao Yanbai ran back to the ox cart, fumbled in the dark, then pulled down half a pig carcass.

This was meat bought from Old Man Qian, meant to be taken up the mountain—after all, after the flood, few pigs or sheep remained alive.

The villagers gasped: "So much? How can we possibly eat it all?"

Wang Feiyin waved his hand: "There are so many old and young in the village—half a pig is nothing. Cook it all! Everyone returned safely—that's a great joy, a cause for celebration. Tonight we eat meat and drink wine. Pan Yun, go up the mountain and bring my stored Peach Blossom Wine. We won't stop until we're drunk!"

Pan Yun: "... Senior Brother, Peach Blossom Wine is medicinal—it causes hallucinations."

"Dilute it then. This year you weren't home, I collected a huge vat of Peach Blossom Nectar—add a few drops of Peach Blossom Wine, even children can drink it. Hurry, hurry!"

Pan Yun's gaze flickered.

Wang Feiyin narrowed his eyes: "You touched my Peach Blossom Wine?"

Pan Yun smiled sweetly at him.

Wang Feiyin glared at her, but refrained from scolding her in front of everyone; he simply held out his hand: "Give it!"

Pan Yun rummaged in her sleeve and pulled out half a bottle of Peach Blossom Wine.

Wang Feiyin dismissed her: "Go up the mountain, bring the Peach Blossom Nectar, and bring down some rice and flour."

"Oh." Pan Yun obediently returned up the mountain.

Xiao Shiyi nervously followed behind her, stumbling, her feet unsteady, tumbling into Pan Yun's legs.

Pan Yun grabbed her, thought for a moment, then picked her up: "Come, follow me up the mountain."

Xiao Shiyi clung tightly to her neck and replied meekly.

With Pan Yun carrying her, Xiao Shiyi felt they had only taken a dozen steps before reaching the summit.

She felt cold and instinctively snuggled deeper into Pan Yun's arms.

Pan Yun held her tighter, her palm pressing against Xiao Shiyi's shoulder blades: "Cold? The mountain is a bit chilly."

The summit was pitch black, especially tonight with poor night skies—yet Pan Yun could see in the dark. She carried her up the steps to the temple entrance and pushed open the door.

A creak echoed, and a cloud of dust rose.

Because Wang Feiyin had been away so long, the temple was covered in dust. Pan Yun snapped her fingers—a flicker of flame danced at her fingertip, illuminating the space.

"This is our Ancestral Master—here on the mountain, you need not fear." She set Xiao Shiyi down, took her hand, and went to find oil, refilling and lighting every lamp before the deities. The main hall slowly brightened.

Xiao Shiyi looked up at the Three Pure Ones' statue, fell silent for a long while, then said seriously: "I like it here."

Pan Yun stroked her head and smiled: "Good. You'll probably have to come up here often from now on."

Xiao Shiyi: "Can't I live on the mountain with my benefactor?"

"I won't be living on the mountain for now," Pan Yun bent down to look her in the eye. "Senior Brother teaches disciples, but he doesn't know how to raise children. He's unlucky, and so are you—so it's better for you to stay below. When you're older, you can decide whether to live on the mountain."

Xiao Shiyi said nothing. She was used to obeying—adults told her what to do, and she did it.

Pan Yun stroked her head, thinking Senior Brother was right: she needed to grow up in the mortal world, or else raised on the mountain, she'd be bullied to death someday.

Pan Yun led her to the back courtyard, climbed over a stone pile, lifted several stones with a ball of flame, and finally found a sealed jar nestled in the crevice.

The jar was round, and because it was tucked in the crevice, its interior was icy cold.

Pan Yun glanced at the entrance, then obediently stored the jar in her Spirit Realm space and carried it out.

She stared blankly—only they could shove such a huge jar into a crack and pull it out again.

Pan Yun took Xiao Shiyi back to the house, added a layer of clothing—but it was too big, so she wrapped her in it instead.

Pan Yun carried her down the mountain. When they reached the bottom, she set her down and let her walk on her own—then a large jar appeared out of thin air beside her feet.

She took a deep breath, lifted it, and walked.

Xiao Shiyi, accustomed to Pan Yun's magic, grabbed her sleeve and hurried after her.

The villagers had already butchered the meat; with so many people, work moved fast. Dozens worked together—the pork bones were scraped clean, chopped, and tossed into pots with water.

The pork was sliced or minced, sent to each household, made into meatballs or steamed, boiled, or stir-fried—everyone worked in unison, swiftly.

Each household set tables along the road, brought out dishes, and just as chairs were arranged, before bowls and chopsticks could be laid, sizzling sounds erupted from kitchens—the aroma of frying pork mingled with the clean scent of oil, spreading through the air.

Stomachs growled one after another; adults laughed awkwardly, then burst into hearty laughter, while children raced excitedly in groups between kitchens.

Wang Xiaojing was too young to cook and had no right to sit idle—he could only join the youths setting bowls, arranging dishes, ladling rice...

Pan Yun set down the jar, exhaled, and shook her hands. Wang Feiyin waved at her dismissively: "Go help! You're so old already, and still have no sense of duty."

Pan Yun knew he was taking out his anger over the Peach Blossom Wine. She shoved Xiao Shiyi into his arms and silently followed Wang Xiaojing to work.

The village elders immediately rose and called out: "Temple Keeper, don't work—come sit with us!"

One old man even slapped Wang Feiyin on the shoulder: "Stop ordering Pan Yun around—she's your peer, she's an adult now."

"Yes! Temple Keeper is so capable—unlike those rascals. Come sit! We heard you went to sea, even to foreign lands—what are foreign lands like?"

The adults were all excited. Pan Yun chuckled, turned, and slipped back to sit beside them, vividly describing the scenery and customs of the foreign land—Wa Country.

In short, the people there were poor and ignorant, but silver lay everywhere.

"Silver everywhere? So you can just pick it up while walking?"

"Pretty much," Pan Yun said. "As long as you're willing to put in the effort and use your brain, picking up silver isn't a problem."

The adults said with a mixture of envy and regret, "Too bad we can't go out, or else we'd want to pick up that silver too."

Pan Yun smiled and said nothing. (End of chapter)