Chapter 808

Wang Feiyin couldn't stand it anymore; he pinned each of them down onto the grass, then glared at Pan Yun, who sat motionless with vacant, glassy eyes: "You're the first person I've ever seen who fainted from flying too hard on your own!"

Pan Yun pointed at the sky: "Aren't we supposed to get back before the sun fully sets?"

Wang Feiyin corrected the direction of her finger: "The sun is over there."

Pan Yun simply lay flat, giving up: "Senior Brother, dinner's on you—we're all too drained to move."

Wang Feiyin wasn't in a hurry; he sat cross-legged beside them: "I can wait. In fifteen minutes, you'll be fine."

Everyone lay still, listening to Wang Feiyin's voice: "Feel the earth beneath you—use your consciousness. The grass beneath your head, the soil pressed by your palms, your lower back, your buttocks, your thighs, your calves, your heels—all of it is earth. Let your awareness sink downward. You'll see the roots of the grass, feel the earth's power spreading out—around you are trees, mountains…"

Under his voice, their breathing grew even; Pan Yun even fell asleep. She felt someone dig a pit beside her, then plant her whole body into it. She stood upright like a seed in the soil, endless earth-power surging toward her. She received this force, began to sprout, pushing through the ground—her vision suddenly widened. She saw a vast expanse of yellow-green earth, then grew taller, seeing trees, then the Daoist temple straight ahead, then the cliff, then the surrounding peaks…

Finally, she looked up at the sky and saw white clouds and sunlight.

Pan Yun suddenly opened her eyes. Now, the sky was sky, the earth was earth, and the branches swayed gently in the breeze.

The others gradually opened their eyes, sitting up from the ground. Wang Cong murmured: "Strange—I felt buried, couldn't breathe for a moment."

Miao He: "I dreamed I turned into a bird—ah, my cultivation has increased!"

Wang Cong immediately checked his cultivation level and brightened: "Mine too!"

The others all gained something, though Xi Jin still clutched his head, groaning about his headache.

Wang Feiyin slipped him a pill and told him to keep lying down, then scanned each of them.

He nodded in satisfaction: "Good. Everyone has improved. This fainting wasn't wasted."

He picked up Bangchui, his eyes crinkling: "Let me see who this little one is—how come you're so strong? I noticed you recovered the fastest just now."

Bangchui sensed no malice; he'd grown used to humans over this time, and with Wang Feiyin constantly praising him, he let himself be held, sitting proudly in his lap: "The earth is my home. Whenever I touch soil, I feel its depth—of course I recover quickly."

Wang Feiyin gently stroked him: "Impressive, impressive. No wonder you're the Ginseng King."

Bangchui hadn't been praised like this in a long time; he lifted his chin high, thoroughly delighted.

Pan Yun stared blankly, knowing for a long while now, no one would be bathing in Ginseng Bathwater.

She glanced sympathetically at Miao He and Tao Yanbai, then stood, brushing grass clippings off her clothes: "Let's go cook."

After considerable effort, half an hour later, a lavish meal was prepared and set on the table.

Xi Jin looked embarrassed: "I'm the servant—this should be my job. Yet tonight I did nothing…"

Wang Feiyin hadn't lifted a finger either; he'd spent the whole time holding Bangchui on the cliffside, catching the wind. He gently patted Xi Jin's head: "Our Daoist path teaches equality of all things—humans included. If you're unwell, let others handle it. Rest well."

He smiled: "This is a Daoist temple. Here, we follow Daoist customs—there is no master or servant."

Xue Shao, who was digging for wine beside Pan Yun, nodded: "Exactly. Rest well. In the mountains, follow Master Wang's lead."

Wang Feiyin smiled, stroking his beard, about to expound on Daoist philosophy—when he caught sight of Pan Yun raising her hoe high. He leapt up in alarm, shouting: "Pan Yun! Stop!"

Pan Yun instantly halted: "You scared me! Senior Brother, what are you doing?"

"What are *you* doing! There's wine underneath! If you smash down like that and break the jars?"

Pan Yun checked the depth: "We're still far from it. I buried it myself—I buried it deep."

Wang Feiyin looked slightly uneasy, insisting: "Better safe than sorry. From here on, dig carefully—with your hands!"

Pan Yun stared at him silently, until he looked away, then asked softly: "Senior Brother… you didn't sneak a drink while we were away, did you?"

Wang Feiyin's gaze darted away—Pan Yun understood.

She snorted, dropped the hoe, and began digging with a stick and her hands.

She and Xue Shao dug for less than fifteen minutes before their fingers touched the wine jar.

They followed the jar downward, soon hauling out a long-bellied wine vessel.

This was the wine Tao Ji brought back last year—said to be payment from a kind man for medical treatment, buried for ten years.

Master Xuanmiao loved wine; the man had no money to pay, so he offered this jar as his fee.

After Tao Ji brought it back, Pan Yun personally buried it underground. They'd just returned from Quanzhou, hearts still heavy—so many villagers slaughtered, no one had the heart to drink, so they buried it.

Pan Yun pried open the seal. A crisp, fragrant aroma spilled out. She inhaled deeply, sighing in delight: "So fragrant!"

Even Pan Yun, who didn't like wine, said it was fragrant—it must be excellent.

Xue Shao brought a wine jug; they carefully poured one full. Wang Feiyin said: "Pour more. Cong and Miao Zhen, Miao He—all love wine. I see you, Xue, are a man of feeling. Tonight calls for a proper drinking session—pour two more jugs."

Pan Yun didn't refuse, but asked: "What about Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Sister? Haven't they returned yet?"

Wang Feiyin sighed: "Ah~~ Young hearts care only for their careers. Who remembers the old folks left behind? Think of yesterday—New Year's Eve. Down in the valley, thousands of lanterns glowed. Not one was lit for me. Up here, cold and empty—only a few chickens keep me company~~"

Pan Yun nodded: "Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Sister haven't come back—they must've been delayed. Senior Brother, are they searching for something?"

Wang Feiyin paused slightly, then spoke normally: "What could they possibly be searching for? Just cultivation trials. A Daoist cultivator may be away for three or five years—even thirty or fifty—without returning home. It's normal."

Pan Yun: "You just cried about us not coming home for the New Year."

"... Ah, old age makes one prone to nagging. Don't take it to heart. When you reach a crucial stage in your trials, don't rush back just for the New Year," Wang Feiyin said. "For example, this time—Ji'an has great matters. You needn't hurry back. Finish what you're doing. As long as you carry me in your hearts, I'm content."

Pan Yun: "How do you know we were in Ji'an?"