Chapter 825: Do Good Deeds

Is it that simple?

Pan Yun pressed further, tentatively asking: "Senior brother, could you extend it to nine years?"

Deng Jin lifted his eyelids and regarded her in silence: "The first genius of the forty-third generation of the Imperial Academy needs nine years just to pass the credential exam? Are you insulting someone?"

"Senior brother misunderstands—I tied for first place in this year's qualification exam, but… my luck's been a bit bad…" Pan Yun immediately added: "Still, nine is the ultimate number. I figure, no matter how bad my luck is, it can't possibly stay bad for nine years straight."

Deng Jin raised an eyebrow: "Oh, I almost forgot—you're the disciple of the God of Mount Sanqing. Fine, I'll extend it to nine years."

Pan Yun watched as he swiftly wrote it down in his notebook, then tossed down his brush and waved her off.

Pan Yun blinked, hesitantly asking: "That's it?"

Deng Jin: "Do you have a gift to give me?"

Pan Yun paused, choosing her words carefully: "Such a major matter…"

"What's so major?" Deng Jin dismissed it carelessly. "There are countless temples and shrines across the land. Inspections happen every five years, and there's so much to do every day. A single mountain god shrine's credential? What's the big deal?"

What they thought was a monumental matter was nothing at all in the eyes of these my lords.

Pan Yun only now realized why her senior brother had never mentioned this.

Pan Yun numbly climbed the mountain.

Miao Zhen and the others were waiting by the wall nearby; seeing their junior aunt's solemn expression, they assumed the matter had failed and rushed over to comfort her: "It's fine, Junior Aunt, I'll definitely pass the credential exam next year."

Miao He: "Me and Third Senior Brother are lucky—we studied hard this year, memorized texts and practiced spells. Next year, if we can answer all the questions, we'll surely be drawn in the lottery and go to Jingcheng for the exam with Miao Zhen. Junior Aunt, we can take turns serving as shrine attendants for you."

Pan Yun: "Senior brother extended my expiration date to nine years."

Everyone stared at her in silence: "Then why do you look so troubled?"

Pan Yun: "I just suddenly realized—what we think is a huge deal seems trivial to my lords. So when we grow up and look back, won't our current setbacks and difficulties also seem trivial?"

Xiao Hong: "I think so. For example, growing up beside you, I've gained so much exposure—I now dare to hold an umbrella and stand right in front of the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion. A year ago, I never would've dared imagine such a thing."

Back then, I didn't even dare walk past the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion; if I saw a Daoist Priest from afar, I'd hide, terrified one of them might be as powerful as Pan Yun but not as kind.

"Oh, we're heading to class now. Xiao Hong, are you going out to play, or will you sleep and cultivate?" Pan Yun suddenly remembered Xiao Hong couldn't stay in the Academy for long.

Xiao Hong perked up: "If I sleep, can you bring me into the Academy?"

Pan Yun nodded.

Xiao Hong: "Like when you buried my bones before—using the spiritual energy of Long Hushan to nourish me?"

Pan Yun nodded.

Xiao Hong immediately said: "I'll sleep! No—I'll cultivate! What about Hong Yan?"

Hong Yan also felt she should enter seclusion for a while, but… "I don't have a box to lie in like Xiao Hong. How do I get in?"

Pan Yun: "Walk in openly."

Long Hushan forbids keeping ghosts, but not keeping demons.

Moreover, Daoists aren't like the stories say—they don't automatically scream for blood and try to exterminate every ghost or demon they see.

Of course, a few extremely radical Daoist Priests are like that.

Most Daoist Priests only target malevolent ghosts and evil demons; for other lingering spirits, they usually perform transcendence rites and send them to the Underworld.

As for demons who've never committed evil, Daoists generally coexist peacefully with them—or simply ignore them.

Pan Yun grabbed Pan Xiaohei by the back of the neck, lifted him up, and waved him in front of Hong Yan: "Isn't he always walking in and out of the Academy openly?"

Hong Yan stared at him for a long moment, then nodded: "Fine!"

Hong Yan reverted to her true form, and Pan Yun held her in her arms as they walked openly into the Academy.

The gatekeeper senior brother stared at her fixedly.

Pan Yun stared back.

The gatekeeper senior brother glanced at the black cat on her shoulder, his gaze sliding over Hong Yan, then silently stepped aside to let them pass.

Xue Shao said he came to visit his elder relative Xue Taixu; Xue Hua personally came to the gate to meet him and led him to Xue Taixu's courtyard to stay.

Once inside the Academy, everyone split ways; Pan Yun and the others, having entered smoothly, returned happily to Fengqi Courtyard.

Miao Zhen and Miao He shared a room; Pan Yun thought it would be too cramped to add Hong Yan or Xiao Hong there, so she put them in her own room.

Mainly because last time they were caught, digging under the courtyard wouldn't work again.

As soon as she entered the room, Pan Yun rearranged all the furnishings, carving out one-third of the space to set up a Yin Cultivation Array.

Once the array was complete, she placed Xiao Hong's box inside, clapped her hands, and said: "I'll buy a screen downstairs later, put it here, and it'll be like two rooms—perfect!"

Hong Yan leapt onto the table and crouched beside Pan Xiaohei, speaking in human speech: "Where do I sleep?"

Pan Yun instinctively glanced at Pan Xiaohei's nest.

Pan Xiaohei's back instantly stiffened: "No way!"

Pan Yun turned her gaze away and waved generously: "Pick any remaining space you like. Tell me what kind of nest you want, and I'll make it for you!"

Hong Yan: "When do we go to Japan?"

Pan Yun: "Do you both want to go?"

Hong Yan: "I think Japan is fascinating—the yin energy there is heavy, perfect for both you and Xiao Hong to cultivate."

Pan Yun immediately said: "I plan to go once every month during the long holiday."

Hong Yan, as a demon, was puzzled: "Long holiday?"

"For example, in April, Qingming Festival gives us three days off; in May, Dragon Boat Festival gives us three days off; in June, the Scripture-Drying Festival requires us to dry books for five straight days."

Hong Yan: "…Three days? Even your Three Treasures Cauldron needs three days for a round trip."

Pan Yun smiled: "My cultivation has improved; my Upper Dantian's spiritual energy has increased. Now, flying from here across the sea to Japan requires only three stops, each lasting one hour. I've calculated it: total time is eight hours and four quarters—rounding up, nine hours. If I take off right after class at You Hour, I'll arrive before noon the next day—that's Day One of the holiday."

Pan Yun extended one finger, then another, then tapped the third: "I'll stay in Japan for two full days and nights. I'll depart at Wei Hour on the third day, and I'll arrive back at Mao Hour on the day classes resume—perfectly on time for morning lessons."

Hong Yan: …

Pan Yun beamed: "If I behave well in the Academy and the teachers are in good spirits, I'll ask for two extra days—leave a day early and return a day late—so I can stay in Japan for four days."

Four days is enough for me to investigate the situation in Wa Country and handle matters.

Hong Yan: "Then what about us…"

"Simple! When you decide to go to Wa Country for cultivation trials, I'll take you there. I have many people on the ground there—they can look after you. When you want to return, just send me a message, and I'll come pick you up."

Hong Yan's gaze flickered slightly: "What about your third senior brother and fourth senior sister?"

Pan Yun spread her hands: "You've asked me a question even my eldest senior brother doesn't know."

Who could possibly know their whereabouts?

Pan Yun: "Are you afraid of running into them?"

Hong Yan: "Your fourth senior sister carries heavy malevolent energy. Every time Xiao Hong and I see her, we tremble."

"Don't worry—her heart is upright. If you don't do evil, she'll never harm you," Pan Yun reassured her.

"So they might be in Wa Country right now?"

Pan Yun frowned, staring at her: "Why are you so concerned about where my third senior brother and fourth senior sister are?"

Hong Yan rolled her eyes irritably: "Can't I just not want to meet them? I'm going to Wa Country for fun—I don't want to see a bunch of stinking Daoist Priests."

"You're currently in a den of stinking Daoist Priests," Pan Yun warned her. "Even if you go to Wa Country, don't commit crimes. Hong Yan, the Dao does not rank life in tiers, nor does it divide by nationality."

Hong Yan paused, defiant: "Then why didn't you say 'the Dao doesn't divide by nationality' when you were stirring up trouble in Wa Country?"

"The Dao doesn't divide—but I do."

Hong Yan accused: "You're hypocritical!"

"If I were going for cultivation trials, I'd naturally respect their own development—observe without interfering. But I'm going to seek revenge. From the start, there's a conflict of interests. Since I'm going for gain, of course I distinguish by nationality," Pan Yun said. "But you're different—you're going for trials, for cultivation. If so, focus solely on your own cultivation, follow the Dao's laws, respect life, and don't do evil."

Pan Yun pinched her fingers and murmured, "Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun." "Do you know how much merit I lost from what I did in Wa Country? It wasn't until the sea ban was lifted that I barely made up the difference."

But even now, living beings still suffer because of me—I receive daily deductions of merit from the Wa Country direction.

Hong Yan blinked in surprise: "Have you ever regretted it, even for a moment?"

Pan Yun shook her head: "Never."

Hong Yan raised an eyebrow: "Even knowing it would harm countless living beings?"

Pan Yun nodded firmly: "Because I've saved even more living beings. Every day, I receive countless merit from my Great Ming people."

Though collected bit by bit—from humans and other living beings alike—this shows her actions have also helped many living beings.

Many say merit and fault cannot cancel each other out—that merit is merit, fault is fault.

That's true—but in the calculation rules of the Merit Stone, there is a total value. She thought: since the Merit Stone was forged by Heaven and Earth specifically for immortals, it must reflect the Dao's will.

As long as her deeds were without guilt, as long as her final total merit was positive at life's end, she would have no regrets.

But by then, she'd be nearly dead—only when tallying her life's ledger could she judge, and regret would be useless.

These small issues need not be told to Hong Yan, who had only just become an adult and was still innocent.

In short: when a child travels far, do good deeds.

Avoid evil deeds whenever possible.

Hong Yan fell into thought, unsure if she'd fully understood—but she no longer feared meeting Master Xuanmiao as much.