Chapter 830

No one had expected that just a casual chat over the dinner table would quietly dissolve the once knife-drawn, bow-strung atmosphere on Silver Mountain.

That day Jia Cong left with his people in silence, and afterward, the Jinyi Wei who had been circling their mine shafts also left; right up until Pan Yun departed, Jia Cong never again mentioned confiscating their mines, and Kuang Ping even took the initiative to come find them to discuss expanding cooperation.

The ore they dug up would be sent to the Ministry of Works' silver-refining workshop to be smelted, with the profit split as before.

The few mine foremen discussed it briefly and agreed.

They had no capacity right now to possess such an efficient silver-refining workshop; if they used crude methods to smelt, it would not only consume firewood, the silver yield would also be low, and it would actually waste the ore.

At present, across the entire Silver Mountain, only the Ministry of Works and Wang Cong's silver-refining workshop had this capability.

They had privately asked the Daoist Priests at the monastery; if they wanted to build a silver-refining workshop like theirs, it would cost an estimated thousand-plus taels.

They didn't know how long they could keep mining here, so naturally they were unwilling to spend that much.

Moreover, they had heard that group of Daoist Priests say that a silver-refining workshop not only had to be inspected every quarter, but also required constant research and improvement…

This was the use of the Daoist Priests and the Ministry of Works being here.

So, it wasn't a one-time expense, but a continuous one.

Forget it, they'd better just cooperate with the Ministry of Works and Wang Cong's silver-refining workshop.

Fortunately they had two options; although Wang Cong's silver-refining workshop was now smaller in scale than the Ministry of Works', they still preferred working with him—some portion of the ore they dug always had to be sent to his place.

Pan Yun stood atop a large boulder, looking down from the high ground.

The mountain forest was lush and green, several thousand people scattered within it, not a trace of them to be seen; if it weren't for the occasional sound of stone striking stone drifting out, these few mountains would be no different from any other.

Zhang Weiliang climbed up with a pale face and stood behind her.

Without turning her head, Pan Yun said: "That person has been sent off?"

"Sent off," Zhang Weiliang said, his grievance deep and heavy: "Can I just tell them straight out that we absolutely will not cooperate with their Grand Inner Clan?"

He truly didn't want to deal with these people any longer.

Pan Yun: "Write a letter to ask your father and Zhang Ziwang."

Zhang Weiliang instantly fell silent.

Pan Yun: "I'm leaving tomorrow. Let the people in these mountains fight however they want—we're here on orders to spread the Dao and assist the Ministry of Works. Don't get involved in anything else."

Zhang Weiliang rolled his eyes and asked: "Including that silver-refining workshop of yours and Wang Cong's?"

Pan Yun nodded: "Of course. If you could sell me a favor in place of the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion, I'd be very happy to accept it.

However, right now I'm admonishing you in my capacity as a disciple of the Academy."

Zhang Weiliang snorted: "You certainly keep public and private matters separate."

Pan Yun tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Zhang Weiliang frowned tightly: "Back at the start of spring when Wang Cong came, why didn't the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion send anyone to take over?"

Pan Yun shook her head: "I'm not from the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion."

Zhang Weiliang drew a breath: "Then what about the Academy?"

Pan Yun spread her hands: "I'm just a student."

Zhang Weiliang was a bit irritable: "Then when can I go back to the country? I've been here almost a year."

"You've already graduated—wouldn't you still have to go out and gain experience once you're back?" Pan Yun frowned. "One look and I can tell your mind isn't calm. If your mind isn't calm, how can your cultivation advance?"

Zhang Weiliang glared at her; his big eyes immediately welled up with tears. He forced his large eyes wide open to keep them from falling, but the moment he opened his mouth, his voice took on a sobbing tone: "Can't I just miss home?"

Pan Yun was soft toward softness and hard toward hardness; seeing him like this, her heart immediately softened. After thinking it over, she said: "The teachers probably want you to gain more experience. When I go back this time, I'll go find Zhang Ziwang and bring it up. I'm still coming next month—if they've made arrangements, I'll bring the person over to take your place so you can go back."

Zhang Weiliang held his tears back and looked at Pan Yun with suspicion: "Really? You, you're willing to fly me back?"

He didn't doubt that Pan Yun would report it; after all, his being left behind was her arrangement. She'd promised to take him out and take him back, but in the end everyone else had gone back once and then come again—only he, both times, had no share in it.

But a cultivator's flight artifact was important, and piloting it required complete concentration, so few people were willing to bring someone they didn't trust onto their flight artifact.

He was someone who had once had a grudge with Pan Yun—would she be willing to fly him back?

Pan Yun saw his eyes were still watery; abandoning him would surely make him unwilling, and saying she was perfectly willing would make her seem easy to bully. She simply said: "You'll have to pay."

Zhang Weiliang let out a breath of relief and asked: "How much?"

Pan Yun: "Fifty taels."

That happened to be the fare for one person to sail overseas to the Wa Country.

Zhang Weiliang said grandly: "I'll give you a hundred taels!"

Pan Yun didn't refuse.

Once back, she went to find Zhang Ziwang.

Only then did Zhang Ziwang remember this nephew of his, Zhang Weiliang.

Seeing him silent, Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "Zhang Yuanzhu, do you still want to keep Zhang Weiliang gaining experience in the Wa Country, or… have you forgotten him?"

Zhang Ziwang said expressionlessly: "This matter must be reported to the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion, and have them designate someone who can take over."

Pan Yun immediately said: "The journey to Quanzhou is long; finding another ship to sail overseas would take too much time, and by the time you reach Omori Village, two or three months will have passed. This student can now fly and is willing to serve the Academy. Once the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion has chosen someone, next month I'll bring the person there and bring Zhang Weiliang and the others back, how about it?"

Zhang Ziwang looked up at her, reached for the thick ledger beside him, opened it, and with a single glance could see Pan Yun's name.

He tapped the reason recorded in the ledger and asked her: "This month you took two days off, joined them with the Qingming Festival, saying you were going to sweep graves. How is it you brought back news of Zhang Weiliang from the Wa Country?"

Pan Yun blinked, tilted her head, and said: "Oh? Didn't I say? I took leave to go to the Wa Country to pay respects to the Wa Country heroes who died in battle last year."

Zhang Ziwang glanced at her, snorted, and stopped pressing the matter, only saying: "Don't make this a precedent."

He asked again: "When do you set off next month?"

Pan Yun: "The day before the Dragon Boat Festival."

Zhang Ziwang: "The day before?"

"So I'll have to ask the Yuanzhu to approve me another two days off then. One trip there and back, plus flying with people, costs quite a bit of elemental energy; this student has to rest and recover, after all."

Wang Cong was mining in the Wa Country and also running maritime trade; he knew why she had to go.

Most likely she was going to back Wang Cong up—otherwise, based solely on what she'd done in the Wa Country last year, it would have been enough for Wang Cong to be implicated and killed ten times over.

Although Long Hushan and Mount Sanqing are at odds, they can still tell family from outsiders.

Before the Wa people, even the Northern Hu must seem somewhat closer.

These past years, the Wa pirate raids along the coast have been too severe.

So Zhang Ziwang did not make things difficult for Pan Yun and nodded in agreement.

The Celestial Masters' Mansion also spent a month selecting three people to go to Wa Country.

One was a senior from the thirty-eighth generation; the other two were a senior sister and senior brother from the fortieth generation.

The Imperial Academy also approved Pan Yun's leave and granted her an extra day.

Though she felt it unnecessary, Pan Yun was still pleased to have more time, and immediately dragged the three of them up to fly across the sea.

At the end of April, Zhang Weiliang began looking forward eagerly; on the morning of the fourth day of the fifth month, he flew onto the roof to gaze out, hoping to see where Pan Yun would fly in from.

Indeed, before noon, he spotted a black dot flying in from the horizon.

As it drew near, he jumped up in place, then slipped and shattered a tile under his foot, tumbling headfirst off the roof with a thud.

He let out a cry of pain, struggled to his feet, and looked up—two shoes had stopped three paces away, followed by hurried footsteps as someone helped him up.

Zhang Weiliang shifted his hand from his temple and finally saw who it was: "Brother Chang…"

Zhang Weichang looked at this childhood misfit cousin with a complicated expression and asked: "Are you alright?"

He had been standing by the pot, watching him fall off the roof with his own eyes.

Zhang Weiliang sniffed and shook his head: "I'm fine."

The owner of those shoes was Pan Yun.

Pan Yun, seeing their reunion end, clucked twice, stepped forward, circled Zhang Weiliang, and after a moment said: "Charging you a hundred taels for travel expenses isn't cheap at all—I see your fortune has been terrible lately; you look even more unlucky than I do."

Zhang Weichang also studied Zhang Weiliang carefully, then said: "Since you've decided to return, spend these next two days settling down, carefully packing your belongings, and don't go wandering off."

Zhang Weiliang: "I never liked wandering outside. Though they use Chinese characters here, only a few scholar families can read them or speak Mandarin; customs differ, food differs—I can't sit at the same table with them."

Zhang Weichang frowned: "You've been here nearly a year—surely you haven't learned Wa language yet?"

That would be beneath the standard of Long Hushan Imperial Academy.

Zhang Weiliang hurriedly replied: "I've learned it. After all, this is a Daoist temple built in Wa Country, and most of the faithful are ordinary Wa people—I must speak their language to communicate with them."

Zhang Weichang's expression improved, and he turned to thank Pan Yun.

Pan Yun waved her hand dismissively and asked Zhang Weiliang: "Did you spread the message I asked you to?"

"I did—but news travels too slowly. Three days after you left, people started flooding in to see you."

"How did you reply to them?"

Zhang Weiliang: "What could I say? I told them you returned home and would come back later."

Pan Yun nodded: "Now quickly spread the word again—say I've come back."

Zhang Weiliang: "... If you want to see someone, just send someone to fetch them, or notify their family directly—why spread it everywhere? Don't you understand how much manpower this wastes?"

Pan Yun's face hardened, and she said sternly: "Do as I say. Why so much talk?"

Zhang Weiliang grumbled and went off.

Zhang Weichang and the two junior disciples stared in surprise, exchanging glances.

Pan Yun turned to them with a smile: "Senior brothers and sisters, let's find rooms first, rest a bit, and once Zhang Weiliang finishes his task, you can begin the handover."

Zhang Weichang smiled and agreed.

Only when the handover began did he understand why Pan Yun could command Zhang Weiliang so freely.

According to the ledgers, Pan Yun provided the initial funding for building this temple, accounting for roughly one-quarter of the total cost.

According to later agreements signed by Pan Yun with the Celestial Masters' Mansion and the Imperial Academy, Mount Sanqing, the Celestial Masters' Mansion, and the Imperial Academy each hold three shares of ownership, while one share belongs solely to Pan Yun.

That means, if the Celestial Masters' Mansion and the Imperial Academy refuse to cooperate, Mount Sanqing and Pan Yun together can control this temple.

Yet they didn't build this temple for money.

They built it for this silver mountain, for Great Ming's strategy in Wa Country.

Similarly, though this temple stands in Wa Country, like all Daoist temples within the Great Ming Realm, after ten years, if it benefits local development and has achieved independent operation, the Daoist Priests within may vote to decide whether to become fully independent or remain under ownership dependency.

Zhang Weichang instantly understood why the Celestial Masters' Mansion had recalled him from his prestigious temple in Kaifeng and nearly exiled him to Wa Country.

In a foreign land, this temple will surely become independent after ten years—no surprises there.

Then, whose interests it truly serves will be uncertain.

Standing halfway up the mountain, looking down, listening to the distant sound of stones being struck, he exhaled: "Being here, it's hard to find peace for cultivation."

The two junior disciples dismissed this: "All under heaven bustle for profit—it makes no difference whether inside or outside the borders."

"True enough," Zhang Weichang chuckled bitterly: "But here, the stakes are higher—the imperial court wants this temple to be its vanguard, and its glue."

"Glue?"

"Yes—to bind these scattered grains of sand together," Zhang Weichang pointed into the dense forest: "Li Wenying, Zhang Ziming, and the True Person all saw this. Pan Yun saw it too—that's why this temple exists."

The two junior disciples exchanged glances.

Zhang Weichang: "Go look again at the ledgers just handed over—there's far more beneath the surface."

Thinking of the newly transferred ledgers, he shook his head with a wry smile: "Thankfully Zhang Weiliang manages the books—his records are messy but detailed, so you can see the hidden intentions of those behind the scenes. If some crafty old fox had handled the books, no one would've noticed a thing."

Before the junior disciples could react, Zhang Weichang said: "So we must rewrite these ledgers."

The junior disciples: "... All of them?"

Zhang Weichang nodded: "All of them. Make sure no one can tell."

The junior disciples already felt their heads ache—their senior was right; this place seemed terrible for cultivation.

Zhang Weichang turned back to find Zhang Weiliang, wanting to learn more about Wa Country.

"Who did Pan Yun tell you to spread her return to?"

"Everyone."

Zhang Weichang asked, puzzled, "What?"

Zhang Weiliang's face was solemn: "Exactly everyone — spread the word so that every single person can hear it."

He spread his hands: "I also don't know why she wants to do this?"

Zhang Weichang, lost in thought: "This is 'shaking the mountain to scare the tiger.' Is Wang Cong not in Da Sen Township?"

"Right, he took a load of his goods and went out to do business."

Zhang Weichang: "Where is he now?"

"I don't know. The relay stations here aren't as well-connected as our Great Ming's — news travels slowly. If he doesn't reach out to us on his own, who knows where he is?"

Zhang Weichang: "No wonder she wants the news spread everywhere, and she still comes by every month — she's protecting Wang Cong, isn't she?"

Zhang Weiliang: "Besides bandits, who would want to harm Wang Cong? If anyone wanted to harm anyone, it'd be Pan Yun, right?"

Zhang Weichang asked him: "In the Wa Kingdom, who could harm Pan Yun?"

Zhang Weiliang thought for a while, but couldn't come up with anyone: "How would I know what kind of talented people and strange experts the Wa Kingdom has? Even if there are some, they may not necessarily be a match for Pan Yun."

"Exactly — if they can't beat Pan Yun, surely they can beat her martial nephew, right?"

Zhang Weiliang's mouth fell wide open. (End of chapter)