Chapter 833

The ritual to send off the gods ended, and the river of clouds descending from the Nine Heavens gradually dispersed under the gaze of the crowd.

Zhang Ziwang looked up at the sky; the heavens were deep blue, with not a single wisp of cloud except the river flowing down from the Nine Heavens.

This extraordinary phenomenon made the already superstitious villagers even more convinced, and they knelt on the ground, bowing their heads to the sky, murmuring prayers.

They only needed to wait until the clouds fully vanished before they could conclude their practice and rest.

The dispersed clouds drifted upward in clumps, as if heading to deeper realms; some faded away as they floated, so when one cluster veered off course and lingered unusually in one spot, it drew immediate attention.

Zhang Ziwang uttered a soft "Huh?" and turned his head to look at Li Wenying.

Li Wenying also straightened her body, frowning as she stared.

Pan Yun was gazing up at the swirling clouds when she suddenly noticed a wisp hovering, neither flying away nor dissolving—her brow twitched.

That night, after the students had fallen asleep, Zhang Ziwang and Li Wenying left the village and floated away effortlessly.

Shortly after they departed, Pan Yun peeked out, glanced around, saw no one, and shot upward in a flash.

Zhang Ziwang and Li Wenying arrived at a village, circling a large mansion repeatedly; just as they were about to speak, they heard an odd sound and instantly darted onto a giant tree, turning their heads together to look.

There appeared Pan Yun, sneaking about, with a black cat perched on her shoulder.

Zhang Ziwang and Li Wenying: …

Without further thought, they revealed themselves.

Pan Yun jumped in surprise, momentarily guilty: "Y-you're here?"

Li Wenying was about to speak when Zhang Ziwang launched into a rapid scolding: "If you're going to investigate, do it openly—why sneak around? As a member of Long Hushan Academy, discovering anomalies in folk dragon qi is your duty—report and investigate, that's your responsibility. What are you afraid of?"

Li Wenying quickly added: "That's not entirely fair. Before understanding the depth, caution is still necessary, Brother Zhang—you're setting a bad example."

Zhang Ziwang fell silent.

Pan Yun exhaled deeply in relief—they hadn't realized she was behind this! How close that was.

Thinking this, Pan Yun straightened her back, feeling justified—yes, she was a righteous investigator who had detected an anomaly.

Li Wenying stared at her, speechless for a long moment as Pan Yun puffed up with self-righteousness.

Zhang Ziwang, however, was satisfied, believing his teaching had taken effect.

The three stood together on the rooftop; Zhang Ziwang pulled out a compass, and Li Wenying and Pan Yun leaned in to look.

After a while, Li Wenying grew doubtful: "This place… has excellent feng shui, but something's odd."

Zhang Ziwang scanned the surroundings, circled the mansion with the compass for a long while, then finally tucked it away and said: "Wait until dawn."

Pan Yun blinked, also feeling surprised—it did seem changed.

It was late, but all three had high cultivation; staying up all night was no issue, so they sat on the roof of Master Huang's house, gazing at the stars and moon, chatting about Dao scriptures and spells.

Pan Yun looked up at the starry sky and announced: "It's past Zi Shi."

"July thirteenth—the Ghost Gate will soon open wide," Li Wenying smiled. "Others wouldn't dare venture out at this hour."

Zhang Ziwang scoffed: "Even vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts wouldn't dare trouble the three of us. What's there to fear?"

Pan Yun pointed at the stars: "Haven't you noticed anything strange about the stellar configuration?"

Zhang Ziwang and Li Wenying both looked up at the sky, expression calm: "It's not like it just started—you're only noticing now?"

So everyone else already knew the celestial signs were off—did the Emperor even know?

Oh dear, this season—her second senior brother finished his watch last month; surely he reported it already?

"No," Zhang Ziwang suddenly sat upright, frowning: "Flaming Mars invades Xuanwu—the stars Wei, Shi, and Bi blaze intensely—but it's the transition from summer to autumn; shouldn't Company Commander be rising instead?"

Li Wenying also sat straight, tilting her neck upward—indeed, the stars Wei, Shi, and Bi shone brighter than their neighboring constellations.

He murmured: "Trouble is brewing in the north."

Pan Yun was about to worry when Zhang Ziwang sat back down, his expression calm again: "Looks like war is coming to the north."

Pan Yun turned to look at Zhang Ziwang and Li Wenying, now serene once more: "Aren't you worried?"

"Worried about what?"

Pan Yun: "It feels like the world is about to collapse—Fujian is fighting, Luchuan is fighting, the north is erupting—Great Ming's southeast, southwest, and northwest will all descend into chaos."

Zhang Ziwang remained calm: "But it cannot be denied that Great Ming is still strong. Though this Emperor has treacherous eunuchs like Wang Zhen, he has made no major missteps since taking personal rule. The realm has been stable for barely seventy years since Emperor Taizu founded the dynasty."

Pan Yun stared at the sky, where the stars subtly shifted day by day, murmuring: "Is it truly stable?"

Li Wenying smiled: "Sister Pan, don't forget the Academy's rules—one states that as a Dao cultivator, you must guard against needless anxiety."

"Though Great Ming's realm is stable, minor uprisings occur every year—if we worried over every one, our Dao hearts would crumble long ago," Li Wenying said. "Just do our duty. Maintain calm. Maintain calm."

Pan Yun tore her gaze from the stars and raised an eyebrow: "Fine. I'll stay calm."

She was indeed calm—after all, it was a feudal dynasty. She had already witnessed the most glorious era; if it all collapsed, she'd just rebuild. She just wondered whether they'd still be calm when that day came.

The long night stretched on, nearly three hours until dawn; Li Wenying sought conversation: "I heard you've been inquiring about Zhang Li and Tao Ji—have they disappeared again?"

Pan Yun quickly glanced at Zhang Ziwang, suspecting Li Wenying had mentioned them deliberately. After a moment's thought, she didn't deny it, nodding: "Yes. No word from Third Senior Brother or Fourth Senior Sister anywhere—they've vanished again."

Li Wenying's lips curled slightly: "You should ask Ziwang—he's far better informed than we are."

Pan Yun immediately turned to Zhang Ziwang, eyes bright: "Brother Zhang, do you know where Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Sister are?"

Zhang Ziwang pressed his lips together, shot Li Wenying a silent glare, and said nothing.

Pan Yun pleaded with him—begged, pleaded, even pulled out tea and snacks from her space, used magic to boil water, and brewed tea for him, leaving Zhang Ziwang utterly powerless to resist.

This person's skin was too thick.

Zhang Ziwang sighed at last: "They went to Kunlun seeking medicine. I only know they were last seen in Kunlun Mountain—remote, with different divine rules than elsewhere; it's normal for those who enter to send no word for three to five years."

Pan Yun: "Normal for others, perhaps—but not for Fourth Senior Sister and Third Senior Brother."