Chapter 85

Pan Yue said: "We'll pay for the cure—no matter how much it costs, Physician, just write the prescription."

The Physician warned: "This medicine isn't cheap—it requires ginseng to invigorate Qi; just that one ingredient costs one and a half taels per dose. Once you're stabilized, even without ginseng, each dose still costs eight cash."

Pan Yue: "Write it. My father will bring the money soon."

Only then did the Physician begin preparing the medicine, handing the herbs to the apprentice to decoct, while he himself tended to Pan Yu's wounds.

Pan Yue himself bore many injuries; when Pan Hong rushed in, lifting his robe, he saw Pan Yue sitting bare-chested on a stool, applying ointment—his body bruised purple and red, swollen and streaked with blood, looking utterly horrific.

Pan Hong's gaze swept the room, failed to spot his younger son, and his heart clenched tight; his face turned pale as he stepped inside. "Yue'er, where's Yu'er?"

Pan Yue turned around and hurriedly replied: "Father, my younger brother is inside."

Thinking of their narrow escape from death, Pan Yue's eyes reddened and his voice choked up.

Pan Hong stepped forward and embraced him, patted his shoulder, then hurried into the room to see his second son lying on the bed.

After learning the full extent of the injuries, Pan Hong bought three doses of medicine and arranged for the Physician to visit again in three days; then he borrowed a cart to haul Pan Yu home.

When they returned to the village, the exile settlement was filled with wailing.

The military farmland in the Western Suburbs had still not finished harvesting the rice, so the people of the exile village were conscripted to harvest it.

Because the place was far away, they had to bring their belongings and live and work beside the fields—only when the rice was fully cut could they return home.

Both Pan Yue and his brother had been conscripted; they'd been gone two days already, and barring mishap, they'd finish tomorrow and come back.

No one expected Tartars to bypass the garrison's defenses and raid inside.

Listening to the wailing that clung to his ears, Pan Hong's face darkened further—no, though the western frontier was long and hard to fully secure, as the commander of Datong, he should have prepared in advance for Tartar raids in autumn and winter.

It had become routine—why then could they still not stop it?

Pan Hong laid Pan Yu on the bed and was about to ask Pan Yue for details of the Tartar raid when Pan Yue shut and barred all doors and windows, then turned back, lowering his voice: "Father, do you still have the yellow talismans Sister sent?"

"Yellow talismans?"

Pan Yue: "Yes, the safety talismans Sister mailed us. When Brother was slashed, the safety talisman shielded him. When I was hit by an arrow, the arrow didn't pierce me—I saw it fall right before my chest."

Pan Hong's expression changed slightly. "You saw it clearly?"

Pan Yue nodded solemnly. "I saw it plainly. Afterwards, our safety talismans turned scorching hot—Brother's turned to ash, mine was half-charred."

Pan Hong: "Where are the talismans?"

Pan Yue: "I gave them to my brother—he was too badly wounded. I thought eating them would help more."

Pan Hong frowned, thought for a moment, then went to the cabinet and took out the box.

Inside the box, besides a few bottles of medicine, were the yellow talismans Pan Yun had sent them.

He pulled out the safety talisman and the health talisman, then, after thinking, took an extra health talisman.

The health talisman could be carried on the person—or eaten; Pan Yun had clearly written the usage in her letter.

Though he didn't know if it was real, he was willing to try.

Pan Hong recited the prayer as Pan Yun had instructed, then burned one health talisman, mixed the ash into water, and made Pan Yu drink it.

Pan Yu stared at the gray-black liquid, looking fearful. "Father, don't we have medicine already?"

Pan Hong knew he was being spoiled now that he had a my lord to rely on—he snapped: "No nonsense. Drink it."

Pan Yu took the bowl, closed his eyes, and swallowed it in one gulp.

The talisman water tasted strange—terribly bitter.

Both father and son watched Pan Yu's face closely. "Any sensation?"

Pan Yu: "What sensation? Is feeling nauseous counted?"

Pan Yue: "Father, his lip color doesn't look as pale anymore."

Pan Hong studied him closely, then after a long moment nodded. "It does seem a bit redder."

Hearing this, Pan Yu carefully felt himself, then touched his stomach. "It doesn't hurt as much anymore."

Pan Hong muttered: "The talisman has cinnabar—could it be the cinnabar's effect?"

Pan Yu quickly added: "And there's a bloody smell—I don't know what blood Sister mixed in. Father, Sister used to be odd, but never seriously considered becoming a Daoist. Why, after we left, did she become one?"

Pan Hong didn't tell them about the Cloaked Guards' second raid on their home—he feared they'd act rashly and get themselves in trouble. Instead, he said: "Didn't I tell you? The Daoist Priest from Mount Sanqing who visited me that day saw Yunniang and recognized her as a natural talent for Daoist cultivation, so he took her to Mount Sanqing."

"When I'm cleared of charges, or when you earn merit and leave Datong, go to Mount Sanqing and bring her back. Whether she wants to cultivate or not, with family as her backing, she can live freely."

Pan Yu: "But Father—if Sister's already this powerful just starting cultivation, when we go to fetch her, who will be whose backing?"

Pan Hong: "Shut up."

Pan Yue: "Father, are these yellow talismans really all Sister's own work? Or could they be drawn by her master?"

Pan Hong: "No. Yunniang never exaggerates. If she says she drew them, she drew them. Only the medicine was made by her masters." At the mention of medicine, Pan Hong lowered his gaze in thought. "Datong's Physicians still can't match those in Jingcheng or the Jiangnan region. Mount Sanqing cultivates Alchemy Dao—come to think of it, Yunniang going there to cultivate Talisman Dao was a misstep. She should have pursued Alchemy Dao."

"I'll write and ask—Mount Sanqing might have a matching prescription or pill. Yu'er is still young; he absolutely cannot be left with lasting damage."

"Should we still give Brother the medicine the Physician prescribed?"

Pan Hong: "Yes! Why not? If Yunniang sends a prescription, we'll switch. Until then, we stick with the Physician's medicine."

Pan Yue: "Should we keep eating the talismans?"

Pan Hong hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Yunniang didn't say how many we could take. One is enough."

Pan Hong still didn't fully trust the yellow talismans, so he decided to be cautious.

"This box has wound ointment. Take it, you and Yu'er. I'll go cook you something."

By the time Pan Hong finished everything and finally wrote and sent the letter, it was afternoon.

The village was still filled with wailing; Pan Hong stepped outside and had already gathered most of the details.

The city's Hu Bailong and the troops from Western Third Garrison had joined forces, driving the raiding Tartars far away.

!. Read

The enemy was few—only seventy or eighty men. Reports say Hu Bailong and Western Third Garrison beheaded nine; the rest fled back to the steppe with the rice and plunder they'd seized.

We lost many here—three soldiers died, the rest were all from the exile village and the village headman overseeing them.

The Tartars fled, and only then did the villagers dare go out to search for their family members' corpses.

Some families found their dead quickly; others had their bodies recovered and buried by Ming soldiers; still others were injured, but were discovered in time by those searching and brought back for treatment.

More still had not found their corpses.

Jin Zhangli helped search with them.

According to him, they had been tying rice stalks in the fields when this band of Tartars suddenly appeared, swinging their knives and charging at them.

About a hundred people were scattered across the field at the time—some from the exile village, others from the army's auxiliary troops.

This field was their military farmland, their assigned duty, but they had been pulled away because they failed to complete their quota.

They had run in all directions, and the Tartars had split up to chase them; no one knew who had run where, and the corpses were hard to find.

Jin Zhangli accompanied them for two days, and Pan Yue joined the search, recovering several corpses and returning them to their families.

Three were missing—no one knew if they had fled, died, or been captured by the Tartars as slaves; they had turned over every possible place, but found no trace alive or dead.

Pan Hong was summoned and appointed as the new baozhang.

Wu Bei saw him in the army, his face darkening.

Pan Hong was also displeased, but he showed no sign of it, his expression calm and blank.

The lizheng who had summoned them said: "This time, two baozhang died during the Tartar southern raid. Wu Bei, I'm bringing you back not to forgive you, but to let you redeem yourself. If you commit another offense, it won't be enough to just transfer you to a garrison."

Wu Bei bowed deeply, repeatedly replying, "Yes, Your Excellency. I will be cautious in word and deed, never dare commit another mistake. Your Excellency knows—I am loyal to you…"

"What good is your loyalty to me? Be loyal to Your Majesty. Do your duty."

The baozhang bowed repeatedly in agreement.

The lizheng turned to Pan Hong, his expression shifting from gloom to cheer, smiling: "Pan Hong, how is your youngest son?"

Pan Hong replied respectfully: "He has improved greatly, but still cannot walk. He needs more time to recover."

The lizheng nodded. "Commandant Qin admires the bravery of your two sons. Commandant Hu has also inquired. They wish to transfer your sons into the army. What do you think?"

Pan Hong's face filled with gratitude. "For Commandant Qin to take notice of my sons is a great fortune for them. But Pan Yu injured his internal organs—he will likely never again bear heavy exertion. Pan Yue, however, can go."

The lizheng understood his meaning—he mentioned Commandant Qin but not Commandant Hu—and nodded. "Then tomorrow, send him to Commandant Qin. From now on, you will be baozhang over five neighboring households in your area."

Pan Hong accepted.

The lizheng gave him instructions, told him to report the casualties and population losses under his jurisdiction, and dismissed them.

Pan Hong walked slowly home, head down, lost in thought.

As Wu Bei passed him from behind, he deliberately slammed his shoulder into Pan Hong's.

Pan Hong stopped and turned to look at him.

Wu Bei turned his head, snorted, and sneered: "If not for your two sons trading their lives for a military merit, do you think a convict like you could become baozhang?"

Pan Hong: "Aren't you a convict too, Wu Baozhang? Let me recall—what was your crime that got you exiled? Accepting bribes of fifty-five taels? Barely escaped execution."

"You! You also accepted bribes—"

"Wu Baozhang, my sentencing document does not specify an amount for bribery," Pan Hong said coldly. "Whether I accepted bribes—I know. The imperial court knows. Even the Emperor himself knows. I, Pan Hong, can say I have no guilt in my heart. Dare you say the same?"

"You!" Wu Bei's face turned ashen.

(End of Chapter)