Chapter 90

Tao Ji hastily refused, "Master Sun, my eldest brother warned me before he left—we won't take the remaining hundred taels; leave them to you, Master Sun."

Pan Yun: …

She pulled Tao Ji away and gently but firmly pushed the banknotes back, whispering, "Master Sun, my eldest brother means the child's consultation fee of a hundred taels is not too much, and besides, we have a karmic connection with you, Master Sun—we escorted your father to his rest, as a gesture of this good fortune."

Hearing Pan Yun mention her father, Sun Xianniang couldn't hold back her tears and grew even more resolute, shoving the banknotes straight into Pan Yun's hands, insisting, "This money isn't from the Zhou family—they have no say in this."

She said, "This is my mother's money; she promised another hundred taels upon completion—that's exactly what it is. The Sun family never breaks its word."

With her saying this, Pan Yun could only accept it.

Of course, she didn't keep it—she immediately passed it to Tao Ji; she wouldn't touch a single copper of it.

Tao Ji: …

Tao Ji took the money, glanced at the child sitting on the bed, and advised, "Tendon and bone injuries take a hundred days to heal. For the next hundred days, try to keep the child still as much as possible—but 'still' doesn't mean motionless. After harvest ends, I'll teach her how to move her feet. Once the wounds scab over, carry her outside every morning and dusk to bask in the sun—it helps her body and her spirit."

Sun Xianniang noted every word.

The two senior and junior disciples then returned home, shouldering two large bamboo baskets.

These baskets had been bought by Tao Ji from Master Zhou—they held the herbs they'd purchased and their luggage.

As soon as they reached the mountain, Tao Ji reported to Wang Feiyin: the Sun family had settled the remaining hundred taels.

"I said I didn't want it, but my junior sister pushed back a little and then accepted."

Wang Feiyin glared at him. "Are you stupid? If they insist on giving, why refuse?"

Tao Ji: "Didn't you say we should waive it?"

"I said waive it—but if they force it upon you, you must accept. Otherwise, the back-and-forth embarrasses them," Wang Feiyin said. "We are Daoist Priests—we relieve suffering. If they insist on paying, clearly this money is a burden to them. We should take their burden upon ourselves."

Pan Yun walked past, "Exactly!"

Wang Feiyin turned to her and praised, "Junior sister is growing sharper—just a few days down the mountain and your cultivation has advanced noticeably."

Pan Yun: "Elder brother, could I have fifty of those hundred taels?"

Wang Feiyin waved his hand generously. "Take it! Right now!"

"No no no," Pan Yun said, "let Third Brother keep it. Everything I ordered for the temple's construction has arrived at the mountain base—I want to pick a good day and a good spot to build Father's temple."

Wang Feiyin: "You'll need stone and labor costs—fifty taels won't cover all that, will it?"

Pan Yun: "Build it first. I'll earn more money eventually."

Wang Feiyin noticed how much calmer she'd become since returning from her trip down the mountain—her entire aura had changed. He glanced at Tao Ji.

Tao Ji stared back, bewildered.

Wang Feiyin turned away and waved at Pan Yun. "Go rest."

Pan Yun went.

Wang Feiyin turned to Tao Ji. "What's going on with Junior Sister?"

Tao Ji sighed. "After Elder Brother left, Junior Sister understood one thing—she had a sudden awakening. Yesterday, she understood another—another awakening."

Wang Feiyin was intensely curious. "What did she understand?"

Tao Ji spread his hands. "I don't know. She said, 'The Dao isn't watching—it's just rules.' Just that vague sentence—how am I supposed to understand?"

Wang Feiyin murmured: "Not the Dao—it's rules. Rules. Rules established by the Dao. No, the Dao is rules. Rules are the Dao. It does not change for man. It treats all things equally. Heaven and Earth have no mercy—they regard all things as straw dogs…"

"It's us—we think of goodness and impose it onto the Dao. That's not the Dao. That's human. Human will…"

The ambient Qi stirred, swirling around Wang Feiyin.

Tao Ji gaped, watching his elder brother enter another realm, then finally closed his mouth and resignedly squatted on the steps to guard him.

Night fell. Miao He burst out from the back courtyard like a little cannonball, rushing to Tao Ji's side, mouth wide open to shout—until Tao Ji clamped a hand over it. "Speak softly. Don't you see everything's quiet?"

Miao He instantly covered her mouth, glanced left and right, then whispered, "Master, Great Uncle, dinner's ready—there's meat tonight."

"Of course there's meat tonight—it's what I bought!" Tao Ji said. "Go eat. Save us a portion."

Miao He stared curiously at Wang Feiyin, who stood motionless. "Master, what's Great Uncle doing?"

"Elder Brother is in sudden awakening," Tao Ji said, then turned to Miao He with a gentle smile. "Miao He, you've cultivated for years—any insights?"

Miao He tensed. "Yes. Which aspect do you mean?"

"Any aspect. Tell me your recent insights."

"Recent?" Miao He thought, then said, "Today I learned the Nine-Needle Revival Method from Great Uncle. It's easy to learn—we should speed up. Tomorrow, let's learn the Twelve-Needle Method."

Tao Ji: "Cultivation insights."

"Cultivation? Sitting at night is more comfortable than sitting in the morning. Master, let's move morning meditation to night. I want to sit for two hours at night."

"Then you can sleep an extra hour in the morning, and pretend to meditate at night while actually sleeping, right?" Tao Ji tapped her head. "Go eat!"

"Oh~" Miao He turned and ran off.

Tao Ji felt exhausted. But he was the master—he couldn't even match Junior Sister. He shouldn't burden his disciple. Miao He was still a child.

Miao He ran back to the back courtyard and sneezed twice, loudly. Miao Zhen turned. "One more."

Pan Yun: "Someone's talking about her—she's not sick."

Tao Yan Bai: "Who'd talk about Miao He? She must be sick. I'll give you a prescription later."

Miao He thought about the scent of medicine, nodded eagerly, and added, "Add more licorice!"

Pan Yun and Miao Zhen both looked at Xuanmiao.

Xuanmiao glared coldly at Tao Yan Bai.

Tao Yan Bai's intention vanished instantly. He bowed his head. "Maybe Wang Xiaojing down the mountain misses you. If you were sick, you'd be sneezing more than twice by now. Sit down and eat."

Miao He, afraid of Xuanmiao, murmured "Oh" and sat quietly.

Miao Zhen said, "We'll ask Wang Xiaojing tomorrow when we go down the mountain."

Pan Yun paused mid-pickup. "You're going down the mountain tomorrow?"

!. Read

Seeing Miao Zhen said: "Not just us, but me, ones! Our monastery's rice has turned yellow—it's ready to harvest."

Ah, she had almost forgotten— their Mount Sanqing Monastery did have private land, though it was pitifully small.

The next morning, from Wang Feiyin down to Pan Xiaohei, everyone descended the mountain to harvest grain.

Wang Feiyin had cultivated well last night; today his spirit was excellent, his steps light, and with a large bamboo basket on his back, each step carried him far ahead.

Master Xuanmiao followed closely behind.

Pan Yun's cultivation had improved, and with her bond with her master growing stronger, her pace up the mountain path was no slower.

Tao Yanbai and Seeing Miao Zhen struggled—they activated their lightness arts, darting frantically, yet still couldn't catch up.

Tao Ji saw the three children chasing with sweat on their foreheads and thought the three ahead were annoying.

He began humming, no lyrics, only a lingering melody.

Hearing it, Tao Yanbai and the others gradually slowed, their hearts calming, no longer striving to catch the ones ahead.

Pan Yun, far ahead, heard it too and slowed her pace, walking slowly as she listened to the melodic tune.

The melody ended, fleeting and gone—only then did Pan Yun realize she had reached the mountain's foot alongside Seeing Miao Zhen and Seeing Miao He.

Wang Feiyin and Master Xuanmiao were only one step ahead of them.

Wang Feiyin turned back and smiled at Tao Ji. "I told you Master most favored Third Young Master—see, I was right."

Tao Ji's face flushed red; he turned and bowed deeply toward the valley, then complained to Wang Feiyin: "Big Brother, you walked too fast—there are still several little ones behind."

Wang Feiyin: "I wanted Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master to see the results of my cultivation last night."

Wang Feiyin looked at Pan Yun, smiling warmly. "Little Young Master, thanks to you, I had a small enlightenment last night. After the autumn harvest, let's discuss the Dao properly."

Pan Yun: "Alright."

Mount Sanqing had three plots: two were paddy fields, both planted with rice; the third was dry land, planted with soybeans—Wang Feiyin and the others had already harvested the soybeans, dried them, and carried them up the mountain.

Pan Yun had successfully avoided it.

But this rice harvest, she could not avoid it at all.

This was deep in the mountains; perhaps because the temperature was lower than outside, or perhaps they had planted too late, their rice only now ripened while others outside had nearly finished autumn harvest.

The fields still held shallow water; Pan Yun saw it and asked: "Why wasn't the water drained earlier?"

Tao Ji: "It was drained already. Hurry and cut—the year added one more of you, so we need more food. Big Brother, I think we should plant winter wheat this year."

Pan Yun: "The monastery's rice, flour, oil, and grain are clearly bought…"

"That's because we buy them after we've run out," Tao Ji said. "We never had enough to begin with—now with you added, it's even less."

Wang Feiyin: "I want to plant it too, but I fear the soil won't support it."

Pan Yun had little knowledge of farming, so she chose silence.

Tao Ji said: "Just scatter more fertilizer then."

Wang Feiyin's gaze swept over Pan Yun, Seeing Miao Zhen, and Seeing Miao He; he nodded with a smile. "Good. The Dao forms heaven and earth—perhaps by tilling the land, you may awaken the Great Dao from the soil itself."

Tao Ji seized the chance: "Big Brother, let's clear another plot on the mountain for a medicinal herb garden. Many herbs here grow well when cultivated—we can grow our own instead of always foraging in the wild."

Wang Feiyin stroked his beard and nodded. "Of course, of course."

That meant he agreed.

Seeing Miao He couldn't help whispering to Pan Yun and the others: "My master loves planting things—I just don't understand why."

"Seeing Miao He," Tao Ji turned back, "come here—start cutting from here downward."

Seeing Miao He rolled up her pant legs and stepped forward silently.

(End of Chapter)