A Contest of Acting

A Contest of Acting

"Poor child." The old granny took her little hand and patted it comfortingly, saying with pity, "With your father away from home, no matter how much grievance you suffer, there is no one to stand up for you.

"Your stepmother is so vicious. Kaifeng is so far from Daming Prefecture, yet she actually made you travel alone. If you go back empty-handed like this, how could things end well for you?"

The old granny's gaze grew ever more kindly as she said with a sorrowful expression, "This old woman has little knowledge, but I have traveled many roads and seen many people. Those vicious stepmothers always love finding excuses to sell off the little girls in their homes..."

Pan Yun trembled in her grasp, her face full of terror. The old granny tightened her hold on her hand and said tenderly, "Good child, why not wait a while before going back? When your father returns, then you can go home. No matter how angry your stepmother is, she will not dare do much to you then."

Pan Yun looked tempted. After a moment, she shook her head in distress. "But Uncle's family is very angry over this debt collection. They definitely will not take me in. I... I do not know where I should go..."

Of course, the old granny knew her uncle's family would not take her in. If they had even a scrap of conscience, how could they have been at ease sending this child out alone?

Wasn't this deliberately delivering a person right into her hands?

The girl had come right up to her. If she did not take her in, would that not be letting Heaven down?

So the old granny gently patted Pan Yun's hand and said, "Good child, if you do not mind, come with me. Stay at my home for a few days. Once we hear that your father has returned, you can go home."

Pan Yun's eyes brightened slightly. Just as she was about to nod, she seemed to remember something and shook her head. "That will not do. My stepmother has a clansman who works as a minor steward at the Kaifeng docks. He was the one who put me aboard the ship. If I return to Kaifeng but do not go home, I am afraid I will never be able to show my face again.

"My family moved to Kaifeng from the Capital City. My stepmother knows many people in Kaifeng, but I... I do not know a single one..."

The last trace of suspicion in the old granny's heart vanished. She had been about to ask why this child, who said she lived in Kaifeng, spoke with a Capital City accent.

In an instant, she filled in Pan Yun's entire family history in her mind.

Her birth mother had died. Her father had moved the whole family to Kaifeng for business, remarried a local woman there, and entrusted both his daughter and household to his new wife before leaving to conduct business. In the end, the new wife could not tolerate the daughter born to his first wife...

The smile on the old granny's face became all the more radiant. She lightly patted Pan Yun's little hand and said, "Good child, do not worry. We are not going to Zhuxian Town. We will get off at Jiaozhang Port farther down."

Pan Yun looked utterly confused. "What place is that?"

The old granny said, "It is a ferry crossing in Zhangde Prefecture, not far from Anyang. My home is in Anyang. Come stay with me for a while, and when your father returns after some time, I will have my son send you back. It will be very convenient."

Pan Yun asked, "The ship can stop midway at Jiaozhang Port?"

"Of course it can. Not only can people get off midway, they can get on midway too. In a while, I will speak to the boatmen. You only need to follow me."

Pan Yun nodded with complete trust, her shining eyes fixed on the old granny. What a good person...

The old granny's face was shining too as she looked at her. What a good daughter...

After they had sat for a long while, the ship began pulling toward shore. Not far ahead stood a tiny ferry dock built from wood. Five or six people stood on the bank, waving at the ship in unison.

As soon as the ship drew close, boatmen threw up mooring ropes. The ship was swiftly secured, and the boatmen laid down a gangplank. Those waiting on shore immediately carried their goods aboard. Some followed the ship onward, while others left after setting down their things.

Seeing Pan Yun watching with great interest, the old granny explained, "Everyone needs to make a living. The boatmen's wages are low, so they can only make up for it through things like this. It is also convenient for poor folk like us."

Pan Yun merely smiled without speaking. Other people might be poor folk, but the old granny sitting beside her certainly was not.

Her gaze swept over the tall man across from them. The corner of her lips curved slightly, and the hand stroking the black cat became ever gentler.

The black cat shuddered in her hands, then continued lying calmly in her lap. Its glasslike eyes swept over the old granny with pity.

The old granny glanced at the black cat as well, but did not take it to heart.

Although bringing a cat along on a journey was strange, this young girl was small, and the cat clearly knew her extremely well. Given her background, it was nothing unusual.

She had most likely feared her pet would be abused by her stepmother if left at home, so she brought it everywhere she went.

All along the way, whenever the boatmen saw someone waving, they would pause briefly. Most were docks where they could berth, but at some places there was not even a dock. People simply rowed over in small skiffs, ferrying goods and passengers onto the large ship.

Pan Yun watched the whole way and gradually figured it out. For passengers who did not buy official tickets or pay at the departure station, the fare they paid was divided among the boatmen, though perhaps they also had to grease the palms of the stewards above them.

This ship was an official vessel of Daming Prefecture, specifically prepared for merchants and travelers of Daming Prefecture. It stopped at only four official ferry crossings along the route, and the fares it collected went only as far as those four crossings.

Jiaozhang Port was not among them.

It was not until noon the next day that the ship reached Jiaozhang Port.

The old granny had spoken to the boatmen in advance. When the ship reached Jiaozhang Port, it turned into the ferry crossing. The moment it docked, the old granny tightly seized Pan Yun's hand and led her ashore. Behind them followed a broad, powerfully built middle-aged man, around thirty years old.

Pan Yun was dragged ashore by the old granny with a bewildered look. After walking a short distance, she seemed to notice someone following them. Turning back, she saw the undisguised vicious gleam in the middle-aged man's eyes and timidly hid behind the old granny. "This is...?"

The old granny smiled and reassured her, "This is my son. Do not let his fierce appearance frighten you. He is actually a very good person."

The middle-aged man forced a smile at her, making his entire face look even more vicious.

Yet Pan Yun seemed not to notice. She relaxed with a reassured expression and obediently called, "Hello, Uncle."

"Good, good, good. Let us hurry," the old granny said. "There is still a long way from here to Anyang. We must move faster, or we will not make it to the post station by nightfall."

Outside Jiaozhang Port was a town. The two led Pan Yun straight out of town. Once they left the area with houses, the number of people gradually thinned. The main road soon became crisscrossing field paths. After they had walked some distance, the fields gradually disappeared, leaving only trees and weeds on either side of the narrow trail.

Seeing Pan Yun continually looking from side to side, the old granny estimated the distance and decided to coax her into walking on her own a little longer. She explained, "Taking the small path is shorter. We can reach the post station outside Anyang before sunset."

Pan Yun softly agreed. Seeing the trees here were thick, the weeds overgrown, and not a soul in sight, she moved closer to the old granny and whispered even more quietly, "Granny, I... I need to relieve myself."

The old granny smiled kindly. "Good child, there is no need to be so reserved. I will go with you."

She tossed her bundle to the middle-aged man, telling him to wait by the roadside, then pulled Pan Yun into the woods.

Pan Yun placed the cat on her shoulder and looked at the old granny with a flushed face.

The old granny understood. Young girls were all thin-skinned, so she tactfully turned her back.

Pan Yun had acted too obedient and too well-behaved. All along the journey, she did whatever the old granny said. Combined with her young appearance, the old granny had not guarded against her in the slightest.

Had it been anyone else, she would never have exposed her back so readily.

The moment she turned around, the smile vanished from Pan Yun's face. A Spring Embroidered Saber appeared in her hands. Without drawing it from its sheath, she gripped it in both hands and smashed it viciously toward the back of the old granny's head...

The old granny had only just turned and steadied herself. She had no time to react. Her entire head went blank, her eyes rolled white, and she toppled to one side.

Pan Yun reached out to catch her and gently lowered her to the ground. Still seeming somewhat uneasy, she turned the old granny over as she laid her down, then chopped at her neck several times with her hand. Even the black cat winced at the sight.

Seeing how ruthless and merciless she was, the black cat became even more docile. It stood very obediently on her shoulder, not moving in the least.

Hugging the saber, Pan Yun quietly walked out. Soundlessly, she came up behind the middle-aged man, whose back was turned toward them, raised the sheath, and brought it crashing down.

With this one, she had no reservations at all. Bang! Bang! Bang! She struck him three times in succession. He did not even roll his eyes white before collapsing face-first to the ground with a bang.

Pan Yun kicked the middle-aged man. When he did not react at all, she picked up the sheath again and struck his neck and head several more times. Only after seeing that he could not possibly be any more unconscious did she put away the saber and begin searching him.

One of them looked kind and benevolent, yet had foxlike alluring eyes and horizontal lines across the bridge of her nose. Her thoughts were sly, and her calculating gaze had practically clung to Pan Yun. She still expected Pan Yun to trust her?

The other had triangular eyes and a darkened brow. Even though Pan Yun was not skilled in reading faces, she could tell he was no good person. The blood-soaked Baleful Intent rolling off him struck her full in the face. Who knew how many innocent lives his hands had taken?

Pan Yun felt out the money pouches on both of them. Unfortunately, neither carried much money—only a few strings of copper coins and some broken silver.

After taking it all, she looked over their clothes with great disdain. Still, she dragged the two together and stripped them completely, leaving them only their underclothes.

Using a dagger she had found on the man, she sliced his arm. Once blood came out, she dipped his finger in it and wrote five words across the back of the old granny's underclothes: "I am a human trafficker."

After she finished writing, the bleeding slowed. Without the slightest pity, she cut his arm again. This time, she seized the old granny's finger, dipped it in blood, and wrote four words across the back of the man's underclothes: "I killed someone."

Pan Yun admired her handiwork and nodded in great satisfaction.

Fortunately, there had been two of them. If there had only been one, she would have had to dip her own finger in blood. That would have contaminated her too much.

After tying the two of them to a tree and fastening a dead knot, she took the remaining things on them, dusted off her hands, and left.

Once she reached the main road, Pan Yun carefully checked the sun and the time. After determining the four directions, she chose a road leading north.

As night fell, Pan Yun gathered some firewood. She gathered spiritual power at her fingertip and drew a Fire Talisman in the air before igniting the wood.

With fire, she could not only keep warm, but also feel safer.

Pan Yun let out a breath, broke off many branches with broad leaves, and spread them over the ground. She sat cross-legged upon them and began meditating and cultivating.

The black cat shifted its body and obediently lay beside her legs, half raising its head toward the moon. As it absorbed the moonlight, it also stealthily rubbed against the spiritual energy drawn over by her.

Wuwuwu... Ever since it had abandoned its main body and escaped from her Mud Pill Palace, those wonderful days of freely seizing spiritual power had gone forever. Now it could only quietly mooch a little spiritual energy.

It missed its main body so much. It missed her head so much.