An Unpleasant Journey

Pan Yun expressionlessly gripped the rope, trying to steady herself, when the cart hit several small potholes in a row, bouncing up and down.

After crashing into the bottom of one pit with a bang, Pan Yun naturally let go of the rope, and her whole body was thrown outwards...

She landed steadily on the ground, stood up, and saw stars flashing before her eyes. It took a while for her dizziness to subside. Looking ahead, the mule cart had already rumbled far away.

Pan Yun: ...

She saw the black cat bobbing up and down on the roof of the cart. When it saw her land, it let out a series of startled cries, trying several times to jump off the cart to follow her, but found itself unable to find a foothold.

Pan Little Black: ...

Who could understand? It could walk on the beams of a house as if on flat ground, and could go up onto roofs and into ditches, yet it couldn't jump off a mere mule cart.

Tao Ji heard the black cat's sharp cries and shouted loudly while waving the rope, "Stop meowing! It's just this stretch of road. It'll be flat after this. You refused to snuggle in my arms earlier, and I don't even mind you scratching people..."

As Tao Ji muttered, Xuan Miao's heart stirred, and she suddenly leaned forward to look back. Pan Yun, who had been sitting at the rear side, had disappeared.

Tao Ji was startled. He quickly pulled on the reins, jumped down, and looked behind the cart, shouting, "She ran off again!"

"Junior Sister, didn't you say you'd persuaded her? Why did she run off again?"

Xuan Miao: "Shut up! Turn around, let's go back and find her!"

"Can we even find her now?" Although he grumbled like this, Tao Ji still quickly grabbed the mule and turned the cart around, rushing back. The already bumpy cart became even more so.

Fortunately, the black cat had already jumped down while he was stopped and ran ahead first.

Pan Yun walked a few steps along the roadside, felt she didn't need to put herself through this, and found a clean patch of grass to sit down and wait for them to find her.

Tao Ji rushed the cart back and saw Pan Yun sitting obediently by the roadside. He quickly pulled the mule to a halt with a "Hoo--", and the two looked at each other across seven or eight small potholes.

Tao Ji breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a gentle tone, "Why did you get off the cart?"

Pan Yun said expressionlessly, "What do you think?"

Pan Little Black leaped into Pan Yun's arms and meowed at Tao Ji.

Pan Yun finally ended up squeezing in the front with the black cat and the two of them. Tao Ji sat in the middle, squashed. He said, "When we get to the next post station, I'll rearrange the cart and make some space for you to sit."

Pan Yun snorted and asked, "Does Mount Sanqing have nothing to sell? Why buy things from so far away?"

Tao Ji sighed and said, "You'll know when you've lived on the mountain for two years."

Pan Yun had a bad feeling. She turned to Xuan Miao and said, "When we get to the next place, I'm going to send a letter and some money to my father."

Xuan Miao agreed after a moment's thought.

They had been traveling for several days and were far from the capital and Kaifeng Prefecture. No one should be watching them now.

Even so, before Pan Yun went to exchange money, she performed a divination. After confirming it was auspicious, she took Pan Yun to the money house.

"How much silver note do you want to exchange?"

Pan Yun thought for a moment, unsure if the money would reach them smoothly, and said, "A hundred taels first."

That's one block of silver.

The silver was exchanged for silver notes, and then entrusted to the money house for delivery, naturally with a handling fee.

It was Pan Yun's first time sending money. After clarifying that the handling fee was five percent, she handed all the silver notes over and took the receipt.

That evening, Pan Yun stayed in an inn, agonizing over how to write the letter so that it wouldn't arouse suspicion, yet would let her father know it was from her.

Alas, it was her fault for being too well-behaved for the past eight years and not having agreed on any code words with her father.

Pan Yun could only write: Old Pan, it's been many years since we last met. Learning that you've been exiled to Datong upon hearing news of you pains me greatly...

Pan Yun wrote a letter in the name of an old friend, telling him that she was now living in seclusion in the mountains practicing the Dao, eating well, living well, and her health was improving day by day. She told him to rest assured and to write to her often if he had nothing else to do, and even more so if he did.

In the letter, Pan Yun informed him that she had deposited money at the Changde Money House. He could use the receipt and the password to collect the money.

As for the password, Pan Yun wrote: "It's the name of my pitiful, beloved, deceased niece."

When signing off, Pan Yun paused before writing "San Zhu."

She was often sick as a child and was deeply engrossed in cultivation. She couldn't go out, nor did she want to.

Her two elder brothers wanted to take her out to play but dared not. In their indecision, the three siblings often talked about how they would play together once she recovered.

This world imposed great restrictions on women, especially those from official families. To have fun outside, it was best to disguise oneself as a man.

Her second brother not only prepared boy's clothing, hats, and shoes for her but also gave her many names. Because she was the third child, all her names contained "San" (three), but they were all unpleasant.

Alas, having too many names was also troublesome, but since she had written it this way, her two brothers should understand if they weren't fools.

Pan Yun put the receipt into the letter, sealed the envelope, and went to the Civil Mail Bureau with Xuan Miao and Tao Ji to mail it.

Tao Ji walked beside Pan Yun and reminded her, "Did you write the address of Mount Sanqing in the letter? There are no Civil Mail Bureaus at the foot of Mount Sanqing, only Express Post Stations."

The so-called Civil Mail Bureau was a private mail service, very popular in the Jiangnan region, with branches nationwide. Datong also had their branches, making it quick and convenient to send letters.

This was a Civil Mail Bureau in Guangxin Prefecture. The reason for choosing it over the official Express Post Station was merely a final test.

She didn't know if the Imperial Guards in the capital had become suspicious of the Pan family. For the past two months, to avoid suspicion, she had deliberately avoided contacting the Pan family.

If things went smoothly, her second uncle should have returned to their old home in Changzhou Prefecture by now. If not, he might still be lingering in the capital.

Pan Yun looked at Xuan Miao.

Xuan Miao looked back at her calmly.

Pan Yun grinned and said fawningly, "Immortal Master Xuan Miao, how about I treat you to a meal after we leave the Civil Mail Bureau? You've worked hard these past two months, going back and forth for my safety."

Xuan Miao casually shifted her gaze and quickened her pace. "Let's go."

Tao Ji, standing nearby, widened his eyes and sped up, walking a step ahead of Pan Yun, constantly looking back at her.

Pan Yun frowned and shot him a look. Finding his hesitant, wanting-to-speak-but-not-speaking demeanor annoying, she quickened her pace and walked past him. "If you have something to say, say it. If not, shut your face."

"Hey," Tao Ji caught up from behind. "What do you mean by 'shut your face'?"

"Your face is for looking, your mouth is for speaking. Yet you use your face to speak."

Tao Ji paused, took a breath, and then chased after her again, saying indignantly, "Why are you only inviting Junior Sister and not me? I've also put in a lot of effort these past two months."

Pan Yun thought for a moment and then asked sincerely, "Can you help me investigate the situation of my uncle's family?"

Tao Ji froze for a moment and shook his head. "This is over a thousand miles from the capital, how can I investigate?"

Pan Yun: "Then forget it."

Tao Ji finally understood. He was speechless for a long time. So, she had a request for Junior Sister, no wonder she was calling her Immortal Master and inviting her to a meal.

However, Junior Sister might actually be able to help her find out about Pan Tao's family.

The Civil Mail Bureau was very busy. A clerk was receiving mail at the counter, while others were distributing it in the back.

An old lady who was sending a letter had written her address improperly, so the clerk was helping her rewrite it. Seeing Pan Yun and the other two enter, he immediately greeted them warmly, "Esteemed guests, please wait a moment."

After he finished writing and receiving the old lady's letter, he called out to the three of them, "Are the three esteemed guests here to send a letter or a package?"

Pan Yun's eyes lit up slightly. "You can send packages too?"

The clerk smiled and nodded. "We can send anything here."

Tao Ji immediately stopped her. "Don't send anything special. It's very expensive. They have money, what can't they buy over there?"

Pan Yun glanced at him and asked, "What about sending a person?"

The clerk was taken aback for a moment, then said, "That's not difficult. We have an escort agency next door. Where does the esteemed guest need to go?"

Pan Yun had a plan. It was best to find an escort agency when traveling. She took out a letter and said, "I'm sending a letter."

The clerk also greeted her enthusiastically.

Seeing that her address was written in detail, he calculated the cost. "From here to Datong, the transportation fee is fifty-five wen. Does the esteemed guest want to purchase insurance?"

The country bumpkin Pan Yun asked, "What is insurance?"

The clerk smiled. "It's a guarantee that your letter and items will be delivered to the recipient safely and without any damage. If there is any loss or damage, our Civil Mail Bureau will compensate you."

He looked at Pan Yun expectantly, so she should send a package, right?

Pan Yun wasn't sending a package, but she still paid for the insurance.

The insurance for a letter wasn't much. After receiving the payment, the clerk stamped the envelope with a different colored seal and placed it in a separate box.

Letters with insurance would be distinguished from other letters and given special protection.

Pan Yun looked on with satisfaction and asked, "How many days will it take to reach Datong?"

The clerk smiled. "At most seven days. If it's fast, it can arrive in five days."

Pan Yun was relieved. After leaving the Civil Mail Bureau, she looked around for a restaurant to treat Xuan Miao to a meal.

Xuan Miao, not wanting to be bothered, understood her intentions and said directly, "Just give me the money you would have spent on treating me to a meal, and consider it done."

Pan Yun looked conflicted. "This isn't quite right. Treating someone is for building relationships..."

"There's still a distance to Yushan County, and the road ahead is difficult. I don't want to delay any further. I'll go and inquire about the news for you shortly."

Pan Yun immediately took out her money, her face blooming into a smile. "Thank you, Immortal Master."

She handed a string of coins to Xuan Miao. Seeing that she accepted them without complaint, her smile became even brighter.

Tao Ji averted his eyes, unable to watch. Pan Little Black also meowed and looked away.

Xuan Miao didn't want to waste any time and turned around directly. "I'm going to find someone. You two go eat and shop. We'll meet back at the mule cart in an hour."

Pan Yun and Tao Ji exchanged glances. Neither of them wanted to treat the other to a meal, so they turned and went to a bun shop to buy a few buns for themselves.

Pan Yun ate as she browsed. Tao Ji fed Pan Little Black a bite and kept looking at her. "Are you... a pampered young lady?"

Pan Yun: "My family doesn't have any pampered young ladies. My father is just a Censor, very poor. We rent our house, and we only have one servant. My uncle, who is a teacher, has to support us every month. Do I look like the child of a wealthy family?"

Tao Ji nodded. "You really don't look like one at all."

He looked around and asked, "What are we even looking for? I've bought everything I need. I might as well go back to the cart and wait."

He was tired from all the walking.

Pan Yun said, "I need to buy cinnabar."

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