Sanqing Temple

The Fourth Senior Sister mentioned by Miao He is Miao Zhen, a disciple of her Second Martial Uncle, Yin Song.

According to Miao He, their Sanqing Temple currently has a total of nine people, with six currently residing there. "Add you, and that makes seven," she said.

Miao He scooted closer to Pan Yun, leaning her shoulder against Pan Yun's. "Fourth Senior Sister is too studious. Every day, besides her homework, she just cultivates. Only Third Senior Brother occasionally plays with me. It's so boring."

Before Tao Ji and the others returned, there were only the First Martial Uncle and the three children in the temple. One was engrossed in cultivation, one was an elder, and the other was a busy Senior Brother. Miao He couldn't find anyone to do anything with.

Oh, Pan Yun also learned about the background of that formidable First Senior Brother from Miao He, or rather, all the background Miao He knew.

"First Martial Uncle's surname is Wang. I wouldn't dare know his given name, and no one dares to call him by his name. However, I know his title, which is Fei Yin."

Miao He, with no reservations, spilled all the beans about her First Martial Uncle, Second Martial Uncle, Master, and Martial Uncle. "First Martial Uncle's home is at the foot of the mountain. Second Martial Uncle is a high official in the capital now, and Second Senior Brother is with Second Martial Uncle. Our temple has the most disciples under Second Martial Uncle. From First Senior Brother to Fourth Senior Sister, they are all Second Martial Uncle's disciples, except for me, who is my Master's."

Pan Yun's eyes lit up when she heard this. "What kind of high official?"

Miao He: "I don't know, but he's a high official anyway."

High officials were good. She liked high officials the most. To overturn the case, she needed high officials the most.

"Second Senior Brother is with Second Martial Uncle, and Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Sister are here. Then where is First Senior Brother?"

"First Senior Brother went out to earn money," Miao He said. "Cultivation costs money. Everything we eat, drink, and wear is earned by First Senior Brother."

Pan Yun's expression froze. It sounded a bit pitiful.

"Just listening to you talk about your Martial Uncles, they don't seem very old. What about the Patriarch generation of Grandmasters?"

"Here." Miao He lightly tapped the ground with her toe.

Pan Yun looked down at her toe. "Where?"

Dead?

Miao He lowered her voice. "It's the Mountain God."

Pan Yun: ...

Miao He whispered, "The Mountain God is everywhere. As long as we are on Mount Sanqing, Grandmaster will always be by our side."

Pan Yun: "...Grandmaster is the Mountain God?"

"Yes. Legend has it that First Martial Uncle met Grandmaster in a dream, and Grandmaster passed down cultivation techniques to him. Then First Martial Uncle came up the mountain to open the temple and accept disciples."

Pan Yun humbly inquired, "Then did Second Martial Uncle, your Master, and Daoist Priest Xuan Miao also meet Grandmaster in a dream and receive cultivation techniques?"

"No, that didn't happen," Miao He said. "My Master and the others were all accepted as disciples by First Martial Uncle on behalf of Grandmaster."

Pan Yun immediately sensed something was off. "May I ask presumptuously, how old is your First Martial Uncle?"

Miao He: "Fifty-eight. He'll have his big birthday next year."

Tao Ji and Xuan Miao looked like they were in their early twenties. Pan Yun understood. This was a situation where disciples were essentially accepted as junior siblings.

But this Daoist Priest Wang looked quite young.

Miao He gently nudged her shoulder and asked, "Sister Pan Yun, who do you want to become a disciple of?"

Pan Yun was silent.

Miao He wholeheartedly recommended her Master. "Become my Master's disciple. My Master is a very kind person. His medical skills are renowned far and wide, and his Pill Dao cultivation is only second to First Martial Uncle's, not even comparable to Second Martial Uncle's."

Pan Yun: "I primarily cultivate talismans and formations."

"Ah," Miao He said with regret. "Then you can only find Fourth Martial Aunt. However, Fourth Martial Aunt doesn't like to take disciples, and her lectures are very strict. We're all a little afraid of her, but Fourth Senior Sister likes her very much."

Miao He sighed.

Pan Yun also sighed.

She really didn't have any "teacher-student" filter for Tao Ji and Xuan Miao, and she didn't want to become their disciple.

She thought Daoist Priest Wang was quite good. He was the First Senior Brother, the abbot of Sanqing Temple, older, experienced, and kind. If she had to become a disciple, she would naturally choose the oldest.

She asked Miao He, "If I stay in the temple, do I have to become a disciple? Can't I just join without becoming a disciple?"

Miao He looked bewildered. "I don't know. Senior Brothers and Sisters are all disciples. If we're not disciples, how do we address each other as siblings?"

Sanqing Temple was too small, and there were few people. All disciples were direct disciples, and the curriculum was not singular. Each elder taught individually.

For example, Miao He, besides learning Pill Dao from her Master, also learned cultivation, astronomy, talismans, formations, and ghost catching from other Martial Uncles and Aunts.

The subjects she learned were as diverse as the courses offered in schools in the 26th century.

Pan Yun listened, dumbfounded. Just as she wanted to ask for more details, she heard a voice from the black cat. Daoist Priest Wang had emerged from his meditation.

She immediately yawned, looking drowsy. "I still want to hear you talk, but I'm too tired now. Miao He, why don't I come find you first thing in the morning, and we can continue talking?"

"Okay, okay," Miao He jumped off the bed. "Then you rest first, and I'll come find you tomorrow morning."

Pan Yun saw her out and closed the door. After blowing out the lamp, she sat cross-legged on the bed and sank her consciousness into the Spirit Realm. Through her connection with Pan Little Black, she saw Wang Fei Yin through Pan Little Black's eyes.

At this moment, Daoist Priest Wang appeared much taller. He stroked his beard and said, "Fortunately, although the child's cultivation technique has problems, it's just low efficiency in cultivating and utilizing Qi, not going down an evil path."

Xuan Miao: "She has great talent."

Daoist Priest Wang also nodded. "Indeed, she is the most talented person I have ever seen."

He looked at Xuan Miao and said with a smile, "More talented than you."

Xuan Miao nodded, "So please, Senior Brother, cultivate her well."

The Senior Brother asked, "There are many ways to repay a debt of gratitude. Taking her out of the capital and covering up her killing of the Imperial Guards would settle the debt with the Xue family. At worst, you could entrust her to a reliable family. But you insisted on bringing her back to Sanqing Temple. It's clear you truly value talent. If that's the case, why not take her as a disciple and teach her yourself?"

Xuan Miao: "Senior Brother, I am a lonely star of doom. Anyone who gets close to me will not have a good ending. Why would I want to harm someone?"

"The fates of this world can all be broken. It's precisely because you are too concerned and careful that your fate has become even more solidified. I see her fate is also very strong. You, a lonely star of doom, and she, with a fate as hard as mountain rock, are a perfect match together."

Xuan Miao said bluntly, "I don't like trouble, I don't like worrying, I don't like being a master."

The Senior Brother's beard twitched, and he was furious, "So you're handing the trouble over to me?"

Xuan Miao frowned and looked at him, "I don't intend for Senior Brother to take a disciple. Anyway, she'll be raised in the temple like Miao Zhen and Miao He. It's the same whether we raise one person or three. What's the big difference?"

Senior Brother: "There must be a proper title."

Xuan Miao: "Just list her under Second Senior Brother. He already has so many disciples, one more won't make a difference."

The Senior Brother was choked, speechless for a long time.

The Senior Brother and Junior Sister looked at each other for a moment. The Senior Brother finally conceded, waving his hand, "Alright, you go. I'll ponder it further."

Xuan Miao turned and left, very decisively and efficiently.

The Senior Brother silently watched her back disappear. The black cat, sensing no more trouble, stood up to leave. Pan Yun was just about to withdraw her consciousness when she heard the Senior Brother say, "Come up here, let me see."

Pan Yun paused, then felt her entire body fall into Wang Fei Yin's embrace.

Oh, it was the black cat's body.

Pan Little Black stiffened, its eyes wide open along with Pan Yun's as they looked at him.

The Senior Brother stroked its head, his eyes smiling, "As expected of a genius, as expected of something rare."

If she hadn't walked into Sanqing Temple herself and passed the statues of Sanqing to reach the backyard, he would have almost suspected she was possessed by a spirit.

Otherwise, how could a person so young know so many techniques?

The Senior Brother suspected she had a teacher who instructed her, but for some reason, she couldn't speak of it.

However, no matter the reason, now that she was in Sanqing Temple, she was one of them.

The Senior Brother, smiling, stroked the black cat, "When were you left here? I never noticed. Don't misunderstand Xuan Miao; she has a tough exterior but a soft heart. And don't fear her fate; everyone in Sanqing Temple, except me, has some quirks. The lonely star of doom won't touch you."

Pan Yun: "... Is he complimenting himself or scaring me?"

"Xuan Miao owed a debt of gratitude to Xue Xuan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Your... master's father was exiled, partly due to Xue Xuan's influence. So, when Xue Xuan returned to his hometown, he happened to meet Xuan Miao, who was about to repay her debt, and asked Xuan Miao to escort your master's family to Datong.

Pan Hong refused and instead asked Xuan Miao to take care of your master. Originally, she only planned to secretly escort the Pan Family Second Branch back to their old home in Changzhou Prefecture, but she didn't expect to run into your master committing murder before she could even find your family."

The Senior Brother sighed, "This is fate bringing us together across a thousand miles. Your and this cat's destiny with Sanqing Temple is unstoppable."

Pan Yun and Pan Little Black: "..."

The Senior Brother placed it on the ground, smiling and patting its round head, "Alright, the story is over. It's dark and cold, and even cats can't get sick from the cold. Go on now."

Pan Little Black shivered, then bolted, disappearing in a flash.

The Senior Brother smiled, stroking his beard, "That's more like it. If there's something, speak openly. Hiding things only leads to worry. Look what you've forced a good child to do, even possessing a cat."

What eight-year-old child was so suspicious?

The Senior Brother sighed, thinking that children from poor families had to grow up early. Pan Yun's family was exiled, so she would have to bear more burdens from now on.

The Senior Brother shook his head and went back into the house, muttering, "Where did I put that half-volume of cultivation technique?"

Back in his room, he began rummaging through cabinets and drawers. First, the bookshelf where he kept books; he didn't find it. Then, the chest where he kept clothes. Finally, he even pulled out the money box hidden under the bed and searched it carefully, but still didn't find it.

"No, I must have put it in the room. Even though it's only half a volume, I wouldn't just throw it away. It must still be in the room. I'll look again."

The Senior Brother retraced his steps and searched again, finally collapsing onto a pile of books and miscellaneous items, his brow furrowed. "I'll go find Fourth Junior Sister to divine now. I wonder if she'll get angry."

After considering it, he decided not to disturb Xuan Miao and instead went to the front to find a set of turtle shells.

"My divination skills are not as good, but I still have some."

The Senior Brother prayed sincerely, then threw out the turtle shells