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Pan Yun calmed her breath and entered meditation, slowly guiding the spiritual energy entering her body to merge with her own vital essence. She circulated it according to the Kun Yuan Gong technique, taking only a small portion. Sure enough, it did not dissipate. Instead, it formed a ring, passed through the Mud Pill Palace, then slowly flowed down along her meridians and settled in her Dantian.

The Qi formed from the fusion of spiritual energy and vital essence was much more substantial. Once it settled in her Dantian, a thin layer of Qi filled that previously empty place.

Pan Yun grew excited and continued cultivating...

In the end, she emerged from meditation because she was too hungry.

She opened her eyes to utter darkness. After blinking and adjusting to the dark, she saw the hazy moonlight spilling in through the window. Only then did she realize she had cultivated for more than half a day.

She quietly opened the door and felt her way toward the kitchen.

There was actually a faint light in the kitchen.

She pushed the door open and discovered that it came from embers preserved beneath charcoal in the stove.

She lit a lamp and lifted the pot lid. Inside was a stacked steamer, neatly arranged with steamed buns and dishes, with water beneath. Since charcoal had been kept burning in the stove, the food was all still warm.

Miao He had left her a note beside it. The food had been specially saved for her.

Pan Yun was deeply moved. They had even remembered to leave her something to eat.

The night was far too still, with only a lone moon hanging in the sky. After eating, Pan Yun stepped out of the kitchen, took one look, and unconsciously followed the moonlight forward...

"Meow—" A miserable cat's cry rang out. Pan Yun instantly snapped back to herself and looked down, only to find that she was already standing at the edge of a cliff. One more step forward, and there was only a pitch-black abyss, its bottom impossible to see.

Cold sweat broke out over Pan Yun. She backed up two steps, caught the black cat as it sprang up at her, and warily scanned her surroundings.

"What is this? A ghost, or some mountain spirit?"

A breeze swept through the surroundings. Nothing answered Pan Yun's question, and she could not detect anything unusual at all.

Pan Yun stood still for a moment, then decided not to bother tangling with this thing. She decisively turned around and returned to her room.

She placed the black cat by the head of the bed and told it, "Well done. Tomorrow, I'll reward you with a little more spiritual energy."

"Meow— I prefer merit."

"When we get a chance to leave the mountain, I'll get some for you." Wasn't it just doing good deeds?

She was a good person. Doing good deeds was what she liked best.

Because Pan Little Black had saved her life, Pan Yun was especially gentle with it that night. Pan Little Black puffed itself up with pride, swaggering around the room before finally choosing the top of a cabinet for its nest.

It had long since stopped wanting to sleep beside Pan Yun, but it had not dared mention it. Now, at last, it dared.

Pan Yun opened the cabinet. Inside was the fabric she had just been allotted that day.

She hastily made it a simple nest first and promised, "Tomorrow, I'll find some clean dry grass and bake it until it smells nice. Then I'll line it with soft cloth. When you lie on it, it'll feel just like lying on a cloud."

"Meow—"

Pan Little Black grew excited just thinking about it.

Pan Yun picked it up, stepped onto a stool, and placed it atop the cabinet. Stroking its head, she said, "But the bed is still hard tonight, so bear with it for one more night. You can watch the door for me while you're at it. If any crooked demons or evil fiends dare come disturb me again, scratch them to death."

Pan Little Black knew she would not be so attentive for nothing, but it was not disappointed.

Pan Yun still felt uneasy. After some thought, she simply decided not to sleep. She took out her two boxes of cinnabar and began mixing and grinding it.

But how could a child possibly stay awake all night?

No matter how interested she was, as midnight approached, her eyelids began to droop, lower and lower.

She patted her face, then closed the cinnabar boxes and hugged them as she went to sleep.

She decided that after preparing the cinnabar tomorrow, she would first draw ten or eight evil-banishing talismans. What kind of ghostly thing dared frighten her?!

Pan Yun gradually sank into dreamland, and the black cat also fell asleep without the slightest awareness.

Hugging the cinnabar, Pan Yun opened her eyes and once again saw that imposing figure dressed like a martial general, looking at her with a faintly mocking smile.

Pan Yun froze, then instantly realized that she had fallen asleep. This was a dream.

So this was... she knew perfectly well that she was dreaming, yet she still could not wake up?

Pan Yun fell silent for a moment, but she was no longer anxious. At last, she carefully studied the person before her.

Dreaming of someone for one night was simply what one thought of by day appearing in dreams at night. Dreaming of the same person for two nights, though, was a little interesting...

If she was in a dream, knew that it was a dream, and yet could not wake up, that was even more interesting.

Pan Yun watched him cautiously. Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, she tested the waters and called, "Master?"

The person opposite her raised an eyebrow.

Pan Yun was greatly startled. "You truly are my Master, sir?"

Pan Yun wanted to bow, only to discover that she was holding cinnabar in her arms. She hurriedly set it down, then quickly clasped her fists and bowed. "Your disciple Pan Yun greets Master."

The person said nothing. Only the mocking curve at the corner of his lips lessened somewhat.

With her heart hanging by a thread, Pan Yun cautiously said, "Master, did you learn that Senior Brother had taken in a new disciple for you, so you came to give your disciple a meeting gift?"

He: ...

Before he could answer, Pan Yun repeatedly waved her hands. "Master, there is no need to be so courteous. Being able to become your disciple has already satisfied me greatly. You do not know—along the way here, everyone said Mount Sanqing had winding, beautiful scenery and abundant spiritual energy, clearly a land of countless blessings. Especially the villages at the foot of the mountain, which have received the mountain god's protection for many years. Their reverence for you, Master, is like the surging river, ceaseless and unending, blah blah blah..."

Pan Yun praised the mountain god from every possible angle, only stopping once his expression improved.

She felt a little weary, but she did not dare sigh. She could only maintain an expression of worshipful affection as she looked at him and asked, "Master, did you come this time specifically to see me, or to teach me cultivation techniques?"

He merely gave Pan Yun a deep look before turning and leaving.

Pan Yun watched as he transformed into a great crane and flew away again. She was speechless for a long while. God, God, could you at least say something!

The next day, Pan Yun had two dark circles beneath her eyes as she respectfully offered incense to the Three Pure Ones, Immortal Master Ge, and Minister Li. Only after inserting the incense did she react. Where was their Master?

How could their Master, the dignified mountain god of Mount Sanqing, not have his own spirit tablet and stone statue?

Pan Yun was stunned. She turned and went looking for Senior Brother, who was practicing swordsmanship outside.

"Senior Brother—"

Wang Fei Yin's sword movements were neither hurried nor slow. He glanced at Pan Yun and continued practicing, finding time to say, "Fifth Junior Sister, did you cultivate today? First follow Miao Zhen and the others in practicing the basics. Later, I'll teach you swordsmanship."

"Cultivation is not something that can be achieved in a day or two. There's no need to rush that. What is urgent now is this, Senior Brother: why does Sanqing Temple not have a spirit tablet for Master?"

Wang Fei Yin's sword veered aside, nearly stabbing into the ground.

He withdrew his stance, inhaled and exhaled, then asked only after steadying his breath, "Why did you suddenly think of that?"

Pan Yun looked solemn. "I dreamed of Master last night. This morning, I discovered that there was no spirit tablet for him. Do you think he was angry over that, which is why he came to me in a dream?"

Wang Fei Yin looked at her seriously.

Pan Yun tilted up her little face, her expression even more solemn and earnest than his.

Wang Fei Yin explained, "Master's temple is down the mountain, where he receives the offerings of the people living around Mount Sanqing. That is why no additional spirit tablet was established on the mountain."

"That will not do. Aside from the people's offerings, Master should also enjoy the offerings of his disciples and descendants," Pan Yun said with a grave expression. "How can we neglect him just because Master is capable and earns more?"

People never complained of having too little money. How could a god dislike having too much incense?

Wang Fei Yin could find no reason to object. The key was that he actually felt she made a great deal of sense. Then why had he never established a stone statue or spirit tablet for the mountain god back then?

Oh, right. Because of his appearance, and another folk legend.

He said tactfully, "Master may not like showing his face."

"Impossible. Master is so handsome—how could he dislike showing his face?" Pan Yun paused, then said, "Well, some very handsome men do not want people to see them. Master does not like talking, so perhaps he is a little reserved.

"Then we can carve a stone statue that captures his spirit without necessarily resembling his appearance. So long as everyone knows that this statue represents Master, the incense offerings can go directly to him, right?"

Seeing that Wang Fei Yin was still pondering it, Pan Yun directly dragged him toward the back courtyard. Standing by the cliff, she told him, "Senior Brother, last night Master nearly took me down from here to keep him company, all because when I became his disciple, I only bowed toward Heaven and Earth and had not solemnly bowed before his spirit tablet."

Wang Fei Yin's mouth fell open. "Junior Sister, this is no joking matter. Could it be that it was too dark, and you could not tell east from west, north from south? You thought this was the direction back to your room..."

Pan Yun pointed at the red lantern by the side gate. "Though that red lantern is rather useless and cannot light up even a square inch of ground, it is still quite noticeable in the dark. You can see it as soon as you leave the kitchen. I would not fail to recognize even that.

"It was real last night. I only thought the moonlight was beautiful, and then in the blink of an eye, I was at the cliff's edge. If my dear cat had not cried out, what Senior Brother would see today would not be my person, but my soul."

Wang Fei Yin: ...

Pan Yun concluded, "This was all because I did not bow before Master's spirit tablet."

Wang Fei Yin looked conflicted. "Is there a possibility that Master is dissatisfied with you as his disciple..."

"Impossible," Pan Yun said without a moment's hesitation. "I am such a genius. What Master would bear to refuse me?"

Wang Fei Yin closed his mouth and waved her away. "Fine, go on. I'll resolve this matter."

Pan Yun asked, "How will you resolve it? Are you going to make a spirit tablet and stone statue for Master?"

Wang Fei Yin did not answer. He only told Pan Yun to go play first.

Pan Yun could only leave while looking back every few steps.

Wang Fei Yin stood at the edge of the cliff in thought for a moment. After giving the abyss a deep look, he turned and left.

Before noon, Wang Fei Yin appeared dressed in ritual robes, with a treasured sword in hand and a stack of talismans in the other.

Tao Ji, who had just returned from the alchemy room, was stunned when he saw him. "Senior Brother, what are you doing?"

When Wang Fei Yin saw him, he beckoned. "You came at just the right time. In a while, I'll raise an altar and perform a purification rite. Come assist me."

Tao Ji asked, "Why so suddenly? Shouldn't we prepare carefully first?"

"I have already told Pan Yun and the others to make preparations."

Pan Yun and the others silently held wildflowers, freshly drawn mountain spring water, vases, incense, candles, and the like as they looked at Wang Fei Yin.

They had not known these were for the purification rite. Was this not a little too shabby?