Making Money

Miao Zhen and Miao He both looked at her enviously. "We've grown this big and have never been to Guangxin Prefecture or Kaifeng Prefecture."

Pan Yun felt sad when she heard that—sad for the days that lay ahead for them. "Then what's the biggest city you've ever been to?"

"Yushan County."

It did not sound very big. Pan Yun fell silent.

Xuan Miao came over with an empty back basket. She had already sold everything she had brought down the mountain. Unlike the miscellaneous little things the three children had, she sold directly to the shops and merchants here.

They were all regular customers, so the prices were basically fixed.

She glanced at the three little stalls. Quite a few things still lay on the burlap sacks spread before Miao Zhen and Miao He, while the burlap sack before Pan Yun was completely empty. "Your talismans actually sold here?"

Pan Yun said, "Yes. Is that so strange?"

Xuan Miao nodded. "Very strange. Who bought them?"

Miao He burst out laughing, delighted. "Fourth Martial Aunt, Junior Martial Uncle is joking with you. She did not sell a single talisman. She wants to sell them in Guangxin Prefecture. Fourth Martial Aunt, I want to go with Junior Martial Uncle."

Miao Zhen said, "I want to go too."

Xuan Miao said, "Once you can descend from the southern peak to the foot of the mountain, you can go wherever you want."

Other than Pan Yun, whose eyes lit up, Miao Zhen and Miao He both slumped their shoulders and gave a dejected "Oh."

Xuan Miao said to Pan Yun, "Come with me. You two keep selling your things."

Pan Yun gave her burlap sack to Miao Zhen and Miao He to display their things on, then hurried after Xuan Miao. "Where are we going?"

"To the Express Post Station."

The Express Post Stations here were set up every fifteen li. Dayuanwu Village was not far from Mount Sanqing, and the nearest station was there.

It was run by the Imperial Court. As long as it involved official documents and letters of the Imperial Court, they delivered them. For letters exchanged among ordinary people, they only delivered them to the village, where the recipients had to collect them themselves.

There were only three people in the station, sorting through the letters and packages they had just carried in. When the station clerk saw Xuan Miao, he frowned and came forward. "What are you here for?"

Xuan Miao wore an equally cold expression. "To collect letters. Are there any for Mount Sanqing?"

The clerk searched the shelves, then tossed out a letter. "There's also one addressed to San Zhu of Mount Sanqing. Who's that?"

After swiftly glancing at Pan Yun, Xuan Miao said, "That is the alias my third senior brother, Tao Ji, uses outside."

The clerk snorted, but still tossed out another letter. In a voice neither too loud nor too soft, he grumbled, "Playing gods and ghosts. Who knows how they swindle people outside, even using aliases..."

Xuan Miao ignored him completely. With a sweep of her hand, she grabbed both letters and turned to leave.

Pan Yun stared wide-eyed and hurried after her.

Xuan Miao abruptly stopped, handed Pan Yun her letter, and asked coldly, "Do you remember where the Express Post Station is?"

Pan Yun nodded blankly.

Xuan Miao said, "From now on, you will collect the letters."

Pan Yun immediately caught up with her. "Senior Sister, did you deliberately offend him because I'll be collecting letters from now on?"

"No." Xuan Miao's face remained cold. "I was like this before, and he was like this before."

Pan Yun asked, "Aren't you afraid he'll damage Mount Sanqing's letters and packages?"

"He wouldn't dare." Xuan Miao stopped and spoke to her seriously. "Remember this. When you come to collect letters in the future, if there is any dirt or anything unusual on them, record it and report it to the Yushan County post station. Do not fear his cold face or threats. If you think you should have received a letter but did not, make him search for them one by one and bring out the records to check against them."

Pan Yun was thoughtful. "The premise of fearing no power is that we have even greater power behind us. I understand. We have people above us!"

Xuan Miao lowered her eyes and looked at her quietly. After a moment, she said, "You always give me the feeling that you are not Pan Hong's daughter, but Wang Zhen's."

"...Senior Sister, you are insulting me. Wang Zhen is a eunuch. How could he have a daughter?"

"Didn't you know he castrated himself before entering the palace? Perhaps he had one before that?"

Pan Yun huffed. "My character is excellent. I am nothing like Wang Zhen."

Only then did Xuan Miao say, "Even without great power, you can still fear no power."

Then you would end up just like her father.

Pan Yun grumbled to herself and lowered her head to look at the letter in her hand.

The familiar handwriting made it impossible for her to suppress her secret delight. She looked around and, seeing that no one was watching her and feeling no sense of being spied upon, immediately opened the letter.

It was Pan Hong's reply. He wrote that the three men—father and sons—had already grown accustomed to life in exile, and were all doing well for now.

Tears streamed down Pan Yun's face.

Xuan Miao, who had already walked some distance away, came back and stopped before her. "Did something happen to your father?"

Pan Yun shook her head. "No. But my father likes to report good news and hide bad news."

Xuan Miao said, "Just like you. Neither of you likes telling the truth."

Xuan Miao had finished reading her own letter as well. "My friend replied. Your family has returned safely to Changzhou Prefecture. Your second uncle found a teaching position at Jintai Academy, and the monthly salary is considerable."

"As long as they are safe. I was never worried about my second uncle's ability to earn money and support the family." In that regard, her second uncle was a little better than her father.

When they returned to the stall, quite a crowd had gathered before Miao Zhen and Miao He's spot. Pan Yun grew anxious at the sight and hurriedly squeezed in.

The people surrounding them were all young women, young wives, and old matrons. They had split into two groups. Most of the old matrons crowded around Miao He. One old woman was gesturing at her body. "Right here, right here. It hurts when I stand, hurts when I sit, and even hurts when I lie down. Young daoist Miao He, take a look at what is wrong with me."

Miao He's chubby little hand pressed against her waist. The old woman cried out, "Ow, ow!" in pain, yet looked delighted. "That's it, that's it. Young daoist, press it more, press it more."

The young women and young wives surrounded Miao Zhen instead, lining up to stretch out their palms toward her. They practically wanted to shove themselves right before her eyes. "Young daoist, help me look at my marriage line. I-I... will I be able to arrange a marriage this year?"

Miao Zhen held her hand and examined it carefully, then looked at her face and shook her head. "Not this year. There may be happy news next year. Your joy in marriage will come late."

"I see..." The woman looked deeply disappointed.

But Pan Yun suddenly felt as though her Ren and Du meridians had been opened at once. She squeezed forward and said warmly, "Later is good! Later benefits you. It benefits not only your health, but also your fortune in wealth."

The woman's eyes immediately lit up. She looked Pan Yun over, saw that she too wore Daoist robes, and could tell at a glance that she was with Miao Zhen and the others. She immediately abandoned Miao Zhen and squeezed toward Pan Yun. The two rushed toward each other and met between Miao Zhen and Miao He. "Really?"

Pan Yun nodded with absolute certainty. "Truer than gold, missy. Let me look at your palm again and see which direction your destined love lies in."

The woman immediately held out her hand.

Pan Yun took her hand and looked at it, then raised her head to study her face. She nearly failed to control her expression. This young girl's fate was not good.

Pan Yun furrowed her brow tightly. The young girl's heart immediately rose into her throat when she saw it.

Pan Yun lowered her eyes to hide the gleam in them, then smiled at her. "Missy, your destined love should be near, not far away. Your blessings lie ahead. There will be some hardship at first, but bitter hardship will always turn to sweet reward."

The young girl only cared about the words "near, not far away" and "your blessings lie ahead." After asking twice more, she happily pulled out one copper coin from her clothes and gave it to Pan Yun. "Young daoist, your reading is good. This copper coin is for you."

Miao Zhen and Miao He did this without taking money. Pan Yun had not intended to take any either. She had already seen that the people here had no money. Aside from selling their goods, Miao Zhen and Miao He were essentially doing volunteer work.

She had only squeezed in to test what she had learned recently and gain experience, so that she could later go to wealthier places and make money reading faces.

Yet now, looking at the copper coin held before her, she reached out and accepted it. Solemnly, she said, "Good woman, if you find yourself unable to decide over a marriage match in the future, come to Mount Sanqing and find this poor daoist. This poor daoist will surely do everything possible to cast a divination for you and resolve it."

She added, "If it is not convenient to go up the mountain, then ask the Sanqing Mountain God at the mountain god temple at the foot of the mountain."

Feeling Pan Yun's sincerity, the young girl happily agreed and left with delight.

When the others heard this, they felt that Pan Yun's skill at reading faces was even greater. A group immediately broke off and crowded in front of her.

By the time they had examined every young woman, young wife, and old matron along the street, all three of their voices had gone hoarse. Of course, Miao Zhen and Miao He's medicinal herbs had all sold out as well.

Xuan Miao handed them a bamboo tube and had them drink some water.

The three sat together in silence, drinking water. They were quiet beyond belief.

They were equally quiet on the way back, nothing like when they had set out that morning, when the three of them had not stopped talking once.

They did not speak, but Xuan Miao did.

She looked at Pan Yun and Miao Zhen. "Why did you deceive people?"

Pan Yun replied in a hoarse voice, "Who did we deceive?"

"The young girl who asked about marriage. She should have married this year."

Pan Yun said, "But he was not her true destined match."

Xuan Miao said, "But it was still her fate."

Pan Yun said, "When we read faces and tell fortunes, isn't the purpose to avoid bad fates and seize good destinies?"

Miao Zhen nodded repeatedly. "I saw that this marriage would bring mortal danger, so I told her to wait until next year."

Xuan Miao frowned. "As you two said, reading faces and telling fortunes is meant to avoid bad fates. But then you should have told her. What I am asking is, why did you lie instead of telling her the truth?"

Pan Yun said, "Ah, as long as bad things are avoided, why say them aloud and make people unhappy?"

Xuan Miao looked at Miao Zhen. "And you?"

Miao Zhen said, "I was afraid she would get angry, and afraid her family would come beat me."

Pan Yun turned to her in surprise. "Are the people here really that fierce? It is only fortune-telling. There is no need to start hitting people, is there? Who from Mount Sanqing has been beaten?"

Miao Zhen tilted her head up to look at Xuan Miao.

Pan Yun followed her gaze upward. Meeting Xuan Miao's eyes, she could not help swallowing. "Th-they definitely could not beat the fourth senior sister, right?"

Xuan Miao cast her a glance, then turned and walked away.

Pan Yun was terribly curious. She hurriedly grabbed Miao Zhen and Miao He and whispered, "Was the fourth senior sister really beaten? Did they win?"

Miao Zhen said, "First Martial Uncle and Third Martial Uncle have been beaten too. I heard that even my Master was once beaten out the door."

That sounded rather bad. No wonder they placed such importance on cultivating martial arts. They needed some skill at hand.

Xuan Miao turned back and urged them, "Hurry up already."

"Coming—" The three hurried after her with their little back baskets on their backs.

After one trip down the mountain, Pan Yun had earned one copper coin!

This chapter's lucky number is any number ending in 1. Screenshot proof required; the screenshot deadline is before the next chapter is updated.