Murals

Pan Yun brought Xue Shao into the academy.

More than half the students who had joined the bandit-suppression campaign had returned. Apart from the few of them, all the lower-year students were back, while only some upper-year students remained outside gaining experience.

South of the Yangtze was in turmoil, and most of them were out there providing disaster relief.

After her trip to Japan, Pan Yun's reputation within the academy had risen even further. As she led Xue Shao through the academy, her fellow students all turned to look at her, their eyes shining.

Even someone as worldly as Xue Shao felt a little uncomfortable under their stares. "Why are they looking at you like that?"

Pan Yun said, "They want to read my face, cast divinations for me, and cultivate alongside me. Ignore them. They only dare think about it; they don't dare come up to me."

"Is your image in the academy really that fierce?"

Pan Yun refused to admit it. "It's not too bad, is it? I'm an upright and kind person. Look, aren't I doing a good deed by bringing you in to find your relatives?"

Xue Shao's steps paused slightly. He turned to look at her. "I came to find you."

Pan Yun raised a brow.

Xue Shao said, "Thank you for what you did for me."

Pan Yun said, "It wasn't just for you. Spreading the news about the silver mine also benefits the maritime ban."

"Because of this, His Majesty is very angry, and opinions of you in court are mixed. Originally, suppressing the Japanese bandits and exposing the silver mine were both great merits for you, but after the news was so widely spread, they..."

Xue Shao paused and said nothing.

Pan Yun said, "I know. They think I'm an unruly commoner,