I Know

Pan Yun looked up at the mural on the wall and gave a cold laugh. "True Master Zhang was indeed willing to go all out, and I am indeed a genius, but I know my own limits. If he was willing to protect me with everything he had when I was only the First Marquis, even possibly offending the emperor, it naturally could not all have been because of my talent and ability.

"This mural appeared at quite a convenient time too. Looking at these traces, it clearly hasn't been here for more than a year. They're still fresh."

Xue Shao looked up at the mural without speaking.

Pan Yun turned to look at him, smiling without quite smiling. "Tell me, do you think he painted this for me to see, for you to see, or for some other disciples to see?"

Xue Shao pondered. "The first time I came to Cliff of Contemplation, my granduncle brought me in. He said disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion throughout the generations had been confined here. Legend had it that Cliff of Contemplation was originally called Cliff of Sidao, a place for Celestial Master's Mansion disciples to cultivate in seclusion. Only later did it become a place where disciples who had erred reflected upon their mistakes in confinement.

"Many disciples from past generations left cultivation methods and insights behind here, but there were also quite a few resentful words. Before I came, Granduncle warned me to look only at things related to cultivation on the walls. I was to ignore the rest—not believe them, not dwell on them."

After a pause, Xue Shao said, "At the time, I caught a glimpse of a black shadow flashing past. Out of curiosity, I followed it here, but once I entered, the shadow vanished."

Pan