Chapter Sixteen: The Method

Pan Yun drew five talismans in succession, stopping only when her brushwork grew stiff and labored. She stacked the completed talismans and placed two on the boy; the rest she folded and kept on herself. With triple protection, she refused to believe anything could go wrong.

She glanced at the child; he could at least survive two calamities. Fate was hard to change, but luck could be altered—and with enough changes, fate itself could shift. If Heaven decreed his death, she was determined to challenge it. After all, she was also intent on saving her father and brothers and restoring the Pan family. Defying destiny in one more thing was no big deal.

Unwilling to linger, she sent the boy to sleep and took out all her money to tally it. A silver ingot weighing five taels, a handful of silver coins seized from two human traffickers—judging by her untrained touch, about seven or eight taels in total. Her own box contained roughly 2,300 copper coins; the traffickers had even fewer, just over six strings, each string worth a hundred coins. She hadn’t counted carefully before, but now that she planned to spend, she tallied what remained and found the funds somewhat scant.

After deducting expenses for meals, buns, and lodging, she still had 2,579 copper coins left—not counting a tael of silver she spent today, which also came from the traffickers. Although the traffickers were poorer than she expected, the money seized from them exceeded her savings of the past eight years.

She wondered if this money would be enough to rent a carriage. Without household registration, that posed a challenge; nowadays, any business required either a registration certificate or a travel permit. Renting a carriage wasn’t just a matter of money. The government strictly controlled population movement—people couldn’t migrate freely, except for outlaws and vagrants who avoided cities. But she couldn’t become an outlaw or vagrant. To get from here to Datong, she had to pass through towns.

Pan Yun looked back at the soundly sleeping child, cradled the black cat, and lightly leapt down through the window. Night had just fallen; the streets were deserted. The alley where she landed was empty. She glanced up at the window of her room, memorized its location, then slipped away.

She needed a travel permit and a household registration certificate—when one wasn’t strictly required, the other could substitute; in desperate cases, the permit would also come in handy. Her plan was sound, but standing at the street corner, she realized she knew nothing about She County, much less where to obtain such documents.

Pan Yun kept it simple: the darkness of night was the best cover for the black market. No matter how small She County was, it should have something like that, right?

She hugged the black cat and walked along the wall, her figure concealed by shadows. People hurried home past her, none noticing the person moving beneath the wall.

She toured She County with the cat, then returned to the inn street, wearing a puzzled expression. “The public security here is surprisingly good. At this hour, not a single wrongdoer in sight, not even a black market?”

The black cat silently mocked her.

Pan Yun pinched its neck. “What are you grinning at?”

The cat stiffened, not daring to answer.

She petted its fur, calming herself, then climbed back into the room through the window, her mood sour.

It was a pity—most beggars had been driven out of the city, and the rest hidden away. She couldn’t buy information from them. Beggars roaming the streets were the best sources of news.

She glanced at the boy sprawled across the bed and sighed. She did have one ready-made beggar, but he was far too young.

Deciding to visit the carriage station tomorrow, she set aside her worries, sat cross-legged, and practiced two minor internal energy cycles before ending her session and going to sleep.

When she woke, the boy’s cheeks were flushed. He happily said, “That was the best sleep I’ve had.”

Seeing his innocence, Pan Yun smiled and stood. “Let’s go eat. After we’re full, we’ll head to the carriage station.”

The boy said, “I know the carriage station. It’s not good to beg for food there; this street is the best place to ask.”

“Then you lead the way.”

She County was small. A county where Pan Yun could explore all the alleys in half an hour couldn’t be very large. The carriage station was only about half an hour’s walk from this street.

Holding the boy’s hand, Pan Yun entered and asked about prices.

Few people were at the carriage station. Near the entrance, many gathered; farther in, fewer—but the goods became more valuable. Near the gate stood many ox carts, mule carts, and donkeys; deeper inside were vehicles and animals for single rental; farther still were chartered carriages; at the innermost area, horses were sold.

Pan Yun was curious but lost interest after inquiring about the horses—the prices were exorbitant, far beyond her means.

Instead, she inquired about renting a carriage.

“To Datong?” The clerk sized up Pan Yun and the boy. “Returning trip?”

Pan Yun lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, then asked, “What’s the price for a round trip? And one-way?”

“Return trip: forty taels. The owner must cover the driver’s meals and lodging throughout. One-way: thirty taels, covering the outbound driver’s meals and lodging.” The clerk asked, “How many in your party? How many carriages?”

Pan Yun’s total funds didn’t exceed twenty taels; she gave up. “Are there shared rides?”

“For short distances, yes. Long distances, no. From here to Datong is too far. For trips to the capital, there are shared rides. Miss, if you’re going to the capital, I can quote you fifteen taels.”

Pan Yun thought: … How idle would she have to be to just run back to the capital?

But the clerk’s words gave her an idea. She asked, “What’s the next town north of here on the way to Datong?”

The clerk replied, “Qingfeng, in Daming Prefecture.”

Pan Yun asked, “How much from here to Qingfeng?”

She didn’t mind returning to Daming Prefecture. Those two men were surely no longer there. Going back was fine; she could put distance between herself and them.

The clerk held up five fingers. “Fifty wen per person.”

Pan Yun could afford that and smiled. “When does it leave? There are two of us.”

The clerk pointed to the row of ox carts, mule carts, and horse carts outside. “See them? Go ask who’s heading to Qingfeng. Usually one trip a day.”

Pan Yun immediately pulled the boy along. Soon, she found a horse cart already carrying six passengers.

The cart had no cover—an open flat cart. Everyone placed their luggage in the center and sat facing outward, legs dangling. The front could seat three, the left and right sides four each, and the back two more.

Upon hearing Pan Yun’s inquiry, the driver said, “Tell your family to come quickly; we’re about to leave. Pay first, then board.”

Pan Yun asked, “Can the child get a discount?”

The driver frowned, eyeing her slight frame. “You can’t, but your brother can get ten wen off.”

Pan Yun counted out ninety wen.

The driver was taken aback. “Where are your parents? How can you two children travel alone? I’m not responsible for watching you.”

“I’m going to Qingfeng to find my father. He’ll meet us there.”

Hearing this, the driver allowed them aboard.

Pan Yun lifted the boy into the cart, then climbed in herself. They sat in the back, separated from the others, enjoying the quiet.

Sure enough, the cart departed immediately.

As the carriage left town, soldiers only inspected the luggage and waved them on.

To Pan Yun’s delight, when entering Qingfeng at dusk, the gate soldiers checked everyone else’s travel permits but only glanced at the driver’s permit and luggage, then let them pass.

Pan Yun’s eyes flickered. Thinking it through, she realized these drivers ran fixed routes, traveling the same two places year-round. The soldiers saw them daily, were familiar with them, and thus did not inspect thoroughly.

That was perfect. Even without household registration or travel permits, she could take short-distance shared rides all the way to Datong.

Though the distance to Datong was long, the next county northward wasn’t far.

Finding a viable route, Pan Yun grinned with joy.

She couldn’t help telling the boy, “These safety talismans really work. Our good fortune has arrived!”

Calculating her money carefully, she saw that lodging in every county would strain her funds. But if they avoided inns and just ate meals, the fare would suffice—short-distance shared rides were far cheaper than long-distance charters.

So, upon entering the next town, Pan Yun avoided inns, taking the boy to hide in a nearby alley after eating, spending the night in a quiet spot.

The boy was accustomed to such a life, never complaining; after eating, he lay down leaning against Pan Yun.

Covering his eyes, she said, “Let me perform a magic trick for you.”

The boy squeezed his eyes shut. Pan Yun chanted, “Spirits of sky and earth, honored Tao, send us a blanket!”

She released her hands, and suddenly a blanket appeared in their arms. The boy gasped with joy, shouting, “It’s magic! It really is magic!”

Pan Yun laughed and spread the blanket on the ground. She had him lie down, covering half of him to keep warm. “Sleep quickly; we have to travel tomorrow.”

The boy happily agreed and slid into the blanket.

Pan Yun sat cross-legged and meditated. She practiced until late into the night before stopping and crawling into the blanket. They slept close together.

She placed the black cat near her head. “You keep watch.”

The cat, Pan Xiaohei, accustomed as always, opened its glassy eyes to watch the alley entrance.

Having found a suitable way to travel, the next day Pan Yun again went to the carriage station, joining others heading northward to the next county.

Changing carts daily, by the fourth day, they were nearing the metropolitan area.

The farther north they went, the stricter the gate inspections became. On the fourth evening, as they neared the city gate, the driver called out, “Everyone, prepare your travel permits and registration certificates. We’ll need them to enter.”

Pan Yun immediately asked to disembark. “My second uncle doesn’t live in the city but in a village beyond. I’ll get off here.”

The driver agreed and stopped to let her down.

Pan Yun carried the boy off the cart, shook out her stiff legs, and looked at the long line waiting to enter the city. “Let’s see if there’s a cheaper way in.”

Holding the boy’s hand, she approached the gate. Many people stood nearby—family members waiting in line, and others reading notices posted on the city walls.

Looking up, Pan Yun’s eyes caught a familiar face on the wall.

Wasn’t that her?

She widened her eyes, quickly glanced around to see if anyone noticed, then rapidly scanned the wanted poster.

It did not name her directly but mentioned she was involved in an imperial investigation. Anyone who spotted her was to report immediately to the authorities for a reward of ten taels of silver.

If they captured and delivered her to the officials, the reward was twenty taels.