Chapter 8: Escaping Together

The young man was stubborn. He refused to listen, absolutely refused. Even if he did not hand Pan Jun over to the magistrate, he insisted that she could not be set free.

"I cannot rest easy letting someone like her go. I don't know when she might grow into a great scourge. You say that killing the wicked is a way to stop evil, but is condoning evil not a sin in itself?" The young man pointed at Pan Jun. "Can you not see that she is a wicked person right now?"

The young woman pondered for a moment and nodded. "Third Senior Brother has a point. Then we shall take her back with us. Let her cultivate her Tao and refine her heart; we can release her once she has mended her ways."

Pan Jun interjected, "My heart is very kind. My killing was for self-defense—an accident, not intentional. As for killing the cat, that is completely unfounded. We are companions; I was treating it when you arrived, and it was only crying out so miserably because of the pain. The wounds on its body were inflicted by Wang Yong, truly!"

The black cat let out a sharp "meow" from the side and huffed at Pan Jun. To the young man and woman, this appeared as if the black cat were testifying on Pan Jun's behalf.

The young man laughed awkwardly. "Treating its wounds? Then I have misunderstood."

"I forgive you," Pan Jun said, studying their expressions before pushing her luck. "Actually, may I make a request? I have not seen my father for a long time and miss him dearly. I would like to go to Datong to find him..."

The young man replied, "That won't do. You are so ferocious; how could we possibly feel safe letting you go like that?"

The young woman, tired of their bickering, stated, "Either come with us or go to the county office. You choose."

Pan Jun fell silent at once. She dared to haggle with the young man, but she did not dare to trifle with the young woman.

Suddenly, the black cat propped up its upper body, lifted its head toward the edge of the woods, and began to meow. "Someone is coming."

This time, the sound did not come from within her mind, but was heard with her ears. Pan Jun could not help but glance at it, though she was quick to act, immediately looking at the young woman. "Someone is coming."

The young woman sensed it too, turning her head to look outside. "You have half a quarter of an hour. You had better fill the pit and erase all traces."

With that, she walked away. As she passed the stones Pan Jun had used to set her formation, she paused and gave them a nudge with her foot, shifting their positions. Pan Jun watched, her eyes flickering. It was a very simple maze formation—it couldn't trap anyone, but it would make those who entered unconsciously avoid this spot.

The young man leaned on his shovel and stared at her, his eyes bright. "That's right, you can use supernatural arts. The earth was packed so flat; given your small stature, you must have used magic to bury him, right?"

"That's not called supernatural art," Pan Jun said. "It's called spellcasting."

After a while, she had refined more spiritual energy. Wasting no time, she formed a seal, causing the dug-up soil to wriggle and slide back into the pit, slowly becoming firm until all traces of the excavation vanished. Not only that, the ground where she had stumbled and stepped also rippled slightly, with every mark gradually disappearing until nothing seemed amiss.

When the young woman returned and saw this, she promptly sealed Pan Jun's meridians as soon as the evidence was cleared. Meeting Pan Jun's widened eyes, she curled her lips slightly. "This is for our safety. Only when we are safe can you be safe."

She tossed Pan Jun to the young man. "Let's go."

The young man hoisted her up and started walking. Before they left, Pan Jun could not help but glance back outside the woods, her gaze drifting past the plum trees to catch a glimpse of a fleeting face. It was Liu Jing.

Pan Jun immediately became docile. The spiritual talisman hidden in her sleeve slowly dissipated, and she pressed her palm against the black cat’s belly. The cat sensed the familiar spiritual energy dissipating around it and immediately absorbed it. Unfortunately, the cat was far inferior to its true form, and it absorbed less than a tenth before the talisman vanished completely.

*Consider yourself lucky to have some conscience,* Ling Jing said in her mind. *We are the only allies that cannot be separated.*

Pan Jun: *You’re right. Pleasure doing business with you, cat.*

Cat: *Please, call me Ling Jing.*

Pan Jun said nothing out loud, as the young man and woman had carried her into a temple. They entered a courtyard with familiarity, opened a door, and went inside.

The young woman said, "Pack your things. I am going to bid the abbot farewell."

The young man nodded, placed Pan Jun on the *kang*, and began to pack their luggage. Pan Jun sat on the *kang* holding the cat, her legs swinging back and forth. She asked sweetly, "What should I call you, brother?"

The young man glanced at her. "Please, call me Uncle. My name is Tao Ji."

"Uncle Tao, what about that young lady?"

Tao Ji folded the clothes onto a large cloth, straightened his back, and looked at her speechlessly. "You call me Uncle, but call my Junior Sister 'young lady'? Aren't you afraid she'll come back and beat you?"

Pan Jun replied, "Girls don't like to be called old."

"My Junior Sister is no ordinary girl. And besides, who doesn't like being an elder?" Tao Ji looked her up and down, a thought occurring to him. His eyes brightened, and he leaned in. "Hey, why don't you take my Junior Sister as your master? You know supernatural arts, and for someone so young, you have quite a cultivation. You seem to have good talent."

Pan Jun said proudly, "Not just anyone can be my master."

Tao Ji scoffed, "Not just anyone can be my Junior Sister's apprentice, either. She is from the Zhang family of Mount Longhu, with a lineage of profound arts. You, at most, just know some parlor tricks."

Pan Jun asked, "Did you study at Mount Longhu as well?"

"Of course not. I am a Taoist from the Sanqing Temple on Mount Sanqing. My Junior Sister also trains at Sanqing Temple. This trip is specifically to take you back to Sanqing Temple to cultivate your heart..."

"Third Senior Brother!" The young woman entered with a set of clothes, looking at him with disapproval.

Tao Ji snapped back to reality. He had let his background slip. He glared at Pan Jun, then turned to continue packing.

The young woman said, "Let's go. Come to my room to change. The maze in the plum grove won't hold that person for long. He will either find the corpse or come to the temple."

Pan Jun followed her obediently. The clothes the young woman brought were of common teal-colored fabric, half-worn, and designed for a young boy. The sleeves were a bit long when she put them on, but they were fine once rolled up. Pan Jun didn't particularly want to wear them—though she could smell the scent of soapnut on the fabric, indicating they had been washed, she wasn't used to it.

"Whose clothes are these?"

The young woman had already packed her belongings and was tying her bundle to her back. She looked up at Pan Jun for a moment before replying, "Taken from the temple's charity hall. Pilgrims who come to offer incense sometimes donate money, and some bring clean, unused clothes from home for needy pilgrims to take."

Pan Jun no longer minded. She tidied up her old clothes, wrapped them in a small cloth handed to her by the young woman, and, mimicking her, tied them to her back. Well, she was now someone with luggage, too.

Tao Ji called out from outside, and the young woman picked her up. "My name is Xuan Miao. You had better behave on this journey; I am not as easily fooled as my Senior Brother."

The two met up and immediately took a shortcut, leaving through the side gate of the temple. Not long after they left, Liu Jing, who had been circling the plum grove, finally emerged and pushed open the back door of the temple. He frowned as he searched the grounds, but finding no trace of Wang Yong, he thought for a moment and decided to follow his instincts back to the plum grove to continue searching. This time, however, he grabbed a monk to accompany him. The plum grove was clearly strange, and if it belonged to the temple, they should know exactly what that strangeness entailed.