Chapter 1081
Chapter 1081
Chapter 1081
Miaohe quickly helped her up: "Master Uncle said that everything is fine before noon. You've been staying in the underworld for too long, so you need to get some sun."
Pan Yun took the water and drank it all in one gulp. All the memories sealed away by the protective mechanism returned. She touched her chest, knowing she had done something foolish, but…
Her eyes sparkled as she silently recited, "Everything that happens is for my benefit!"
Although her soul and body were damaged, she gained some insights from this trip to the underworld.
She seemed to have gotten a little bit of it.
Zhang Zijin appeared silently, standing in the shadows of the corner watching her, and it's unclear how long he watched her.
Wang Feiyin was about to walk towards his junior sister when he suddenly turned around and walked to his side, saying with a forced smile, "Senior Zhang seems to be quite interested in my junior sister. Is life in the palace so leisurely?"
Zhang Zijin glanced at him and said, "You'll know once you live in the palace for a year."
Although Wang Feiyin preferred to stay in one place, he disliked the imperial palace and politely declined with a smile.
It's a joke. Although they all stay in the same place and can't leave easily, in Sanqing Mountain, he is the king, and he can roam freely in the sky, on the ground, inside and outside the mountains.
In the palace, there is an emperor above and officials below, and moral principles such as the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues apply. Every step he takes requires careful consideration. He is not a masochist, so why should he seek out suffering?
Thinking about it this way, Wang Feiyin's gaze towards his junior sister changed, becoming filled with reverence.
Zhang Zijin entered the palace out of necessity, but she entered voluntarily.
When I looked at Zhang Zijin again, I couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for him.
He's been in this palace for seventy years.
Zhang Zijin had only come to see Pan Yun, and seeing that she hadn't become a fool, he turned to leave.
Wang Feiyin quickly stopped him: "Senior Zhang, I know you have a piece of wood and jade that can nourish the soul. I would like to borrow it from you for three years."
Zhang Zijin looked at him with a half-smile: "Borrow? What's the interest?"
Wang Feiyin: "The Yellow Springs Water".
Zhang Zijin's smile vanished, his eyes instantly turning sharp as he sized up Wang Feiyin: "What audacity!"
Then his gaze fell on Pan Yun in the courtyard, and he said quietly, "Good methods."
Wang Feiyin: ...How come he's the one with guts, while my junior sister is the one with the means?
Wang Feiyin felt a moment of resentment, but he quickly realized that this wasn't his first time in the Yellow Springs. The first time, he couldn't even bring out a single grain of soil. No wonder Zhang Zijin instantly understood that the key to bringing out the Yellow Springs water lay with his junior sister.
Zhang Zijin lowered his eyes and pondered for nearly fifteen minutes before speaking: "One year."
Wang Feiyin followed closely: "Two years and eight months!"
Zhang Zijin glanced at him indifferently, then turned and left.
Wang Feiyin gritted his teeth and hurriedly chased after him: "Senior, senior, two years, how about two years? It can't be any shorter, this is Yellow Spring Water, the only one of its kind in the world."
Zhang Zijin paused for a long time before slowly nodding: "Bring the Yellow Spring Water to my courtyard before sunset."
Wang Feiyin happily agreed.
Because of the properties of the Yellow Spring Water, before taking it out of the Spirit Realm, Wang Fei set up a triple formation and took out a stone bottle that he had specially prepared.
Ten stone bottles were arranged in a row, each a different color. Some were predominantly gray, some were predominantly white, some were predominantly flesh-colored, and some were a mixture of various colors, like colorful jade. The surface was polished to a fairly smooth finish, but it was still difficult to hide some fine pores.
Pan Jun picked up a stone bottle, which was a size larger than her palm. She squinted and looked inside. The inside was dry and smooth, with no embedded parts, indicating that it had been dug out of the stone.
"This stone bottle looks kind of familiar?"
“How could I not be familiar with it? The entire Sanqing Mountain is made of stones like this,” Wang Feiyin waved his hand smugly. “It’s all locally sourced. How about it? Isn’t it well-polished? Doesn’t it look just like a jade vase?”
Pan Yun put down the stone bottle, looking puzzled: "Senior brother, the stones on our Sanqing Mountain are granite, right? Why did you dig them up to make a bottle?"
She couldn't imagine why anyone would do something so strenuous.
Wang Feiyin said with a profound expression, "I am practicing more refined control of my elemental energy."
Pan Yun was skeptical.
Miaozhen asked hesitantly, "Isn't it because you're bored?"
Pan Yun suddenly realized what he meant and looked at him with a mixture of envy and resentment.
Wang Feiyin touched his nose, trying to save face: "Time flies in the mountains, what's wrong with me finding some fun for myself?"
When Wang Feiyin was bored while cultivating in the mountains, besides refining elixirs and planting herbs, he made all sorts of daily necessities with his own hands.
He not only dug up a lot of stone bottles, but also fired earthenware pots, dug stone pots and stone spoons, and even made chopsticks from granite.
It's smooth and delicate, even prettier than a bottle, and looks like it's made of jade.
Pan Yun took out a jar of Yellow Spring water from the spiritual realm, and the five members of the sect gathered together, carefully opened the lid, and used a spoon to scoop the water into the stone bottle.
After filling ten bottles, only one-third of the earthenware jar was empty.
Wang Feiyin put away the bottle and the earthenware jar, and said to Pan Jun, "Give me another earthenware jar."
"Oh."
Pan Yun honestly took out a jar of Yellow Spring Water and gave it to him.
Wang Feiyin said, "Be careful. The Yellow Spring Water is not something to be trifled with. We must be extremely careful before using it."
Miaohe asked curiously, "Master Uncle, what is the purpose of the Yellow Spring Water?"
"How would I know?" Wang Feiyin said matter-of-factly. "If I knew, would I have left you with more than half?"
Pan Yun and the other three: ...
Wang Feiyin glanced at the sky outside, patted his bottom and got up: "I'll leave tonight. Remember to sunbathe in the morning and evening these next few days to get rid of the yin energy in your body. Miaohe, prescribe a tonic for your junior uncle. Remember to replenish your vital energy after sunbathing."
Miao He responded.
Pan Yun felt a chill seeping into her very bones. Despite the sweltering summer heat, she had a blanket draped over her shoulders and back. She tried circulating her internal energy, but after several cycles, she couldn't dispel the chill at all. So she asked, "Senior Brother, do you have a technique to dispel the cold?"
“The cultivation method is useless to you. The only useful thing now is the yang energy. Just go out and sunbathe every day, especially your back,” Wang Feiyin said. “Fortunately, it’s July now, the time of year when the yang energy is at its peak. If it were any other time, prolonged exposure to yin energy would cause illness, and you could just wait for your talent to be worn away.”
Wang Feiyin tapped her forehead and scolded, "If you misbehave again, I'll throw you into the Yellow Springs and rinse you down."
Pan Yun grinned and said, "Then it won't be me coming out."
Wang Feiyin snorted coldly and took a bottle of Yellow Spring Water to find Zhang Zijin. Zhang Zijin took the stone bottle, opened it, and glanced at it. The scent of Yellow Spring Water wafted out. He looked up at Wang Feiyin and pointed to the side room, saying, "Move it away."
Wang Feiyin didn't move, but instead smiled and discussed with him: "Senior Zhang, your cultivation is higher than mine, and your knowledge is also higher than mine. I know that the Yellow Spring Water can directly connect the mortal world to the underworld. Apart from that, it is easy to attract evil spirits and disasters. What other use does it have?"
Zhang Zijin twirled the stone bottle in his palm and said, "Who says that the water of the Yellow Springs only brings misfortune and disaster?"
He said, “The Yellow Springs are different depending on their location. Water flowing away from a prosperous location is extremely inauspicious, a murderous Yellow Springs; but water flowing into a prosperous location is extremely auspicious, a life-saving Yellow Springs. In that case, the Yellow Springs water can also be called wealth and nobility water.”
"Is the Water of Wealth and Prosperity the Water of the Underworld?" Wang Feiyin was very surprised. His mind raced, and he immediately thought of various ways to use it.
Zhang Zijin glanced at him and said, "However, there is no clear record in any ancient texts on how to use the Yellow Spring Water or what its effects are. After all, the human body cannot enter the underworld; only the living soul can."
"Of the souls that enter the Yellow Springs, only two or three out of ten can come out. Of these two or three, only two or three out of ten are not mentally impaired. Survival is already difficult enough, let alone bringing them out of the Yellow Springs."
Do living souls have any tools?
Would you dare touch the Yellow Springs water, which could bring bad luck or even clear your mind if you're not careful?
Therefore, Wang Feiyin and Pan Yun are unique.
Zhang Zijin could imagine how many valuable things Wang Feiyin could exchange for this.
For example, his wood and jade.
Zhang Zijin's wooden jade is about 1.5 meters wide and 1.8 meters long. It is entirely green and truly resembles a jade bed. However, it is said that this is an ancient divine tree that sank into the earth's crust and, after thousands of years, it happened to be combined with a jade vein.
Zhang Zijin was discovered by chance.
The Zhang family paid a heavy price to obtain this piece of wood and jade. Later, the Zhang family wanted Zhang Zijin to enter the palace and connect with the fate of the country. To prevent him from being injured and to regulate his spirit, the Zhang family carved the jade into a jade bed. The remaining scraps were hidden in the Zhang family. Over the decades, only a few pieces have been leaked out.
Each time it was released, it was snapped up by cultivators.
Wang Feiyin took the jade bed back to Pan Yun and placed it in the side room where she lived.
She lived in the main house, and next to the main house was a small side room, about ten square meters, which was very small.
But Xiao Ke hid his anger, and Wang Feiyin looked around and felt that this was the best place.
He arranged the jade bed and said to Pan Yun, "From now on, you will cultivate and sleep on this bed."
Pan Yun touched the jade-green bed, swallowed hard, and praised, "Senior Brother, you're amazing!"
Wang Feiyin stroked his beard and said, "What's the big deal? With the Yellow Spring Water in hand, we can exchange it for many things. By the way, we must guard this thing well and not damage it. I borrowed it from Zhang Zijin, and we have to return it in two years."
Wang Feiyin's gaze swept over the four of them, and he warned, "If you get hurt, even selling Sanqing Mountain wouldn't be enough to pay for it. You all better behave yourselves, understand?"
The four nodded repeatedly.
Wang Feiyin then continued, "I have already sent messages to the third and fourth brothers, asking them to come to the capital. When they arrive, you should find a way to give your fourth senior sister a reason to enter the palace and let her lie on the jade bed for forty-nine days."
Upon hearing this, Pan Yun quickly asked, "What's wrong, Fourth Senior Sister?"
“Her old ailment has not healed, which has slowed down her cultivation,” Wang Feiyin said. “Back then, she was seriously injured, and I came to the capital to ask Zhang Zijin for help. However, Zhang Liuzhen was also seriously injured at the time and was sent to the palace for treatment. It can be said that Zhang Liuzhen was able to survive, and this jade bed deserves half the credit.”
Pan Jun's eyes lit up even more as she looked at the jade bed; the emerald green jade made her eyes appear even greener.
Wang Feiyin patted their heads and turned to leave: "It's getting late, I'm leaving."
Pan Yun, wrapped in a blanket, chased after him, saying, "Senior Brother, won't you stay a few more days?"
"If we stay any longer, the climate of Sanqing Mountain will change."
Wang Feiyin went back to be a hostage, and Pan Yun could only stand in the courtyard and wave goodbye to him.
Pan Yun sighed, then turned around and happily jumped onto the jade bed. She also called Miao Zhen and the other two, and the four of them each occupied a corner and sat cross-legged to meditate.
Sure enough, the jade bed was cool to the touch, and that coolness seemed to penetrate the skin and reach the depths of the soul.
It was different from the lingering chill in Pan Jun's bones. It seemed to penetrate directly into her Niwan Palace, making her entire soul tremble. Because of the injury, the sourness deep in her soul was washed away by this coolness, and the sourness gradually disappeared. It was like eating mint, making her feel cool all over, yet clear-headed.
Once Pan Jun sat down, she didn't want to get up.
Miaozhen and the other two were fine; their souls were intact. Although they felt wonderful, they were able to resist the temptation and continued to cultivate when they had time to cultivate and work when they had time to work.
Miaohe and Tao Yanbai resumed their daytime schedule of going out of the palace to act as translators for the Third Prince.
Tao Yanbai's translation for the Third Prince was fine, but Miaohe's translation caused the Third Prince to unknowingly offend many people.
But nobody cared, especially the emperor.
After Pan Yun regained consciousness, the emperor visited the Imperial Observatory every day, showing even more concern for her than for the empress.
Pan Yun was quite frightened.
He also mentioned something else that terrified Pan Jun, such as: "Lord Pan is diligent and loyal to the emperor, and is a rare honest and good official. How about I appoint him as the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies?"
Pan Yun: "Has Liu Sheng offended His Majesty?"
Liu Sheng is the current Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial.
The emperor blushed and quickly said, "Liu Sheng can be sent elsewhere."
Pan Yun said, "Now is the time for all the vassal states to come to the capital. With all nations paying tribute, it is better to act now than to change things once. As far as I know, Liu Sheng has served as the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies for many years and has never made a mistake. When Wang Zhen was in power, he also reminded the late emperor and the court many times to be careful of the Oirats. How can such a person be exempted from blame or demoted?"
Currently, there are no vacancies of equal or higher rank to the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies across the country. If Liu Sheng is not demoted, where can he go?
The emperor lowered his head, then became excited again after a moment, and said, "Didn't the Grand Preceptor once say that the cabinet could have more members? How about I appoint Minister Pan to the position of Hanlin scholar and let him participate in the cabinet discussions?"
Pan Yun couldn't help but take the emperor's hand to feel his pulse: "Your Majesty, am I the one who went to the Yellow Springs, or did you take a trip to the Yellow Springs? I feel like you are more seriously ill than I am."
The emperor chuckled and said, "There is no suitable position for Lord Pan in the court right now. How about I transfer Pan Yue to a position? How about a prefect? Or perhaps he could return to the capital to serve as a vice minister of one of the six ministries?"
Pan Yun: ...
In short, the emperor was startled by Pan Yun's soul leaving his body. He sensed that Pan Yun was about to ascend and leave him, so he was eager to win her over and make her more attached to this mortal world.
Not only did the emperor grant her father and two brothers official positions, but he also inquired whether the Pan family had any women of marriageable age, as he wanted to add women to his harem.
Not only the emperor, but the empress also came personally to probe Pan Yun's intentions, their gazes even sweeping over Miao Zhen and Miao He.
Frightened, Miaozhen followed Miaohe to live outside the palace, ostensibly to help Miaohe assist the Third Prince in integrating into Han Chinese life.
(End of this chapter)