Chapter 190: Failure Two

Pan Yun helped the two of them finish washing all the clothes, then squatted down, staring blankly.

Although she had found a shortcut—using Qi to wash clothes while still cultivating—she still wanted to build a washing machine.

Seeing Miao Zhen and Seeing Miao He picked up the washed clothes, noticed Pan Yun lost in thought, and slid both arms through the wooden tubs, one arm holding two tubs each: "Let's go, we'll hang the clothes first."

Pan Yun's mind was fully absorbed in the washing machine, but her instincts made her follow Seeing Miao Zhen and Seeing Miao He; so when they called, she mechanically stood up and followed.

Back at the Laundry Bureau, Seeing Miao Zhen and Seeing Miao He set down the tubs and began hanging the clothes.

As they shook out the clothes, rustling sand and pebbles fell from them.

Seeing Miao Zhen and Seeing Miao He silently lowered their heads.

Pan Yun was startled by the noise, looked down at the sand on the ground.

Seeing Miao Zhen swallowed hard: "Is it still possible to wash them again?"

Pan Yun looked up at the sun's position and shook her head: "Definitely too late. Look, the original stains are gone—just some pebbles. Shake them once and they'll fall off."

Seeing Miao Zhen spread out the clothes, shook them vigorously, then examined closely: the embedded pebbles weren't small at all, and even the sand clinging to them would dry and be knocked loose with a few taps.

So she hung them up with one eye closed.

Pan Yun hurried to help; the three of them kept shaking, shaking out countless grains of river sand.

Because they hung the clothes inside-out, the next inspector, Zhang Guanshi, never noticed anything wrong.

By the time she found out the next day, it was impossible to prove the clothes hadn't been washed clean.

Pan Yun refused to admit fault, insisting: "We hung them up clean. Yesterday's wind was strong—maybe the sand blew in afterward."

Zhang Guanshi stared coldly at them: "Fine. Today I'll see whether it's your failure to wash them clean, or whether the sand blew on afterward."

Pan Yun temporarily dared not use the washing machine, reverting to Qi-washing—faster and cleaner.

But after washing, she piled the clothes on clean stones, and the three of them silently shook them out again, then rinsed them once more in water before lifting them out.

She had no good solution for the vortex pulling in silt.

After a night's thought, Pan Yun still wanted to use a wooden tub for the washing machine—cheap, and easy to make.

Though in later eras wood was expensive and iron and alloys were cheap, given current craftsmanship, wooden tubs were indeed relatively inexpensive.

But how could she make this wooden tub strong enough?

Pan Yun studied the tub for a long time, then ran to find Yuan Daochang, the palace's master carpenter, and begged him to rebuild a large wooden tub: "Make it unbreakable. Even if you hit it, it won't crack."

Yuan Daochang: "That's not a wooden tub—that's a magical artifact."

Pan Yun asked: "Can you make it?"

"I can't. Even if I were making a magical artifact, I wouldn't make a wooden tub. What's the point?"

"Then just help me make a wooden tub—unbreakable, weatherproof."

Yuan Daochang gave her a silent look, then agreed: "Come back in ten days."

Pan Yun pulled out a string of coins and handed them to him. Yuan Daochang glanced at them: "Come back in five days."

Pan Yun pulled out a Lei Fu.

Yuan Daochang examined the Lei Fu carefully: "Come back in three days."

Seeing Pan Yun still rummaging in her sleeve, Yuan Daochang feared his willpower might fail—he grabbed her hand: "Enough. Don't give me more. I can't shorten the time further. You want unbreakable? Then I need to select materials, plane, sand, then soak it in water for a full day and night. No less time, no way to finish."

Pan Yun: "I know. I was just tucking my purse deeper into my sleeve so it won't fall out. My remaining funds are limited."

Yuan Daochang withdrew his hand. As Pan Yun turned to leave, he hurriedly asked: "You haven't told me what you need this unbreakable wooden tub for. Aren't you currently punished to the Laundry Bureau to calm your mind? Is this tub just for storing clothes?"

Pan Yun: "Something like that."

"You spent a Lei Fu and all this money just to make a tub for storing clothes?" Yuan Daochang sighed sincerely: "You really are rich."

Pan Yun: "It's all worth it. Sharpening the axe doesn't delay chopping wood."

Three days later, she received a massive wooden tub—big enough to hold three of her.

It was called a wooden tub, but more like a wooden cistern.

The tub was enormous, extremely heavy, and extremely thick.

Pan Yun was satisfied. With her own strength, she couldn't even lift it—finally, she coated her palms with Qi and heaved it up.

Pan Yun carried the tub straight to the stream, dug a shallow pit beside it, and fixed the tub inside.

Then she wiped the tub clean and began painting arrays on it. This time, she added reinforcing arrays—buffing the tub. She refused to believe it would still shatter.

Seeing Miao Zhen and Seeing Miao He came by briefly, saw their junior master so absorbed, didn't disturb her, and left. Only Pan Xiaohei waited quietly beside her.

Pan Yun didn't stop until the moon hung high. As she finished the final stroke of the array, the two arrays flared once, clinging tightly to the tub's surface. Only then did she realize it was already dark. She exclaimed in surprise: "I'm this skilled now? I can paint arrays in total darkness."

Pan Xiaohei couldn't understand her: "You already have a better way to wash clothes than studying a washing machine. Why go through all this pointless trouble?"

Pan Yun: "Don't underestimate a researcher's curiosity."

Pan Xiaohei: "I never knew you had something like that."

"If not for state restrictions—and you belong to the state—countless people in my past life would've wanted to take you apart for study. Including me."

But Pan Yun chose reason over crime. After all, she was already a famous prodigy of the National Academy, skilled in arrays and talismans—so research in the Spirit Realm would inevitably need her.

Even if she couldn't be lead researcher, just assisting would make her happy.

Pan Yun looked at Pan Xiaohei with a half-smile.

Pan Xiaohei's spine chilled, fear rising: "W-what are you looking at me like that for? Y-you're not planning to take me apart this life, are you?"

Pan Yun: "Am I that kind of person?"

!.

She said: "We're companions. Allies. How could I ever do that to you? I just want you to know—I'm a qualified researcher. If you discover anything about your own body, tell me. Talk to me. You might not know something, might not think of it—but I might."

Pan Xiaohei: "Thanks."

Pan Yun grinned: "No need to thank me."

While painting the power talisman, Pan Yun instinctively reduced the energy output and speed. From the last experiment, she knew the tub shattered not just because it was weak, but because the power was too great, the force too intense—she'd overdone it.

Pan Yun bit her brush and pondered for a moment, then drew two more power runes.

Then she clapped once on each side, slapping them onto the barrel's surface.

Pan Yun clapped her hands and said, "Finished! We can test it tomorrow."

Pan Xiaohei expressed doubt: "It's not that I don't believe you—I just don't think you could succeed so quickly. Why not look at the books and data they've transmitted to me? Maybe you could figure it out from those."

Pan Yun asked, "Do you really think I could build a motor using only those materials?"

Pan Xiaohei: "Why not? Don't you know how much data they uploaded to me while I was asleep? It even explained exactly how to forge a single screw, terrified that after the apocalypse and humanity's great exodus, future humans wouldn't know how to screw in a bolt."

Pan Yun: "Then tell me—where does my power rune fall short compared to their motor? Why can't my power rune function as a motor? Who says a washing machine must have a motor? Why can't it use runes?"

Pan Xiaohei said bluntly: "Sorry, I was wrong. I was narrow-minded."

Pan Yun snorted, waving her hand: "Forget it. I forgive you. After all, you're just a cat. What wisdom or foresight could I possibly expect from you?"

Pan Xiaohei: …

Pan Yun dropped the barrel, lifted her chin, and walked toward Phoenix Perch Courtyard.

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He were just coming out with lanterns to look for her; they met her and returned home together.

Because the first washing machine experiment had gone awry, Pan Yun didn't tell Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He in advance this time, so they wouldn't waste an entire night in excitement.

Though she was confident the experiment wouldn't fail again, what if it did?

The next day, Pan Yun dumped both buckets of dirty clothes into the large wooden barrel, then chanted a hand seal and used the Water-Guiding Spell to draw water directly from the stream into the barrel.

Seeing Miao Zhen activated the power runes as instructed, and the large barrel began to move.

At first it spun clockwise, then reversed to counterclockwise; once the water level was sufficient, Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He crept cautiously to the barrel's edge, tiptoeing to peer inside.

Seeing it spin in orderly fashion, Pan Yun cheered: "Success!"

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He also cheered: "Wonderful! Now we'll never fear being punished to the Laundry Bureau again. Little Master, can we leave it here to wash at noon tomorrow, and go fight with those senior brothers and sisters instead?"

Pan Yun nodded: "But someone must stay behind to take out the clothes, put in new ones, and add pig pancreas."

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He exchanged glances and said: "Let's settle it with rock-paper-scissors."

"Fine!"

The three immediately played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would stay behind tomorrow.

With the washing machine now available, the three grew lazy—they left the remaining clothes unwashed, waiting to take out the cleaned ones and start the next bucket.

The barrel replaced their labor, but when it finally stopped, Pan Yun noticed another problem: "I designed an outlet, but the array lacks compression capability—this won't work. This array needs revision."

Seeing Miao Zhen found another flaw: "Every time you activate the power rune, you have to chant a hand seal—doesn't that mean only cultivators can use it?"

Miao He: "Little Master can use the Water-Guiding Spell, so drawing water is easy—but ordinary people can only carry water bucket by bucket, and must watch constantly to add water at the right time."

Pan Yun noted them all down, then waved confidently: "These are minor issues! I'll think them through when I get back."

When the three pulled out the washed clothes, they were tangled together, and many stains on the hems, knees, and sleeves remained uncleansed.

Not even Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He could accept it—let alone Pan Yun herself.

(End of Chapter)