Chapter 40: Brother, I

He casually pulled over a cushion and sat down, gesturing for Pan Yun to sit as well.

In the morning mist, he told her what they cultivated: "Primordial Qi exists in heaven and earth, and within the human body as well. Cultivating the Dao, cultivating the body, cultivating the spirit—besides drawing upon the Primordial Qi of heaven and earth and the essence derived from food, one must also refine the Primordial Qi within one's own body."

Each cultivation method refines Qi differently, but the Kunyuan Technique demands particular strictness: in its latter half, the Primordial Qi absorbed from heaven and earth must be fused with the body's internal Primordial Qi, circulate through the Microcosmic Orbit, and then be stored in the Upper Dantian, fully transformed into your Upper Dantian's Qi—this Qi, mixed with your own refined Primordial Qi, grants you greater control over it.

Then, guide this Upper Dantian Qi to flow throughout the body, completing the Microcosmic Orbit; this not only strengthens the meridians but also enhances the internal organs.

Wang Feiyin sighed: "This technique trains both internal meridians and external flesh—when you reach Great Success, your body will be like a wall of bronze and iron, internally and externally unified; to kill you would require tremendous effort. Cough, cough—of course, we cultivators are kind-hearted and generally don't engage in such unlawful, disorderly acts."

Pan Yun pondered, committing every word to memory.

Seeing her listen intently, Wang Feiyin smiled slightly and elaborated further: "But your current technique fails to combine internal and external Primordial Qi, and the latter half of its pathway has been altered, causing much of the Qi you absorb to disperse before reaching your Upper Dantian.

Some of this Qi disperses into your limbs and bones, some leaks outward; though the Qi that lingers in your limbs and bones can somewhat nourish and strengthen your physique, it falls far short of the orderly nourishment and conditioning provided by your refined Qi."

Pan Yun understood: her current technique's greatest flaws were low efficiency and insufficient internal cultivation.

Wang Feiyin looked at her and said: "I see you've made some progress, but your frame is weak, your five viscera and six bowels all frail—even weaker than an ordinary person's. This is mostly due to your technique. So, switch as soon as possible—first strengthen your body before advancing further."

Pan Yun wanted to defend this technique, her gaze flicking toward the black cat crouching nearby, mentally snorting.

If not for the Realm Spirit, even the leaked spiritual Qi alone would have strengthened her body, let alone how much better her body would become after achieving cultivation success.

Pan Yun said nothing, merely accepted the half-scroll and bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Daoist, Pan Yun will practice diligently and correct this technique."

Wang Feiyin stroked his beard, smiling: "Good, good. Come ask me if you have questions—this technique is harder to master than others, and more forceful; I could already tell from yesterday's Qi intake."

Pan Yun's opening posture was correct—this part attracts and absorbs Qi—but after entering the body, only a small fraction followed the proper meridian pathway; the latter half of the technique had veered off course.

The more Wang Feiyin thought about it, the stranger it seemed: "Could this child of yours have been targeted by some unscrupulous heretic? Knowing your talent, they used you to test a new technique?"

Otherwise, who would be so cruel as to deliberately alter the latter half?

Pan Yun opened her mouth but said nothing, suspecting that too many ancient texts from her past life had been lost—perhaps only a few moves remained, and predecessors had tried to reconstruct the latter half. Though imperfect, at least people could practice it.

Sigh, thinking of those predecessors from her past life, they were pitiful—waging wars, coping with sudden environmental changes, and confronting newly appearing demons and monsters; managing to reconstruct half this technique was already remarkable.

"Forget your old teacher—I'll find you a new master," Wang Feiyin enthusiastically offered: "I have a second junior brother, kind-hearted, gentle, and profoundly learned. Shall I take you on as his junior disciple on his behalf?"

Pan Yun immediately straightened, composed her expression, and said solemnly: "Brother, I dreamed last night—I saw the Mountain God Pan Gong, and he wished to take me as his direct disciple."

Wang Feiyin stared blankly: "What?"

"It's true—I not only saw the Mountain God Pan Gong, I also saw the Lord of Spiritual Treasures. He wanted to take me as his disciple too, but said his true form couldn't remain long in the mortal realm, so he entrusted me to Pan Gong, allowing Pan Gong to take me as his direct disciple."

Wang Feiyin: …

He opened his mouth several times, unsure what to say, then closed it again.

Pan Yun gazed at him expectantly and called: "Brother?"

Wang Feiyin weakly waved his hand: "No, don't call me brother—let me think."

After a moment, he spoke earnestly: "You're so young—you're the same generation as Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He. Wouldn't it be better to grow up together? You have so many senior disciples to care for you."

Pan Yun's face remained solemn: "Brother, I'm already eight. Because I've been frail since childhood, I'm especially considerate. I have three siblings, and we're all deeply affectionate—older brother, younger sister. I'll take good care of Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He, your junior disciples. I've grown up—I don't need your special care. And I'll treat you and the senior disciples just as I treat my brothers at home: with brotherly love and sisterly respect."

Pan Yun nodded earnestly at Wang Feiyin: "I'm very considerate, Brother—I really am!"

The request you just made is not considerate at all.

Seeing he was reluctant, Pan Yun asked: "Brother, don't you believe I dreamed of Pan Gong?"

Wang Feiyin smiled but said nothing.

Pan Yun sighed: "I know it sounds strange, but it's true—the Lord of Spiritual Treasures liked me so much he granted me a divine skill as proof for me and my master."

Good heavens—in one breath, she'd turned Pan Gong into her master?

Seeing her hopeful gaze, Wang Feiyin relented and asked: "What divine skill did the Lord of Spiritual Treasures give you?"

Pan Yun immediately replied: "Speech of All Things!"

"What?"

"It lets me communicate with all things—any sentient being, whether animal or plant, I can commune with. The Lord of Spiritual Treasures named this skill 'Speech of All Things.'"

Wang Feiyin was certain the Lord of Spiritual Treasures had no such skill—even if he could commune with all things, it wouldn't be called that.

The name was probably her own invention.

But even if it wasn't granted by the Lord of Spiritual Treasures, that didn't mean the skill didn't exist—so…

Wang Feiyin stood up, half-skeptical: "Let's test your skill."

Pan Yun rose instantly: "How? Brother, can I use my cat? I'll make it meow, then tell you what it's saying." Wang Feiyin nodded: "Fine, try."

Pan Yun tapped the black cat with her toe, urging it to rise from the ground: "Say hello to Brother."

"Meow—you fool, he doesn't believe you."

Pan Yun's smile didn't waver as she translated for Wang Feiyin: "It says it loves Mount Sanqing and wants to stay here to cultivate. It especially loves Brother, who radiates harmony."

Wang Feiyin: "Just a few 'meows,' and you translated all that?"

Pan Yun nodded: "Isn't that right? It talks a lot—sometimes I find it annoying."

Wang Feiyin decided not to follow her rhythm: "Let's find other animals."

But Mount Sanqing's temple didn't even keep a chicken—they couldn't find any animals. Wang Feiyin led her toward the summit, where the terrain was flatter, trees denser, and the ground covered in soft, decomposed leaves.

As they walked, Wang Feiyin said: "Mount Sanqing is mostly granite—every inch is hard rock. Trees grow between the stones, and over time, fallen leaves accumulate, forming soil. After millennia, the entire mountain is lush green."

"There are more plants here, so birds and beasts often come to forage."

Wang Feiyin, familiar with the path, led her upward. In the grass, a pheasant startled and flapped its wings to flee—he caught it in one hand.

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The pheasant squawked: "Gaa-gaa, Gugu!"

Wang Feiyin looked at Pan Yun with quiet anticipation.

Pan Yun: "... It's calling for its mother: Mother, mother, help, help."

Wang Feiyin fell silent. He couldn't say she was wrong, so he released it.

The pheasant squawked "Gugu, gugu" as it flapped its wings, stumbling away.

Pan Yun: "It's cursing your senior brother."

"This doesn't need to be translated."

Pan Yun changed the subject. "Senior brother, shall we try another animal?"

"No need." Wang Feiyin had also realized—whether she could commune with all living things, he didn't know, because he couldn't.

At most, he could tell her spiritual consciousness had attached to the black cat last night to eavesdrop.

But that was a human soul, so he could detect it; animals' souls, he wasn't familiar with.

So how could he be sure her translations were true?

The two stared at each other, Wang Feiyin asked, "Do you really want to be Master Pan Gong's disciple?"

Pan Yun nodded eagerly. "Mainly because I want to be your junior sister."

"If you become Yin Song's disciple, I'll be your senior uncle—I'll still raise and teach you."

Pan Yun shook her head, gazing at Wang Feiyin with starry eyes. "Senior brother, Master really accepted me as a disciple. If you don't believe me, ask him in your dreams tonight."

What's a junior disciple compared to a junior sister? There's a whole layer between them!

Wang Feiyin: "Fine. Then I'll take over for Master and accept you as Master's fifth disciple."

Pan Yun happily replied, "Senior brother!"

Wang Feiyin rubbed his temples and led her back.

Smoke curled from the kitchen, steam rising. As they entered the courtyard, the boy who had followed Tao Ji already set out the long table, arms full of bowls and chopsticks. Seeing them, he greeted warmly, "Senior Uncle, Little Junior Sister, breakfast is ready."

The boy set down the bowls and chopsticks, clasped his fists, and said, "Junior Sister, I am Tao Yanbai, your third senior brother."

Wang Feiyin said, "Don't call her that—she's your junior aunt."

"Huh?" The boy stared blankly.

Tao Ji, inside the kitchen, heard this. He rushed out holding a wooden spoon, eyes blazing in outrage. "What? What did you just say, Senior Brother?"

Master Xuanmiao and the others also walked over from various places.

Wang Feiyin said, "You've come just in time—everyone's here. Let me formally introduce you: this is my fifth disciple, taken on behalf of Master—your junior aunt, Pan Yun."

"Third, Fourth, this is your junior sister. She's young—take good care of her from now on."

Tao Ji trembled his lips. "Senior Brother, I know she's talented, but… do you really need to take her as your junior sister? You could just take her as your disciple!"

Wang Feiyin: "I'm not suited to be a teacher."

The lucky number is any number ending in 0, screenshot as proof.

(End of Chapter)