Chapter 75: Learning Makes Me Progress

Sun Xianniang wept, "Before an immortal, who could know this? If it's a thing that ruins fengshui, why do wealthy families, even the imperial court, revere bound feet? Only the outcasts of eastern Zhejiang forbid boys from studying and girls from binding their feet."

Pan Yun opened her mouth but could not speak; due to her low historical and cultural knowledge, she did not know what the outcasts of eastern Zhejiang were, nor who had made such a ridiculous rule, and for a moment could find no better retort, so she could only repeatedly warn with metaphysics: "Binding feet ruins the fengshui of a person and their family."

Although Sun Xianniang had witnessed Pan Yun's supernatural abilities, she still half-believed, half-doubted the judgment on foot-binding: "Perhaps it only ruins my family's fengshui and harms my household, but overall it's still correct. Otherwise, how could wealthy families and the imperial court compete to bind feet?"

Pan Yun shouted inside her mind to Pan Xiaohei: 【Find me all the historical books stored in the Spirit Realm! Especially those about foot-binding—I need to study!】

To refute her, you must know more broadly and understand the essence of things better than she does.

How could a cultivator with knowledge, culture, and achievement lose to an ordinary person on something as obviously wrong as foot-binding, something even a toe could tell you was wrong?

She needed to know how foot-binding originated, how these beliefs had been stuffed into ordinary people's minds, and she would rip them out along the same path they came in!

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He also fell silent, frowning: "Foot-binding first harms the body. Even if it doesn't ruin fengshui, shouldn't one avoid inflicting suffering on oneself?"

Sun Xianniang: "Only by enduring the harshest bitterness can one become superior. Today's suffering brings future happiness."

Seeing Miao Zhen: "The future is uncertain. Why wait to enjoy happiness only when it arrives? How can you be sure future happiness will come at all?"

Sun Xianniang frowned, her face resolute: "That's precisely why we must endure more hardship now. My daughter meets all their requirements—how could she not enjoy happiness? Immortals themselves had to study hard to attain their current abilities, didn't they? Isn't today's hardship precisely for tomorrow's happiness?"

"No," the three girls said in unison.

Seeing Miao Zhen looked at Pan Yun, then said seriously: "I cultivate to be human, to seek truth—what does it mean to be human?"

Sun Xianniang opened her mouth wide. She had once studied characters with her father, knew basic characters, and had always been proud of it—at least she was better than many ladies she knew.

But now, she realized she could not understand what an eight-year-old child was saying.

Miao He: "I learn skills to survive, to repay my master, to repay the Three Pure Ones Temple, and to repay the villagers below the mountain."

Sun Xianniang's eyes lit up, nodding eagerly: "Yes, yes! Just like my child—studying and binding feet are both to repay parents and family, to live better."

Miao He looked bewildered: "But why must a child repay parents and family by mutilating themselves? If a person is crippled, how can they live better? My master never harmed me—only when I ate too much and still wanted more did he reluctantly stop me. But that was following nature; I was the one who violated nature."

Sun Xianniang spoke dryly: "I do this so my daughter will have a better marriage. Immortals may transcend worldly concerns and need not worry about this, but ordinary people cannot—especially women. Marriage is like a second rebirth: the first is fate, unchosen; the second can be chosen, so one must strive."

Pan Yun understood her: "Ultimately, it's about prospects. A girl's only prospect is marriage—too narrow. We should develop career paths instead. She could earn her own money, secure wealth and honor herself, stand on equal footing with men, no longer bound by men's aesthetics—she could bind her feet if she wished, or not, and choose her own lover and marriage."

"This isn't an ordinary person's problem—it's a national and policy-level issue. To resolve its root…"

"Little disciple!" Master Xuanmiao cut her off coldly: "Miao Zhen and Miao He have said why they cultivate. What about you?"

Pan Yun paused, swallowed the words on her tongue, thought carefully, then said: "I lack the aspirations and character of my two junior disciples. Long ago, I cultivated for humanity. Later, only for myself. Now, I cultivate for myself and my family."

Master Xuanmiao: … Wasn't cultivating for all humanity enough aspiration?

Compared to them, Miao Zhen cultivated for herself, Miao He—though seemingly unrelated to the Dao—had incorporated everyone she knew into her own Dao; Pan Yun was stronger, directly cultivating for all humanity.

Pan Yun saw Master Xuanmiao's expression and thought she didn't believe her, so emphasized: "Truly, I'm not lying. Long ago, I studied precisely for the rise of all humanity."

Long before my past life.

I was raised in an orphanage, nurtured and educated by the state. From childhood, my ambition was to study for humanity's rise; everyone's goal was to purify the world, so ordinary humans could live safely on Earth.

Until the explosion occurred, my ambition never changed.

After reincarnating, when I came to this relatively safe Great Ming, where demons and monsters vanished, I shifted to cultivating for myself.

Master Xuanmiao: "Your aspiration is good. You may continue it now."

She turned to Sun Xianniang: "Foot-binding originated in the Southern Song imperial court—first popular in the palace, becoming court fashion, then spreading to the common people. Later, officials encouraged it, and it became widespread. Initially, it only involved wrapping feet with cloth to restrict growth; later, compressing the sole to fit into tiny shoes; now, it's the 'golden lotus' of three inches—breaking bones, cutting flesh, all to form tiny feet. Clearly, foot-binding is deliberate human action. Since it is deliberate, it can be changed. The question is: in the hearts of Master Sun and all these parents, is their daughter's life more important, or this illusory prospect of marriage?"

Master Xuanmiao had no patience for Pan Yun's tact; she ripped off their veil: "Master Sun, your daughter is only six. She does not understand marriage prospects—those desires are yours. She is paying with her life for your desires."

Master Xuanmiao had none of Pan Yun's tact; she ripped away their pretense outright: "Master Sun, your daughter is only six years old—she doesn't understand marriage or destiny. It is you who harbor these desires, and she is paying for them with her life."

Master Xuanmiao no longer paid her any attention, but ordered Pan Yun and the others: "Hurry and sleep. Tomorrow we rise early to send off the spirit."

The three immediately climbed onto their mats and lay down. Pan Yun had a hundred things to say, but suddenly dared not provoke Master Xuanmiao.

Master Xuanmiao lay down with them, giving the bed to Sun Xianniang, her daughter, and the nurse.

Pan Yun closed her eyes, but her mind was active—the Spirit Realm had already obeyed her command and searched out all historical records on foot-binding.

Pan Yun quietly read them inside her dantian. After finishing the history of foot-binding, she couldn't help returning to examine every historical record from its beginning to its peak.

【It's my fault. I used to focus only on cultivation, skimming human history and Chinese history. Now times have changed—my old knowledge no longer applies. We must study. Starting tomorrow—no, starting today—we add a history lesson: two hours every night. Remember to remind me. We'll begin with Great Ming history.】

Pan Xiaohei: 【It's a parallel world, not the same historical line—just similar people and events. If you treat this as the real history of this world, won't you make a fool of yourself?】

【Since this is a parallel world, there must be differences.】

Since this world is a parallel world, there must be differences.

Pan Yun: 【What are you thinking? Do you believe what's written in history books is the exact truth of your past life? In a murder case, even eyewitnesses don't know the full truth. Time must pass, then new discoveries emerge.】

【History is like a murder case—always fresh. It may need years of new evidence or discoveries before the real truth emerges, before the fog is lifted, before the veil is peeled back, before the final verdict can be reached.】

【Before sufficient evidence exists, what we call history is merely what most people believe.】

Pan Xiaohei: 【Do you think someone like Sun Xianniang has this understanding? Can she grasp your view of history and the world? She'll only believe the history this world has stuffed into her mind. And people like her make up the majority of this world.】

Pan Yun: 【Hmph.】 Then said: 【If others can shove things into their minds, why can't I? What am I worse than them?】

Pan Yun spoke casually, and Pan Xiaohei instantly understood: if history is a murder case, and this world can plant a truth in ordinary minds, why can't she plant another truth?

Before sufficient evidence reaches a verdict, it's a matter of who speaks better, who finds more evidence, who can persuade with reason.

Of course, Pan Yun wouldn't just reason—she'd also perform miracles.

Before dawn, she opened her eyes, rose, walked to the bed, and reached out to touch Zhou Meiniang.

Indeed, the child's forehead was slightly warm—whether from the bent bones and flesh in her feet, or from the shock of the past few days of mourning, she had developed a fever.

The nurse slept lightly; she jolted awake, eyes still closed, reaching out instinctively, finding Zhou Meiniang, then fumbling her hand, her face, and when her fingers touched the child's neck under the covers, her eyes snapped open.

She saw Pan Yun standing by the bed and screamed, "Ah!" Then, recognizing Pan Yun, she said nothing, immediately turned to hug the child, felt her forehead, then her neck, panicked: "Madam, Madam, the child is burning up!"

She suddenly spotted Pan Yun standing by the bed and screamed "Ah!"—but when she recognized Pan Yun, she said nothing, immediately turned to hug the child, felt her forehead, then her neck, growing frantic: "Mistress, Mistress, the child seems to be burning up."

Pan Yun then said: "My master appeared to me in a dream—he said the little virtuous one's calamity has begun."

Sun Xianniang's face turned ashen: "Little immortal, please save my daughter!"

Pan Yun turned to look at Master Xuanmiao, who had already sat up.

Pan Yun turned back to look at Xuanmiao, who had already sat up.

Master Xuanmiao: ……Isn't there such a thing as dream messaging? Then speak up—how are you going to save them?

She resignedly rose to take the child's pulse and insert the needles…

Today's lucky number is any number ending in 3, screenshot as proof.

(End of Chapter)