Chapter 963

Pan Yun turned to look at him: “You want to learn?”

Pan Yu nodded vigorously: “Who wouldn’t want to learn voice transmission over a thousand li? There are plenty in the army who want this! Little sister, can you let me cut in line?”

Pan Yun agreed at once: “Fine!”

Learning this isn’t difficult—you just need a radio, and she happened to have one, the original prototype she’d used for testing.

She had improved its generator.

Pan Yu wanted to pick Pan Yun up and spin her three times around the training ground—he was ecstatic, but couldn’t hug her in public, so he ran wild around the field, yelling loudly.

Pan Yue watched him vanish in a blur, then turned and said: “Don’t spoil him too much.”

Pan Yun: “He’s learning skills, not demanding high office and rich rewards outright.”

She turned with a smile: “If you want to learn anything, I’ll teach you too.”

Pan Yue’s gaze flickered: “What if I wanted to cultivate the Dao?”

Pan Yun: “Why not?”

Pan Yue pondered: “You once said our bone structure wasn’t suited for cultivation, that we’d never achieve much—so the rumors are true?”

Pan Yun: “What rumors?”

“Some in the Imperial Academy have been whispering that the new Heavenly Master of the Celestial Master’s Mansion has created a method, simple and easy to learn, even ordinary people can grasp it—and…” Pan Yue glanced at Pan Yun before continuing: “Now, the Daoist trend is growing; many want to enter the Daoist path.”

“But if everyone fled into Buddhism or Daoism and stopped producing, the state would collapse—so I hear the Celestial Master’s Mansion plans to spread this method widely, allowing non-Daoist disciples to practice daily without needing to renounce the world.”

Pan Yue stared at her: “Is this rumor true?”

Pan Yun smiled, didn’t answer, but asked instead: “If there were an external method that let you cultivate, would you still want to renounce the world?”

Pan Yue said: “Even without an external method, I wouldn’t abandon my official career to enter the Daoist path. I can study Daoist learning in my spare time, just like Xue Shao.”

Pan Yun nodded: “That’s it—those with firm will know what they want.”

Pan Yue: “But most people in this world follow the crowd and can’t resist temptation.”

“That’s why the Celestial Master’s Mansion wants to spread this method—those with perseverance can achieve something, those without can still strengthen their bodies,” Pan Yun paused, then added: “Just like Tai Chi—warriors use it to defeat enemies, ordinary people use it to strengthen bones and sinews. There’s no harm in it.”

Pan Yue: “Huh?”

Pan Yun waved at him: “Forget it—just replace Tai Chi with Baduanjin and Wuqinxi.”

At this time, Tai Chi was still only spread narrowly, mostly among martial circles, but Baduanjin and Wuqinxi were known nationwide.

This still owes thanks to the Zhu family ancestors—after suffering under the Yuan, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn’t bear his people’s weakness, so he constantly promoted Wuqinxi among the populace; even villagers knew these exercises.

Once substituted, Pan Yue instantly understood: “So ordinary people practice it like Wuqinxi?”

Pan Yun: “Something like that. We can’t expect people who train three days and skip two to cultivate Qi—probably not even three days on, two days off—more like one day training, two years resting.”

?￠o

After all, in the 26th century, many methods were public, but except for ancestors who worked desperately to survive, by her generation, people simply learned what schools taught, with little pursuit of cultivation.

Many wanted immortality.

But when asked at ages fifteen to twenty, they’d say: “I just want to live to a hundred—that’s old enough.”

Yet in the 26th century, the human average lifespan was one hundred and forty. Cultivation requires both mind and body; self-discipline is the first rule.

But how many people in this world are truly self-disciplined?

Still, they always hoped the people would grow stronger, and stronger still.

So after deliberation, Zhang Liuzhen submitted a memorial to the court, proposing to promote his newly created method.

Oh, after further refinement, his new method was divided into three parts: the first emphasized breathing, slowed cultivation speed, and greatly reduced the risk of qi deviation;

the second combined body movements with enhanced breathing to accelerate cultivation;

the third gave specific energy circulation techniques—the speed of absorbing spiritual energy and transforming essence;

but because of the first two parts as preparation, cultivators could already control themselves, lowering the risk of qi deviation.

The Celestial Master’s Mansion decided to release only the first and second parts for now; those who mastered both and passed the Dao Record Office’s examination could receive the third part from the Dao Record Office.

To ensure this, they also planned to use Daoist magic to embed arrays in every copy of the third part—only those who passed the Dao Record Office’s exam could see the method recorded within.

But this was still under discussion; even if fast, it wouldn’t be announced until year’s end, and with official speed, no one could guarantee anything.

Only…

Pan Yun looked at Pan Yue: “The matter isn’t settled yet—how did your Imperial Academy get wind of it so quickly?”

Pan Yue smiled: “Little sister, look who’s in the Imperial Academy.”

He swept his finger: “Imperial officials’ sons, sons of fifth-rank and above local officials, scholars from every region—even imperial relatives. Within it, if you have ability, you can get any information.”

Pan Yun’s gaze flickered: “What about the Emperor’s news?”

Pan Yue lowered his eyes and whispered: “Even what time the Qinggong Palace lights went out last night can be found out here.”

Pan Yun was speechless for a long while.

Pan Yue lifted his eyelids, smiling at her, voice barely audible: “That’s how I learn everything about you—when you return to the capital, when you leave again—all comes to me from here.”

Pan Yun’s pupils contracted slightly: “You’re spying on me?”

Pan Yue shook his head: “I never probed your movements myself. When you first left the capital, someone came to me asking why you left—I casually answered two sentences. Since then, whenever your movements change, people come to me voluntarily.”

Pan Yun: … Her brother was kind of amazing—he got information without spending a single silver tael.

Pan Yue’s eyes gleamed with cunning as he whispered: “That’s also why I’ve learned so many court secrets.”

No one in the palace dared gossip to her face—her information mostly came from Pan Xiaohei.

Pan Yun’s curiosity burned; she leaned closer and whispered: “What secrets?”

Behind them, Miao Zhen and the other three strained to listen.

Pan Yue lowered his voice even further: “For example, Shi Heng asks every morning: ‘Is the State Tutor still alive?’”

Pan Yun: …

She looked ahead and said: “I see Shi Heng.”