The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 261 - 229. When I see you, it’s like a mayfly seeing the blue sky.

"Sound waves? Light waves?"

In the room, the priests, who were listening intently, fell into a brief bewilderment.

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One of the priests asked with confusion, "Lord mentioned water waves, which we all understand, but does sound also have waves?"

Zhao Douan smiled slightly and decisively said,

"Of course it does. In fact, sound waves are the same as water waves."

He then picked up the stylus in his hand and tapped it on a nearby bookshelf, making a "bang" sound:

"You see, how does sound appear? It is when the pen and the bookshelf collide, causing vibration, thus producing sound. And when you throw a stone into a pond, doesn’t the surface of the water also vibrate and make a sound?"

In a world severely lacking such concepts,

Zhao Douan had to forsake precision in favor of simplicity and understandability.

Indeed, as soon as he spoke, the priests inside and outside the room suddenly realized and felt it made perfect sense.

Gongshu Tianyuan nodded heavily, seriously saying,

"What Lord says makes sense, just like if there is dust on the surface of a drum, when we strike the drum hard, the dust on the drum skin will also vibrate like water waves."

He paused, then frowned:

"However, does sound need a medium to travel from one place to another?"

"Hehe, Brother Gongshu has keen observation and makes a vivid analogy," Zhao Douan first praised, then continued:

"Of course it needs one. Well, let me give you an example. Last time I led officials and soldiers to capture a wanted magician.

Ah, Priest Jin Jian was also there. The opponent believed in the Wind God and during the fight, he actually pulled away the air around me, making me suffocate.

At that moment, I called to Priest Jin Jian for help, but discovered we could not hear each other’s voices."

Outside the room.

A priest excitedly chimed in:

"Exactly, there indeed exists such magic; I have encountered it, unable to utter a sound. But I do not know why."

"In that case, could it be that the ’medium’ required for the transmission of sound is air? If the air is drawn away, sound cannot be transmitted."

The people discussed heatedly, most of the priests here were not Heirs of the Master.

But that did not prevent them from enjoying the lively discussion and participating.

Zhao Douan smiled and nodded:

"What you all have said is correct. Similarly, water waves exist because the water itself is the medium for those waves."

But the stout young man, Gongshu Tianyuan, frowned:

"Lord speaks truly, but what about light waves? Even when the air is drawn away, we can still see each other clearly, indicating that light does not depend on air to spread. So what does it depend on?"

Oh no… I seem to have spoken off the cuff. Does the propagation of light need a medium? It seems not to need any…

Well, unless I bring up the concept of "ether"... Sigh, I haven’t used this knowledge in so many years, I returned it to my teacher after I started working...

Zhao Douan choked up, realizing he might have misspoken.

However, Mr. Zhao is well-experienced and, although he felt unsure inside, his face remained calm.

He even showed an approving expression, sighing:

"Brother Gongshu truly is a disciple of the Heavenly Master, asking such a crucial question!"

Gongshu Tianyuan couldn’t help puffing up his chest, feeling honored.

Zhao Douan cleared his throat and seriously said,

"To clarify this, we must first understand what light is, what light waves are. In my view, everything in the world is composed of fundamental particles, just like a stone, when crushed, turns out to be particles of dust...

The same goes for water, and light as well… because it is composed of particles.

And these particles, disturbed by external forces at every moment, just like dust moved by the wind, affect and connect with each other, thus forming light waves..."

While saying this, Zhao Douan felt a bit guilty.

Because according to the concept of wave-particle duality he remembered, light is both a particle and a kind of probability wave...

But this stuff is too abstract, involving the concept of "fields"… He was not specialized in this area, and only had a superficial understanding.

So he hesitated, then decided to explain in an easier way...

After all, speaking too abstractly, these people wouldn’t understand anyway.

And it’s too advanced; there’s no need for that.

Inside a small courtyard.

Xu Zhenguan looked at the water screen with an odd expression as Zhao Douan spoke eloquently.

He couldn’t help but turn his head to the Old Heavenly Master:

"Is everything in the world really made up of ’dust’?"

Zhang Yan Yi silently paused, neither agreeing nor disagreeing,

Only vaguely responding:

"Hehe, how can mortals fathom the mysteries of the universe? However, what this man says is not without merit as a fascinating hypothesis."

The Old Heavenly Master appeared calm, but was equally confused.

According to Daoist doctrines, the world is made up of yin and yang, the five elements... but Zhao Douan went further, breaking down qi and the five elements into particles...

If someone else had said this, Zhang Yan Yi would have dismissed it with a laugh.

After all, the world never lacks madmen.

But the speaker was Zhao Douan, who could readily articulate extremely insightful views... the Old Heavenly Master was somewhat uncertain.

"Let’s see how he continues," said Zhang Yan Yi.

Xu Zhenguan nodded, his gaze returning to the water screen.

...

Inside the room.

Zhao Douan cleared his throat and smiled, saying:

"After discussing what light looks like, we move on to how light travels through the medium. Unfortunately, I cannot provide an answer to this question; I am still exploring it."

Upon hearing this, many priests stirred and discussed animatedly.

However, Gongshu Tianyuan’s eyes, small as mung beans, shone even brighter.

He sternly reprimanded the chatter and seriously said:

"We, who cultivate, also face countless mysteries unknown, how could there be a logic to know everything? Lord, in this manner, truly embodies the demeanor of someone seeking Dao!"

The group of priests immediately felt ashamed, their respect for Zhao Douan growing even stronger.

Gongshu Tianyuan’s chubby face was filled with excitement as he said,

"Lord, please ignore them and continue speaking! Quickly, speak!"

He realized that what was coming next was the principle of refraction that had troubled him for days.

Zhao Douan smiled and nodded, saying,

"Having clarified the above, we should know that the everywhere-present space filled with air and the suffocating underwater are two different mediums. How many of you have gone fishing by the river?"

Fishing?

Several priests immediately spoke up, sharing their experiences.

Zhao Douan stood with his hands clasped behind his back and said,

"Experienced fishermen will know that when we stand in the stream and strike at the swimming fish with a sharpened stick, we can’t aim directly at them; we have to aim slightly lower. Why do you think that is?"

"This..."

The priests looked at each other, and one of them, his eyes lighting up, said,

"Could it be because the mediums are different, and the reflection of light shifts the image?"

"Exactly!" Zhao Douan praised, "That’s the principle."

Using diagrams on a small whiteboard, he explained a series of concepts, then said,

"This principle is actually not unfamiliar to you. When you are tired and yawning at night, do tears come to your eyes? What happens then?"

Suddenly, Gongshu Tianyuan slammed the table, stood up excitedly, and said,

"Clear! Looking at distant objects becomes clearer! I understand! Tears covering the eyes, just like light entering the stream, the images I see are like the fish in the water..."

At that moment, the excitement was evident in the demeanor of Heir of the Master.

His brain was working at high speed.

He felt as though the problem that had troubled him for three days and three nights suddenly became clear, and he murmured,

"So, grinding mirrors with crystals is like placing a special kind of water in front of the human eye... adjusting the light beams through calculation..."

"Wait, then why is it so with human eyes? Could it be that the human eye is also like a pool of water, and just as legs and feet become deformed when injured, the eyes can also become deformed... leading to unclear vision..."

"Ha-ha, I understand! I understand!"

At that moment, Gongshu Tianyuan kept muttering to himself.

Several days and nights without sleep and the intense exertion on his brain cells had already made him emotionally unstable and somewhat delirious.

This breakthrough had him nearly dancing on the spot.

It made the other priests glance sideways at him.

"Senior Brother Gongshu is crazy again, just like a few years ago..."

"What exactly has Brother understood? Why don’t I get it?"

"How did Zhao Douan learn this? A few words from him, and Senior Brother reacts like this..."

The crowd was abuzz with discussions.

Zhao Douan was also taken aback, as this chubby man’s comprehension was astonishing.

After all, he had mostly forgotten these pieces of knowledge, barely remembering the basics about lenses.

Thus, what he mostly explained were conceptual things.

And he himself wasn’t sure if he was explaining them correctly.

Yet true geniuses don’t need detailed instruction.

They just need a direction, a spark of inspiration, and they will fill in everything themselves.

Gongshu Tianyuan, the Heir of the Master, was of course a remarkable genius.

Only hampered by the severe suppression of science in these times.

At this moment, Zhao Douan’s simple conceptual words seemed like dense fog to the other priests, bewildering.

But for Gongshu Tianyuan, it was like an axe, cleaving through the thick fogs in front of his eyes.

Just like a mayfly seeing the vast sky.

"Brother Zhao!"

Gongshu Tianyuan restrained his smile.

He strode forward, grabbed Zhao’s hands tightly, and shook them earnestly, his chubby face glowing red,

"Listening to your words is more enlightening than countless teachings from my master!

This is exactly the direction I’ve been desperately searching for. The Suppressing Objects I used to make relied on Magic, but what you spoke of today has nothing to do with Magic and yet captures the true essence of Artisan God."

"... Brother Gongshu, you flatter me too much. The Heavenly Master is an extraordinary man, and I am merely an idler who speculates wildly based on reading various scattered books. My words are not to be taken too seriously, hehe, not to be taken too seriously..."

Zhao Douan grinned stiffly, struggling to withdraw his hand.

The casual remarks he had made had far exceeded his expectations.

Gongshu Tianyuan also realized his overexcited slips, hastily made amends with a few words, then said,

"In any case, what Brother Zhao spoke of today has given much to ponder. If you ever need my help in the future, feel free to seek me out. Oh, do you need any Suppressing Objects? Like this paper skirt, perhaps for the women in your house..."

"...No need!"

Zhao Douan glanced at the rack, which held a large assortment of bizarre Magic Artifacts with strange functionalities, and refused sternly.

"Well then, ah, I’ve held you up for so long; we wouldn’t want to displease Her Majesty. Brother Zhao, you should go attend to your duties; I need to thoroughly absorb what you taught today."

Gongshu Tianyuan looked regretful.

He felt the loss of his treasures not being appreciated.

"In that case, I shall take my leave." Zhao Douan smiled.

For him, gaining this connection was the greatest gain.

...

After a while,

Zhao Douan hurriedly returned to the hall where the palace guards were gathered.

He saw the Empress, clad in a light silk Daoist robe, slowly walking out from among three doors, greeted by the rising attendants.

"Your Majesty? Have you finished speaking with the Heavenly Master?" Zhao Douan was momentarily stunned.

Xu Zhenguan nodded lightly, her gaze very complex as she stared at him.

She seemed to want to say something but ultimately did not speak, walking away and casually tossing out,

"Return to the palace."

...

Please help catch any typographical errors.