Diqin Designer

Chapter 107: Give the alchemists a little scientific experiment

In fact, we should take the mobile phone back from the First Emperor and let these alchemists open their eyes and see what future technology is like.

But Li Nian was just thinking about it. It was unlikely that the First Emperor would give him the mobile phone and let him show off in front of the alchemist.

Thinking of the mobile phone, Li Nian suddenly had an idea: When the First Emperor proclaims himself emperor, can he use the mobile phone to take a picture of the First Emperor and the other officials of the Qin Dynasty, so as to record the scene of the First Emperor being proclaimed emperor for future generations?
If Pei Gong and other Han Dynasty stars came, and if the First Emperor and Pei Gong could be framed in the same frame, it would be of great historical significance for the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty to take a photo with the First Emperor of Qin.

In the future, let someone skilled in painting paint these pictures so that they can be passed on to future generations.

The more Li Nian thought about it, the more he felt that it was worth a try. As long as the First Emperor did not think that he would be threatened by her getting the phone, he would most likely agree to this idea.

But for now, the question is how to subdue these alchemists.

Although these alchemists had been polished by the First Emperor and some of their arrogance and sharpness had been polished away, if Li Nian could not come up with something that could convince them, they would only be unwilling to accept it in their hearts:
Although you are a young master and our savior, what you said is wrong and we don't believe it at all.

Fortunately, after proposing to the First Emperor to spare the lives of the alchemists, Li Nian took into account that more alchemists would come later and made some preparations in advance.

"Everyone, please follow me."

Li Nian led these alchemists into a palace.

The alchemists saw that the hall was empty except for a few things called "tables", on which were placed various things: pottery jars, wooden sinks, wooden basins, wooden boards, oil lamps, iron wires, etc.

The pottery jars are big and small, and some are open while others are sealed, which is completely different from the scene of them making elixirs.

These things were specially prepared by Li Nian and had been tested before.

Coming to a table, Li Nian asked someone to open a clay pot sealed with a thin piece of wood on the table and pour water into it until the water overflowed.

He picked up the thin piece of wood that had just sealed the pottery jar and asked the alchemists, "If I seal this pottery jar with this piece of wood and then hang it upside down, what do you think will happen?"

The alchemists did not respond immediately.

Based on what they normally saw, they thought that wood chips must have fallen and water must have flowed out of the clay pot.

But since the young master asked this, it might be different from what they thought.

A scholar asked, "Sir, what you mean is that if the pottery jar is turned upside down, the wood chip will not fall down, but will continue to seal the mouth of the jar, and the water will not flow out?"

"You will know once you have seen it!"

Li Nian pressed a thin piece of wood to seal the mouth of the pottery jar, then picked up the pottery jar, turned it upside down, and then pulled away the hand that was pressing the wood.

The alchemists saw that after the hand was pulled away, the wooden chip did not fall off and continued to stick to the mouth of the pottery jar, and not a drop of water in the pottery jar flowed out.

This shouldn’t be the case, this doesn’t go according to the common sense they know!

They were watching as water was being added to the clay pot. The water in the pot was definitely heavier than the wood chip. Not only would the wood chip fall by itself, but the pressure of the water on the wood chip would have also pushed it down.

But why did wood chips decline?
Putting the pottery jar back on the table, Li Nian said, "If you suspect that the pottery jar, water, and wood chips have been tampered with, you can come and try it yourself."

Li Nian left the table and gave his seat to Fang Shi.

After a while, several bold alchemists came forward, poured out the water in the pottery jar, and carefully examined the pottery jar and wood chips. Another alchemist checked the water that had just been added to the pottery jar and found that it was just an ordinary pottery jar, wood chips and water, without any mechanism.

But the mouth of the jar was polished very smoothly, and the thin wood piece was also very smooth, so there was no gap when it was put on.

Several alchemists followed Li Nian's steps and poured water into the pottery jar, then sealed the mouth of the jar with a piece of wood. The result was exactly the same: the wood chip did not fall off and the water did not flow out.

A scholar asked, "Excuse me, sir, why is this happening?"

Li Nian said: "The reason is very simple. There is air around us. Air is the cause of the wind between heaven and earth, and it is also what we breathe through our mouths and noses every day."

"You can't usually see its color, nor know its weight, so you often think that air is colorless, shapeless and substanceless. The wood chip is supported by the air, so it doesn't fall."

After listening to what Li Nian said, another scholar said, "From what you said, there is always air around us, so why can't it hold us up?"

Li Nian said: "This is because the earth has a force pulling us, which is stronger than the force of the air holding us up. The wood chip is thin, and the force of the earth pulling it and the pressure of the water in the jar on it are weaker than the force of the air holding it up, so it will naturally be held at the mouth of the jar."

At this time, a scholar took off the thin piece of wood, poured some water out of the pottery jar, put the wood chip back on the mouth of the jar, and turned the pottery jar upside down again.

But this time, the wood chips fell and the water flowed out.

The group of alchemists looked at this alchemist, then looked at Li Nian, as if asking: Sir, how do you explain this?

After pouring out some of the water, the water in the pottery jar became lighter, so the air should be able to support the wood chips and prevent the water from flowing out. This result is different from what you said.

Li Nian looked at the Taoist priest who poured out the water and said with a smile, "The reason is very simple. When you poured the water, some air also entered the jar."

An alchemist asked in confusion: "But sir, the water released is obviously heavier than the air that goes in. Logically speaking..." The alchemist did not finish his words because he himself discovered the loophole in his words.

The air that enters and the water that is released cannot be compared in terms of weight, otherwise the air that is invisible and has no shape or substance should not be able to support the wood chip and prevent the water in the pottery jar from flowing out.

Other alchemists also reacted and found it very magical. It went against the common sense they knew and what they thought was "reason".

Li Nian said: "Air is very magical. You have also used air when refining pills."

"When you are refining pills, have you ever fanned the fire when you felt that the fire was not strong enough?"

“After you fanned it, did you find that the firewood in the stove burned more vigorously and the fire became bigger?”

The alchemists nodded. Could it be that these trivial things they did every day contained profound principles?
Li Nian said: "You are fanning to blow a kind of gas in the air into the furnace, which makes the flames more vigorous. This gas is called 'oxygen', and it is also the gas we normally inhale into our bodies."

"Everything in the world, except for a few, needs oxygen to survive. The main reason why people drown when they fall into the water is that they cannot absorb oxygen in the water."

"Oxygen is not only needed for us to survive, but also for many changes in the world, including your alchemy."

Li Nian walked to another table.

The alchemists noticed that a eunuch had already lit a furnace here and put something that seemed to be made of stone into it.

This is honeycomb coal. The Shaofu has already made a batch and sent some to Li Nian.

There were several pieces of wood and iron wire burning on the stove. Li Nian picked up one of the pieces of wood, blew out the flame on it, and asked the Taoist priests, "Do you think this thing can be rekindled?"

This question is obviously the same as whether the water will flow out. Common sense tells them that the wooden stick should not reignite, but this magical young man will present them with another result.

A scholar looked at the extinguished wood and asked curiously, "Sir, could the oxygen make it reignite?"

"Everyone, just look!"

Li Nian opened a clay pot on the table. In the pot was oxygen he collected through photosynthesis of aquatic plants. He put a wooden stick with only a spark left into the pot.

The alchemists saw that after the wooden stick was inserted into the pottery jar, the spark instantly rekindled into a flame that was even bigger than when it was burning in the furnace.

Although they had guessed the result, the alchemists were still quite surprised when they saw the phenomenon with their own eyes.

Because when they encountered this kind of phenomenon in the past, they would think that there was an uncontrollable mysterious force controlling the world. But now this young man told them: You can also control this power.

This dealt a huge blow to their original worldview!
Li Nian threw a wooden stick into the pottery jar, and then threw several burning wooden sticks in succession. After the wooden sticks were extinguished, he asked someone to bring a few mice that had been prepared long ago.

"The oxygen in this tank has been consumed by the burning of the wood, which means that the air in it is no longer available for us to absorb. What will happen if we throw these rats in now?"

"If you want to see it, you can come closer and take a look."

Seeing the rats, some alchemists couldn't help feeling nauseous and recalled the days they were imprisoned by the King of Qin.

Li Nian asked someone to throw the mouse into the clay pot. He made way to allow the alchemists who wanted to observe to come and see. Immediately, several alchemists gathered around him.

Several people saw that the mice were normal in the pottery jar at first, but suddenly seemed to be affected by something and started to struggle. Not long after, they lay motionless in the pottery jar, obviously dead.

Several alchemists were surprised. Is this what they meant by oxygen being consumed and the mouse dying in the pottery jar because it could not absorb any oxygen?

Through the reactions of these alchemists, the other alchemists also knew what happened inside the pottery jar.

The rat corpses were poured out of the pottery jar and placed on the table. The alchemists saw that the rats had open mouths, dilated pupils, and swollen eyeballs with blood clots, and their deaths were quite ominous.

Li Nian's voice came again: "Is there anyone willing to test whether iron is flammable for me?"

As alchemists, they knew that iron could be burned into juice, but they had never seen iron burn.

Iron is not wood or stone, how can it be ignited?

Even during their alchemy process, they had never encountered this before.

But since you said so, then iron is probably flammable.

An alchemist immediately said, "I am willing to serve you, sir!"

Li Nian selected one of the Taoist priests who spoke up, pointed at the iron wire burning on the stove, and said, "Pick up the iron wire and put it into the pottery jar, just like I put it into the wooden stick just now."

The alchemist did as Li Nian said, took a wire from the stove and inserted the red-hot end into another pottery jar.

The alchemist holding the iron wire saw that the spiral wire emitted bright light, burned violently, and splashed out sparks.

(End of this chapter)