Li Daoxuan found himself staring at the box with entirely new eyes.
Until now, he had thought of it as nothing more than a container. A curious object. A place where forty-two tiny people lived and struggled, amusing him in their helplessness. He had fed them on a whim. He had watched them out of idle interest. He had never truly considered what they were.
But now, that simple explanation no longer satisfied him.
This was not merely a box.
Nor was it something that transported him elsewhere.
It was closer to standing above an entire world.
He was not within it.
He overlooked it.
The distinction sent a faint chill through him.
If this was truly a world, then everything changed. Its people were no longer toys to be indulged or ignored. They were inhabitants of a realm with its own order, its own structure, its own history. There would be answers here. Things he needed to understand.
His gaze shifted downward once more.
The officials had already fled. Their tiny figures had vanished beyond the miniature ridges in blind panic, their authority scattered like dust in the wind.
The villagers remained.
They had gathered into a dense crowd, their bodies pressed together as if strength might be found in numbers. One by one, they fell to their knees. Foreheads touched the ground. Their voices rose in trembling gratitude, directed toward the endless sky above them.
At the center stood Gao Yiye.
She was surrounded.
Men and women pressed close, speaking all at once, their faces flushed with urgency. Their hands gestured wildly. Some pointed upward. Some clutched her sleeves. Others simply looked at her as though she alone stood between them and heaven.
She was the only one who could hear Tianzun.
At last, Gao Yiye raised her head. Her voice rang upward, clear but cautious.
"Tianzun," she called, "the villagers thank you for saving us."
She hesitated, glancing at the anxious faces around her.
"They also wish to ask… this divine rice… is it given only to me? Or may everyone share in it?"
Li Daoxuan focused on her.
She truly could hear him.
Not guess. Not imagine.
Hear him.
Through her, he could speak to this world. Through her, he could learn its secrets.
He spoke calmly.
"Let everyone share it."
He paused briefly.
"I also have questions."
Below, Gao Yiye's eyes widened with relief and joy.
She turned immediately.
"The Tianzun says the rice is for all of us!" she cried. "Everyone may share!"
The villagers erupted in cheers.
"Praise Tianzun!"
"Tianzun has shown mercy!"
"May Tianzun bless Gao Family Village!"
One man suddenly frowned.
"Yiye," he said cautiously, "is Tianzun a Buddha… or an Immortal?"
Another man leaned closer.
"Yes. How should we pray?"
"Should we say Amituofo?"
"Or Wuliangshoufo?"
The question spread quickly.
The villagers exchanged uneasy looks.
This was no small matter.
If they offered the wrong prayer and offended Tianzun, the consequences might be disastrous.
Gao Yiye herself was at a loss.
She could faintly see his face above the clouds. Vast. Indistinct. Beyond mortal comprehension. But she could not see his robes. She did not know whether he belonged to the Buddhist heavens or the Daoist celestial courts.
Her lips parted, then closed again.
The villagers waited anxiously.
Above them, Li Daoxuan could not help but smile.
These tiny people were unexpectedly serious about such things.
Even now, they worried about proper etiquette.
Their beliefs were not so different from those of his own world.
He spoke.
"Do not trouble yourselves with such distinctions."
"I am neither Buddha nor Immortal."
Gao Yiye froze.
She did not understand.
How could Tianzun be neither?
But she dared not question further.
Li Daoxuan continued.
"Tell them to be quiet."
"I have questions."
Gao Yiye hurriedly raised her voice.
"Quiet! Everyone, quiet!"
"The Tianzun wishes to ask us something!"
The effect was immediate.
The villagers fell silent at once. Not a single person dared speak.
Li Daoxuan considered for a moment.
"What land is this?"
He chose his words more carefully.
"What country do you belong to?"
"And what is the current reign era?"
Gao Yiye repeated every word faithfully.
The villagers looked at one another.
Their expressions slowly turned blank.
Even the village chief, who had seen more of the world than any of them, could only stare in confusion.
"What country…" he murmured.
He scratched his head.
"There is an Emperor."
"There are officials."
"There are soldiers."
He hesitated.
"But… what the country is called…"
He lowered his gaze.
"I do not know."
The others shook their heads helplessly.
They knew the Emperor existed. They knew officials governed distant places. But such matters were as distant as the stars.
Li Daoxuan frowned slightly.
Their ignorance was profound.
But after a moment's thought, he understood.
These were farmers.
Most had never left the village in their lives. At most, they might visit the county town once or twice. If their village lay in some remote corner, untouched by merchants or travelers, then their world would be no larger than the fields they tilled.
A man could live his entire life beneath heaven and earth, yet never know the name of the realm he inhabited.
He exhaled slowly.
"Very well," he said. "You cannot answer me."
Below, unease spread through the villagers.
Gao Yiye lowered her voice.
"Tianzun sounds disappointed."
The village chief's heart tightened.
"Of course he is," he said grimly. "We know nothing."
Gao Yiye looked troubled.
"What should we do?"
The chief fell into deep thought.
After a long silence, his eyes brightened.
"We will bring him a scholar."
Gao Yiye blinked.
"A scholar?"
"There are none here," she said.
The chief nodded.
"Not here."
"But there are scholars in the county town."
He stroked his beard, his expression solemn.
"The most learned man I have ever seen… is the magistrate."
Gao Yiye's eyes widened.
"How could we invite the magistrate?"
The chief chuckled softly.
"Then we invite his strategist."
"San Shier."
Gao Yiye hesitated.
"Would he come?"
"He will," the chief said with confidence.
He turned his head.
"Chuwu!"
A young man stepped forward at once.
Gao Chuwu's grin was wide and uncomplicated.
"Chief!"
The chief spoke firmly.
"Tomorrow morning, gather several strong men."
"Eat well."
"Eat your fill of white rice."
"You will need strength."
"Go to the county town."
"Invite Strategist San Shier to Gao Family Village."
He paused.
"If he agrees, escort him respectfully."
"If he refuses…"
The chief's expression hardened.
"Strike him unconscious."
"Carry him back."
Gao Chuwu's grin grew even wider.
"Understood!"
"Tianzun gave us eggs!"
"He gave us white rice!"
"We must listen!"
He scratched his head sheepishly.
"But… I have never been to the county town."
"How do I find it?"
The chief nodded.
"I will show you the way."
Above it all, Li Daoxuan watched in silence.
He had only asked a few simple questions.
Yet these villagers were already preparing to abduct a scholar in order to answer him.
He could not help but laugh.
This tiny world was far more interesting than he had imagined.
It had villages.
It had county towns.
It had officials.
It had magistrates.
And scholars.
Somewhere beyond this village lay an entire empire, living and breathing beneath his gaze.
He found himself genuinely curious.
He hoped they would bring this strategist soon.