Novels online

Chapter 66 The Heavenly Lord's Divine Mirror

Early in the morning, Master Wang rose from bed.

Having eaten his fill last night, even enjoying meat and sugar—things he hadn't tasted in ages—he felt exceptionally energetic today. He glanced back at the room, half-filled with various foods, then felt the two fist-sized silver ingots hidden under his pillow.

Food, money—he had it all!

For a fleeting moment, Master Wang felt as if his life had peaked.

Having accepted payment, he was bound to deliver. San Shier had treated him generously, so he would diligently teach his daughter. He opened the small satchel he had carried from the city. Inside were textbooks aplenty: the Four Books, the Five Classics, the Hundred Family Surnames, and more.

Master Wang confirmed all the teaching materials were there. He patted his cheeks, rousing his spirits, and stepped out of his small room.

Outside was a large courtyard, one of the many courtyards within the Hakka Walled House. As Master Wang entered the courtyard, he saw San Shier and Gao Yiye standing before him with eight or nine children. San Shier’s daughter was, of course, among them. Behind them stood several young adults.

These were all the villagers eager to learn how to read and write. Master Wang blinked in surprise. "Oh?" he murmured.

San Shier smiled. "Master Wang, if you wouldn't mind the extra effort, please teach these people as well."

Master Wang was somewhat taken aback. *These are farmers' children, aren't they?* he thought. *San Shier is actually paying out of his own pocket to let other people's children learn to read and write. Is he truly such a selfless person?*

*Still, whatever his motives,* he mused, *the tuition I've received is more than enough to teach a hundred times this many children.* He cupped his hands and chuckled, "I shall certainly do my utmost."

"Then, let's begin the lessons—" Master Wang had just started when Gao Yiye suddenly interjected. "Ah, my apologies, Master Wang, please wait a moment. The Heavenly Lord has spoken. His venerable self says that before the children begin their reading and writing lessons, they must first do morning exercises to activate their bodies. This is the scientific way."

A giant question mark slowly formed above Master Wang's head. *"Scientific"? What does that even mean?*

Gao Yiye instructed all the children, "Everyone, turn around and look towards the Watchtower."

The Watchtower was the tallest, three-story building in the Hakka Walled House. It also served as Gao Yiye's residence. She lived on the third floor of the Watchtower, a place "closest to the Heavenly Lord." Standing on the balcony, one could see the entire village.

All the children obediently turned around. Even the young adults turned with them, their expressions solemn as they gazed at the Watchtower.

Then, they saw a strange, rectangular metallic object. It slowly descended from the clouds, hovering directly above the Watchtower. This rectangular object, thirty meters wide and over fourteen meters high, was quite alarming.

Master Wang gasped in alarm. "What... what is that thing?"

This object was, in fact, Li Daoxuan's smartphone. He had placed the phone horizontally and extended it into the diorama box, where it now hovered above the Watchtower. Then, with a tap of his finger on the screen, he unlocked it with his fingerprint. The phone screen instantly flared to life.

Master Wang exclaimed, "Ah? It's glowing!"

Gao Yiye said, "That is the Heavenly Lord's Divine Mirror. It's used to teach the children methods for strengthening their bodies. Everyone, watch carefully."

What appeared on the phone screen was a group of children, dressed in peculiar clothes, lined up in neat rows, their expressions earnest.

Then, music began to play. "We will now begin the Seventh Set of Radio Calisthenics. First group, stretching exercises... 1, 2, 3, 4... 2, 2, 3, 4..."

Gao Yiye announced loudly, "The Heavenly Lord commands all students to follow along!"

The children quickly began to mimic the movements on the screen. However, this was their first time learning such a thing. Their movements were far from standard—a jumble of flailing limbs and confused twists. Some even got their left and right directions wrong, one motion sending a classmate tumbling to the ground. The scene was utter chaos.

In fact, it wasn't just the children who were in disarray. Throughout the entire Hakka Walled House, people everywhere were attempting to follow along, resulting in widespread pandemonium.

After a good while, the video finished. The "Heavenly Lord's Divine Mirror" began to ascend, soaring back into the clouds until it vanished from sight.

Everyone's movements ceased.

Gao Yiye announced clearly, "Today was the first time, so it doesn't matter if your movements weren't perfect. The Heavenly Lord holds no blame for any of you. From now on, before every lesson, everyone will perform the full Seventh Set of Radio Calisthenics."

The crowd chorused, "We humbly obey the Heavenly Lord's decree!"

Master Wang stammered, "Eh? What? What in the world just happened? What was that all about?"

San Shier clapped Master Wang on the shoulder, a smile playing on his lips. "Our Gao Family Village has always been blessed by a deity named Dao Xuan Tian Zun. We can witness the Heavenly Lord's divine manifestations at any time. You just saw one, and you'll be seeing them often from now on."

Master Wang retorted, "The Master does not speak of anomalies, feats of strength, disorder, or spiritual beings!"

San Shier continued, "The food and silver you received, they weren't actually from me. They were gifts from the Heavenly Lord."

Master Wang gasped, "Ah, the Heavenly Lord is truly a benevolent and kind deity!"

San Shier: "..." *Stiff. This whole situation is just stiff.*

After a long moment, San Shier recovered from his frozen state. "Alright, I'll leave things to Master Wang now. I have many matters to attend to. I was away in the county town for two days, and a pile of troublesome issues has accumulated in Gao Family Village; things are chaotic everywhere. There are also quite a few lazy people shirking work and stealing cotton. I need to go scold those good-for-nothing rascals."

As he uttered the words "stealing cotton," Gao Yiye, standing nearby, instantly blushed. She guiltily took two steps back. *Oh no,* she thought, *I'm going to get scolded. San Shier wasn't even in Gao Family Village for two days, how did he know I stole the cotton?*

But then she heard San Shier say, "Miss Yiye, the cotton used to be stored in a small, dilapidated shed, and people were always stealing it. I want to move the cotton into the Watchtower, on the second floor. The third floor above is your residence. The first floor below is the ancestral hall. We will place the Heavenly Lord's holy statue on the first floor. This way, no one will dare to steal it. I don't believe anyone would be bold enough to pass by the Heavenly Lord's holy statue to pilfer things. What do you think?"

Gao Yiye felt a chaotic wave of embarrassment. *Oh no, he's actually asking me? If the cotton is stored right beneath my floor, won't I have endless opportunities to steal it? Argh! You're not doing this on purpose, are you? It must be intentional!*

San Shier, unaware of the rich internal drama unfolding in Gao Yiye's mind, asked, "Miss Yiye? What's wrong? Give me an answer."

Gao Yiye steeled her heart. *If I'm going to be disgraced, I might as well go all the way,* she decided. "Fine! Put the cotton on the second floor."

Having received the Saintess's approval, San Shier waved to the villagers. "Everyone, come over! Let's move the cotton! We'll put it all on the second floor of the Watchtower. From now on, all goods bestowed upon us by the Heavenly Lord will be stored on the second floor of the Watchtower. The first floor will house the Heavenly Lord's holy statue, and the third floor is where the Saintess lives. Let's see who dares to steal cotton from the second floor then!"

The villagers quickly responded, "How could we possibly dare? Never, never!"

San Shier playfully chided them. "Don't say 'never'! I was only gone for two days, and there's a huge hole stolen right out of the big cotton pile! Do you think I'm blind?"

The villagers insisted, "Truly, we wouldn't dare! Gods are three feet above our heads; how could we act so recklessly?"

San Shier pressed, "Then where did the cotton go?"

The villagers chorused, "We really don't know!"

San Shier huffed, "Hmph! The Heavenly Lord will deal with whoever stole that cotton."

Listening to their exchange, Gao Yiye was drenched in cold sweat.

Amidst the commotion, a villager on watch atop the walled house suddenly yelled out, "Hey! Someone's running down from the mountains, stumbling and staggering, looks like they're injured!"