Before the chiming of the bell could fade, white sheets of paper fluttered down from the clouds. They drifted lazily past tiled eaves, wound through narrow alleys, and filled the entire city.
At first, they fell like snow, but soon they cascaded like a waterfall.
There was no ink on the paper; only silver patterns as thin as gossamer flickered faintly under the sunlight.
A lame beggar curled up beneath the city wall was the first to reach out and catch a sheet of white paper. Yet, the moment his hand brushed against it, the paper dissolved into points of light right before his eyes.
Immediately after, a faint, ethereal voice echoed.
It was not some profound and mysterious celestial path, but simple words that anyone could understand.
“The Divine Lady has descended to save all living beings. She grants white porridge, conscripts no soldiers, and plunders no grain. Those destined may go to Dawan Fishing Village outside the city at dusk to receive the Divine Lady’s blessing.”
He stared blankly for a long time, his withered fingers trembling slightly, and a glint of tears actually welled up in his turbid eyes.
“The Divine Lady... The Divine Lady has come to save us...”
White paper continued to flutter down from the sky.
The commoners in the city instinctively reached out to catch the falling white papers. Whether they were literate or not, everyone received the exact same message at the exact same moment.
The little boy who had fainted from starvation also opened his eyes as a sheet of white paper landed on his dirt-caked hand.
He froze, looking up at the sky, then down at the paper.
In the end, he only saw points of light resembling fireflies.
After a long moment, he mumbled, “The Divine Lady... has descended... to give out white porridge in the fishing village...”
He read haltingly, as if mimicking someone else’s words.
He did not understand what it meant for a Divine Lady to descend, but he knew white porridge was food, and he knew where Dawan Fishing Village was.
Seventeen or eighteen refugees were crowded inside a ruined temple in the south of the city.
They had all fled to Wuling City from other places after a flood, only to find that there was no way to survive here either.
They lay scattered both inside and outside the building.
Some were coughing up blood incessantly, some had festering limbs, and others clutched the corpses of their children, refusing to let go...
A sheet of paper drifted down from a hole in the ruined temple’s roof, landing right on the dying bonfire in the center.
The flames licked the edges of the paper, but they could not burn it.
A refugee sitting by the fire plucked up the courage to reach out and grab the paper from the bonfire. But the moment he picked it up, it dissolved into starry specks of light under everyone’s watchful eyes.
The ruined temple fell silent for a moment.
Then, a disheveled refugee spoke, his voice kept incredibly low as if he were afraid of disturbing something. “Did... did you all hear a strange voice just now?”
“I did!” a nearby refugee replied, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. “It said the Divine Lady has descended and is giving out white porridge in Dawan Fishing Village. I heard it loud and clear!”
“Yes, yes, yes, I heard it clearly too!”
“But...”
“Will a Divine Lady really give us porridge?”
The refugees began to chime in one after another.
“Could it be an illusion?”
In the corner, a usually quiet man looked toward the refugee who had asked if it was an illusion.
“I used to be an illusionist. I know how to do cheap tricks, shadow projection, and paper-doll substitutes.”
“I observed that paper just now, as well as the voice transmission.” He paused, licking his dry, cracked lips.
“This is already beyond the realm of illusion.”
“Of course, it could also be my own shallow experience. A common illusionist like me has never had the fortune to meet those world-famous grand illusionists. Who knows, perhaps they really have reached a transcendent realm where they can manifest ten thousand papers and send their voice to thousands of households.”
He let out a bitter laugh.
“But if it really is such a figure, what does she stand to gain? Wuling City is dirt-poor, with nothing left but the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Even the rogue armies are planning to abandon the city and leave...”
Outside the temple, the papers rustled as they fell.
They fell like snow, or perhaps like someone high above the clouds, tearing a scripture filled with mercy page by page.
“We are all on the verge of death anyway. Let’s go take a look. If we get lucky, we might find a way to survive.”
“Yeah, it’s not like we can survive here anyway...”
“Who cares if she is a real Divine Lady or a fake one? As long as she can keep me alive, she is the real Divine Lady to me!”
“Right, exactly!”
Having made up their minds, the refugees supported one another as they stumbled out of the city. Meanwhile, inside the Governor’s estate, a completely different scene was playing out.
Chen Chao kicked over the desk in front of him, sending shattered teacup fragments and half-dried tea stains splashing across the floor.
He was broad-shouldered and thickset, his face covered in rolls of flesh. At this moment, his features were contorted with rage, making him look exceptionally fierce and difficult to cross.
“General, the sudden rain of white paper in the city must be the work of someone using illusions.” The lieutenant had gained Chen Chao’s trust precisely because of his skill in illusions. He said confidently, “Although this kind of illusion is somewhat difficult, my ancestors once produced a grand illusionist. To a grand illusionist, this level of illusion is nothing more than a minor trick.”
“Just because she knows some illusions, she dares to call herself the Divine Lady? Does she really think I’m like those ignorant commoners?” He slumped into his armchair, the flesh on his face trembling as he spat saliva all over the lieutenant’s face. “Do you think I don’t know what this bullshit Divine Lady is plotting?!”
“Heh.”
“This Wuling City is the territory I conquered! Even if I don’t want it anymore, it’s not for anyone else to take!”
The lieutenant wiped his face and took a step closer.
A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes. “General, perhaps this Divine Lady coming to Wuling City to hand out porridge is actually a good thing.”
“How so?” Chen Chao narrowed his eyes, clearly intrigued by the lieutenant’s words.
“We can’t squeeze any more wealth out of Wuling City. Even rats wouldn’t live in the Governor’s estate’s storehouses, and those commoners are so poor they’ve tightened their belts to the limit. If we stay any longer, our brothers will starve too, and that might lead to trouble.”
The lieutenant leaned in close to Chen Chao’s ear and whispered, “Why don’t we wait for this Divine Lady to hand out the porridge? If she really has food and is generous enough to come to Wuling City to relieve the commoners, it means she must have a vast amount of grain. If we capture her, won’t all her grain become ours?”
Chen Chao was deeply tempted. “But you also said she is a grand illusionist. She won’t be easy to deal with!”
The lieutenant said with supreme confidence, “General, my illusions indeed cannot compare to a grand illusionist’s, but I possess an ancestral manual for dispelling illusions. Once we dispel her illusion, she will just be a helpless woman who can’t even lift a finger.”
He continued to urge, “Besides, General, we have two thousand soldiers. Why should we fear a single woman? This is a fat sheep delivering itself right to our door. We cannot miss this opportunity!”
“Fine, we’ll do as you say!”
Chen Chao made the final decision.
Yun Shu, who had caused such a massive uproar in Wuling City, was still standing atop the highest building in the city. However, she remained invisible, so no one could see her.
Having fully grasped everything that was happening in the city, she flew away from Wuling City, heading to parts unknown.
It was time for her to prepare a grand surprise for them.
Rate on N.U.
