The Divine Lady looked down at Fang Shuo, who was kneeling at her feet. Her eyes held no emotion, her gaze remaining cool and distant, like moonlight reflecting off the eternal snow atop a mountain peak.
Fang Shuo couldn't stop shaking. Just when he thought the Divine Lady was going to turn him into a pig, his ears started playing tricks on him. He heard the Divine Lady say, “Fang Shuo, it is truly commendable that you hold such love for the people. You have not disappointed the cultivation and expectations that Immortal Lord Tiande placed in you.”
He was completely bewildered.
Who? Who cultivated me? Immortal Lord Tiande?
That title sounds incredibly prestigious. But I'm just a useless playboy, aren't I? How could I possibly deserve cultivation from someone like that?
It's over. My ears must have been damaged by falling rocks when the mine collapsed earlier.
I'm already starting to hear things.
Sigh, I wonder if there's any cure for this.
Sob... I'm so pathetic. If it can't be cured, I'll have to be a little deaf boy for the rest of my life, despised by everyone.
Please, no!
Wait, maybe it's not entirely a bad thing.
If I go deaf, I won't have to hear Father calling me a fool anymore, and he won't be able to force me to study...
Yun Shu looked at Fang Shuo, who appeared dim-witted on the outside but was incredibly lively and talkative on the inside. Realizing he probably didn't know yet that the Governor of Chaoyang didn't have much longer to live, she felt a bit more lenient toward him and stopped minding his noisy inner thoughts.
In such troubled times, someone like Fang Shuo, whose every thought was written on his face, could only have survived so well because his family protected him deeply. Fortunately, he hadn't turned out bad; he just liked to play and have fun, never touching the things he shouldn't.
Keeping him around as a mascot wouldn't be a bad idea.
With that thought, she reached out her hand.
In the next second...
A brass-colored lamp appeared out of thin air in her hand, its body encased in a cylindrical fine metal mesh.
This was the safety lamp she had drawn earlier. Originally, she had intended to give it out along with the mine carts, but the situation back then had been extremely urgent, and she had only had time to hand over the carts.
These things were useless in her hands, and she didn't need to use them to exchange for power or status. Honestly, even being an emperor in ancient times wasn't as comfortable as living in the modern era. If given the choice, she would choose the modern world without a single second thought.
The only reason she was reluctant to complete her mission, leave this world of suffering, and reincarnate back into the modern era was that she hadn't accomplished her goal yet.
Merely changing two cities was far from enough.
Once Chaoyang City was secured, she would have to start leading her believers to unify the entire north to prepare for the upcoming severe drought.
For now, however, the most important task was to promote the use of safety lamps to prevent gas explosions in the mines.
In her eyes, any tool could only truly fulfill its greatest purpose when placed in the hands of the common people to improve their lives.
“This object is called a safety lamp. It isolates open flames. Carrying it into the mines will prevent it from clashing with the earth gas.”
The Divine Lady placed the safety lamp in front of Fang Shuo. “I bestow it upon you today.”
Still in a daze, Fang Shuo didn't hear her clearly at all. He only saw something waving in front of him and instinctively reached out to catch it.
As soon as the lamp touched his hands, he felt its heavy weight.
He looked down at the strangely shaped lamp in his hands, then looked up at the Divine Lady, his face a picture of utter confusion.
“Fang Shuo, I hope that in the future, you will make this lamp appear in every mine shaft, lighting the path ahead for others.”
The Divine Lady's voice drifted down from above once more. This time, Fang Shuo heard it loud and clear. Realizing he wasn't hallucinating, he felt as though his entire world had collapsed, and his mind fell into complete despair.
Wait, is this right?
I'm just a useless playboy waiting around to die! How did I suddenly end up with the Divine Lady placing high hopes on me and entrusting me with such a heavy responsibility?
Just the thought of having to take this lamp to every single mine shaft to provide light for others makes my vision go dark.
I don't know if other people's paths will be bright, but I know my own future is definitely pitch black.
Watching Fang Shuo kneel before the Divine Lady, Shen Jue's lips slowly pressed into a tight line. The look he cast at Fang Shuo carried a trace of hostility he himself was barely aware of.
Fuyan had been exceptionally brilliant since childhood and was highly educated, so it was only natural for the Divine Lady to look upon him with favor.
But this Fang Shuo in front of him was as dim-witted as a pig, with an intellect likely inferior to a five-year-old child. He had absolutely no redeeming qualities. On what basis did he deserve the Divine Lady's favor?
Shen Jue admitted he couldn't match Fuyan when it came to scholarship, but he couldn't understand what made him inferior to Fang Shuo.
True, he wasn't full of classic literature, but surely he was better than Fang Shuo, who was clearly a useless fool!
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't wrap his head around it.
Why would the Divine Lady rather choose Fang Shuo over him? It wasn't that he coveted the divine gift, but he felt a deep sense of grievance...
The sour, aching feeling in his chest made him unable to stop harboring hostility toward Fang Shuo, who was inferior to him in every way. For a brief moment, he even had the urge to make Fang Shuo disappear entirely.
Fang Shuo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being watched by some sinister entity. Terrified, the hands holding the lamp trembled.
He stammered, “Di... Divine Lady... this humble one is slow-witted and foolish... I fear I cannot bear such a heavy responsibility...”
As he spoke, his eyes darted left and right.
Noticing Shen Jue beside him, his eyes lit up. “Divine Lady, General Shen has rendered great services and possesses both virtue and talent. Furthermore, he has a deep obsession with mining coal. This heavy responsibility belongs to no one but him! I beg the Divine Lady to allow me to transfer this lamp to General Shen!”
His urgent tone and sincere expression could easily be called the peak of his acting career.
Seeing his tearful expression, Yun Shu remained unfazed and simply spoke in a calm voice.
“Shen Jue is not destined to possess this object.”
Fang Shuo's hand, which had been trying to hand over the lamp, froze in midair.
The hand Shen Jue had subconsciously reached out was also slowly pulled back.
He kept his head lowered, so no one could see his expression.
Fang Shuo had been so focused on getting rid of the hot potato that he didn't realize his actions had completely offended Shen Jue.
He was just about to suggest someone else.
But the Divine Lady spoke up slowly.
“Fang Shuo, your father was the reincarnation of Immortal Lord Tiande. He has now completed his mortal tribulation and ascended to the heavenly realm.”
“This lamp was left to you by your father, so it naturally belongs to you. You do not need to feel that you cannot bear this responsibility.”
She paused slightly before continuing, “Immortal Lord Tiande and I are close friends. He once entrusted me to look after you in the mortal realm. With me here, I will certainly not let you stray.”
Fang Shuo's mouth fell open so wide it could fit an egg.
Ah? My father is the reincarnation of an immortal?
Suddenly, as if remembering something.
He asked nervously, “Divine Lady, did my father say when he would be back? Before I came to Yecheng, he said he would hold my capping ceremony when I returned home. If he stays in the Heavenly Palace for too long, will he miss it?”
“My capping ceremony is next month. Could you please urge him for me and tell him to come back soon?”
Hearing this, Yun Shu fell silent for a moment.
The story about the reincarnation of Immortal Lord Tiande was merely a lie she spun to take over Chaoyang City through Fang Shuo. At the same time, it would also prevent Shen Jue from chopping Fang Shuo into mincemeat in a fit of rage.
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