The crowd gathered around, squinting through the moonlight to look into the water.
Pearls.
Several pearls, the size of lotus seeds, round and smooth, shimmered with a soft, silvery light at the bottom of the shallow stream.
Beside them lay hairpins, jewels, and jade stones...
Everyone was stunned.
“T-this... was this left by the Divine Lady?”
“What is Her Ladyship’s intention in leaving these treasures?”
“Could they be for us? Why don’t we just divide these treasures among ourselves?”
The crowd erupted in chatter.
Some tried to lean in for a closer look, some instinctively backed away, and others stood rooted to the spot, their hands and feet feeling awkward and out of place.
“T-these are the Divine Lady’s belongings...” the old man stammered. “We can’t touch them, can we?”
“But the Divine Lady has already left.”
“Even if She’s gone, we can’t touch them! Those are the belongings of an immortal. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution if you take them?”
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
“We can’t just leave them here, can we?”
The argument grew louder and louder.
Yet, from beginning to end, no one reached out to fish them out.
Those rare treasures lay quietly in the stream. Though they were within arm's reach, they seemed to be separated from the world by an invisible wall.
No one dared to be the first to reach out.
“Could this be a test the Divine Lady left on purpose?”
The crowd fell silent, turning to look at the person who had spoken.
“If the Divine Lady wanted to take them, She could have done so with a wave of Her hand. But She didn't. Is She... is She testing us?”
Those words were like a cold wind, sending a shiver through everyone present.
Tests and trials were the favorite pastimes of immortals in the stories told by teahouse storytellers.
The expressions of the crowd shifted rapidly as they took two steps back.
“I didn't touch anything! I didn't move a single thing!”
“I didn't touch them either!”
“Who would dare!”
“What if the Divine Lady is watching from the heavens...”
Someone instinctively looked up at the dim sky.
The moonlight was cold and clear, showing nothing.
Yet that feeling of being watched by a deity enveloped everyone silently, just like the moonlight itself.
They looked at one another, no one able to make a decision.
They couldn't touch the treasures, but they couldn't just leave them in the water either. What if a wild cat snatched them? What if it rained and the rising waters washed them away? But if they fished them out, where would they put them? Who would look after them? What if the person guarding them became greedy?
The group of illiterate refugees argued for a long time without reaching a conclusion.
Someone suggested burying the items, but someone else immediately objected, saying it was even less safe. Someone said they should wait for the Divine Lady to return, only for another to give a bitter smile, asking who knew when She would come back. Someone whispered that they should just divide them up, but before the words were even finished, they were glared into silence by several sharp looks.
The old man squatted on the ground, scratching his head in distress. “Sigh, this won't work, that won't work... what on earth should we do...”
Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats came from behind them.
Everyone turned to look.
Under the moonlight, three horses approached slowly along the bank.
The lead horse was jet black with a mane like satin. Seated upon it was a young man.
He wore a brocade robe tied with a dark leather belt, and a mutton-fat jade pendant swayed gently with the horse’s stride.
His face was refined and handsome, his dark hair bound in a silver crown, with a few stray strands fluttering by his temples in the evening breeze.
The man dismounted with a clean, agile movement, the hem of his robe cutting a sharp arc through the air.
The two guards behind him followed suit.
They stood to his left and right, their postures straight and their gazes alert—clearly trained martial artists.
Standing in the moonlight, the young man’s gaze swept over the terrified refugees and the faintly glowing treasures in the water before finally landing on the blue stone where the Divine Lady had stood.
He had always lived by the principle that a scholar should not speak of the supernatural, yet if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed that a true deity walked this earth.
“I am Shen Yu, just passing through this area.” His voice was neither too high nor too low, clear and warm like jade beads falling onto a jade plate. “Gathering here at this hour, have you all run into some trouble?”
The refugees looked at one another.
Finally, the old man summoned his courage and stammered through an explanation of what had just happened.
Shen Yu listened quietly, his gaze shifting to the shallow water.
He suddenly let out a soft chuckle. “You all dare not touch these treasures because you fear the Divine Lady’s wrath?”
“Y-yes...”
Shen Yu stood by the water with his hands behind his back, his sleeves fluttering in the wind. He looked down at the treasures at the bottom of the stream and spoke slowly.
“I have a suggestion. See if you find it feasible.”
Everyone pricked up their ears.
“The Divine Lady does not need your offerings, but your devotion still needs a place to reside,” he said. “Instead of burying these treasures in the dirt where they will never see the light of day...”
He turned his head slightly toward the blue stone.
“Why not use these treasures to build a temple for the Divine Lady right there? We can erect a monument and record the events of today.”
The refugees were stunned.
“Is... is that really okay? Won't the Divine Lady be angry with us for taking such liberties?”
Shen Yu smiled. “Since the Divine Lady was willing to take action to heal your ailments, it shows that She is a benevolent deity.”
The expressions of the crowd began to soften.
“I think what he says makes sense...”
Someone whispered in agreement.
“He looks like a learned man; surely his words carry weight. Let’s listen to him,” another voice followed, filled with simple trust.
But someone else hesitated. “But we don’t even know the Divine Lady’s sacred title. How are we supposed to build the temple?”
“That’s right, that’s right...” The crowd looked troubled again. “If we write it wrong, wouldn't that be an insult to Her Ladyship?”
Chatter broke out once more, but this time it was more anxious than lost.
It was as if they had finally found a path, only to realize there was no signpost at the crossroads, leaving them stomping their feet in frustration.
The old man rubbed his hands together and looked at Shen Yu. “Young Master, you are well-traveled and knowledgeable. Could you give us some guidance?”
Shen Yu nodded slightly. “Why not simply call it the Divine Lady Temple? Do not use a specific sacred title; simply refer to Her as the ‘Divine Lady.’ This way, you will not be rude through ignorance, nor will you cause offense through a false assumption.”
“Good, good! That’s perfect!”
“Then we’ll call it the Divine Lady Temple!”
“Yes, the Divine Lady Temple!”
The voices grew lively, like a dying campfire being fed new wood, burning bright once more.
...
On the other side of the stream, Yun Shu sat before her own campfire. Watching the scene on the system’s light screen, a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes.
This Shen Yu was indeed a clever man.
He was clever because he understood that the way to keep a deity’s favor was not to kneel and beg, but to take practical action and use a sincere heart to move a god who pitied all living beings.
It hadn't been a waste of her time to wait here for two days.
Now, she also had a reason to descend upon this world.
After sensing the genuine emotions of those refugees, she realized that being transported into this book was not just a game.
They were all living, breathing people.
Since fate had allowed her to bind with a dress-up system after death and travel to such a world filled with suffering, she had to do something to live up to her own ideals.
Possessing the power to aid the world, one must also possess the heart to save its people.
Rate on N.U.
