The wisteria-entwined door opened wide as the Divine Lady waved her sleeve, and light poured out from within.
“Follow me.”
The Divine Lady stepped onto the stone stairs before the wisteria door, her skirts trailing over the entwined branches. The wisteria clusters swayed gently, scattering fine silver-purple specks of light across the ground.
The moment she stepped through the door, her figure merged completely into that brilliant radiance.
Coming to her senses, Pei Wanning followed immediately.
As the light swallowed her, she felt her entire body become light, as if she were walking on clouds.
Shen Yu, Shen Jue, and the others entered one after another.
It was but an instant.
Perhaps even shorter.
When the light before their eyes gradually dispersed, the group felt solid ground beneath their feet once more.
Everyone was stunned.
They were standing on top of a cliff.
The cliff walls towered into the clouds, and not far away, Xindu City was spread out like a scroll upon the earth.
The city walls, the streets, the houses, the rivers...
Everything was in full view.
It was currently afternoon; wisps of cooking smoke rose from the city, merging with the clouds on the horizon. The entire city shimmered with a soft golden hue under the sunlight.
The wind swept across the top of the cliff, carrying the scent of the wild and making everyone's robes snap and flutter.
They stared blankly at Xindu City in the distance, as if unable to believe their own eyes.
【Pei Wanning Shock Value +100】
【Pei Du Shock Value +100】
【Shen Jue Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 125,800】
The group could not calm the shock in their hearts for a long time.
They were clearly in Creek Valley just a moment ago. Simply by stepping through a glowing door and walking a few paces—not even taking the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—they had all reached Xindu City!
However, why were they on a cliff?
Never mind.
They couldn't figure it out; it must be because their understanding was too low to grasp the Divine Lady’s intentions.
If Yun Shu could hear what everyone was thinking, she wouldn't have told them the truth—that she simply hadn't marked anywhere inside Xindu City, only this cliff.
She was already very familiar with the path down the mountain.
Lu Sui was the last to walk out of the light portal.
After landing, he first looked at the cliff ahead with wide eyes, then suddenly turned back to look at the door behind him.
Because he had been bold since childhood, he was not only unfrightened by this divine power but actually felt a surge of curiosity.
He stepped toward the light portal, wanting to see if he could return to the previous valley.
As a result, a hand grabbed him.
Shen Yu had stood behind him at some point.
“Do not be impudent,” he whispered, his voice extremely low. “Don’t leave a bad impression on the Divine Lady!”
Only then did Lu Sui snap back to his senses. He stopped in his tracks, suppressed his curiosity, and obediently returned to the crowd.
Pei Wanning didn't notice the small interlude behind her; her entire mind was focused on that lavender figure ahead.
The Divine Lady stood at the edge of the cliff, overlooking Xindu City. Her eyes reflected the silhouette of the entire city, her expression still showing neither joy nor sorrow.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Pei Wanning took two quick steps to reach a position slightly behind the Divine Lady and bowed slightly.
“Divine Lady.” She reached out and pointed toward a cluster of houses in the southeast of the city. “There is an embroidery workshop there that the people have named ‘Yunjin Workshop.’ If you do not mind, could you please grace us with your presence and follow A’Ning there to have a look?”
The Divine Lady simply said indifferently, “Very well.”
She lightly brushed her sleeves, turned around, and slowly descended the mountain path along the side of the cliff.
Pei Wanning hurriedly followed, leading the way for the Divine Lady.
The group followed closely behind.
The path down the mountain seemed to have been cleared of dead branches and weeds, making it unexpectedly easy to walk. The group soon reached Yunjin Workshop.
The courtyard gates were open.
One could see that the courtyard was filled with spinning machines, with dozens of women busy at them.
Shuttles wove between the warp threads, making rhythmic “clack-clack” sounds.
Various fabrics were also hanging to dry in the courtyard.
Reds, blues, greens, and purples—under the sunlight, they looked like a colorful lake.
The air was filled with the unique scent of cotton and linen, mixed with the faint fragrance of dyes.
The Divine Lady came to a halt at the courtyard entrance.
Pei Wanning stood by the Divine Lady’s side, her hands folded over her lower abdomen in a dignified and humble posture.
She was in no hurry to speak, waiting until the Divine Lady’s gaze had swept over the entire courtyard before she said softly, “Please look, Divine Lady. This is the change that spinning machines have brought to the mortal world.”
Then, she pointed to a spinning machine on the left.
A woman in her thirties was working at that spinning machine, her hands skillfully throwing and catching the shuttle, the pedals beneath her feet rising and falling in a fluid motion.
The woman kept her head down, focused intently, not even noticing the commotion at the entrance.
“That sister-in-law is surnamed Fang. Three years ago, her husband died unexpectedly, and her family's livelihood was cut off. She took her two children and, with no way out, nearly threw herself into the lake to end her life.”
Speaking to this point.
She suddenly turned her head to look at the Divine Lady beside her, her eyes filled with a look of fanaticism. “It is because you, Divine Lady, granted us the spinning machines that Sister Fang had the opportunity to work at Yunjin Workshop, earn wages, and support her family of three!”
The Divine Lady’s expression shifted slightly, but she did not speak.
Pei Wanning was not discouraged by this. She led the Divine Lady further into the courtyard.
“That girl is surnamed Liu; she is only seventeen this year.” She pointed to a young woman in the corner of the courtyard.
The woman was pretty and delicate, with exceptionally bright dark eyes. She sat at a spinning machine weaving cloth, a faint smile on her lips, as if she were not working but doing something very joyful.
“Miss Liu’s father is a gambler who ran up a mountain of debt and originally planned to sell her into a brothel.” Her voice sank slightly. “She was unwilling and escaped, running to Yunjin Workshop to learn weaving. She only studied for a few days, but the cloth she weaves is already better than most of the seamstresses in the workshop.”
Her tone carried a sense of heartfelt admiration.
“Now she is one of the best weavers in Yunjin Workshop. Her monthly wages are more than what ordinary people earn in a year. Her gambling father, fearing your punishment, doesn't dare come to the embroidery workshop to cause trouble. She will soon have a brand-new life.”
The Divine Lady listened quietly, her gaze falling upon the women who were buried in their weaving.
Pei Wanning knew that opportunities were fleeting.
That the Divine Lady was willing to stand here and listen to her finish these stories of mortals was already an incredible grace.
She turned around, faced the Divine Lady, and knelt down.
“Divine Lady, the weavers in Yunjin Workshop are only a small part of those reached by your grace.”
“Outside Yunjin Workshop, there are even more people in Xindu. They work at sunrise and rest at sunset, filling their stomachs with the sweet potatoes you granted and resisting the winter cold with the cotton you granted. All of this feels like a dream.”
“If the Divine Lady is not here, they will feel that this dream could shatter at any moment, and they will live in constant anxiety.”
These words were not false at all. That they could have what they had today was entirely due to the Divine Lady’s mercy; she was truly their backbone.
If they lost this backbone, everything they currently possessed would soon no longer belong to them.
Xindu City would fall into riots out of fear, the great clans would take the opportunity to seize their Divine Seeds and spinning machines, and this world would redouble its efforts to suppress women...
Thinking of this, two lines of tears fell down her face. “Divine Lady, I beg you to remain in the mortal world.”
“Divine Lady, we beg you to remain in the mortal world!”
In the next second, everyone present prostrated themselves before the Divine Lady, their voices mixed with a hint of hope, but even more so with pleading.
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