Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I am Jiang Yuan.

I was sold by my mother to the Gaoxin Clan of Diqiu.

From this day forward, I would be a slave of the Dongyi People.

Before we left for Diqiu, that young man handed me a jar of some unknown substance. I did not dare drink it. I only stared at him warily.

He smiled faintly, his contempt for me plain on his face. “If you don’t wash away that clumsy shell of yours, how are you supposed to travel with us to Diqiu?”

I had no other choice. I drank down that thick, flavorless liquid.

In an instant, a cool wind rose beneath both my arms.

With a light lift from him, the yellow earth beneath my feet suddenly fell away. Even my mother and the clansmen looking up from before the tents shrank into specks like ants. My head spun, stars flashed before my eyes, and all I could hear was the wind roaring past my ears. Every bone and drop of blood in my body seemed to clench into a single knot.

I did not know how much time passed.

My eyes were squeezed shut. Then, after we passed through a layer of soft, airy mist, my entire body abruptly felt light.

When I opened my eyes, the sight before me struck me speechless.

Ever since Great God Pangu split heaven and earth apart, the lands of Huaxia had been home to hundreds and thousands of tribes and states. Their people all slept beneath tents, enduring wind and rain, and at most built fences to keep wild beasts away. Yet the structure before me rose among cloud-wrapped mountains. A white stone hall stood where the peaks gathered, grand and magnificent, with several indescribably exquisite auroras shimmering across it.

As expected of a god’s dwelling.

Unfortunately, the young Divine Envoy did not permit me to climb the steps. He only allowed me to stand far outside the palace gates and look on from a distance.

I was a little worried. “From this far away, will the god be able to see me?”

He glanced at me, his tone brimming with mockery.

“Gods know all.”

Hearing that, I could only shut my mouth.

Perhaps to put me in my place, the young man began telling me about the Divine Lord’s three consorts. One of them was the noble and beautiful daughter of the Yousong Clan. Her name was Jian Di, and she ranked first among the three consorts.

“Does the Divine Lord not have a principal consort?”

“Who would be worthy of standing as an equal beside a god? The primary seat is naturally left vacant.”

As he spoke, he lifted his brows in a subtle way. “However, since you have rendered merit by carrying a divine son, perhaps you may become an Imperial Slave.”

I said, “…”

Though I stood far outside the palace, after drinking that cup of Jade Milk, my eyesight could already pierce through layer after layer of palace gates. I could see a group of women beneath the halls, dressed in fluttering colored robes, dancing with graceful steps.

Among them sat someone holding a great bell. His face was covered by a mask of emerald feathers, with long pheasant tail plumes hanging down from it, and from such a distance, I could not make out his features clearly.

“Wait. What is that sound?”

“Sound?”

It was different from the noise, laughter, and voices I usually heard. This was lighter, more splendid, more pleasing to the ear. I had only caught a few wisps of it in the wind, yet joy had already risen in my heart.

Understanding dawned on the young man’s face.

“That is the Sound of Order. The Divine Lord created it and named it music.”

“Music?”

“People hear it and feel joy. Thus, it is music… Forget it. You would not understand even if I explained.”

He shook his head dismissively. “But the Divine Lord indulges in performing Jiuzhao Liulie every day, studying bells, chime stones, drums, and melodies. If this continues, he will surely cease to care for the state and neglect his people. Clearly, this thing brings harm.”

“Why does it bring harm?”

Hearing the hint of doubt in my voice, he cast me the same condescending, scornful look. “You were born in Youtai. You’re nothing but a village woman. What could you possibly know?”

“People hear it and feel joy, so it is music. If ten thousand people hear it and feel joy, then ten thousand people are made joyful.” I asked in confusion, “If this thing can make ten thousand people happy, is that not precisely the greatness of a miracle?”

He froze, suddenly tongue-tied.

At the same time, the music inside the hall abruptly stopped. The person in the center of the palace set down the bell-chime in his arms and looked toward me from afar.

That person had clearly not moved his lips, yet I heard a clear and beautiful voice.

“Who are you?”