Morning in the Box
By daybreak, the miniature world inside the diorama box was already stirring.
A hundred new villagers had arrived the night before, and like fresh yeast tossed into warm dough, they made the whole settlement swell with life. These newcomers wandered through Gaojia Village like tourists visiting a foreign land, gasping in awe and embarrassment at every corner.
"Look at this round iron house! Heaven and earth, how does such a thing even exist?"
"And this giant pond! How does Gaojia Village have water when the whole county's been dry for three years straight?"
"Chicken jerky—dear ancestors! An entire wall of air-dried chicken jerky!"
Their astonishment rose in waves.
Outside the box, Li Daoxuan watched with a smirk. He had deliberately left them alone that morning—no greetings, no instructions—just letting the "divine objects" of the village shock them into obedience.
By the time most of them were dizzy from wonder, San Shier finally clapped his hands and called everyone together.
Recruitment, Gaojia-Style
"The village urgently needs craftsmen," San Shier declared with theatrical seriousness. "Especially blacksmiths. Anyone with skill will receive two extra taels of flour per day."
Three middle-aged men practically sprang into the air, stomping with joy.Who would've thought their dusty, undervalued trade could suddenly feed a family twice over?
San Shier nodded. "Good. Do any of you have hammers or anvils at home? Return quickly and bring your tools. From today onward, you'll work under Master Li. You do whatever Master Li tells you."
The three men bowed obediently and dashed off like excited goats.
Then San Shier turned to the crowd."As for the rest of you—your first job is to build a Temple of the Heavenly Venerable Daoxuan."
Li Daoxuan's Doubts… and Revelation
Watching from above, Li Daoxuan nearly choked.
A temple? You're building a temple first?There were a dozen things more urgent than this—housing, farmland, irrigation, tools!
He was about to send Gao Yiye to stop him when a memory flashed from his latest "Civilization" game campaign.
Newly built cities never started with granaries or barracks.They started with… temples.
Cultural buildings expanded borders.Religious buildings generated culture.And though it was a game mechanic, the logic came from real history.
A strange intuition stirred in Li Daoxuan.
Don't interfere.San Shier's chaotic methods might produce results in an unexpected way.
With a deep breath, he decided to let the chaos unfold.
More Craftsmen, Please
San Shier continued the morning's talent-scouting."Anyone who knows masonry or plasterwork—step forward! One extra tael of flour per day!"
Several men stepped up immediately, beaming.
"You three will lead the team in building the temple…"He trailed off suddenly, eyes widening."One more thing—does anyone here know how to carve statues?"
Two men raised their hands so fast they nearly slapped themselves.
"Villain here!""The villain also knows!"
They had already learned the new rules:Special craftsmanship = extra flourAnd extra flour was more precious than silver.
"One of us carved the one-zhang-tall statue in the county City God Temple!""And I carved the Guanyin statue for the temple outside town!"
San Shier was thrilled."Excellent! The rest of you—move stones, cut wood, start the foundation. You two, come with me."
Designing the Deity
He brought the two carvers to Gao Yiye.
"Miss Gao," he announced proudly, "I've brought two master sculptors. Please describe the appearance of the Heavenly Venerable Daoxuan so they may craft his divine statue."
"Huh? I… I need to think…" she murmured, suddenly shy.
Outside the box, Li Daoxuan leaned close and lifted the transparent top.His enormous face appeared in the "sky," faint behind the clouds.
Gao Yiye looked up—and her cheeks warmed.She muttered softly:
"The Heavenly Venerable is young… no beard… gentle eyes… handsome features…"
The sculptors committed every word to memory like imperial edicts.
They gathered yellow clay from the ditch, rolling it into a ball.Following Gao Yiye's shy descriptions, they shaped a youthful clay head.
"The eyes a bit bigger…""Raise the bridge of the nose just slightly…""The lips curve upward—Tianzun is kind, not fierce.""The ears? A little larger."
Within two hours, the face was complete.
Outside, Li Daoxuan examined it with a magnifying glass.
The resemblance was uncanny.But it was unmistakably… improved.
Ahem.Gao Yiye's personal admiration had "edited" the sculpture by about thirty percent, turning him from an ordinary modern young man into a dignified, almost celestial figure.
His majesty: up by 320%.
Crafting the Body
Once the head was done, the body was easy.
Together, the sculptors shaped a yellow-clay deity seated cross-legged, wearing a Taoist robe.A whisk in the right hand.A Taiji and Bagua diagram in the left.
Finally, they attached the head.
Thus, the solemn statue of Heavenly Venerable Daoxuan was born.
Li Daoxuan inspected it from every angle.
Exquisite. Absolutely exquisite.The craftsmanship put professional model kits to shame. Even the hair, eyelids, and fingertips were delicately carved.
A Business Epiphany
"Huh? Hold on…"
Li Daoxuan turned toward his display shelf.
There sat a tiny plastic figurine—two centimeters tall—priced at 288 yuan.
He glanced at the figurine.Then at the clay Daoxuan.Then back at the figurine.Then at the clay Daoxuan again.
The realization hit him like lightning from Mount Tai.
This overpriced plastic brick is worth 288 yuan…Then how much could this divine statue sell for?
A thousand? Ten thousand? More?
A new idea exploded in his mind.
"Gao Yiye!" he called."Tell the sculptors I'm extremely satisfied. I have more work for them."
He pulled up an image file, hit print, and soon an A5 sheet slid out.
On it—the Supreme Treasure version of the Monkey King from Journey to the West.
A grin spread across his face.
Oh yes. I have a new idea indeed.