Chapter Forty-Six: The Grand Gathering of Celestial Words (Part Two)

Tao Ming wasn’t sure when she’d drifted off to sleep. By the time she awoke, daylight was streaming into the room. Ruanruan and Nuonuo were already awake, yet both lay quietly at her sides, each hugging one of her arms.

“Good morning,” Tao Ming greeted with a smile.

“Good morning, Mama,” Nuonuo replied with a gentle smile.

“I’m hungry,” Ruanruan answered, her lips turned down in a pout.

Tao Ming silently reminded herself: They’re my children. I brought them into this world. I did.

Sitting up, Tao Ming felt sticky and uncomfortable all over. It occurred to her that she hadn’t bathed since arriving in Weishui. She quickly gathered Ruanruan and Nuonuo and headed to the cleansing room.

But there was only one bucket of water—hardly enough for the three of them to bathe.

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Ruanruan, we’ll bathe Nuonuo first today. Once we have more water, it’ll be your turn.”

Nuonuo looked up and said, “Mama, can’t you control water?”

“Ah—that—I forgot!” Tao Ming admitted, mortified.

She couldn’t help it. As someone from Earth, it was impossible to remember at every moment that she could use magic.

But now that she recalled her abilities, it was much easier. Since Tao Ming’s power had reached the second level of the Moon Rank, she could condense a water sphere the size of a pomelo.

She undressed the two little ones, then broke a water sphere over Ruanruan’s head. Instantly, Ruanruan was drenched like a little chick caught in the rain. Rubbing her eyes, Ruanruan cried, “Mama, you always do this! Water got in my eyes!”

Tao Ming laughed, “You can always find another mama. I have no objection.”

“Hmph!” Ruanruan snorted, turning to Nuonuo. “She always bullies me!”

Nuonuo pretended not to hear.

After bathing, their bodies felt refreshed, but their hair was left dripping wet. There were neither drying towels nor a hairdryer to be found.

Nuonuo piped up, “Mama, you can move the water out of our hair, can’t you?”

What a good idea!

Tao Ming carefully manipulated her magic, drawing the moisture from their hair. To avoid extracting too much and leaving it parched, she concentrated intensely. By the time she was finished, she was even more exhausted than when she conjured water for their bath.

At last, they were all neat and tidy. Tao Ming styled Ruanruan’s and Nuonuo’s hair, but after fussing with her own to no avail, she simply tied it back in a ponytail.

When the Seventh Prince saw Tao Ming appear with her hair in a ponytail, he opened his mouth, but only said, “Let’s have breakfast.”

After breakfast, the Seventh Prince hid the three of them and left the small courtyard openly with Mu Zhong in tow.

When Tao Ming next saw the sun, she found herself standing again in a narrow alley.

“Has the Heavenly Proclamation Gathering begun?” she asked, worried they’d be late.

The Seventh Prince glanced around and answered, “It’s begun, but it’s all empty talk at the start. The main event comes later. Follow me.” With that, he picked up Nuonuo and led the way.

Tao Ming donned her veiled hat, scooped up Ruanruan, and followed close behind.

Guided by the location of the Celestial Emperor’s Temple, the Seventh Prince brought them to a three-story teahouse. Its doors were firmly shut; it was not in business.

In fact, none of the shops in Xin Feng Town were open. All the townsfolk had gathered before the Celestial Emperor’s Temple to attend the Proclamation Gathering.

After a careful look around, ensuring no one was nearby, the Seventh Prince pried open a window and climbed inside.

Tao Ming watched his smooth, practiced movements, wanting to speak but unsure what to say. Resigned, she helped Ruanruan through the window first, then climbed in herself.

Mu Zhong entered last and closed the window behind them.

They hurried up to the top floor. The Seventh Prince found the right direction, opened a door, and motioned for everyone to go inside.

Once they were all in, Mu Zhong closed the door, and the Seventh Prince set up a barrier, sealing the entire room.

Tao Ming watched his actions in surprise. “What’s this?”

The Seventh Prince pushed open a window. “Come and see.”

Tao Ming stepped forward and looked out. About two hundred meters away stood a colossal structure, at least thirty meters tall and fifty wide, its entire surface white as if hewn from stone. The walls were carved with human figures—clearly, this was the famed Celestial Emperor’s Temple.

Before the building, a stone platform about five meters high stood. Atop it, a man was speaking loudly.

Beneath the platform lay a plaza as large as a football field. It was packed with kneeling people, an oppressive black mass, not a single voice to be heard—only the speaker’s words drifted down from the dais.

Ruanruan and Nuonuo balanced on chairs, stretching their heads out the window. Tao Ming hurried to steady them, afraid they’d fall.

“Sports day!” Ruanruan exclaimed in awe.

Tao Ming’s mouth twitched. The scene did resemble a sports meet in some strange way.

She pulled the girls down and distracted them with toys, then focused intently on the words echoing from the distance.

After listening for a quarter of an hour, Tao Ming could guess what she’d missed earlier: the Celestial Emperor, sent by Heaven to save the people, was their destined sovereign. The people ought to be grateful, to labor diligently, not to covet pleasure and indulgence—such was the refrain.

The Seventh Prince observed Tao Ming’s reactions the whole time. She furrowed her brow, curled her lip, rolled her eyes—her expressions lively and entertaining.

The more she listened, the more repetitive it all seemed. Turning back, Tao Ming asked, “Your Highness, do the people really believe this?”

He shook his head. “Some do not. Wait a little longer—the main event is about to begin.”

Tao Ming looked out the window again. The man atop the platform made a series of gestures. All the kneeling people began to kowtow, and a strange sound filled the air.

Tao Ming focused, straining to listen. The sound was bizarre—like the incoherent muttering of a madman, muddled and indistinct, making her head spin.

She shook her head, trying to dispel the sensation. The Seventh Prince pressed his hand to her forehead, and a cool energy swept through her, clearing her mind at once.

Once she had recovered, the Seventh Prince withdrew his hand.

Realizing something had gone wrong with herself, Tao Ming immediately glanced at the two little ones. She found them still happily playing their game, completely unaffected.

She turned to the Seventh Prince. “But that’s odd. I’m already at the second Moon Rank. How could I be affected?”

“Don’t reveal your strength to others so carelessly. I didn’t expect this—you’ve trained before?”

Tao Ming took his advice to heart and pressed on: “You still haven’t told me why I was affected.”

The Seventh Prince looked out the window, voice unreadable. “What you heard was a spell personally cast by the Celestial Emperor. His power is extraordinary—anyone below the fifth Moon Rank will be influenced.”

“Every proclamation officer carries a transmission stone sealed by the Celestial Emperor himself. The so-called Heavenly Proclamation Gathering is, in truth, for the people to hear the Celestial Emperor’s spell.”

Tao Ming looked outside again. The kneeling crowd’s kowtowing grew faster and faster, waves of black rising and falling like a dark sea—an unsettling sight.

Fortunately, the sound did not last long. The proclamation officer made a few more gestures, and the noise ceased.

He spoke a few more words, and the kneeling townsfolk rose one by one, departing the plaza in neat, orderly lines—strangely uniform.

Tao Ming watched them file away. “What’s happened to them?”

“Their minds have been subdued. For the next two years, they will obey, work diligently, and entertain no rebellious thoughts.”

So, thought Tao Ming, it’s brainwashing, pure and simple.

She asked, “What do you mean by ‘rebellious thoughts’?”

The Seventh Prince turned to her. “Troublemaking. Rebellion.”

Tao Ming met his gaze. “Why show me all this? Do you have a purpose?”

His eyes locked on hers. “I want to rebel.”

Tao Ming felt as if she’d gotten out of bed wrong that morning—perhaps she was still dreaming. She pinched herself hard. Ouch—it hurt. Hesitantly, she said, “What did you just say? I don’t think I heard you clearly.”

The Seventh Prince’s gaze was earnest. “I want you to join me in rebellion.”