Chapter 4: Feed You
Gao Yiye pressed her forehead to the ground so hard that the impact echoed faintly in the empty air, her knees drawn up against her chest as her whole body curled inward, shrinking into itself like a helpless little animal that had long since learned not to expect kindness from the world, quietly waiting for the grace of the Heavenly being above.
She waited.
And waited.
Time stretched thin in the silence, but nothing happened.
At last, she dared to lift her head, only to find that the man's face that had once hovered within the clouds had vanished without a trace, leaving behind nothing but an empty sky that felt colder than before.
Does the Heavenly being not wish to help me?
Gao Yiye bit down on her lower lip, harder than she realized, until a pale row of teeth marks appeared against the skin, her doubt gnawing at her far more painfully than hunger ever could.
Perhaps what happened yesterday, when those unforgivable bandits were wiped out, was nothing more than a fleeting whim. A passing curiosity. If such a being truly answered every plea, then how could suffering still exist in this world?
Then again, what had she ever offered in return?
She had built no temple, burned no incense, lit no candles in devotion. By what right could she expect anything at all?
Her jaw tightened as she forced herself back to her feet.
Better to keep searching for roots.
Dragging her weak and exhausted body across the yellow sands, she resumed her desperate hunt for even the faintest chance at survival.
…
Li Dao Xuan had not abandoned her.
He had simply been thinking, carefully and seriously, about how he could actually help.
He had heard every word of the girl's plea. Her voice had been as soft as an ant's whisper, but in the absence of any other noise, if he focused and listened closely, it was still clear enough.
She needed food.
The problem was how to give it to her.
Li Dao Xuan stepped away from the sandbox and walked into the kitchen, where the stove still burned steadily and a pot of water rolled at a lively boil. The two eggs he had dropped in earlier were just about done.
His eyes suddenly lit up.
"If I put an egg in front of her… would she be able to pick it up?"
There was only one way to find out.
He quickly turned off the heat, fished the eggs out of the pot, and rinsed them under cold water to bring the temperature down. Then, holding one egg in his hand, he returned to the sandbox.
Inside, the tiny girl was still wandering across the barren sand, stubbornly searching for something that did not want to be found.
Li Dao Xuan spoke gently, his voice low and careful.
"Miss, let me try to give you something to eat."
The tiny figure froze as if struck by lightning, then slowly raised her head to the sky, her eyes filling with startled joy.
Li Dao Xuan lowered his hand and placed the egg into the sandbox, setting it carefully on the sand right in front of her.
…
Gao Yiye had thought she had already been abandoned, yet as she walked, that warm yet authoritative voice returned to her ears, and she snapped her head up, meeting the gaze of the Heavenly being once more. His eyes were filled with a kind of gentleness and pity that made her chest tighten.
The clouds parted.
A massive hand descended from the heavens and placed an enormous egg before her on the sand.
Her mouth fell open as she stared.
A gigantic egg.
Absurdly large. Terrifyingly so.
It stretched over three zhang in length and stood more than two zhang tall, resting before her like the egg of some ancient beast, so overwhelming that she stumbled backward several steps in sheer instinctive fear.
"Th… this… is… an egg?"
Gao Yiye's voice trembled with disbelief.
Li Dao Xuan replied calmly, "Yes. An egg. For you to eat."
Her gaze flickered upward, still unsteady.
"This… is for me?"
"I've already boiled it," he said. "You can eat it directly."
His tone was gentle, almost coaxing, and after a long moment, Gao Yiye finally gathered the courage to step forward. She reached out and tapped the shell lightly. The sound that came back was dull and heavy, more like striking stone than anything edible.
She picked up a rock, gritted her teeth, and swung with all the strength she had left.
The impact rang out.
The rock bounced away.
The eggshell remained completely intact.
The recoil knocked her backward, and she landed hard on the ground, sitting there and gasping for breath, her arms trembling from the effort.
Li Dao Xuan immediately realized the problem.
For her, this egg was not food. It was an obstacle.
She was simply too small, not even a centimeter tall, while the egg in front of her measured several times her size. There was no way she could break it open on her own.
"I'll peel it for you," he said softly.
He reached into the sandbox again, lifted the egg out, tapped it against the wall, and quickly removed the shell in a few efficient motions before placing the peeled egg back in front of her.
Gao Yiye's eyes widened even further.
Before, she had not dared to be certain, but now, with the shell gone, there was no mistaking it.
This was truly a boiled egg.
Just… unimaginably large.
"This… is really for me to eat?"
"Eat," Li Dao Xuan said.
She hesitated, her voice still unsteady.
"It really… is given to me?"
Li Dao Xuan let out a long breath.
"Eat, you poor girl."
That was all it took.
Gao Yiye threw herself forward without another word and bit straight into the soft white surface.
Delicious.
So fragrant.
This was the kind of food only the sons of wealthy landlords could hope to taste, and yet now an entire giant egg had been placed before her, enough for her to eat her fill without restraint.
In just a few bites, she tore a deep hollow into the egg white, breaking through to the rich yellow yolk inside. She shoved her entire head into the opening and began devouring it in large, eager mouthfuls, muffled sounds of satisfaction spilling out between bites.
She ate with joy.
And Li Dao Xuan found himself smiling along with her, relieved that he had finally managed to help this pitiful girl.
Then a thought struck him.
Was this egg… too big?
The girl herself was less than a centimeter tall, while the egg was several times her size. There was no way she could finish it all. It was already July. If it sat overnight, it would spoil.
Just as the concern formed, the tiny girl lifted her head again and spoke timidly.
"Can I… call the villagers to come eat together? I… cannot finish it alone… and if it is left until tomorrow… it will go bad…"
Li Dao Xuan softened his voice even further.
"Of course. Call everyone to come eat."
Gao Yiye immediately dropped to the ground and kowtowed again.
"Th… thank you… Dao Xuan Tianzun…"
With food in her stomach, strength returned to her limbs. She sprang to her feet and ran toward the village as fast as she could, but as she ran, a new worry crept into her mind.
Yesterday, when Dao Xuan Tianzun helped them kill the bandits, only she had been able to see that enormous hand. The others had seen nothing.
Would it be the same this time?
Would the others even be able to see the egg?
If they could not, then dragging them here would only make her look like a liar.
The thought made her abruptly turn around and sprint back. She tore off a chunk of yolk about the size of her fist, cradled it carefully in both hands, and rushed back toward the village.
The first person she ran into was a man from the same clan.
"Brother Gao Chuwu," she called out breathlessly, "can you see what I'm holding?"
Gao Chuwu focused his eyes on her hands and then froze where he stood.
"Th… that large a piece of yolk? Where did you get something this good?"
Relief flooded through her.
"You can see it. You really can see it. That is wonderful. Try a bite."
Gao Chuwu was still dazed. Food like this was rare even in better times, and Gao Yiye herself barely had enough to eat most days, so why was she offering it so freely now?
But hunger did not care for manners or restraint.
He took the yolk and bit into it.
Warmth and satisfaction spread instantly through his mouth.
"Ah… it is so fragrant. I have not eaten anything this good in so long."
Gao Yiye turned toward the village and shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice ringing with a strength that had not been there before.
"Uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, everyone, come quickly. There is food. Enough for everyone to fill their stomachs."
…
When microscopic objects pass through the box into the Ming world, they do not increase in size. Cells, molecules, atoms, fibers, all of them remain the same.
However, their quantity increases proportionally, causing the overall volume of the object to expand accordingly.