The Great Ming in the Box-Chapter 58: TikTok Goes Viral
On the morning of August 16, 2023, in Shuangqing City.
Li Daoxuan awoke to find the village bustling within the realm box.
Thirty-Two, Third Lady, two sculptors, Gao Chuwu, Zheng Daniu, and several young villagers were preparing to set off for the county seat.
Before, traveling to the county town had been a simple affair: pack some dry rations, cover the over thirty li on foot, and reach it within an hour or two.
But now, the journey to the county had become perilous.
Outside the towering walls of Gaojia Village stretched a wilderness governed by the law of the jungle.
Mr. Bai’s recent message had relayed that the court had entirely abandoned efforts to subdue the bandits, opting instead to let events resolve naturally until “plundering ends with the spring.” The extent of the ensuing chaos was beyond imagination.
Thirty-Two was naturally timid. When he learned that bailiffs had seized Wangjia Village’s seed grain, he bolted immediately. He wasn’t the bold type to confront danger head-on. But this time, Third Lady was resolute about returning to the county seat. He couldn’t stop her and reluctantly steeled himself to undertake this risky expedition.
“The Deity destroyed the Supreme Bright King and scattered the largest faction of bandits,” Thirty-Two paced anxiously, trying to reassure himself. “There shouldn’t be large groups of bandits anymore.”
Gao Chuwu grinned broadly, “Don’t be scared. I’ll protect you. Look, I’m wearing my two-panel armor. So dashing… ah… though a bit hot.”
Thirty-Two was alarmed, “Take it off, you fool! It’s one thing to wear armor when fighting bandits, but wearing it to the county seat? You’ll be beheaded in no time.”
Gao Chuwu: “Huh? Why?”
Thirty-Two hastily explained the dangers, frightening Gao Chuwu into immediately stripping off his armor and returning it to Gao Yiyi’s blacksmith’s shop.
After the commotion, Gao Chuwu, Zheng Daniu, the two sculptors, and another ten young men set out from the village, each equipped only with a knife and burdened with large and small packs.
Everyone was somewhat fearful. After all, just a few days ago, they had faced a bandit army attacking Gaojia Village. Who could afford to be careless venturing out now?
But remembering this journey was under the Deity’s command to save lives, everyone took heart.
The Deity had done so much for us; yet, what little we could do for the Deity weighed heavily.
“Move faster, move faster. Reach the county seat quickly, and we’ll be safe.”
Thirty-Two kept urging them onward, though the group was already hastening their steps without being told.
Li Daoxuan watched them leave the village and head toward the county town. He tapped the “West” and “South” buttons on the box, shifting his view to follow their progress.
But after tracking them merely a few hundred meters, his view stuck.
The group moved beyond the box’s visual range and vanished into the outside world.
The worry a mother feels sending her child a thousand li away. Li Daoxuan finally understood the poignant anxiety of an elderly mother seeing her son off on a distant journey.
He turned his attention back within the village. Shortly after Thirty-Two’s departure, the villagers noticeably slackened their pace. Blacksmiths in the forge slowed their working rhythm. The women who had just begun weaving cotton cloth paused their work, gathering together to chatter about domestic matters.
Gao Yiye slipped stealthily from her house, crept to the dilapidated hut storing cotton, glanced around, and seized a large clump of cotton unseen. Hidden inside her clothes, she scurried back home, locked doors and windows tight, and started up her spinning machine…
Fortunately, she had never repaired the hole in her ceiling. Otherwise, Li Daoxuan couldn’t have seen her secretly spinning cotton cloth indoors.
Li Daoxuan chuckled.
With Thirty-Two away, should I emerge to oversee these villagers?
He pondered this for half a second and dismissed the thought.
For what purpose?
These past days, the villagers had been driven hard: building a Daoist temple, battling enemies, spinning constantly. Why not let them enjoy a few relaxed days during Thirty-Two’s absence? They deserved a break.
He deliberately shifted his attention away from the realm box.
He recalled that the surveillance camera trained on the box had been recording footage continuously for quite some time. It was time to clear out some old recordings.
Li Daoxuan sat down at his computer and opened the camera’s management software. He selected the recording list, chose all clips, and saved them to the local hard drive…
Then, idly, he opened one clip, chuckled at its contents, closed it, and opened another randomly to watch for a short while.
“Good god! This clip is… not right.”
In the night vision footage, Gao Yiye was undressing beside the pond, clearly about to bathe…
Instinct and Morality instantly armed themselves, locked in combat, swinging knives and swords wildly for dozens of seconds, until Morality barely won out, striking down Instinct.
Li Daoxuan slapped the “delete” button, jettisoning that recording far from sight.
Opening another clip, he found the villagers bustling about constructing the temple—a scene quite vibrant and entertaining.
Enjoyment is better shared. Why not upload it to TikTok? Let netizens enjoy this novelty. After all, they’d assume it was actors portraying the Ming Dynasty, not knowing it was authentic.
He quickly sprung into action, editing the clip into a 30-second video and adding a caption: “Late Ming Dynasty — A group of hardworking villagers constructing a temple…”
His creative juices dried up there. He had little literary flair for crafting moving narratives. That would have to suffice.
Uploaded to his TikTok account, he moved on.
Setting aside his phone, he went to boil water for instant noodles. Minutes later, noodles in hand, he picked up his phone again and was stunned: the video he’d just posted was trending! Heaps of comments had flooded in within mere minutes.
“The production value is insane! Every actor portrays a downtrodden laborer so believably—unlike your typical actors.”
“Definitely. The props and costumes show incredible attention to detail. Nothing like those cheaply made junk period dramas.”
“The visual effects are strangely captivating—almost like a land of tiny people!”
“Pfft, don’t be clueless. That’s tilt-shift photography. It makes full-scale stuff seem miniature.”
“Yeah, that’s tilt-shift for sure. Honestly, it’s not that special—any semi-decent photographer can pull it off. But wow, the blogger must’ve spent a fortune! Hiring so many extras raided from set sales to act in a temple-building clip? The production costs must be insane.”
“With this many extras and props? Even for 30 seconds, no way this cost less than $20,000.”
“Pure respect for the craft means I’m liking, saving, and sharing this video.”
“You guys are all morons. Why else would the blogger invest heavily in a mere 30-second clip? To make way more cash later! Any day now, this account will feature a Little Yellow Bike link. Then the blogger will livestream: ‘Hottest Deal!’ Screaming how he’s crashed the market price—Not $999! Not $99! Just $9.99 shipped! Until he empties your wallets, you sheep.”
Li Daoxuan’s eyes lit up at this last comment: Whoa, that hadn’t even occurred to me. But now that you mention it — thanks for the brilliant idea! Let the scam games begin.
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Chapter 58: TikTok Goes Viral
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