The Great Ming in the Box-Chapter 81: You Dont Need to Sacrifice Your Self
The video had barely been uploaded, yet it already had one hundred thousand likes and the number kept climbing rapidly.
Comments flooded in instantly.
“Holy shit, how was this video shot? How’d they get that giant hand into the frame?”
“Has short video VFX tech already reached this level?”
“The image of this bus being pushed around an ancient village by a giant hand is just hilarious. The key point is the actors are amazing—they genuinely look like country bumpkins.”
“Top-tier acting, top-tier VFX… though the bus looks kinda cheap, total toy material, nothing like a real bus.”
“The hand is a real hand, the bus is a toy, and the tiny people inside are VFX. Incredibly mind-blowing VFX.”
“But I can still tell it’s VFX, hmph hmph hmph, my eyes are sharp.”
“What kind of reverse-thinking went into designing this effect?”
“Insane special effects! Fuck me! Absolutely insane!”
The likes kept sprinting upward. The small airplanes, ships, and high-speed trains in the Little Yellow Bike still weren’t selling, but the miniature toy bus featured in the video sold over ten thousand units in no time.
At 49.9 yuan per order, ten thousand orders meant over 500,000 yuan. Li Daoxuan earned a 25% commission of the sales. After paying TikTok its 5% platform fee, he pocketed 100,000 yuan in an instant.
WeChat flashed—a message from A Barrel of Pudding arrived: “Boss! Boss! Our orders exploded! Totally exploded! Everyone from Sales is working emergency overtime packaging toys. Holy heavens, this video of yours… I’m genuinely blown away. That level of VFX… You’re opening our eyes!”
Li Daoxuan replied: “See, toys like the little planes and ships just won’t sell. The mini-bus sold well because it featured in my video. If you could get some ancient-style micro-toys—small house, small castle, small carriage models—for me to film, those could be the real explosive sellers. Remember that.”
A Barrel of Pudding: “Got it! I’ll convince Product Development. Within our technical limits, we’ll try to create some toys tailored for your video theme.”
Li Daoxuan: “Looking forward to it. Together we can win!”
Closing WeChat, Li Daoxuan felt a bit tired. He turned to glance out the window. Shuangqing City was under night sky. Drunks downstairs were yelling again: “Wukuishou, Liuliuliu…”
Two guys zoomed down the street on motorcycles, deliberately revving the throttle—VROOM VROOM VROOM—playing noisy drag games.
Li Daoxuan could only shut the window tighter. The double-glazed glass muted the racket from the young troublemakers.
He took a shower, went to his bedroom, turned off all the lights, and got ready to sleep.
A faint glow persisted in the bedroom, emanating from the scenic box. Oil lamps lined the fortress wall of Gaojia Fortress. Two sentinels patrolled diligently.
After experiencing two consecutive battles, the villagers of Gaojia Village understood the dangers now. The sentinels patrolled with much greater seriousness.
The corner of Li Daoxuan’s mouth lifted slightly. He was about to say goodnight to the box and slip into sleep when he suddenly noticed a tiny figure standing on the third-floor balcony of the tallest watchtower in Gaojia Fortress.
“Huh?”
Li Daoxuan recognized her: Gao Yiye.
Nighttime Gao Yiye wasn’t formally dressed like during the day. She wasn’t wearing the thick white robe, but her old, coarse hemp clothing—faded, patched, tattered.
This was probably her nightgown—unwilling to wear her good clothes to bed and crease them.
She seemed troubled. Standing high on the third-floor balcony, gazing up at the starry night sky, she opened her mouth several times, hesitating. Finally, unable to resist, she spoke softly towards the heavens: “Why me?”
Why me?
The question floated clearly to Li Daoxuan’s ears, making him pause.
He instantly grasped what the young girl was questioning.
Yes, why her?
Honestly, Li Daoxuan didn’t understand that either.
Gao Yiye murmured quietly: “Deity… You are probably handling other celestial matters in the immortal realm right now. Only when You’re away… only then do I dare whisper like this… I… I… little girl… she has felt so uselessly idle lately!”
Li Daoxuan: Pfft!
Gao Yiye continued: “No one lets me do anything. They just want me to stand there. They won’t even let me move around. They say it diminishes Your divine dignity. But… but… I… that was never me! I loved running! Jumping! Being wild! I loved chasing big brother Chuwu! Hearing Sanwa waddle after me! Hunting frogs in the fields! Scooping clams out of the river… Before the severe drought, I was the fiercest, most playful girl in the whole village!”
Li Daoxuan was amused.
Gao Yiye: “A few days ago, I … I took some cotton to weave cloth. When I showed everyone the cloth… they just glared at me like I’d grown horns! Earlier, Third Lady pulled me aside… so earnestly… gave me this huge lecture… told me I must uphold my image.”
Li Daoxuan: Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
He felt like laughing but, strangely, a touch of sadness also stirred within him.
Gao Yiye: “But I really can’t hold it in any longer! I have to do something—otherwise, I might just die!”
Li Daoxuan heard the genuine distress in her voice.
Gao Yiye lifted her face with utmost seriousness towards the sky. Moonlight bathed her features in a silver, hazy glow. She looked particularly lovely. “Deity… I still want to take some cotton and weave cloth. No matter what Third Lady says… I can’t help but weave! Please… please don’t blame me for dishonoring Your glorious name?”
Swish!
Li Daoxuan swiftly lifted the lid of the scenic box and brought his face close.
With the lid covering, even Gao Yiye couldn’t see him; sound didn’t penetrate. But with it open, Gao Yiye clearly saw his face materialize among the clouds, and his voice reached her clearly.
Seeing the Deity suddenly manifest in the night sky startled Gao Yiye terribly. She stumbled backward several paces—thump!—and knelt instantly.
“You… You… Deity… were listening?! Forgive this guilt! Little girl… she… won’t take the cotton! Won’t take it!”
Li Daoxuan smiled gently, softening his voice as much as possible. “Go take the cotton. It’s alright. I’m not upset with you.”
Gao Yiye’s head snapped up. Joy washed over her.
“Live the life you want to live. Listen to no one who advises otherwise,” Li Daoxuan spoke earnestly. “Above all, you need joy. Everything else comes after that.”
Gao Yiye: “But… if I seem coarse… wouldn’t that cause others to disrespect You, Deity?”
Li Daoxuan: “False entities require affected theatrics to intimidate. But do I need such devices to enhance my stature? My reality can be proven at any moment. You never need to sacrifice your true self to uphold my dignity.”
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Chapter 81: You Dont Need to Sacrifice Your Self
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