In the stilted bamboo house built against the mountain, a group of girls quietly stepped into the main hall.

Seated at the uppermost position, a slightly older girl looked down upon the group below. Her eyes swept over the girls one by one, her expression calm and unreadable.

For a long time, once all had gathered, her voice finally rang out:

“You should already know what happened a few days ago.”

The girls nodded in agreement. News from the Han towns had naturally reached the regions where the mountain people lived.

«Puxian’s divination indicates that this is a sign of the Eastern Celestial Emperor’s descent.»

«I am the current Spirit Maiden of the Eastern Celestial Emperor. I was originally supposed to step down next year, and a new Spirit Maiden would be chosen from among you to serve the Celestial.»

«Originally, I was the one who should have gone to the Taiyi Shrine to offer prayers and blessings, but since I’m nearing the end of my term, I fear I might displease the Celestial.»

She had not yet reached the age of twenty-five. In this era, whether among Han people or mountain people, that age was no longer considered young.

Each generation’s Spirit Maiden of the Eastern Celestial Emperor would be replaced when the previous one turned twenty-five. A new Spirit Maiden would be selected from among fifteen-year-old girls to serve a ten-year term.

This custom hadn’t been in place for long. In the past, Spirit Maidens, once chosen, would be sent to the fire altar and burned alive—only then could they serve the Celestial.

Often sacrificed alongside them were carefully selected virgin boys and girls.

But as the mountain people increasingly integrated with Han society—and with the imperial court enforcing strict crackdowns while encouraging them to move into Han towns and villages—this live sacrifice tradition was abolished in the Jing-Xiang region. In its place came the ten-year Spirit Maiden system.

Nowadays, only in the remote southwestern mountains where imperial control was weak did customs like live sacrifice still remain.

«Puxian’s divination has shown that you must go to the Taiyi Shrine and conduct the ritual prayer in advance.»

«Let the Celestial choose the Spirit Maiden He favors.»

The dozens of candidate girls exchanged looks, not knowing what to do.

This kind of situation had never occurred before. Would the Celestial really descend and personally choose a Spirit Maiden?

Was there really… such a thing as a Celestial…

In the crowd, one girl suddenly had this thought—then instantly felt terror, thinking she had committed an unspeakable blasphemy just for entertaining such an idea.

A great crowd of people was on the road to Purple Mountain.

Among them were people from Li Family Village, people from Xiangyang City, and many commoners from nearby villages.

Nearly everyone in Li Family Village who could walk was in the procession. In Xiangyang, countless merchants, scholars, and townsfolk followed along—men and women alike.

In Great Zhou, gender segregation was not strictly enforced. Scenes like this, where women openly traveled outside, were not uncommon.

At the front of the procession, Pei Xiu rode on horseback, accompanied by officials of various ranks from the city and yamen constables.

The Celestial officially worshipped by the imperial court was Hao Tian Shangdi, but belief in Taiyi was widespread in Chu territory. Li Family Village was naturally influenced as well. After the earthquake, the entire village believed that Grandpa Taiyi had shown his celestial  power and had already planned to come to the Taiyi Shrine on Purple Mountain to offer thanks.

Pei Xiu took this opportunity to lead the ceremony openly as a court official, hoping to once again receive the favor of the immortal.

Although he still couldn’t determine exactly what kind of celestial  being Xuan Yuan   was, with public opinion so strong, and considering that it was because of Xuan Yuan  ’s guidance that Li Family Village avoided disaster, he could not afford to be absent from this collective thanksgiving—whether in emotion or in reason.

Thus, as he rode, Pei Xiu’s brow occasionally furrowed slightly.

What if that young immortal wasn’t truly the incarnation of the ancient Eastern Celestial Emperor Taiyi? Would doing this risk displeasing the immortal?

He worried the entire way. Before long, as the Taiyi Shrine at the base of Purple Mountain came into view, Pei Xiu suddenly noticed another group also heading toward the shrine.

“Who are those people?”

He pointed ahead with his horsewhip and asked the magistrate of Xiangyang County who was beside him.

County Magistrate Dong Fu squinted into the distance, then his expression subtly changed. In a low voice, he said, “My master, those are mountain people from the surrounding area. Judging by their appearance, they’re also going to the Taiyi Shrine to offer sacrifices.”

“Worshipping Taiyi?” Pei Xiu muttered. “Wasn’t the fifteenth day of the first lunar month the proper day to worship Taiyi?”

After all, he was an official sent down from Chang’an and was still unfamiliar with local customs. Magistrate Dong Fu, however, had already served in the region for years and understood the nuances clearly. After thinking for a moment, he offered a guess:

«They probably heard about what happened in Li Family Village too. It’s not strange that the mountain people are coming—but the shamans have always believed that all matters of the Taiyi Shrine should be managed by them, which is probably why they’re showing up now.»

«Usually, there are a few shamans stationed at the Taiyi Shrine year-round in rotating shifts. Now that Your Excellency has come in person, they’re probably…»

Probably what, Dong Fu didn’t continue. He couldn’t say for sure, so he left it vague, letting Pei Xiu interpret it himself.

Pei Xiu’s brows knit even tighter.

He knew that in Chu territory, shamanic practices were common, and that these shamans held great authority among the mountain people. If they wanted to cause trouble, things could easily spiral out of control.

His anxiety grew even heavier, but the procession didn’t slow. Before long, the two groups converged.

A crowd of shamans escorted a man in his forties toward Pei Xiu. The man’s clothing was distinct from that of Han civilians, and his long hair hung loose. With a respectful expression, he bowed and said, «Puxian greets the master Prefect, greets the County Magistrate.»

Though Puxian held tremendous authority among the mountain people—practically equivalent to a tribal chief—he still showed full respect when facing imperial officials.

After all, they still had to pay taxes to the imperial court…

Pei Xiu gave a small nod, glanced over the mountain folk, and asked, «What’s your purpose here?»

Puxian placed his right hand over his left chest and bowed again. «Upon hearing of the Celestial’s descent, we came to conduct the prayer ritual in advance, to select the next Spirit Maiden—who will preside over next year’s grand festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month.»

So that’s how it is… or not!

Pei Xiu had been in the bureaucracy for many years. Just from their expressions, he could already guess what was really going on.

At the heart of it, these people had always been the ones managing the Taiyi worship. But this time, Taiyi had shown a celestial  sign to him—an imperial official—and had delivered Li Family Village from disaster. These mountain people had no part in it.

Now they couldn’t sit still. They wanted to use this opportunity to reassert themselves and show they were still relevant.

It was probably not much different from how children act when they see their parents suddenly care about another child—coming over to cry and fight for attention.

Still, Pei Xiu kept all that to himself. On the surface, he remained composed and simply said, «I have also come to give thanks to the Eastern Celestial Emperor. Many followers have come with me to offer prayers. This is a good chance to observe your ritual—it is truly a fortunate occasion.»

As he sat on horseback, looking down from above, a sudden glimmer caught the corner of his eye.

He looked up—only to see that the sun had suddenly grown larger.

In his astonishment, he froze.

At that very moment, the faint, ethereal song of a celestial maiden drifted on the wind from high atop Purple Mountain…