Though the Taiyi Shrine was not yet fully completed, the main structure and most of the buildings were already in place—enough to ensure that the grand Taiyi Ceremony on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month would proceed without a hitch.
The speed of construction was thanks, in no small part, to the cement formula and brick-firing techniques that Nuwa had passed along through the Spirit Maiden.
The newly constructed Taiyi Shrine was grander than ever before—far surpassing its former self. Even the residential quarters in the rear, prepared specifically for the Spirit Maiden Feng Yunqiu, outshone the mansions of the wealthiest families in Xiangyang City.
Yet, despite all this luxury, Feng Yunqiu showed no particular interest in material comfort. She remained cloistered within the shrine, rarely setting foot outside its boundaries.
Others might have gone mad from such isolation, but she had her own ways of staving off loneliness.
In the garden, several maids stood in attendance, their appearances styled after the ancient women of Chu—dressed in cross-collared robes and long skirts, sashes tied at their waists. With heads lowered, they kept silent watch as Feng Yunqiu sat beneath a tree, her eyes half-lidded in a state between waking and dreaming.
The moment they saw her like this, the maids knew: the Spirit Maiden was once again using soul projection to wander the realms beyond the flesh.
At first, some had been puzzled by her constant seclusion. Many sighed at how composed the Spirit Maiden must be. But soon, people were shocked to find that Feng Yunqiu was extraordinarily well-informed about the events around Xiangyang.
Only then did they realize she had received the Celestial Taiyi’s favor and had been granted the art of soul projection, allowing her to perceive all the mountains, rivers, forests, birds, and beasts across the Zishan region—to use them as her eyes and ears, to observe the world.
It was not unlike the highly-networked modern era, where even a complete shut-in could stay up to date thanks to the internet.
Cut the network off and see what happens.
In a way, Feng Yunqiu was beginning to resemble a little shut-in girl. Whenever she went out in person, she attracted too much attention. It was far more comfortable to stay inside the Taiyi Shrine, projecting her soul into birds and beasts to roam the mortal world.
At this moment, from her projected perspective, she had transformed into a bird flying above the new city.
Thanks to the cement formula, the city’s roads were straight and smooth. Though the trees lining the avenues hadn’t yet budded, there was already a palpable sense of spring awakening.
The roads were abnormally wide—two or even three times broader than Xiangyang’s largest avenues. Only the imperial roads of the celestial Capital Chang’an might compare.
Between the rows of trees were flower beds, spaced at regular intervals—making people all the more eager for spring’s full bloom.
Because city walls weren’t needed, the new city could expand freely. The blueprints Nuwa had provided were treated like treasures by the craftsmen. Not only did they include detailed construction plans for all basic infrastructure, but also brand-new architectural techniques that dazzled even the most seasoned artisans.
The bird flew over the rapidly forming urban center, rising ever higher.
Feng Yunqiu couldn’t help but smile. She felt there was nothing more exhilarating in the world than this.
Suddenly, she felt something strange—like the sun above her had become unusually bright. The bird she inhabited lifted its head instinctively.
A strange pulling force surged forth.
Alarmed, Feng Yunqiu tried to shout, but before she could speak, she felt her soul forcibly pulled from the bird’s body. And yet it didn’t return to her physical form—instead, it was swept upward, dragged by an unseen force, floating… floating…
Rising straight into the heavens.
The initial surprise faded quickly, and Feng Yunqiu calmed herself.
She was the Spirit Maiden of the Celestial Taiyi. If something this extraordinary was happening to her, it had to be related to him.
Trusting absolutely in her celestial patron, she even took the time to glance around.
Her soul pierced through layers of cloud, rising ever higher. What astonished her most was the earth below—it now visibly curved beneath her.
«So… the Earth really is curved? Then… the Huntian theory was right all along?»
People always said the ancients believed the world to be “heaven is round, earth is square.” But in truth, that saying was ancient even in the Han Dynasty—something even a person of that era would cite as «what the ancients used to believe.»
By the Qin and Han dynasties, many scholars had already realized that the square-earth model was nonsense.
The dominant cosmological view of the time had long been the Huntian (Celestial Sphere) theory.
Although the Huntian theory never explicitly stated the Earth was a sphere, it did acknowledge the curvature of the land.
Nuwa’s archives included records of a state-sponsored geodetic project in the Tang Dynasty, known as the «Yixing Meridian Survey.»
The Yixing in question wasn’t the monk from Journey to the West—but rather a Buddhist monk during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, who was ordered to measure the length of the meridian to update the calendar and guide agricultural planning.
The measurement spanned from roughly 51°N (Turkic tribes) to about 18°N (Annam/Lâm Ấp), producing a calculated circumference of Earth at over 46,000 kilometers—astonishingly close to the true figure.
Returning to the Spirit Maiden…
As Feng Yunqiu marveled at the ancient cosmology’s accuracy, she noticed something alarming—the sky was rapidly growing darker.
The once-blue heavens turned a deep navy.
«Why… why is the sky going dark?»
She widened her eyes in disbelief—watching herself exit Earth’s atmosphere and enter the vacuum of space.
Then she began flying toward the Sun.
She passed Venus… passed Mercury… and at last, within the boundless starry void, a celestial palace bathed in a million rays of rainbow light appeared before her.
Her body descended gently upon the front steps of this grand palace.
Looking down, she saw her own hands—feeling the solid floor beneath her feet. Then she looked up at a towering gate, a single jade pillar as thick as a hundred men’s embrace—reaching higher than she could fathom.
She was overwhelmed, like a tiny figure who had stumbled into a giant’s kingdom.
“Come in.”
From deep within the celestial halls, Xuan Yuan ’s voice echoed faintly.
It really was the Celestial!
Steeling her heart, Feng Yunqiu took a breath, gathered her robe, and stepped past the celestial gate of the palace.
The instant she crossed the threshold, the scenery around her shifted dramatically.
When her senses returned, she found herself standing in a place veiled in endless mist—before a palace too wondrous for mortal minds.
Above the gate were three grand ancient characters, written in a script of profound age:
«Palace of Nuwa.»
Feng Yunqiu gasped inwardly.
But fearing the Celestial Taiyi might be waiting, she didn’t have time to dwell on her astonishment. She braced herself and walked into the Palace of Nuwa.
Corridors wound endlessly. Countless celestial birds and beasts flitted through the air.
She didn’t know how long she walked, but at last, she saw her Celestial Taiyi—seated across from a beautiful celestial maiden she had seen once before in the Eastern Celestial Palace. The two appeared to be discussing something.
Seeing her arrive, the Celestial turned and looked toward her. Feng Yunqiu immediately knelt down.
«Spirit Maiden Feng Yunqiu pays respects to the Celestial… and to…»
The other woman cast a calm glance at her and said:
«I have no name as a celestial. But I do remember you little ones. Long ago, you called me—Nuwa.»
Her suspicion confirmed, Feng Yunqiu bowed again in awe.
«This humble one greets Lady Nuwa!»
This was truly… the legendary primordial celestial who molded humanity from clay!