Gao Yiye knelt with her forehead pressed to the ground, her knees drawn tightly to her chest. Her whole body curled up like a frightened little animal. She stayed there quietly, waiting for the Heavenly Lord's mercy.
But after a long, silent moment… nothing happened.
She lifted her head.
The face in the clouds—the young man's face—was gone.
Is the Heavenly Lord unwilling to help me…?
She bit her lip hard, leaving a row of pale teeth marks.
Maybe yesterday, when he helped her kill those wicked bandits, he had simply acted on a whim. A divine being couldn't possibly grant every prayer—otherwise the world would know no suffering.
And besides, she had never built a shrine for him, never offered incense, never lit candles.
Why would he help someone who's given him nothing?
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to continue searching for roots.
Dragging her weak, trembling body, she wandered the barren sands again, desperately searching for a strand of life.
Li Daoxuan hadn't abandoned her.
He was simply thinking.
He had heard her plea clearly—her tiny voice like the chirping of an ant, but as long as the room was quiet and he focused, every word reached him.
She needed food.
But how was he supposed to give her food?
He stood up from the diorama and walked to the kitchen.
The stove fire was still burning, and the pot of water was boiling. The two eggs he tossed in earlier were nearly done.
His eyes brightened.
"Wait… what if I put one egg inside the diorama? Will she be able to pick it up?"
Only one way to find out.
He turned off the stove, scooped the eggs out, rinsed them under cold water to cool them, and then took one egg in hand as he returned to the diorama.
Inside, the girl miniature was still searching through the scorching sands, exhausted.
He leaned close and whispered, "Girl… let me try giving you some food."
The tiny girl froze.
She looked up toward the sky, eyes full of shock and hope.
Li Daoxuan slowly lowered the boiled egg into the diorama and placed it right before her.
Gao Yiye had thought the Heavenly Lord had abandoned her.
But then—his warm, powerful voice came again.
She lifted her head and once more met his gentle eyes through the clouds.
The heavens parted, and a colossal hand descended, lowering a gigantic egg onto the sand before her.
Her jaw dropped.
A massive egg—so huge it was terrifying.
More than three zhang long, and over two zhang tall.
To her, it was like the egg of some ancient titanic beast. She stumbled backward in fear.
"Th-this… is an egg?"
Li Daoxuan spoke gently, "Yes. A boiled egg. It's food—for you."
"For… me?" she stammered.
"It's cooked already. You can eat it."
Gathering her courage, she stepped closer and tapped the eggshell.
The sound was deep and heavy—like knocking on a boulder.
She grabbed a stone and smashed it against the shell with all her strength—
Clang!
The stone bounced off.
The eggshell remained perfectly intact.
And she fell flat on her backside from the rebound, panting hard.
Li Daoxuan realized the problem instantly.
To her—barely one centimeter tall—a 5 cm egg was enormous. She had no strength to crack it.
He spoke softly, "Let me peel it for you."
He reached back into the box, picked up the egg, knocked it against the wall, peeled the shell in a few quick motions, and placed the smooth white egg back before her.
Her eyes widened even more.
Now that the shell was removed, she recognized it clearly—this really was a boiled egg. A boiled egg the size of a small hill.
Is… this really for me?
Li Daoxuan said, "Go ahead. Eat."
"Truly… a gift for me?" she asked in disbelief.
He sighed gently. "Eat, poor girl."
Gao Yiye pounced on it, sinking her teeth into the soft, white surface.
Delicious.
Warm.
Fragrant.
A taste only rich landlords' sons ever got to enjoy—and here she was, given an entire mountain of it.
She devoured it fiercely, carving a huge crater in the egg white within moments. When she reached the yolk, she shoved her whole head inside and ate it mouthful by mouthful, letting out muffled hums of pure bliss.
Seeing her happy, Li Daoxuan felt happiness too.
At last, he'd truly helped her.
But then a thought struck him—
Is the egg… too big?
A one-centimeter-tall girl couldn't possibly finish a five-centimeter egg.
And it was midsummer.
If it sat overnight, it would spoil.
Just as he thought this, the girl looked up timidly.
"I… can I call the villagers to eat too? I can't finish it… and if it stays until tomorrow… it'll go bad…"
Li Daoxuan softened his tone even further.
"Of course. Call everyone to eat."
She bowed deeply.
"Th-thank you… Heavenly Lord…"
Now with strength restored, she sprinted toward the village.
But halfway there, a worry struck her:
Yesterday, when the Heavenly Lord killed the bandits, she was the only one who could see him.
What if the villagers couldn't see the egg?
What if she brought them here and they thought she was lying?
Panicked, she ran back and tore off a fist-sized piece of egg yolk.
Holding the chunk carefully in both hands, she hurried to the village and grabbed the first person she saw.
"Brother Chuwu! Can you see what I'm holding?!"
The man, Gao Chuwu, stared wide-eyed.
"That's… that's a huge piece of egg yolk! Where did you—how did you get such good food?!"
Gao Yiye's eyes lit up.
"You can see it?! Really?! Wonderful! Please—try some!"
Gao Chuwu was stunned.
This girl barely had anything to eat herself—and she was offering him good food?
But hunger made all hesitation vanish.
He took a bite, and pure satisfaction washed over him.
"So fragrant… I haven't tasted something this good in years…"
Gao Yiye turned toward the village and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Uncles! Aunties! Brothers and sisters! Everyone—come with me! There's food! Enough for everyone to fill their bellies!"