Creation and Love

Chen Jing's phone call felt like a cold iron weight pressing down on Lin Fan's heart. A more comprehensive inquiry and inspection? That meant the authorities' concern and wariness about this place had reached a new level. Zhou Wenyuan's visit had been the spark that ignited every suspicion that had been piling up.

Lin Fan relayed Chen Jing's words to Tong Tian and Goddess Nüwa.

At the news, a cold glint flashed in Tong Tian's eyes. The restrained sword intent surrounding him seemed ready to stir once more, and the temperature in the room appeared to drop several degrees. "Are they trying to push their luck?" His voice was icy, tinged with impatience. How could mortals repeatedly provoke a Saint's dignity?

Goddess Nüwa, by contrast, seemed much calmer. She gently set down the clay crane, now brimming with spirit, and let her gaze pass over the "breath soil" and the many little figurines on the windowsill before settling on Lin Fan's worried face.

"It's all right." Goddess Nüwa's voice remained ethereal and gentle, carrying a soothing power that calmed agitation. "If they wish to 'make inquiries,' let them come. We act openly and honorably, and mean no harm to this world. Why fear an investigation? As for the 'inspection'..."

She paused slightly. Her fingertip unconsciously traced a mysterious path through the air, and a barely perceptible Dao rhythm, brimming with vitality, quietly spread out. Like ripples on water, it passed over every clay figurine and sketch in the room. The distinctive fluctuations emanating from those objects seemed to grow more restrained, more in harmony with nature. Unless someone deliberately used special methods to activate them, they were almost indistinguishable from ordinary objects.

"...I've concealed them a little," Goddess Nüwa said calmly. "It isn't out of fear. I simply don't wish to cause further trouble and disturb the peace here. If they insist on using mortal instruments to peer into the Great Dao, they'll get nowhere."

Watching Goddess Nüwa alter the aura of objects with such effortless gestures, Lin Fan couldn't help but admire her. Was this the degree of control a Saint had over the Dao? It was simply miraculous.

Tong Tian gave a cold snort, tacitly accepting Goddess Nüwa's approach. He also knew that openly breaking with the authorities in this world would be unwise—at least for now.

"I understand." Lin Fan nodded, feeling much more at ease. Since the two Saints were prepared, he, the "front man," had reason to feel confident.

He replied to Chen Jing's text, saying he would cooperate but asking her to let him know the exact time in advance, so they wouldn't disturb his "friends" in their cultivation. Chen Jing replied quickly and arranged to come the next morning.

That night, while cultivating the Supreme Clarity Heart-Cleansing Mantra, Lin Fan deliberately immersed his mind in the peaceful state that resonated with the Dao rhythm emanating from the "breath soil" figurines. He wasn't sure whether it was due to his changed mindset or to the fact that days of intense cultivation had finally brought about a qualitative change, but this time he entered a profound state of stillness. His mind was clearer of stray thoughts than ever before, serene and lucid, as if it had merged with the peaceful aura around him.

In that mysterious state, the fragments of talismanic script in his mind—those imparted by Tong Tian, concerning the Supreme Clarity Heart-Cleansing Mantra—seemed to become a little clearer. Though he still couldn't fully understand them, he faintly grasped a hint of the true meaning of "stillness" and "composure." When he finished cultivating, he felt invigorated, with keen senses and a clear mind. Even his unease about the "inquiry" awaiting him the next day had eased, replaced by a greater sense of calm.

At exactly nine the next morning, someone knocked on the door.

Lin Fan opened it. Besides the familiar Chen Jing and her two capable subordinates, there were two other people. One was an elderly man with thick glasses and graying hair, his manner meticulous, carrying an instrument case even more sophisticated and complex than the one from last time. The other was a middle-aged woman in a white lab coat, with a gentle air about her, holding a tablet and a notebook.

"Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Lin," Chen Jing said. Her expression was as businesslike as ever, but her gaze was sharper than before. She stepped aside to introduce them. "This is Professor Li Zhenguo, an authority in energy physics. This is Dr. Su Qing, an expert in psychology and behavioral analysis. They'll be conducting a more detailed environmental assessment of your residence."

Lin Fan understood. They'd brought in an upgraded team of experts. Calmly, he ushered all five inside.

The small rented apartment instantly felt crowded. As soon as Professor Li entered, his gaze swept over the room like a radar, then fixed on the clay figurines on the windowsill, especially the "breath soil." He impatiently opened his instrument case, and probes and sensors sprang into action as data streamed across the screens.

Dr. Su Qing was more focused on the people. Her gaze was gentle yet penetrating as she carefully observed Lin Fan, Goddess Nüwa, who sat naturally by the table, and Tong Tian, who had his back to them and seemed lost in his own world.

Chen Jing got straight to the questioning. "Mr. Lin, Zhou Wenyuan, who visited yesterday, is one of the country's top collectors. According to our records, after he left, several accounts linked to him showed unusual signs of pending freezes on funds, involving sums of over ten million at the highest. Could you tell us the purpose of his visit and what you discussed?"

Lin Fan had prepared his answer in advance, and replied frankly, "Mr. Zhou came because he was interested in some of Miss Nüwa's... handicrafts. He admired them and wanted to buy them, but Miss Nüwa refused." He left out the specific figure of ten million, to avoid provoking them.

"Handicrafts?" Chen Jing looked toward the windowsill. "You mean these... clay figurines?"

"Yes."

"Could you describe them in more detail? For instance, what's so special about them that Zhou Wenyuan values them so highly?" Chen Jing pressed, glancing at Professor Li, who was busily working the instruments.

Following Goddess Nüwa's earlier guidance, Lin Fan answered, "Miss Nüwa has some unique insights and talent in art. Her figurines... are rather lifelike, and they can make people feel at peace. Mr. Zhou probably thought they were worth collecting."

Just then, Professor Li, who had been staring at the screen, suddenly let out a stifled cry. "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

Everyone's attention turned toward him.

The data curves on the screen in front of Professor Li were unnervingly steady. Apart from the most basic environmental readings, the instruments detected almost no abnormal energy radiation at all! It was completely different from the faint but exceptionally high-quality fluctuations he had captured through remote monitoring earlier. It was as if those mysterious energy fields had never existed!

"Professor Li, what's going on?" Chen Jing asked with a frown.

"Nothing... I can't detect anything!" Professor Li pointed at the screen, his face full of disbelief. "Apart from normal electromagnetic background noise and a weak biological field, there are no energy readings beyond the ordinary! But... but the earlier remote data clearly..." He suddenly looked up at the figurines on the windowsill, then at Goddess Nüwa. His eyes were full of confusion and a trace of fervor. "This doesn't conform to the conservation of energy! It doesn't fit any known physical model! Unless... unless these objects' energy signatures are completely beyond the dimensions our current instruments can detect!"

His words made Chen Jing and the two subordinates behind her look grave. The fact that even the most advanced instruments couldn't detect anything unusual was itself the greatest anomaly!

Dr. Su Qing, meanwhile, studied Goddess Nüwa thoughtfully. From the moment they entered, the woman called "Nüwa" had remained extraordinarily calm and gentle. It wasn't the composure of someone putting on an act, but a genuine tolerance and detachment, as if she were looking down upon all living things. Dr. Su Qing had never seen that kind of bearing, not even in the most experienced psychologists or eminent monks.

"Miss Nüwa," Dr. Su Qing began, her voice gentle and guiding in a professional way. "May I ask where you find the inspiration for these figurines? You seem to have a very unique understanding of... 'life' and 'nature.'"

Goddess Nüwa lifted her eyes to Dr. Su Qing. Her gaze was so clear it seemed to reflect the deepest thoughts in a person's heart. She smiled faintly, and the warmth and purity of her smile stirred Dr. Su Qing's heart.

"Inspiration?" Goddess Nüwa repeated softly. Her gaze grew distant, as though passing through the ages. "Not inspiration, but... witnessing and understanding."

She extended her slender fingers and gently brushed the wing of the clay crane on the table. Her voice was ethereal, imbued with Dao rhythm.

"I have seen stars be born, the first light blossoming from the void. This is creation."

"I have seen plants sprout, struggling upward through the soil in pursuit of sunlight. This is vitality."

"I have seen rivers flow on without rest, nourishing all things. This is compassion."

"I have seen beasts nurse their young, fledglings feed their parents, and living beings support one another. This is tenderness."

Her voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to carry a strange magic, conjuring before them scenes of life that were at once vast and intimate. Not only Dr. Su Qing, but Professor Li, still absorbed in puzzling over the data, as well as the solemn Chen Jing and her subordinates, were all drawn in despite themselves. It was as if her words had shown them the magnificence of the world's creation and let them feel the joy of all things growing.

"What I sculpt and paint," Goddess Nüwa said, her gaze passing over the "breath soil" and the animal figurines on the windowsill before finally resting on Lin Fan, a gentle smile on her face, "is not meant to pursue lifelike form or display my skill. I merely use this world's ordinary clay and brushes to sketch out a little of the essence of the 'vitality,' 'compassion,' and 'creation' I have witnessed and felt, preserving a hint of their 'spirit.'"

She paused and looked at the stunned people, her tone touched with faint pity. "You are fixated on detecting their 'energy' and analyzing their 'structure,' yet you don't realize that what is truly precious isn't the clay or the lines, but the... 'Dao' contained within them—the reverence and joy for life, for all things, and for creation itself."

"This is 'creation and love.'"

The four words "creation and love" rang like a great bell, striking every heart!

Professor Li's mouth fell open, and the sensor nearly slipped from his hands. He had spent his life studying energy and matter, yet he had never imagined there could be a force beyond the bounds of physics, pointing straight to the source of life and existence! This... this completely upended his worldview!

Dr. Su Qing was even more shaken. As a psychology expert, she knew that "love" and "creation" were among the most essential and powerful driving forces in the human spirit. But no one had ever explained this force in such fundamental terms, so... close to the Great Dao! Miss Nüwa wasn't creating works of art. She was explaining the truth of life!

Chen Jing's mind was also in turmoil. As she looked at Goddess Nüwa's compassionate, clear eyes and listened to that wise murmur, seemingly from the dawn of the Primordial Era, an absurd yet irresistible thought surfaced once more—could it be that... those myths were not entirely fictional?

The room fell silent. The faint hum of the instruments sounded especially jarring.

Just then, Tong Tian, who had kept his back to everyone, suddenly gave an almost inaudible cold snort, breaking the tense silence. He seemed unimpressed by Goddess Nüwa's "discourse on the Dao"—or perhaps simply impatient with mortal dullness.

The snort jolted everyone out of their shock.

Professor Li looked at the unresponsive instrument screen, then at Goddess Nüwa and her ethereal bearing. He let out a dejected sigh and shook his head at Chen Jing. The meaning was clear: scientific methods were useless here.

Dr. Su Qing, meanwhile, was rapidly taking notes on her tablet, her eyes full of excitement and curiosity, as if she had discovered a boundless trove of knowledge.

Chen Jing drew a deep breath, forcing down the storm raging in her heart. She knew that today's "inquiry" and "inspection" could no longer proceed according to plan. The level the other party had displayed was entirely beyond their understanding. If they insisted on pursuing the matter, they would only humiliate themselves—and might even provoke consequences they couldn't predict.

She looked deeply at Goddess Nüwa, her expression so complex it was impossible to read. There was wariness, shock, and a hint of something difficult to name... reverence?

"Miss Nüwa, thank you for... sharing that with us." Chen Jing's tone unconsciously took on a note of respect. "That concludes today's inquiry. We'll investigate Mr. Zhou Wenyuan's affairs separately. Sorry for the trouble."

She said no more. With a glance to Professor Li and Dr. Su Qing, she packed up the equipment. Carrying a wealth of shock and countless new questions, they hurried out.

After seeing Chen Jing and the others off and closing the door, Lin Fan let out a long breath. His back was soaked with cold sweat. Even he had been deeply shaken by Goddess Nüwa's words, to say nothing of those ordinary people.

"Lady Nüwa, what you said just now..." Lin Fan couldn't help asking.

Goddess Nüwa smiled faintly. "Those were just a few insights, offered in the moment. The mortals of this world are trapped by material desires and limited understanding. If they gain even a little insight from this, that too is a fortunate connection."

Tong Tian turned around and glanced at Goddess Nüwa. "Junior Sister is in a fine mood, discussing the Dao with ants."

Goddess Nüwa smiled without replying.

Lin Fan knew that Goddess Nüwa's "discourse on the Dao" had probably planted a seed in the hearts of Chen Jing and the others—a seed of doubt about the limits of science, and of contemplation about the source of life. That might prove more effective than any show of force.

However, just as Lin Fan thought the commotion had temporarily died down, the phone on the table suddenly rang urgently. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar local number.

Lin Fan frowned and answered.

A young woman's voice came through the phone, choked with tears and frantic with worry.

"Hello... is this Mr. Lin Fan? Please! Please save my daughter! I heard... I heard there's a very powerful master at your place... My daughter... she's not going to make it!"