Making Paper

Where there were characters, there had to be a brush; where there was a brush, there had to be paper. Making a brush was not difficult—Jiang Yuan could make one himself.

But papermaking was a technical task. He had only heard of the specific steps secondhand and had never tried them with his own hands. Reproducing it would be somewhat difficult and require constant experimentation.

Fortunately, the Primordial World lacked nothing more than time. The materials for making paper were cheap, and labor was everywhere. The cost of trial and error was low, allowing him to keep trying until he succeeded.

"Paper must be made, and cloth must be woven too. Animal hides are far too uncomfortable to wear."

While making paper, Jiang Yuan did not forget to seek out Ziyi and suggest that she find things such as silkworm silk and spider silk to weave into cloth.

Every profession had its specialty. When it came to matters related to clothing, there was no mistake in leaving it to Ziyi and having her figure out a solution.

Ziyi, together with Suiren and Youchao, was known as one of the Three Ancestors of the Human Race. They were the first three humans created by Lady Nuwa.

In this era, when the Human Race had only just been born, it was Ziyi who taught her people to use animal hides and leaves to cover their bodies, teaching them shame and freeing them from nakedness.

At the same time, it was Ziyi who, by observing the properties of branches, invented the techniques for making rope, using it to bind prey, secure dwellings, and fasten clothing, greatly advancing the civilization of the Human Race.

The Human Race's clothing began with Ziyi. In this regard, she possessed an advantage no ordinary person could match. The reason she had not thought of using silkworm silk to weave cloth was not because she lacked ability, but because the era had limited her.

At this time, the civilization of the Human Race was far too primitive. There was no experience from predecessors to inherit; they had to think of everything themselves. Naturally, every step was incomparably difficult.

But Jiang Yuan was different. He had come from the future, and his vision far surpassed the era. He knew very well how the Human Race should develop next for the best possible outcome.

Thus, seeing that Ziyi was still lost in confusion, Jiang Yuan took the initiative to visit her. With the advanced knowledge he brought from the future, he guided her to discover the uses of silkworm silk and spider silk, thereby developing the weaving industry.

Jiang Yuan was human too, and his energy was limited. It was impossible for him to know everything. But the Human Race was not lacking in capable people. So long as he explained his ideas in detail, there would always be someone suited to turn them into reality.

It was so with creating characters, and so with weaving cloth. The paper Jiang Yuan was now trying to make was no exception.

Among these three matters, his greatest role was to provide ideas and explain the benefits of doing things this way. As for the rest, it basically had nothing to do with him. Professionals would naturally refine and carry them out.

For papermaking, after directing his students through several attempts that all ended in failure, Jiang Yuan let them study it on their own while he returned to cultivation.

This was the Primordial World. Even paper made from the simplest materials could not possibly be ordinary paper, but Spirit Paper imbued with spiritual energy.

Since it involved spiritual energy, the outcome was easy to imagine. It was not something that could be achieved in a short time; at the very least, it would take ten or even dozens of years of experimentation.

With such a long stretch of time, how could Jiang Yuan afford to waste it? He might as well cultivate. In any case, he had already passed down the specific ideas and process. Whether he was there for the following trial and error made no difference.

The Primordial World had no sun or moon. In the blink of an eye, another ten years passed.

At dusk one day, Jiang Yuan had just finished a day of cultivation when one of his students came running toward him, holding a sheet of white paper glowing with spiritual light, his face full of excitement.

"Teacher Yuan, we did it!"

"Following the method you passed down, we really made white paper—white as snow, crystalline as jade."

As he spoke, the student had already arrived before Jiang Yuan and handed him the first sheet of paper to appear in the Primordial World.

"Good!"

"You have all worked hard!"

Jiang Yuan accepted the white paper and gently ran his hand over its texture, unable to stop himself from praising them.

Writing carried the Dao, and paper carried writing. With paper, knowledge would be easier to spread, and the civilization of the Human Race would undergo a leap in development.

At the same time, the idea he had accumulated in his heart for so long could finally become reality.

"Teacher Yuan, we have not worked hard. With paper and brushes, more members of our race will be able to learn characters in the future."

"We are contributing to our people. How could we find it hard? We are happy beyond measure."

The student spoke excitedly, not finding the hardship or exhaustion bitter in the slightest.

"Very good!"

Jiang Yuan nodded, took out the Writing Brush of Creation, and wrote a large character for "paper" on this first sheet of paper in the Primordial World. Then he asked the student, "Do you have a surname?"

"No!"

The student shook his head.

The civilization of the Human Race was still in its infancy. Thus, most of its people had given names but no surnames, and their names were quite casual, often taken from the myriad things of the world.

For example, the yuan in Jiang Yuan's name meant deep water. Also, Jiang Yuan did not actually have the surname Jiang—his surname was Feng. Jiang had been his surname in his previous life.

Suiren bore the surname Feng, one of the ancestral surnames of the Human Race. As his descendant, Jiang Yuan naturally bore the surname Feng as well.

"Then you have one now. From this day onward, all of you who participated in making paper shall bear Paper as your surname, to proclaim your achievements."

Hearing that he had no surname, Jiang Yuan held out the paper in his hand and had him firmly remember the character. From this day on, it would be his surname.

"Thank you, Teacher Yuan!"

The student—now Paper—said excitedly.

In the Human Race of this time, being granted a surname was a great honor. It was equivalent to becoming an official, entitled to the support of the entire Human Race and no longer needing to labor.

For this reason, the Human Race was extremely cautious about granting surnames. Only those who had rendered sufficient merit could receive one. And the merit of making paper clearly met that standard.

In the current Primordial World, those with favorable conditions used jade steles to record characters, while those less fortunate used stone steles. Neither was convenient. The appearance of paper could utterly surpass them in convenience and practicality.

Therefore, the emergence of paper held extraordinary significance for the Human Race. Not only would it better facilitate the spread of knowledge, it could also be traded with other races for all manner of urgently needed resources.

That alone was enough to grant surnames to those who had developed the art of papermaking.

Rumble!

As the two spoke, a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared in the heavens. Vast amounts of auspicious clouds gathered, transforming into golden lotus flowers that rained down.

Golden Lotus of Merit!

Merit had descended again!

The Golden Lotus of Merit falling from the sky suddenly split into three above the Human Race. One portion fell into Jiang Yuan's body, one merged into the paper in his hand, and the last became specks of golden light that entered the bodies of everyone involved in making paper.

"Making paper can earn merit too?"

With a thought, Jiang Yuan roughly understood what had happened. The emergence of paper benefited the spread of knowledge; this was a merit of enlightenment and education. That was why merit descended when paper was created.

"Continue researching the art of papermaking. See whether you can produce spirit paper of even better quality. I have great use for it."

Coming back to his senses, Jiang Yuan hastily gave them a few instructions, then took the Merit Spirit Paper in his hand and went to seek an audience with Ancestor Sui.

Paper had far too many uses. If used well, it would undoubtedly bring immense benefits to the Human Race. But how exactly it should be used was not something Jiang Yuan could decide alone; he needed to discuss it with Ancestor Sui.