I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

[Jiangnan Province, Linjiang City, Gu Family Old Residence]

The morning sunlight filtered through the old aluminum window frame, casting dappled patterns on the plate of pickled radishes on the dining table.

Gu Qing held a bowl of millet porridge and ate it slowly.

Across from him, Mr. Gu, wearing his reading glasses, was peeling a tea egg while listening to the morning news on the radio. Mrs. Gu was busy in the kitchen, the clanging of spatulas filling the air with a long-lost warmth and homely charm.

The radio was broadcasting follow-up reports on the "Xiangxi Incident":

"...According to relevant departments, the major geological disaster that occurred in the Xuefeng Mountain area of ​​western Hunan has been effectively controlled. Regarding the videos circulating online of 'unidentified creatures' and 'paranormal phenomena,' several geologists and meteorologists have refuted the rumors, stating that these are optical hallucinations caused by a rare geomagnetic storm, and mass hallucinations caused by a toxic gas leak..."

"Listen to these experts nowadays, not a single word of truth comes out of their mouths."

Gu's father snorted and put the peeled egg into Gu Qing's bowl. "It's all over the internet, saying there are gods fighting and something about the Chi You Banner... but they insist it's an illusion."

Gu Qing picked up the egg, and when her fingers touched the egg white, she felt its warmth, and her heart stirred slightly.

In the past, this egg would have been too hot for him. But now, in his body that was gradually transforming into "ice-like skin and jade-like bones," this temperature only made him feel comfortable.

"Dad, do you believe in that too?" Gu Qing asked with a smile.

"Of course I believe you! Why wouldn't I?"

Mr. Gu took off his glasses, his expression serious. "How could everything left by our ancestors be fake? Besides, if it weren't for divine protection, could your illness... have healed so quickly?"

In Gu's father's simple values, his son's recovery was a greater miracle than the "descendance of Chi You".

Gu Qing took a bite of the egg white and didn't refute it.

Because that "deity" was sitting right across from him, drinking millet porridge that cost two yuan a pound.

……

[Xinhua Bookstore, Linjiang City]

After breakfast, Gu Qing used the excuse of "taking a walk to digest" to walk out on the street alone.

Life in this third-tier city moves at a slow pace, but Gu Qing keenly sensed a growing restlessness in the air.

When I passed by the largest bookstore in the city center, there was a long queue at the door.

Gu Qing was a little curious, so she walked over.

"Boss! Do you still have the Tao Te Ching?"

"What about the *Huangdi Neijing*? I need the one with annotations in classical Chinese!"

"I want that copy of *Baopuzi*! And do you have *Yunji Qiqian*?"

At the counter, a group of young people were waving their mobile payment codes, snapping up ancient books that were usually ignored, their eyes filled with fervor.

The bookstore owner, sweating profusely, said, "Don't worry, don't worry! We're getting more stock from the warehouse! The Taoist classics will arrive this afternoon!"

Gu Qing stood outside the crowd, listening to these conversations.

"Hey bro, you're here to buy books too?" A bespectacled college student-looking guy leaned over and said mysteriously, "Have you heard? That Taoist priest from Xiangxi left behind a book before he died, and the whole country's studying it now. Even if we can't get our hands on that secret manual, reading more Taoist classics might just help us sense 'qi'!"

"Really?" Gu Qing raised an eyebrow. "Then did you sense it?"

"Hey, it's not that easy." The college student scratched his head and lowered his voice, "But ever since I started reading these books and practicing the 'meditation methods' summarized by the online experts, I feel like my insomnia has been cured. The wisdom of our ancestors is truly amazing."

Gu Qing looked at him, then at the young people holding the books as if they were treasures.

Once upon a time, these young people chased after astrology, tarot cards, or Western superheroes.

And now, because of the play he performed in western Hunan, a seed called "longing" is taking root and sprouting in this land.

People began to re-examine those thread-bound books that had been forgotten in the corners.

People began to believe that there really were guardian deities on the land of China.

[System Prompt:]

[The level of attention given to "Taoist culture" in the China region has been continuously increasing.]

Although most of it is blind following, this collective consciousness is providing you with a persistent, albeit weak, sense of confidence.

[Confidence score +2 per minute (continuously increasing).]

"Although it's a small amount, it's a steady stream of income."

Gu Qing turned and left, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Even if the world is only slightly different because of a lie he told, that is proof of his existence.

……

[Linjiang, Riverside Scenic Belt]

Gu Qing strolled along the riverbank.

He used to walk this road to get medicine from the hospital, his heart heavy as lead, everything he saw was gray.

Now, he is inspecting his "ranch".

Unbeknownst to him, he had walked onto a section of the river embankment in the old town.

This place is relatively remote. The river makes a bend here, forming an eddy with rapid currents and numerous whirlpools.

A rusty iron sign hangs on the railing: "Deep water, danger, swimming strictly prohibited."

But among the older generation of Linjiang residents, this place has an even more resounding name – "Lock Dragon Well".

Legend has it that when Yu the Great was taming the floods, he captured a vicious dragon that was causing trouble here, locked it in a deep well at the bottom of the river, and suppressed it with iron chains.

Gu Qing leaned against the railing, looking at the murky river water.

"System, activate [Spiritual Vision]."

hum.

A barely perceptible gray light flashed deep within Gu Qing's pupils.

The world before my eyes instantly changed.

The water was no longer a barrier to the view; instead, it was peeled away layer by layer. The line of sight pierced through the murky silt, reaching the riverbed tens of meters deep.

There lay countless pieces of trash.

Rotten shipwreck planks, broken bicycle tires, a large number of plastic bags, and several animal skeletons entangled in seaweed.

There was indeed a well in the middle of a muddy field.

But it was just a dry well that had already collapsed halfway, and the wellhead was covered with moss.

There was indeed an iron chain by the well, but it was an abandoned cable left by the shipping bureau decades ago to secure the buoy. It had rusted into a lump of scrap iron and was half-buried in the mud.

There are no dragons.

There is no malevolent energy.

There is no formation.

There was nothing. Only a cold, dirty, lifeless reality.

"really."

Gu Qing withdrew her gaze, the eerie light in her eyes dissipating, and her eyes regained their clarity.

There was no disappointment, but rather a sense of relief that came as expected.

"This is the truth of the world."

"There are no myths or legends here. They are just stories made up by the ancients in the face of the fear of floods."

If someone seeking immortality were to witness this scene, their faith would likely crumble.

But Gu Qing is different.

He is a screenwriter.

He is a director.

Since it's a blank sheet of paper, it makes it even easier for him to draw.

Gu Qing's fingers tapped lightly on the stone railing, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound.

"Since there are no dragons in this world..."

Gu Qing stared at the empty riverbed, his gaze gradually sharpening, as if he could see a grand drama about to unfold through the murky water.

"Then I'll build one right here."

He now possesses second-level system privileges and has opened the [Heavenly Craft Workshop].

Although his current faith power is not enough to create a real dragon, it is not difficult to create a "semi-finished product" with extraordinary characteristics, or to turn that discarded iron chain into a real "dragon-binding rope".

"and……"

Gu Qing subconsciously rubbed his fingers together.

Despite the bright sunshine, he still felt a chill creeping through his fingertips.

That's the side effect of the [Innate Dao Body] rejecting mortal heat, causing the body temperature to drop continuously.

"I need a huge heat source to neutralize the coldness in my body."

"We can make use of the legend of the Dragon-Locking Well."

"Transform this place into an 'original masterpiece'."

Gu Qing glanced at the time.

It was almost noon when my mother said she was going to make dumplings today.

He adjusted his baseball cap and turned to walk back.

His back view still looks like that of an ordinary boy next door, but in his mind, a design for "transforming the Lock Dragon Well" is rapidly taking shape.