Chapter 28 - Chapter 22: Confessions

🍃 Chapter 22: Confessions

🌍 April 29, 99 BCE – Mid Spring 🌿

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For a while, Junjie's excuse—that he'd picked up ideas from western traders—had been enough. The plows, the irrigation tricks, the kiln improvements... they could be explained away. But now, the inventions were becoming stranger, more advanced, harder to pass off as secondhand knowledge. He needed a better cover story, one that would hold up under questions.

But how could he explain Nano? That his thoughts weren't always his own? Was that an ancient, stealthy AI whispering in his mind?

The soft pulse of the bracer was a constant reminder that Nano was always there—watching, advising, guiding.

Nano's voice brushed against his thoughts, calm and faintly amused.

Nano: "You're overthinking this again, Junjie. Just tell them the truth. Well, part of it."

Junjie (gripping the bracer): "They'll never believe I'm just this smart. It's too much."

Nano: "Then keep it simple. Call them 'dreams' or 'visions.' You're not lying—you're just... editing the truth."

Junjie (half-smiling): "You make it sound too easy. But fine. We stick to the plan. No one knows about you."

Nano: "Of course. Who would believe you anyway?"

He took a deep breath. Fear pressed down—not just of disbelief, but of being turned into something else in their eyes: a prophet.

🏠 The Family Home

That evening, Chengde and Lianhua sat at the table when Junjie entered.

Junjie: "I need to talk to you both."

Lianhua: "What is it, son? You've been distant."

He sat opposite them, hands flat on the table.

Junjie: "I've been hiding something. I see things—in my dreams. Visions that guide me. The ideas I bring to the village... they come from these visions."

His parents exchanged a glance.

Chengde: "Visions? From the gods?"

Junjie: "I don't know. But they've shown me how to help the village—how to build, survive, lead. I didn't want anyone thinking I was crazy, but they're real."

Lianhua: "And you've kept this to yourself?"

Junjie (nodding): "Until now."

🏛️ The Elders' Council

The next day, the elders gathered. Junjie stood before them; his parents stood behind him.

Fenma (spiritual leader): "You've led us through famine and danger. Now you claim visions?"

Junjie: "Yes. These ideas aren't from my own mind—they come from something greater."

Wei'er (potter): "Divine?"

Junjie: "I can't say. But they're real."

Hansu (stonemason): "We've built all this without divine whispers. Why believe now?"

Junjie: "You don't have to believe me. But you've seen things happen that shouldn't be possible. That's not just luck."

Dalan (herdsman): "I've seen it too. Junjie has always known what to do. Maybe this is the way forward."

The room fell into a thoughtful silence. Some doubted. Some believed. But Junjie knew—he had crossed a line, and there was no going back.