Strictly speaking, the aura of spiritual energy around the paper figurine wasn't from the paper itself. It was the lingering glow she had imbued while crafting the figurine. In truth, the paper hadn't become spiritual paper at all. Without a proper foundation, anything built atop it would be as flimsy as a tower in the clouds.
If she truly wanted her Paper Doll Servant Technique to take effect, she'd need to find authentic spiritual paper. Ordinary paper might work for funerary crafts, but when it came to spiritual bindings, it simply wasn't enough. Before, she hadn't known where to find spirit paper. But now that she understood spiritual energy could be drawn during craftsmanship, handmade paper was the obvious solution.
With the internet at her fingertips, Song Miaozhu searched and quickly found several traditional papermaking heritage sites —all in Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces.
One was Xiangzhigou's bamboo paper, a six-century-old craft dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Its production involved seventy-two steps: felling bamboo, splitting, fermenting, steaming, pounding pulp, sheet-forming, pressing, drying… The result was a resilient paper with subtle bamboo grain and a faint woody fragrance.
Another was Xiaotun Town's white cotton paper, originating from the Qing Dynasty and similarly requiring seventy-two steps. The finished product was soft, smooth, and durable.
Then there was Shiqiao Town's bark paper, made from mulberry bark and fir roots—tough, glossy, and even water-resistant. The area also produced colored paper in six varieties: cloud-dragon crepe, embossed, pressed-flower, herb-embedded, and hemp paper.
She even found video accounts of these papermaking families.
The first was a livestream titled "Intangible Heritage Bamboo Paper Family."
Unfortunately, watching the trio on-screen making paper, Song Miaozhu could tell they lacked the skill to draw in spiritual energy—none of their work showed a spiritual glow. Still, some of the product images linked in the stream showed faint auras, which meant someone in that household was capable.
Song Miaozhu privately messaged the shop:
"I need large quantities of traditional handmade paper—but I must personally select them via video call."
Perhaps business was slow, because despite the odd request, they agreed. Soon, she added Wu Zhuxiang, a bamboo paper artisan, on WeChat. Her IP address showed she was in Yunnan-Guizhou, which seemed trustworthy.
Miaozhu placed a video call. The girl who answered wore ethnic clothing—the same one from the livestream.
"Could you take me to see your paper stock?"
"Y-Yes, of course!" Wu Zhuxiang sprang up with her phone. "Dad! Mom! I'm taking a customer to the storage room. Someone's entered the stream, can you two hold down the fort?"
They were clearly a family-run workshop. Soon, they arrived at a storage room.
"Miss Song, this is all the paper we currently have. These here are the newest batches. The rest are older stock..."
"I just want to see the new ones," Song Miaozhu said.
Before spiritual recovery, no matter how skilled the craftsmanship, it couldn't draw in spiritual energy. Wu Zhuxiang slowly moved her camera across the stacks, but Song Miaozhu remained silent, expression unreadable.
Unease settled in Wu Zhuxiang's stomach. Was this customer just messing with her?
The person had added her on WeChat but never showed her face. She sounded young though—probably not the type to play games. Just as her doubts grew heavier, a sharp voice came through:
"Stop right there."
"That stack—and the one beside it. I'll take them all."
Wu Zhuxiang blinked. "All of them? You're serious?"
"Yes. How much?"
These two stacks were the only ones with visible spiritual energy—and the glow was strong.
"You've got an excellent eye. My grandfather made those. He's the best papermaker in Xiangzhi Valley—a nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage artist. Even the state media came to interview him."
"But his paper is pricier. Ten yuan per sheet. One ream has a hundred sheets, and we've got a hundred reams here… So that's 100,000 yuan in total. If you're taking all of it, I can give you a discount. Maybe... 10% off—or 20%!"
She was starting to second-guess herself. Her grandfather was famous, yes—but fame didn't make the paper sell.
"I'll take them at full price," Song Miaozhu replied. "If your grandfather produces more paper of this quality, let me know. I'll buy everything."
As someone who worked in funerary crafts, she relied heavily on all kinds of spiritual paper. A hundred thousand yuan for ten thousand sheets was expensive—but the spiritual aura made it worth every cent. If word of the spiritual revival got out, the price would likely skyrocket. It took years to train a true artisan. To secure her supply chain, she'd rather pay the full amount and ensure good will.
"…My grandfather probably won't be making any more," Wu Zhuxiang said after a pause.
"Did something happen?"
"He's a heavy smoker. Just a few days ago, he was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. He refuses to go to the hospital. Now he's bedridden and too weak for the physical work. Making paper is exhausting. This batch might be his last."
Song Miaozhu fell silent for a moment, then spoke with uncharacteristic gentleness.
"Did you see today's trending news?"
"…What trending news?" Wu Zhuxiang was caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.
"The one titled 'Medical Miracle: Master Embroiderer He Recovers from Pancreatic Cancer in One Month!'.
Master He Zhen recovered while working on her embroidery. Who's to say your grandfather couldn't too?"
"…Is that really possible?" Wu Zhuxiang pulled out her phone and started reading.
"The facts speak for themselves. And let's face it—you don't have any better options. So why not try?"
Wu Zhuxiang said nothing at first. Then, with her phone still in hand and the call still ongoing, she ran off to the workshop:
"Dad! Mom! Look at this! Grandpa keeps saying he wants to come back to the workshop—maybe we should let him!"
"Will that really help?" Mr. and Mrs. Wu remained unsure.
"It's worth a try, isn't it?" Wu Zhuxiang said, eyes alight with hope. "Maybe Grandpa will be that miracle case!"
Halfway through the thought, she gasped. "Oh no! Miss Song—I forgot we were still on the call! I'll arrange the shipment for your paper right away!"
"I'll send the deposit first," Song Miaozhu replied calmly, transferring 50,000 yuan on the spot.
[Payment received via WeChat: ¥50,000]
Wu Zhuxiang's parents gaped.
"Fifty thousand?! How much paper did she buy?!"
Only after hanging up did their daughter explained, "It's an expert from Lingchen. She instantly recognized Grandpa's paper—and said as long as the quality stays the same, she'll buy everything he makes."