The mineral water bottle cap was nothing special in the human world. Two and a half centimeters across. Barely one centimeter deep.
But to the tiny figures below, it looked like a vast pool. Seventeen chi across. More than half a zhang deep.
It was filled to the brim with modern, industrially refined rapeseed oil.
The villagers caught the faint aroma and recognized it immediately.
"Rapeseed oil!"
"Top-grade rapeseed oil!"
"Heavens! An entire pool of it!"
"I have only ever seen it in tiny bottles!"
"The Deity from the heavens certainly does everything on a grand scale!"
The villagers had not tasted rapeseed oil in a very long time.
Three years earlier, before the drought began, they could occasionally grow a little rapeseed and press some oil for special occasions. But after three years of severe drought, even their staple crops struggled to grow. Who could afford to cultivate oilseed crops?
Now they were looking at enough oil to bathe in. Their excitement was impossible to contain.
Gao Chuwu was the first to speak up.
"What a waste to use all this for lanterns! Why not just eat it?"
"Silence!" the Village Chief immediately rebuked him. "Did you not see the band of rebels passing outside the village last night? All you think about is eating! Thanks to… ahem… under the protection of Dao Xuan Tianzun, we are no longer starving. Now our priority is protecting ourselves!"
Gao Yiye raised her voice.
"Tianzun has decreed that half of this oil is for consumption, while the other half is for making lanterns. Every night, we will light lanterns along the wall and post sentries to keep watch. If bandits approach, the sentries must raise the alarm. Everyone will take up arms, guard the gate, and prevent the intruders from entering!"
"We obey!" the villagers answered in unison.
Gao Yiye continued, "Tianzun has also entrusted Shan Shi'er with managing the distribution of this oil. The rest of you should return to your duties. The village gate is still unfinished, the armor still needs to be forged, and Li Da's new firearms require considerable effort. We still have much to do."
The villagers were surprised. Until now, supplies had simply been divided among them, with each household taking its share. Why had the responsibility for the oil been entrusted to Shan Shi'er?
Still, none dared question Tianzun's decree. They bowed and dispersed to resume their work.
Shan Shi'er was secretly overjoyed.
Ha! Tianzun has recognized my worth and entrusted me with a task!
Small responsibilities today, greater ones tomorrow. One day, I will become His Excellency's right-hand man!
It was certainly better than remaining a lowly clerk in the county office for the rest of his life.
"Shan Shi'er!"
Li Daoxuan's voice came from above.
Shan Shi'er immediately straightened and replied respectfully, "What instructions does Tianzun have for me?"
"You probably understand why I entrusted the oil arrangements to you."
"This humble servant understands," Shan Shi'er replied. "The villagers are like loose sand. Each household looks after its own interests, and many people can neither read nor calculate. If everyone were left to manage the lantern oil themselves, things would soon descend into chaos. Mistakes would be inevitable, and some might even take the oil home for their own use."
"Good. You understand the problem."
Li Daoxuan paused, then asked with a hint of amusement, "Hm? No idiom to finish that sentence this time?"
Shan Shi'er scratched his head awkwardly.
"To be honest, this humble servant used idioms to make himself sound learned in front of others. But before Tianzun, my little store of knowledge is like a candle before the sun and moon. There is no point pretending to be more learned than I am."
"Enough. No need to explain yourself at such length." Li Daoxuan dismissed the matter with a smile. "Tell me, what does Gaojia Village need most?"
"People!" Shan Shi'er answered without hesitation. "We need more people."
"Exactly."
Li Daoxuan reached out and placed a small mountain of flour dough in front of him.
"Use this to bring more people here."
Shan Shi'er bowed toward the sky, delighted.
"Tianzun can rest assured! During a drought like this, flour is more precious than gold. With this, I can trick… cough… swindle… cough… invite plenty of people to join us!"
Li Daoxuan raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly do you have in mind?"
Shan Shi'er explained, "Many people from nearby villages, including Wangjia Village, Zhongjia Village, and Zhengjia Village, have joined Wang Er's rebel forces. But some stayed behind because they were unwilling to become bandits. Those who remain are having an even harder time than before. If I visit these villages with a few sacks of flour, I should be able to persuade many of them to come and join us."
A faint smile appeared on Li Daoxuan's face.
Excellent. They were thinking along the same lines. With someone like Shan Shi'er handling practical matters, things would become much easier.
Historical records often showed that county magistrates relied heavily on their clerks to handle the practical details of administration.
The magistrates made the decisions. The clerks took care of the work.
The magistrate opens his mouth. The clerk breaks his legs running.
In practical matters, clerks could be far more capable than their superiors.
"Good. Then it is settled," Li Daoxuan said.
He fell silent.
Gao Yiye watched as his enormous face gradually disappeared into the clouds. Then she announced solemnly, "Tianzun has returned to the immortal realm."
Shan Shi'er could no longer contain himself.
"Ha! Wonderful! As of today, I, Shan Shi'er, am Tianzun's appointed clerk! Hahaha! Hahaha!"
He had wanted to celebrate while Tianzun was still present, but had restrained himself out of respect. Now that the divine presence had vanished, he threw his arms wide and laughed to his heart's content, hands on his hips.
Gao Yiye relaxed as well, stretching her stiff limbs.
"Ah, maintaining such a solemn posture in these heavy robes is exhausting!" she complained to Mrs. Shan beside her.
Mrs. Shan looked at her with open envy.
"You have such an honored position, yet you complain that it is tiring. I cannot tell you how much I envy you."
Gao Yiye quickly explained, "That is not what I meant! I am just not used to it yet."
Mrs. Shan spoke earnestly.
"Miss Yiye, you are the Saintess who serves Dao Xuan Tianzun. Your dignified bearing helps inspire reverence for Him among the people. Never forget that."
Gao Yiye immediately straightened her back.
"I understand."
Mrs. Shan then turned to Shan Shi'er.
"You rascal. The villagers are still ignorant about how to honor Tianzun. All this time, no one has thought to build Him a proper place of worship. Should our family not contribute money to build a temple and commission a golden statue?"
Shan Shi'er agreed without hesitation.
"Build it! Even if we have to smash pots and sell iron, we will build it!"
Then he hesitated.
"But… here in Gaojia Village, even if we have the money…"
He looked around at the dirt-poor village.
"…there is nowhere to spend it."