Li Daoxuan had long since realized that Gao Family Village suffered from a serious flaw.
It lacked organization.
To be precise, it was not truly an organized group at all, but merely a loose gathering of individuals living in the same place. Aside from the Village Chief, who held a certain degree of authority due to his seniority and reputation, no one else possessed any formal role, nor was there any clear hierarchy or system of command.
Whenever Li Daoxuan bestowed food upon them, the villagers would simply divide it among themselves. Each person would take their share home, leaving a slightly larger portion for Gao Yiye, and that was the end of the matter.
There was no planning. No coordination. No resource management.
When San Shier and Li Da first arrived at Gao Family Village, not a single person had thought to welcome them or arrange accommodations. In the end, Li Daoxuan himself had to intervene before Gao Yiye finally organized lodging and food for the newcomers.
Frankly, it had been troublesome.
And more importantly, it was not something he should have needed to worry about in the first place.
Now, however, things were different.
With San Shier's arrival, the entire situation had begun to improve at a remarkable pace. Just moments ago, San Shier had successfully persuaded Wang Er to leave, while Mrs. San had resolved the problem of how to "summon" him. In the blink of an eye, two persistent headaches had been eliminated, leaving Li Daoxuan feeling noticeably more relaxed.
His thoughts drifted back to the discussion thread he had read on the forum. In particular, the words of the fourth commenter now seemed especially insightful.
For the foreseeable future, his primary focus should be clear.
He needed to recruit more capable individuals.
After Mrs. San finished delivering her stern lecture, the villagers dispersed and returned to their homes to catch a bit more sleep before dawn.
Meanwhile, the two blacksmiths, Li Da and Gao Yiyi, gathered inside Gao Yiyi's house. Their task was to forge a bell overnight.
Naturally, crafting a proper bell in a single night was impossible. At best, they could produce a crude substitute, something resembling a hollow iron cylinder that could serve the same basic purpose.
Even so, the forge was lit, and work began immediately.
As Li Da labored, he freely shared his knowledge with Gao Yiyi, patiently instructing him without the slightest hesitation. He did not care about the old saying that teaching an apprentice could starve the master. In truth, he had already made his decision.
Once he regained his status as a commoner, he would never pick up a hammer again.
Even if he starved to death.
Even if he had to jump off a cliff.
He would never be a blacksmith again.
Before dawn the next morning, Gao Yiye was practically dragged out of bed by Mrs. San and escorted to bathe.
There was only one large pond in the village suitable for bathing, and during the daytime it was always crowded with people, making privacy impossible. However, at this hour, while the sky remained dark and most villagers were still asleep, it was quiet enough to wash without being seen.
Of course, none of them realized that a night-vision camera outside the box was recording everything through the glass, twenty-four hours a day.
If they had known…
Ahem.
That particular forum user would probably have been overjoyed.
After finishing her bath, Mrs. San produced a set of pristine white robes. The fabric was thick and finely made, clearly far more valuable than anything the villagers normally wore.
When Gao Yiye put them on, they hung loosely around her frame, slightly oversized, but it did not matter. She was no longer working in the fields, so cumbersome clothing posed no real inconvenience.
Gao Yiye stuck out her tongue and fanned herself.
"It's so hot."
It was July, the height of summer, and the drought had only made the heat more oppressive. The thick robes trapped warmth against her body, making the discomfort even worse.
"You must endure it," Mrs. San said softly as she adjusted the robes and smoothed out the folds. "Today, you must show proper reverence to Tianzun. Once we invite His presence, you must ask for His divine title. We cannot continue worshiping Him without knowing His honored name. Only after that can we properly build a temple and create His golden statue."
Gao Yiye nodded obediently.
"I understand."
Mrs. San then opened her makeup box and began applying cosmetics to Gao Yiye's face with slow, careful precision.
Li Daoxuan was abruptly awakened by a harsh clanging sound.
It rang out repeatedly, crude and grating, like metal striking metal without rhythm or refinement.
The previous night, he had spent hours browsing historical military forums and reading records about the Ming Dynasty, losing track of time until it was well past two or three in the morning. Naturally, he had overslept.
Now, as the unpleasant noise reached his ears, he frowned in confusion and forced himself upright.
The diorama box sat beside his bed, right next to his computer desk.
The sound was coming from inside it.
He rubbed his eyes, gradually shaking off the last traces of sleep, and then remembered.
Ah.
This must be their attempt to summon Tianzun.
He leaned over the edge of the bed and peered inside the box.
The sight made him smile.
His little people were unusually lively today.
All forty-two villagers stood gathered in an orderly square formation. Including San Shier's family of four and the newly arrived blacksmith Li Da, there were now forty-seven people in total. They stood neatly arranged, resembling students assembled for a flag-raising ceremony.
At the very front stood Gao Yiye.
She wore flowing white robes, her hair carefully styled and adorned with ornaments. Her youthful beauty was enhanced by the delicate makeup Mrs. San had applied, giving her an almost ethereal charm.
In the modern world, she would undoubtedly be considered a goddess.
She would have countless admirers, devoted followers, and wealthy suitors competing for her attention. Influencers and internet celebrities would flood her social media with praise and admiration.
Li Daoxuan chuckled to himself.
Not bad. She's getting prettier every day.
She's so beautiful it almost makes me want to lift her skirt…
He froze.
Damn it.
I've been corrupted by that idiot on the forum.
At that moment, Gao Yiye raised a cup with both hands and lifted it toward the sky in a gesture of reverence.
Her movements were slightly stiff, clearly rehearsed in haste.
She first bowed toward the heavens, then poured the liquid from the cup onto the ground. It was supposed to be wine, but in truth, it was only water.
Afterward, she knelt.
Behind her, the other forty-six villagers immediately followed suit, dropping to their knees in unison.
Gao Yiye began to recite a prayer.
It was obvious that San Shier and Mrs. San had written it for her the night before, and she had memorized it as best she could. Even so, she stumbled frequently, mispronouncing words and pausing awkwardly as she struggled to recall the lines.
Li Daoxuan listened with mild amusement but paid little attention.
Eventually, she finished.
Then, raising her voice, she spoke clearly.
"We humbly beseech Tianzun to reveal Your divine title, so that we may build Your temple and enshrine Your golden form."
Li Daoxuan smiled.
Since they were playing this game so seriously, he decided to play along.
"Li Daoxuan," he said.
Gao Yiye's eyes widened with joy.
She turned excitedly to Mrs. San.
"Tianzun has answered! His name is Li Daoxuan!"
"Dao Xuan…" Mrs. San repeated, her entire body trembling with excitement.
These words carried unmistakable meaning.
This was a Daoist divine title.
As a devout believer in Daoism, she had secretly feared that Tianzun might turn out to be a Buddhist Bodhisattva, which would have placed her in an awkward position.
Now, her doubts were gone.
Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees and kowtowed deeply.
"Hail, Dao Xuan Tianzun!"
Seeing this, Gao Yiye immediately followed her example.
"Hail, Dao Xuan Tianzun!"
The remaining villagers joined in unison, their voices filled with reverence.
"Hail, Dao Xuan Tianzun!"
Li Daoxuan watched the scene unfold with great amusement.
Interesting.
In just a single moment, he had gone from an unnamed Tianzun to Dao Xuan Tianzun, complete with a proper divine title.
None of them could have imagined that this humble gathering of fewer than fifty people would one day become the origin of a faith that would spread across the entire land.
Gao Yiye began speaking again, her voice hesitant.
These were likely additional lines prepared by San Shier. Apparently, they had written two versions of the script, one for Daoist Tianzun and another for Buddhist deities. Now that Dao Xuan Tianzun had been confirmed as a Daoist divine figure, she was using the Daoist version.
She first expressed gratitude for the city wall that Dao Xuan Tianzun had bestowed upon them.
Then, she explained their current difficulty.
The village required guards at night.
To maintain vigilance, lanterns had to be lit along the wall.
And lanterns consumed oil.
With great reverence, she humbly requested Dao Xuan Tianzun to grant them oil.
Li Daoxuan found the whole thing strangely entertaining.
It really did feel like children playing house.
Still smiling, he picked up his bottle of cooking oil. Carefully, he filled a mineral water bottle cap to the brim, then slowly lowered it into the box, placing it before Gao Yiye.