By the time the battle ended, night had already settled over the land.
The sun had barely dipped below the horizon when the fighting started. Now, with the last screams faded and the dust beginning to settle, darkness had swallowed the sky whole.
The Bai family's caravan couldn't travel any further. They had no choice but to spend the night in Gaojia Village.
Unfortunately, Gaojia Village was exactly what it sounded like. A village. A modest collection of houses that could barely fit its own residents, let alone an entire caravan and its entourage.
The tenant farmers who had followed Bai Yuan from Bai Family Fort were used to hardship. They didn't complain. They simply found whatever space they could along the inner wall and squeezed in among the refugees already camped there. To these people, a patch of dry ground was practically a luxury. As long as nothing was stabbing them in the back, they were perfectly content.
But Bai Yuan, Mrs. Bai, and the young master were not about to curl up among refugees like sacks of potatoes.
After a few hesitant glances, the three of them turned their attention toward the newly built Dao Xuan Tianzun Cave.
In ancient times, spending the night at a temple or monastery was normal. If the place was abandoned or had no monks, you simply walked in and made yourself at home.
This place, however, was different.
A real Dao Xuan Tianzun hovered directly above the shrine. And only a few hours earlier, that very deity had manifested his power in front of everyone.
Under those circumstances, who had the nerve to stroll in and casually announce, "Nice place. Mind if I crash here tonight?"
Bai Yuan hesitated, unsure how to bring it up.
Shan Shi'er understood immediately. A knowing grin spread across his face as he turned to Gao Yiye.
"Saintess, Master Bai would like to spend the night in Tianzun's abode. Would Tianzun grant permission?"
Gao Yiye tilted her head, listening to the voice only she could hear. A moment later, she smiled.
"Don't worry. Tianzun grants permission."
Bai Yuan's face lit up. He bowed toward the heavens.
"I've already troubled Tianzun enough today. Once my circumstances improve, I'll have this temple rebuilt and commission a new statue, cast entirely in gold!"
Gao Yiye listened again.
"Tianzun has another instruction. One shichen from now, after the villagers are asleep, Shan Shi'er, Mrs. Shan, and Bai Yuan must gather inside the temple. Tianzun has a task for the three of you."
Everyone straightened at once.
Mrs. Shan practically vibrated with excitement. She trembled, not from fear, but from the sheer joy of being personally summoned by a deity.
"Me? Tianzun chose someone like me for an important task?" she murmured. "This must be a blessing from three lifetimes!"
For the next two hours, the four of them stared at the moon and willed it to move faster.
Eventually, darkness deepened. The village settled. Only the lanterns on the walls and the moonlight kept the night at bay. Most of the villagers had gone to sleep, leaving just two sentries pacing the ramparts.
Inside the Dao Xuan Tianzun Cave, oil lamps flickered, casting wavering shadows across the walls.
Gao Yiye, Shan Shi'er, Mrs. Shan, and Bai Yuan sat in a small circle. Mrs. Bai and the young master hadn't been invited, so they kept their distance from the entrance.
Suddenly, Gao Yiye perked up. Her expression brightened.
"Tianzun has arrived!"
The other three straightened their backs, expressions solemn as they prepared to receive the divine word.
High above, Li Daoxuan looked down at the four people gathered in the shrine.
"I summoned you because you're the only ones capable of carrying out this mission. It's a glorious undertaking, but also an extraordinarily difficult one."
Gao Yiye had barely finished relaying his words when Shan Shi'er sprang to his feet.
He looked like a hunting dog waiting for its master to release the leash.
"Whatever the task, this humble servant will devote himself completely! Even if it costs me my life, I'll never disappoint Tianzun!"
Bai Yuan rose and bowed deeply toward the divine statue.
"My life was spared through Tianzun's grace. Whatever command you give, I would never dare disobey."
Li Daoxuan nodded to himself.
"I want to save more people. I want them to live without hunger, without the constant threat of war, with the peace and security every human being deserves."
He paused.
He had considered adding something about letting nature take its course. But that advice was for himself. These people needed purpose and direction. There was no point telling them to relax and take things as they came.
Besides, he wasn't in any position to give that advice while sitting comfortably in his room, playing with a mysterious miniature world.
The two men exchanged glances, momentarily taken aback by the scale of his ambition.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Shan was the first to speak.
She had always prided herself on being kind-hearted. The moment she heard Tianzun speak of saving the suffering, her enthusiasm ignited.
"What are you two standing there for?" she scolded. "Tianzun is compassionate and merciful, wishing to save all living beings. Such a magnificent aspiration! And all you can do is stand there with your mouths hanging open?"
The two men hurriedly bowed again.
"Tianzun is benevolent!"
Once the enthusiasm faded, however, a practical question remained. How exactly were they supposed to save the world?
Li Daoxuan understood their concern.
"In a drought like this, I can provide food to keep people from starving. That's certainly a form of salvation. But think about it. If I keep feeding them until they become idle people who no longer know how to support themselves, have I truly saved them? Or have I just helped them walk toward their own destruction?"
The two men exchanged another glance. This time, understanding dawned immediately.
It was the old principle. Teach a man to fish.
"Exactly," Li Daoxuan said. "Saving people isn't always as simple as providing food. Some need only enough help to survive. Once they can stand on their own again, they'll find their own way forward. Others need more. Their bodies and minds must both be rescued, or they'll eventually sink back into the darkness they were saved from."
Even Li Daoxuan hadn't figured out all the mysteries of the system yet. For now, experimentation was his only guide.
But there was one principle he had already decided on.
His tone cooled.
"Not everyone deserves to be saved. I can be endlessly patient and generous toward the good-hearted, offering help whenever they need it. But what about the wicked? The cruel? Those who prey on the innocent and bring misery wherever they go?"
He paused, letting the words settle.
"People like that don't need my salvation. They need judgment. Letting them live only means more innocent people will suffer. Sometimes, killing one evil man is the best way to save a hundred good ones."
Li Daoxuan had wanted to save people ever since he discovered the mysterious box. But that didn't mean he intended to become some indiscriminate saint, extending a helping hand to anyone regardless of what they'd done.
He might be soft-hearted toward the innocent, but when it came to evil, he had no intention of showing mercy.
Wushang Mingwang was proof of that. When the bandit chief stood in his way, Li Daoxuan had crushed him without a second thought. He would rather have a smaller field of view than save a villain.
After laying out his principles, Li Daoxuan turned to Bai Yuan.
"You're returning to Bai Family Fort tomorrow, correct?"
"Yes, Tianzun. With the bandit chief crushed beneath your divine palm, the remaining bandits are no longer a serious threat. I need to return and take charge of the situation."
"The surrounding villages have probably suffered considerable damage. Your fort has been stripped clean. If you return empty-handed, how will you help those people rebuild?"
Bai Yuan fell still.
Tianzun was right. Even if he returned safely, there was very little he could do without supplies.
Then Li Daoxuan gave him an unexpected command.
"Go look at your carriage."
Bai Yuan blinked, puzzled, but he left the shrine immediately.
The carriage was still parked outside. He hurried over, lifted the curtain, and peered inside.
He froze.
Half the cargo compartment was filled with flour balls. White, round, packed tightly together. Someone had loaded them while nobody was watching.
Bai Yuan had no idea when they had appeared.
"Take these back with you," Li Daoxuan instructed. "Use them to feed the starving people around Bai Family Fort. Of course, this won't be enough for everyone. Once you've settled things there, send several carts back to Gaojia Village for more supplies. Make sure the people survive this winter. Then help them find new ways to support themselves."
Bai Yuan took a deep breath and bowed deeply toward the heavens.
"Tianzun is benevolent!"
Next, Li Daoxuan turned to Mrs. Shan.
"You already have the burn ointment I gave you. Tomorrow, prepare empty jars and bottles. I'll provide you with various medicinal formulas. Go out and use them to treat the sick."
Mrs. Shan understood immediately.
"For every patient I cure, I'll proclaim Tianzun's great vision and spread word of his boundless mercy!"
"No need for that," Li Daoxuan replied.
He wasn't interested in turning every medical treatment into a publicity campaign.
"Those people don't need to know who saved them. As long as they survive, that's enough. But there is one lesson you must teach them. Being saved doesn't give anyone the right to harm others."
Bai Yuan suddenly felt as though a heavy fog had lifted from his mind.
He had been thinking about how to distribute food and help the villagers rebuild. Now he understood. There was something more important behind the task.
"When I help the villagers, I'll teach them this principle as well," he said. "Only those who uphold virtue deserve to be saved. The wicked must bear the consequences of their actions. We save lives, but we also cultivate virtue."
"Good. Carry out your duties."
With that, Li Daoxuan's figure disappeared beyond the clouds.
Gao Yiye listened for another moment, then gave a small nod.
"Tianzun has returned to the heavens."
The tension inside the shrine finally eased. All four of them let out a collective breath.
Bai Yuan shook his head and sighed at himself.
"Just now, I nearly made a grave mistake. I assumed Tianzun was some naive saint who'd help anyone indiscriminately, friend or foe alike. What an utterly disrespectful misunderstanding!"
Then, as though something else had just occurred to him, he muttered:
"The 'Rites' in the Six Arts of a Gentleman... Cross it out. Cross it out!"