Luo Xi's casual words lit a spark in Li Daoxuan's mind.
Tianzhu Mountain.
It wasn't far from here at all.
Better yet, the Luo family held extensive lands there.
After several days of interaction, Li Daoxuan had already formed a fairly clear impression of Luo Xi. The man was sharp, perceptive—and, more importantly, eager to bind himself to their cause. Since that was the case, borrowing the Luo family's territory for a trial expansion seemed like a perfectly reasonable move.
Li Daoxuan stepped forward and joined Luo Xi and Zheng Gouzi.
At this moment, Zheng Gouzi was wearing a troubled expression.
"Brother Luo, this won't do. We can't let you take these people off to mine. They all need to be escorted back to the Labor Reform Camp on Huanglong Mountain."
Luo Xi froze for a split second.
Labor Reform Camp?
He had absolutely no idea what that actually was. But the words alone sounded… ominous. In his imagination, it instantly transformed into some terrifying hellhole where prisoners were whipped day and night until they dropped dead.
Naturally, he didn't dare ask too many questions. Lowering his voice, he said cautiously,
"There are more than ten thousand captives here. Since you have so many anyway, couldn't you spare a few for me? I don't need much—just a hundred would be enough. I can't afford to feed more. Our family mine has been abandoned for years."
"Absolutely not," Zheng Gouzi said firmly.
Just then—
"Actually," Li Daoxuan cut in calmly, "it's not entirely impossible."
The moment he spoke, Zheng Gouzi sucked in a breath and immediately shut his mouth, retreating without another word.
Luo Xi's eyes lit up. He instantly switched expressions, smiling broadly as he turned toward Li Daoxuan—the true decision-maker.
"Patron Li, is that really possible? You're willing to spare some people for me?"
"Of course," Li Daoxuan said with a laugh. "In fact, let's send all ten thousand-plus of them to Tianzhu Mountain."
"…Huh?"
Luo Xi nearly jumped on the spot.
"All of them?! I—I can't feed that many! A hundred is already my limit!"
Li Daoxuan waved his hand dismissively.
"You won't be feeding them. We will."
Luo Xi blinked.
"Then… what exactly are you planning to do?"
Li Daoxuan smiled.
"We'll establish a Labor Reform Camp right there on Tianzhu Mountain."
Luo Xi stood rooted to the spot, utterly dumbfounded.
"…What?"
Li Daoxuan's smile deepened, carrying a strange, almost mischievous edge.
"Didn't you say that every three to five years, bandits rise up around Tianzhu Mountain?"
He paused, then said lightly,
"I've decided to walk the bandits' path—so that bandits have nowhere left to walk."
"We'll plant ourselves on Tianzhu Mountain first."
Luo Xi stared at him as though he were looking at a madman.
"Flat Rabbit!" Li Daoxuan called out loudly.
With a swish, Flat Rabbit appeared out of thin air.
"This Rabbit is here!"
Li Daoxuan smiled at him.
"I've decided to establish a new Labor Reform Camp on Tianzhu Mountain, modeled after the successful experience of Huanglong Mountain. This large-scale camp will be entirely under your charge."
Flat Rabbit's fur nearly stood on end.
"W-What?!" he wailed.
"You want me to handle administration again?! Dao Xuan Tianzun, please—please revoke this order! Let this Rabbit charge into battle, slaughter enemies, dispense justice, or hand out porridge to the people! Anything but making me a wicked prison warden!"
Li Daoxuan laughed.
"If Zhong Gaoliang heard you calling prison wardens 'wicked,' do you think he'd mobilize a hundred thousand labor reform prisoners, storm your home, drag you back to Huanglong Mountain, and hold a struggle session?"
Flat Rabbit shuddered violently.
"…I wouldn't dare provoke Zhong Gaoliang."
Li Daoxuan's expression suddenly turned solemn.
"These ten thousand surrendered Henan rebels are, at their core, just impoverished common folk. They're no different from the other labor reform prisoners we've taken in."
He continued slowly,
"Their lives have been nothing but suffering—drought, then floods, then drought again—until they were forced into bandit armies just to survive. Tell me: are people like this not exactly those a true hero should be saving?"
Flat Rabbit froze.
Then his eyes lit up.
"Huh? Oh! Yes! That's right!"
"This Rabbit performs heroic deeds! Saving the common people is exactly what I should be doing!"
"Then go," Li Daoxuan said simply.
"Hahaha!" Flat Rabbit laughed loudly.
"The Rabbit departs!"
The Gao Family Village Militia soon split into two groups. One half remained behind to guard the damaged Shangnan County town. The other half, led by Flat Rabbit, escorted the more than ten thousand surrendered rebels toward Tianzhu Mountain.
Luo Xi, still unable to fully grasp what they were truly planning, nevertheless followed them back to his ancestral lands—uneasy, curious, and more than a little nervous.
The distance from Shangnan County to Tianzhu Mountain was only a little over a hundred li.
They had barely set out when a harsh reality struck them squarely in the face.
Food.
The militia had brought a logistics unit along, but even so, the supplies were only enough to feed two thousand people for one month. This food couldn't all be given to the surrendered rebels—at least ten days' worth had to be reserved for the soldiers themselves.
That left only twenty days' worth of rations to distribute among the ten thousand captives.
They couldn't hand out too much at once, either. The supplies had to last until the next delivery arrived.
Flat Rabbit knew perfectly well that Dao Xuan Tianzun had surely already used some divine method—perhaps spiritual projection or long-distance command—to return to Gao Family Village and arrange more provisions.
But until those arrived, they had no choice but to tighten their belts.
As a result, each surrendered rebel received only a single bowl of thin, watery gruel—so thin that chopsticks wouldn't even stand upright in it.
Cradling their bowls, the rebels exchanged bitter looks.
Captured by government troops… this really is bad news.
This food is even worse than what Yi Dou Gu and Wa Guanzi used to give us.
To eat like this and still be forced into hard labor… the days ahead will be unbearable.
The young rebel who had been captured while protecting his mother quietly pushed his bowl toward her.
"Mother, drink my bowl too."
His elderly mother shook her head desperately and pushed her own bowl back.
"No, my son—you drink mine."
Among the captives, the two enacted a heart-wrenching scene of filial devotion.
Watching from nearby, the other surrendered rebels thought silently:
No… we can't just submit like this. We must find a chance to escape.
Just as these thoughts were taking shape, Flat Rabbit's booming voice rang out:
"Rest assured, everyone! This humble Rabbit has spent over twenty years performing heroic deeds—robbing the rich to help the poor and never harming good people! These hardships are only temporary! Once my logistics arrive, I guarantee you'll be eating fine food and drinking strong liquor!"
The surrendered rebels rolled their eyes in unison.
Not a single person believed him.
It wasn't their fault. Flat Rabbit naturally gave off an air of unreliability. Anyone meeting him for the first time would immediately feel that this fellow was full of hot air.
After pitifully finishing their watery gruel, the captives struggled to their feet and continued the march.
The journey stretched over more than a hundred li, much of it along rugged mountain paths. For Henan natives unused to such terrain, it was pure torment. Yet with a thousand militia soldiers—every one of them armed with flintlock rifles—guarding them closely, no one dared resist.
Day after day, hungry and exhausted, people collapsed along the road.
In their hearts, every surrendered rebel cursed Flat Rabbit—their "wicked government general"—wishing they could beat him to death with their bare hands.
That evening…
At last, they arrived at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain.
Ahead lay the Luo family estate, surrounded by broad stretches of fertile land. On the western slope, a small, abandoned mine shaft gaped silently.
The surrendered rebels felt their hearts sink.
So this is where we'll be worked to death?
Eating less than a rabbit, working harder than an ox…
Just then, Flat Rabbit's laughter rang out joyfully.
"Look! Everyone, look! Our logistics team has arrived!"
"Hahaha! Finally—the logistics team is here!"
The grain transport unit dispatched from Gao Family Village had raced by train to Xi'an, then transferred to horse-drawn carts for the final stretch.
They arrived at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain—at the exact same time as the surrendered rebels.