Gu Yanwu nodded.
"I am currently traveling the world, observing widely. Coming to Xi'an Prefecture this time felt like a country bumpkin entering a great city. Everywhere I looked, there were new and wondrous things. I recorded them all."
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly.
"What you're writing, my friend, doesn't look like a travelogue. It reads more like an analysis of how to benefit the nation and enrich the people."
Gu Yanwu blinked, momentarily startled.
"Ah? Brother Li, you saw what I wrote? You must be laughing at me."
But inwardly, he felt a spark of excitement.
This Steward Li wasn't talking about scenery, poetry, or idle elegance. He was speaking of governing the nation and the livelihood of the people—topics that instantly stirred Gu Yanwu's true interests.
His enthusiasm surged.
"Brother Li," Gu Yanwu said animatedly, "during this journey to Xi'an, I saw countless factories built on the outskirts of the city. They produce all manner of strange and ingenious objects. More importantly, they provide vast numbers of jobs for the common people—and the wages are generous! This is a sight of true national prosperity and popular strength. This is how a country ought to be governed!"
Li Daoxuan nodded.
"What a coincidence. I believe the same."
Gu Yanwu rubbed his hands together, eyes shining.
"I must write all of this down, organize it properly, and find a way to submit it to the imperial court. If His Majesty were to see it, perhaps it could be of some use."
Li Daoxuan replied calmly,
"If the Emperor sees it… I fear it may not bring about a good result."
Gu Yanwu froze.
"Oh? Brother Li, why do you say that?"
Li Daoxuan looked at him.
"My friend, are you truly unaware of the current Emperor's temperament?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Gu Yanwu stiffened.
As he thought deeper, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Though he was still young and had not yet served in officialdom, he was hardly ignorant. Years earlier, at the gathering of the Fushe at Tiger Hill, he had personally heard veteran officials discuss the matter.
The consensus had been unanimous:
The current Emperor was harsh and ungrateful, suspicious and distrustful. His temperament shifted like wind and rain—utterly unpredictable. Serving under him required constant vigilance, as though walking on thin ice. A single misstep could mean dismissal, imprisonment, or worse.
This was not slander.
It was fact.
Gu Yanwu had personally witnessed governors of Shaanxi and Shanxi replaced one after another, as if mounted on a revolving door. Even the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet rotated with dizzying speed.
Li Daoxuan chuckled softly.
"Have you ever considered that relying solely on the Emperor's momentary decisions to shape the fate of the nation… might be fundamentally flawed?"
Gu Yanwu sucked in a sharp breath.
"Bold words!"
Li Daoxuan smiled.
"Don't glare at me. It won't help. You're a man of insight—you've already thought about this yourself, haven't you?"
Gu Yanwu fell silent.
A tremor ran through his heart.
Because the man before him had pierced straight through to a thought he had buried deeper than any other.
Hidden in his heart was an idea he had never shared with anyone—the concept of collective governance.
Years ago, he had secretly written a short essay that stated:
'The ruler of the realm cannot govern alone.'The ruler of the realm cannot govern alone.
If he governs alone, punishments multiply.If he governs alone, punishments multiply.
If governance is collective, punishments cease.'
He knew full well that if this essay were ever revealed, it would be enough to cost him his head.
So he had hidden it.
Locked it away.
Never shown it to anyone.
Not even the elders of the Fushe knew such a thought existed.
It was pure treason.
Seeing Gu Yanwu completely frozen, Li Daoxuan said nothing further.
Slowly, he thought. Fishing requires patience. You can't spear the fish—you must let it bite willingly.
He gently patted Gu Yanwu on the shoulder and smiled.
"Let me suggest a few places for you to visit. But whatever you see or hear along the way, do not write it for the Emperor—or you may very easily lose your head."
Gu Yanwu asked blankly,
"Where?"
Li Daoxuan replied calmly:
"Gao Family Village, Chengcheng County, Shaanxi.
Then Puzhou, Hedong Circuit, Shanxi.
After that, head north to Taiyuan, Shanxi. The new Governor, Wu Shen, is preparing to develop the province in earnest. If you go quickly, you'll find a great many things that truly benefit the world and enrich the people."
Gu Yanwu was stunned.
"Huh?"
Before he could ask anything else, Li Daoxuan turned and walked away.
Gu Yanwu jumped to his feet.
"Brother Li—wait! I still have something to ask! How did you—"
He wanted to ask how Li Daoxuan had known about collective governance.
But Li Daoxuan did not answer.
He had already switched his co-sensing connection outside the box. Without even putting on his golden gauntlet, he reached into the diorama, picked up Mass Production Model No. 3, and with a casual wave of his hand—
What Gu Yanwu saw was this:
The "Steward Li" before him shimmered, as though space itself rippled. In an instant, he appeared dozens of paces away. Another shimmer—another leap. Then, one final shimmer—
—and he vanished entirely.
Gu Yanwu gasped.
"Ah?! Shrinking the ground to an inch?"
His heart pounded violently.
"Who… who was that just now? An immortal? A demon?"
Fear seized him.
True, overwhelming fear.
Gu Yanwu immediately broke into a run, desperate to find someone—anyone—to talk to.
Just then, a group of tourists arrived from Xi'an. They were burly men with bulging muscles, dressed in matching uniforms. It turned out they were workers from Xi'an Baimei Factory No. 1, out on a group outing.
Gu Yanwu's eyes were drawn instantly to the embroidery on their chests.
A strange human face—somewhat abstract, stitched with thread—yet eerily familiar.
He froze.
"I've seen this… before."
Suddenly, realization struck like thunder.
"The Steward Li just now!" Gu Yanwu exclaimed. "That face—it's the same!"
The embroidered face and the lifelike silicone face were slightly different, which was why he hadn't recognized it immediately.
But now he understood.
The man who had spoken with him was none other than Dao Xuan Tianzun himself!
Could a mortal truly perform the immortal art of shrinking the ground to an inch?
Cold sweat poured down Gu Yanwu's face.
Shock.
Panic.
Awe.
After a long moment, he swallowed hard and made a decision.
"Gao Family Village, Chengcheng County… Puzhou… Taiyuan…"
"I must visit all three."
When an immortal points the way, how could a mortal refuse to follow?
Gu Yanwu sprang to his feet and shouted to his fellow scholars,
"Gentlemen! I have urgent business and must depart immediately. Enjoy yourselves!"
The others cried out,
"Eh? Brother Gu—don't rush!"
Gu Yanwu ignored them, sprinted toward the train station, and vanished in moments.
The scholars watched his retreating figure and shook their heads.
"Brother Gu is too impatient," one said.
"The boarding time is fixed anyway. Even if he runs, he'll still have to wait for us."
That evening, Gu Yanwu sat stiffly on a bench at the train station, waiting.
When his traveling companions finally arrived, the two sides stared at each other—
—wide-eyed and speechless.