Zhu Changxun cursed nonstop under his breath as he hurried out of the residence.
On the way, his guards had already briefed him on the situation. The person outside was a friend of Bai Yuan, someone favored by Fan Shangzheng, the Governor of Henan, and a well known Jianghu figure bearing the title of Divine Hero, Xiao Qiuxia.
Zhu Changxun was never a reasonable man to begin with. For someone to stir up such chaos right at the gates of his own estate felt like a slap across his face. It was humiliating.
As for the so called discipline of the Jianghu riffraff under his command, he had never truly cared. He did not know what sort of trash they were, nor what dirty things they did outside. He had never bothered to find out.
To be blunt, why should he personally concern himself with the behavior of a bunch of hired brutes?
Such trivial matters should have been handled by stewards, eunuchs, or any low ranking servant. Was it really something that required a prince to step forward himself?
Yet here he was, forced to come out and wipe someone else's mess.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
As he strode forward, he turned his head and snapped at the eunuch beside him.
"Little Zheng, you were the one who brought those Jianghu men into my estate, weren't you?"
Eunuch Zheng's face instantly flushed.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Zhu Changxun snorted coldly.
"Good. Just wait. I will deal with you later."
Eunuch Zheng felt wronged to the extreme, but he did not dare argue. He lowered his head and swallowed his grievances.
Soon, the group reached the main entrance.
Dozens of Jianghu men were still stationed stubbornly at the gates of the Prince of Fu's residence.
Zhu Changxun, a mountain of flesh weighing over three hundred catties, charged out in one go. With two heavy thuds, he knocked over three of his own guards without even noticing.
Then he finally came face to face with Li Daoxuan.
He forced out a smile.
"Oh? Isn't this the famous Hero Xiao Qiuxia?"
Li Daoxuan replied calmly,
"I am not here to exchange pleasantries."
Zhu Changxun nodded as if he understood everything already.
"On my way out, my guards informed me that these Jianghu men under my employ behaved disgracefully. Eating without paying, intimidating merchants, even invoking my name. Truly outrageous behavior."
Then his tone shifted.
"But…"
He waved his hand dismissively.
"It was just ten copper coins for a bowl of duck blood vermicelli soup. Such a tiny matter. Is it really worth a figure like Hero Xiao Qiuxia creating such a spectacle at my residence gates?"
Li Daoxuan's expression darkened immediately.
"So in your eyes, this is not worth caring about?"
Zhu Changxun snorted.
"It was never a big issue in the first place. Your actions made it known throughout the city, and that is what turned it into a problem."
His face hardened.
"For Master Bai's sake, and out of respect for Governor Fan, I do not wish to quarrel with you. Let us end this matter here."
In Zhu Changxun's mind, this was already supreme magnanimity. Someone had caused trouble at his estate, and he was graciously letting it go. What greater kindness could a prince display?
Surely the common folk should be praising his virtue.
Li Daoxuan had no intention of backing down.
"Ending it here is not possible. If this is left unresolved, these men will simply repeat their offenses."
Zhu Changxun felt his anger surge.
He had already lowered himself and made concessions. Yet this man still would not relent.
Li Daoxuan continued steadily,
"These Jianghu ruffians must be taken away for labor reform and taught how to behave as proper people. As for the Prince of Fu's estate, at the very least, you must send representatives to formally apologize to the common people of Luoyang. After that, you must go door to door, count every instance of unpaid consumption, and compensate each merchant in full."
Zhu Changxun roared,
"You are truly determined to push this to the end, aren't you?"
Li Daoxuan slowly clenched his fist.
A crisp metallic sound rang out as his knuckles tightened.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Just then, a lone rider galloped wildly toward them from afar, screaming even before he arrived.
"Locusts! Locusts are coming from the east! A massive swarm!"
The shout froze everyone in place.
All heads turned toward the eastern sky.
There, a dense black cloud rolled forward, swallowing the horizon as it advanced.
The onlookers who had gathered to watch the drama erupted into panic. They screamed and scattered, rushing back toward their homes.
Zhu Changxun's face changed color.
"Oh no! Quickly, return inside! Shut all doors and windows!"
The Jianghu men who had been beaten down moments earlier crawled desperately toward nearby houses.
Under normal circumstances, locusts did not attack humans.
But during a true locust plague, the insects covered the sky, stripped the land bare, and entered a frenzied state from hunger. Vegetation disappeared in moments. In such desperation, locusts could and would bite people.
Just imagining being swarmed was enough to make one's scalp go numb.
No one dared stay outside.
In an instant, the area around Li Daoxuan was completely emptied.
As Zhu Changxun fled, he shouted back angrily,
"Hero Xiao Qiuxia, aren't you supposed to stand up for the common people? Go then. Drive away the locusts. After you finish that, we can continue our discussion!"
Li Daoxuan shrugged lightly.
"You are being sarcastic, but you are not wrong. Compared to the locust plague, your estate's wrongdoing is insignificant. To put it plainly, you are not even as harmful as the locusts."
Zhu Changxun nearly exploded on the spot, but his guards seized him and dragged him inside.
A moment later, all the doors and windows of the Prince of Fu's residence slammed shut one after another.
Li Daoxuan did not bother moving his avatar.
He left the silicone figure standing motionless before the gates, ended his shared perception, and instantly returned to his true body outside the diorama box.
Looking down into the box, he saw Luoyang thrown into chaos.
People everywhere were scrambling indoors.
Bai Yuan was shouting hoarsely as he herded militia members toward the barracks.
"Everyone retreat! Seal the doors and windows! No one stays outside!"
At the Governor's yamen, Fan Shangzheng stood in the open courtyard, pointing at the sky and cursing loudly.
"Floods, droughts, and now locusts? Is there no justice left in this world at all?"
Two guards rushed out and grabbed him.
"Master, stop yelling and get inside! If locusts swarm you, you will swell and die. It is terrifying!"
Startled, Fan Shangzheng clutched his head and hurried indoors.
Those with homes found shelter.
The refugees, however, had nowhere to go.
Large groups rushed toward temples, begging for protection. Monks and Daoist priests did their best to take in as many as possible.
Some shopkeepers opened their doors and shouted,
"Quick, come inside! Hurry!"
Ordinary citizens also opened their homes, but even so, many refugees were left wandering the streets, panicked and helpless.
Li Daoxuan watched the scene and felt a tightness in his chest.
He had to help them.
As he hesitated, his gaze suddenly fell on the glass cup beside his hand.
His eyes lit up.
He grabbed it and gently placed it down over a small group of refugees.
As they ran, they suddenly felt something strange. A powerful rush of air pressed down from above.
They looked up in terror and saw a massive transparent cup slam down around them.
The refugees froze in place, too frightened to even breathe.