Chapter 258: The Li Family Returns
Mr. Wang and Gao Yiye arrived back in Chengcheng County, bringing with them thousands more books.
This consignment included two thousand copies of "Dao Xuan Tian Zun's Demon-Slaying Chronicle, Volume One," and another two thousand copies of Volume Two. Coupled with the massive loads of grain transported alongside the books, the procession was incredibly long. By the time the first wagon had pulled into the bookstore's courtyard, the last one was still waiting at the city gate.
The arrival of this immense convoy immediately filled the townspeople with joyous excitement. "Mr. Wang is back!" they cheered. "And the Heavenly Lord has returned! We can buy grain at a low price again!"
"Nonsense! It's about buying books!"
"Exactly! I'm far more interested in the tales of our venerable Heavenly Lord now. A mere two ounces of flour can't compare to the reverence I hold for him."
"I want books!"
"I want flour!"
Vast crowds of townspeople surged towards the bookstore.
Inside the City God Temple, Mrs. San's spirits soared. *Aha*, she thought, *Gao Yiye is here, which means the Heavenly Lord is naturally here too. Now I can once again lead a select group of the most devout followers to the small grove outside the city and allow the Heavenly Lord to manifest his divine presence for them.*
The hundred-plus devotees who had personally witnessed the Heavenly Lord's divine miracle last time had now become zealous evangelists. They boasted to everyone they met about their firsthand experience, and if anyone dared to express doubt, they would grow furious, rolling up their sleeves as if ready for a brawl.
Of course, such behavior didn't align with Daoist principles. Mrs. San often urged them to be peaceful and calm: "If others believe, let them believe. If they don't, then so be it. There's no need to resort to fists."
Their disbelief was their loss, they'd tell themselves. Those who didn't receive the Heavenly Lord's blessed flour had only themselves to blame.
When the faithful pondered this, they realized it was true! And so, everyone grew cheerful, feeling a distinct sense of superiority in their belief in Dao Xuan Tian Zun.
Another person was equally pleased: Magistrate Liang Shixian.
Upon receiving reports that "the Li Family has returned to the county seat," Liang Shixian couldn't help but muse to himself: *The Li Family's intelligence network is truly impressive. Inspector Fang and I had just finished negotiating with the Guyuan rebels in the mountains, and immediately the Li Family learned it was safe. Now they've brought their relief and porridge-distribution teams, and they're here to promote their ancestral household deity once again.*
*It seems there are Li Family informants among my local constables and among Inspector Fang's soldiers. Any slight rustle of grass and someone will inform the Li Family in Gao Family Village.*
For a county magistrate, this was simply an unavoidable reality he had to accept.
As the saying goes, "Even the mightiest dragon yields to the local serpent." Magistrates rotated every three years like figures on a revolving lantern; how could they possibly command the influence of local gentry? It was impossible to expect his subordinates to be free of gentry informants.
There was no point in dwelling on it.
He simply needed to be glad that "the Li Family had returned to distribute porridge." Having powerful gentry help share the burden of aiding the populace was, for him, a truly welcome relief.
However...
One person was not pleased at all!
Gao Yiye.
She truly disliked the county seat.
Each time she came to town, she felt like a bird with clipped wings, utterly forlorn and out of place.
Wearing a bamboo hat and a veil to obscure her face, she sat on the small second-floor balcony of the bookstore's back courtyard, observing the dense crowds of refugees in the streets below. A sorrowful expression crossed her face. "Heavenly Lord," she murmured, "there are so many suffering kin here."
Li Daoxuan replied gently, "Yes, there are many, and I too wish to help them as swiftly as possible."
Gao Yiye nodded sadly. "I understand. I haven't come here for nothing; I'm here to help them. I can't abandon these people just because I dislike the county seat."
"Good, it's important you understand that," Li Daoxuan affirmed. "Go now, visit Mrs. San and arrange the time for the next gathering of believers in the grove outside the city."
Gao Yiye hummed a docile "Mhm" and scurried down from the balcony. A squad of militia soldiers, standing guard in the courtyard, immediately formed a protective escort around her as she made her way out.
As she reached the bookstore's main hall, she found it bustling with a fervent, lively atmosphere.
Mr. Wang, with a group of shop assistants, was frantically selling books. Among the assistants were the two who had once stolen steamed buns.
After their visit to Gao Family Village, these two had been profoundly shaken by what they saw and had resolved to follow the village's path faithfully for the rest of their lives. This was their chance to prove themselves, and each worked harder than the last.
Gao Yiye exchanged greetings with everyone and then, light-footed, stepped outside.
She navigated through the jostling crowd of book-hungry townsfolk, then through a throng of refugees.
As they passed a two-story wooden building, several heads suddenly poked out from a second-story window. They belonged to a few women, barely passable in looks, who waved suggestively at the militia soldiers behind Gao Yiye. "Brothers..." they called out, "Care for some fun inside?"
That invitation immediately flustered the militia soldiers behind her.
Several eyes darted towards the window, causing a clumsy bump as one soldier crashed into the back of his comrade. The formation dissolved into a brief moment of disarray.
Gao Yiye turned back, surprised. "Oh? What happened? Why did everyone behind me get so flustered when those sisters called out?"
Zheng Gouzi, who was closest to her, immediately wore an embarrassed expression. "Saintess, um... pay them no mind... a bunch of spineless cowards..."
Gao Yiye looked utterly bewildered. "But *why*? Was what they said strange?"
Zheng Gouzi was so mortified he couldn't even lift his head. "Saintess, this... this matter... *cough*... A noble person such as yourself... needn't... concern herself with it..."
Gao Yiye: "???"
The militia soldiers behind them hastily reined in their wandering thoughts, pretending to stare straight ahead with unwavering focus.
But the women in the building weren't about to let potential business slip away. They could tell this group was quite affluent. Each man wore clean cotton clothes and looked spirited, clearly not having suffered from hunger. These were undoubtedly household guards from a wealthy family, and likely high-ranking, trusted retainers at that.
One woman began to sob pitifully. "Have pity on us, brothers. We haven't had a full meal in so long."
Another woman joined her, weeping. "Business has been terrible for ages. We can barely survive. Brothers, please, consider it a good deed and come in for a while."
The militia soldiers immediately found themselves struggling to resist. Several pairs of eyes involuntarily drifted back towards the window.
Gao Yiye was utterly dumbfounded. "What exactly does that mean? Why would going inside for fun be like saving them? What exactly would one 'do' inside?"
Zheng Gouzi lowered his voice. "Saintess, this... this place is... a brothel... it's where... where women do *business*."
"Eh? Eh? Eh eh eh?!" Gao Yiye blushed furiously, now flustered herself.
Li Daoxuan, observing the uselessness of his men, couldn't help but shake his head. *Truly, a bunch of country bumpkins with no worldly experience...* Just then, a furious roar erupted from the back of the contingent: "You scoundrels! Eyes forward, backs straight! March on, now! This is outrageous! How can you call yourselves heroes acting like this?"
Everyone looked back to see Padi Tu was the one speaking.
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