Chapter 31: Hail, Dao Xuan Tian Zun
Li Daoxuan had, in fact, long recognized a significant issue.
Gao Family Village lacked a proper sense of organization.
To be precise, Gao Family Village wasn't truly an organized entity at all; it was a scattered mess of individuals. Aside from the Village Chief, who held some sway by virtue of his venerable reputation, everyone else operated independently, with no inherent hierarchy or command structure.
Each time Li Daoxuan provided them with food, the villagers would simply divide it amongst themselves, each taking a portion home, leaving a bit more for Gao Yiye, and that was the end of it.
There was no coordinated management of resources.
When San Shier and Li Da first arrived at Gao Family Village, no one even thought to welcome them. Li Daoxuan himself had to intervene before Gao Yiye arranged lodging and food for them.
Honestly, it was a little bothersome.
This wasn't really his domain.
Now, with San Shier on board, the situation had dramatically changed.
He recalled the debate he’d seen on the forum, and the fourth floor commenter's words suddenly resonated with profound truth.
For the foreseeable future, his priority should be focused on the overarching goal of "recruiting more capable individuals."
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After Mrs. San delivered her stern lecture, the villagers dispersed, retreating to their homes to catch more sleep.
The two blacksmiths, Li Da and Gao Yiyi, gathered at Gao Yiyi’s house. Their task: to forge a bell overnight. Of course, they couldn't hope to craft a proper bell in a single night; for now, a simpler, drum-like iron cylinder would have to suffice.
They stoked the forge and set to work. As Li Da toiled, he generously tutored Gao Yiyi, unconcerned about the old adage of teaching an apprentice only to starve the master. He had already made up his mind: once he regained his commoner status, he would never touch a hammer again for the rest of his life.
"Even if I starve to death, even if I jump off a cliff," he thought, "I will never be a blacksmith again."
Early the next morning.
Before dawn, Gao Yiye was practically escorted by Mrs. San for a bath.
The village only had one "large pond" suitable for bathing. During the day, it was bustling with people, making bathing there impossible. But before dawn, with most villagers still asleep, a quick scrub under the cloak of darkness was perfectly discreet.
Of course, they had no idea that a night-vision camera outside the box was recording their every move 24/7 through a pane of glass. If they did...
Ahem!
That guy on the forum would probably be ecstatic.
After her bath, Mrs. San produced a set of pristine white robes, made of surprisingly thick fabric that clearly bespoke its high value.
The robes were a bit loose on Gao Yiye, quite voluminous, but it wasn't a major issue. She didn't need to labor in the fields, so slightly cumbersome clothes were fine.
Gao Yiye stuck out her tongue. "I'm so hot!"
It was July, the height of summer amidst a drought, and the temperatures were truly oppressive. The thicker the fabric, the more unbearable the heat.
"You'll have to bear the heat," Mrs. San murmured, adjusting her robes and smoothing out the folds. "You must show proper reverence to the Heavenly Lord. After we invite His presence today, you absolutely must ask for His divine title. We can't keep worshipping Him without one. Once we know His revered name, we can then properly construct a temple and mold a golden statue in His honor."
Gao Yiye nodded dutifully. "I understand."
Mrs. San then took out her own makeup box and, gently, stroke by meticulous stroke, began applying makeup to Gao Yiye...
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Li Daoxuan was jolted awake by a cacophony of "bell" chimes.
He had spent the previous night browsing historical military forums and poring over Ming Dynasty historical records, unintentionally staying up until two or three in the morning. Naturally, he overslept.
Only when his ears caught the unpleasant, clanging "bell sounds" did he shake his head, a bewildered expression on his face, and scramble out of bed.
The Diorama Box rested beside his bed, snug against his computer desk, and the "bell sounds" were wafting from within it.
Shaking off the last vestiges of sleep, his mind slowly cleared. He then remembered what had happened last night. This clangor, like a broken bucket, must be the villagers "summoning the Heavenly Lord."
He rolled over in bed, then scrambled to the edge, craning his head over the Diorama Box to peer inside.
Ah, his little people were certainly spirited today!
The forty-two villagers, along with San Shier's family of four, and the newly arrived blacksmith Li Da—a total of forty-seven people—were now arranged in a grand square formation, much like high school students at a flag-raising ceremony.
Gao Yiye stood at the very front, clearly destined for the spotlight, her white robes flowing, her hair elaborately styled and adorned with numerous ornaments. Already young and beautiful, the makeup enhanced her features, making her truly exquisite, a vision of captivating charm.
In a modern context, she'd be hailed as nothing less than a goddess—with an army of devoted admirers, a company of eager sycophants, and a platoon of wealthy scions all vying for her attention. Even the most prominent social media moguls would be flooding her with likes and comments.
Li Daoxuan found it amusing. *Not bad! This young girl is getting prettier by the day. She’s so lovely, it almost makes me want to lift her skirt... Ugh, damn it, I’m getting corrupted by that idiot on the forum.*
Gao Yiye raised a cup in both hands, making a gesture of offering a toast to the heavens. Her movements were a little stiff, clearly practiced in haste on the spur of the moment. She first saluted the heavens, then poured the "wine" (which was actually water) onto the ground, and finally knelt...
The forty-six individuals behind her immediately followed suit, kneeling as one.
Gao Yiye began to recite a prayer. The words were likely written for her by San Shier and Mrs. San the night before, which she had memorized. However, her recitation was far from perfect, stuttering and mispronouncing words multiple times within a single sentence.
Li Daoxuan wasn't particularly interested in these mystical mumblings and didn't really pay attention. After a while, she finished her recitation, then declared loudly, "We humbly request, Heavenly Lord, your esteemed title, so that we may build you a temple and sculpt your golden image."
"Li Daoxuan."
Li Daoxuan replied, just playing along with their game.
Gao Yiye heard his voice and instantly rejoiced. She turned to Mrs. San and exclaimed, "The Heavenly Lord has answered me! His name is Li Daoxuan!"
"Dao Xuan?" Mrs. San was overwhelmed with joy upon hearing these two words. This was clearly a Daoist deity! As a devout Daoist herself, she'd harbored a secret fear that the Heavenly Lord might be a Buddhist Bodhisattva—a revelation that would have been excruciatingly awkward for her.
Now, it was almost certain to be Daoist. Without a second thought, Mrs. San dropped to her knees with a thud, prostrated herself, and loudly proclaimed, "Hail, Dao Xuan Tian Zun!"
Gao Yiye, following her example, also dropped to her knees with a thud, proclaiming, "Hail, Dao Xuan Tian Zun!"
The other forty-odd individuals immediately followed suit, all chorusing, "Hail, Dao Xuan Tian Zun!"
Li Daoxuan was amused. *Interesting, fun.* In an instant, he had transformed from an anonymous Heavenly Lord to Dao Xuan Tian Zun, finally with a proper name.
No one could have foreseen that this very moment, with these forty-odd individuals, marked the humble beginning of the Dao Xuan Tian Zun Sect that would eventually sweep across the entire land.
Gao Yiye began to speak haltingly again; these were likely lines that San Shier had taught her, as they had prepared two sets of lines, one for Daoism and one for Buddhism.
She was now reciting the Daoist version, first thanking Dao Xuan Tian Zun for bestowing a city wall upon the villagers. Then, she explained that guards were needed at night, requiring lanterns to be lit around the city wall, and lanterns consumed a great deal of oil, humbly requesting the Heavenly Lord to bestow some oil.
This game of "playing house" was quite amusing.
As she spoke in her faltering voice, Li Daoxuan picked up the cooking oil container, filled a mineral water bottle cap to the brim, and slowly, deliberately, lowered the cap in front of Gao Yiye.
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