Chapter 445: It's Not a Big Deal
Liang Shixian grumbled at the Heavenly Lord's massive golden statue. "Oh, Heavenly Lord, it's not that I'm speaking ill of the Saintess, but I felt this matter should be brought to your attention. The Saintess actually twisted your divine decree, ordering this humble official to send two men to Wang Cheng'en's army. They seem to be privileged young men from Gao Family Village, likely very close to her. She's using me to help them gain military honors, surely hoping to secure official positions and climb the ranks in the future..."
Li Daoxuan, listening, almost burst out laughing. He forcefully held it in, reminding himself that such a massive statue might just crumble if he let loose.
Liang Shixian continued, "Although it's not a major issue – such things are common in court – this humble official still felt it was imperative to inform you. If you don't hear it now, you can't blame me for not speaking up."
Li Daoxuan remained still, thinking inwardly: *Liang Shixian is a fine man. In the new nation to be established, he can be greatly entrusted. His integrity alone makes him worthy of significant responsibilities.*
Liang Shixian finished his rambling, and his Shaoxing Advisor rushed over. "Magistrate, the workers have discovered large iron ore deposits in Yaotou Town. What do you wish to do about them?"
Liang Shixian said, "Mine it, of course, what else? Let me tell you, the Heavenly Lord loves digging and building, digging and building... While Gao Family Village has an abundance of iron *goods*, those were all bestowed by the Heavenly Lord from the heavens. Our own production of raw iron is still scarce. Since we've discovered iron ore, then dig! Reassign all idle workers to the iron mine, and simply dig with all their might."
The Shaoxing Advisor hesitated. "But we don't have that many people available anymore. Ever since the Heavenly Lord's divine rain, many farmers have returned home to cultivate their land, and the number of refugees in the county town has been drastically reduced by more than half."
Liang Shixian's eyes flickered with an idea. "Go to Baishui County to the west and Dali County to the south. The Heavenly Lord's divine grace hasn't yet extended to those two places; they are still suffering from drought. Just send out the call, and we can bring all their farmers to our county. I will register their households, and that will settle the matter."
The Shaoxing Advisor chuckled nervously. "Poaching residents might not go over well, Magistrate. The magistrates of the neighboring counties will be furious enough to come here and confront us."
The Shaoxing Advisor grinned. "You have a point, Magistrate."
He quickly hurried off to his duties.
Liang Shixian turned back and bowed again to Li Daoxuan's colossal golden statue. "Thank you, Heavenly Lord. With your backing, this humble official dares to boldly accept refugees and save countless lives. Only then do I uphold the years I've spent studying the classics of the sages."
Li Daoxuan sighed inwardly: *Deactivate Co-sensing!*
In a flash of shimmering light, he was back outside the box.
He reached for a handful of flour and placed it before Liang Shixian's position.
Without a single word, Liang Shixian understood his meaning. The Heavenly Lord encouraged his actions and had sent a large amount of grain, signaling him to wholeheartedly entice and support the common people from the surrounding counties.
"This humble official will not disappoint."
Meanwhile, in Shanxi, at Gudu Ferry.
Gao Chuwu, Xing Honglang, Zao Ying, Lao Nanfeng, Zhao Sheng, and a utterly perplexed Zhan Seng — the six of them gathered around the Heavenly Lord's holy statue, half of its face crumbled, exchanging bewildered glances.
Xing Honglang, sweat pouring down her forehead, exclaimed, "Which sculptor made this statue? Give him fifty lashes! Half of the Heavenly Lord's face has actually crumbled away!"
Gao Chuwu declared, "I'll do it!"
"Don't you dare!" Zao Ying quickly intervened. "Fifty lashes from you would kill a man. And it might not even be the sculptor's fault. Perhaps the statue was too small, unable to contain the Heavenly Lord's vast divine power. It simply couldn't hold it, absolutely couldn't, and the power burst it apart."
At this explanation, everyone suddenly understood. "So that's it!" they chorused. "That makes sense."
Lao Nanfeng slapped himself, as if waking from a dream. "Ah? Damn it! When the Heavenly Lord arrived just now, this subordinate was too surprised. I forgot to ask the Heavenly Lord the name of the immortal singing in the divine mirror! Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh!"
Zhao Sheng scoffed, "Is that all you care about?!"
Lao Nanfeng retorted, "You guarded the border, surrounded by nothing but men, gnawing on hardtack in a desolate, freezing land for ten years! When you came back, you were even more unrefined than I am!"
Zhao Sheng fell silent.
Zhan Seng interjected, "Amitabha! Excuse me, everyone, but what exactly just happened?"
Xing Honglang replied, "The Dao Xuan Heavenly Lord just descended."
Zhan Seng asked, "The Dao Xuan Heavenly Lord is...?"
Xing Honglang said, "As you can see, an immortal. Oh, right, he's a Daoist immortal. It's not surprising that a Buddhist monk like you wouldn't know or recognize him."
Zhan Seng retorted, "Excellent, excellent! This humble monk also knows Cihang Zhenren of Daoism. She is our Buddhist Guanyin Bodhisattva, who infiltrated Daoism undercover, enduring hardship with bitter resolve, all to one day secretly deliver a blow to the back of Yuanshi Tianzun."
Everyone gasped in unison. *What kind of monk is this? Is it really okay to speak so ill of Guanyin Bodhisattva? Oh, right, he was a salt smuggler; it's normal that he hasn't learned Buddhist dharma well.*
Gao Chuwu grinned. "Everyone, this isn't the time to talk about that, is it? We need to quickly find a sculptor and rebuild the Heavenly Lord's holy statue! Aren't you unsettled seeing the Heavenly Lord with half a face missing?"
Reminded by the simpleton, everyone suddenly remembered that they had to fix the Heavenly Lord's statue as quickly as possible to feel settled.
"Quick, quick, quick! Go ask which of the common folk has sculpting skills."
"There are many artisans and merchants here, right? There must be plenty of skilled craftsmen."
"Yes, yes, yes, go find them quickly!"
"Pay him a craftsman's wages! Offer more money; more money means they'll sculpt faster!"
"Who has a copy of 'The Tale of Dao Xuan Heavenly Lord Vanquishing Demons'? Bring one out for the craftsman to sculpt from, otherwise, the sculptors here in Shanxi won't know the Heavenly Lord's appearance."
The group descended into a frantic flurry of activity, utterly overwhelmed.
Zhan Seng took a deep look at the half-ruined statue, confirming that it wasn't just someone in muddy clothes trying to deceive them. He then sighed heavily, sat down cross-legged before the shattered image of the Dao Xuan Heavenly Lord, and pressed his palms together. "Wandering for most of my life, I've actually encountered a true immortal here, and a Daoist one at that... Heavenly Lord, is it appropriate for this humble Buddhist monk to speak with you, a Daoist immortal?"
"In my youth, this humble monk killed countless people, my hands stained with blood. Only in middle age did I have a sudden realization, putting down the butcher's knife to become a new person. I wonder if Heaven will still grant a chance to someone like me?"
The shattered statue, of course, remained silent.
Zhan Seng continued, "If you don't speak, I'll take your silence as consent. This humble monk can certainly wash away his sins, become a good person, and achieve a peaceful end, right?"
The statue still did not speak.
Suddenly, tears began to stream down Zhan Seng's face. "I can't even deceive myself. Someone like me is surely doomed to eternal damnation after death."
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