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Chapter 51: Cross Out, Cross Out

Gao Yiye was essentially a figurehead now, tasked with maintaining a dignified stillness. Though she longed to help the injured militiaman whose leg was covered in large, painful blisters, Mrs. San's words echoed in her mind: "The more dignified you appear, the more respect others will show the Heavenly Lord." This made it difficult for her to move.

She certainly didn't want to bring discredit to the Heavenly Lord.

As she wrestled with her inner conflict, the clouds in the sky parted, revealing the Heavenly Lord's "awe-inspiring" face. A colossal hand descended, extending towards Gao Yiye.

The Heavenly Lord was about to bestow something upon her again, but when she focused her gaze, she was surprised. What the Heavenly Lord presented was a strange, yellowish, soft, and sticky mass.

Gao Yiye exclaimed, "Oh? What delicious treat is this?"

Li Daoxuan couldn't help but chuckle wryly. "Always food! Last time I gave you an iron griddle, your first thought was also to eat."

Gao Yiye's small face quickly flushed scarlet.

"This is medicine, for burns. Take it."

Gao Yiye was overjoyed. Just moments ago, she had been distressed for her injured comrade, and now the Heavenly Lord had bestowed divine medicine! She quickly extended both hands to receive it.

The ointment, no bigger than a sesame seed on the tip of Li Daoxuan's finger, was an enormous glob for Gao Yiye. It was so heavy that when she reached out to take it, she couldn't steady it, and it plummeted towards the ground.

Fortunately, Mrs. San, who had been standing guard beside the "divine messenger," saw her almost drop it and quickly reached out to help. The two women exerted themselves together, managing to steady the large mass of medicine.

Mrs. San hadn't heard the previous exchange, so she was slightly bewildered by the strange substance that had "appeared out of thin air." "What is this? How did it suddenly appear in your hands? What a potent medicinal fragrance."

Gao Yiye explained, "This is the burn medicine bestowed by the Heavenly Lord. Quickly, apply it to that injured militiaman."

Mrs. San was ecstatic. "Divine medicine? Oh my, this is extraordinary, truly extraordinary!"

She called out loudly, "Someone, quickly! Bring an empty jar over here!"

Because of the recent battle, many women were behind the city wall, with piles of jars ready to hold oil. Empty jars were abundant, so the servants quickly brought a large one.

With a solemn expression, Mrs. San carefully placed the large glob of ointment into the jar, securing it perfectly. She then quickly found a piece of oil paper, sealed the jar's mouth, and tied it with rope, giving it a look that screamed, "Nobody touch this!"

Gao Yiye asked, "Huh? Why did you seal it? We still need to treat that militiaman."

Mrs. San replied, "Of course, celestial divine medicine must be carefully preserved. As for the injured militiaman, a casual smear of the medicine remaining on your hands will be quite enough for him."

Gao Yiye looked down. Sure enough, plenty of ointment remained on her hands, sticky and cool.

She approached the injured militiaman, striving to maintain her dignified composure. "Don't move. The Heavenly Lord has bestowed divine medicine upon you."

The militiaman blinked, then was overcome with joy. He quickly tried to kowtow, but his injured foot made it difficult to move. Instead, he bowed deeply towards the sky, offering an imaginary salute. "The Heavenly Lord is benevolent!"

Gao Yiye slowly knelt, daubing the remaining ointment from her hands onto the militiaman's wound. With medicine smeared all over her hands, she could only swipe it on left, then right, and then backhand, her movements anything but professional.

The militiaman hissed, sucking in several sharp breaths through clenched teeth, thinking, *It hurts so much, I might as well not have applied this medicine.*

However, once Gao Yiye finished applying the medicine and stood up, the militiaman realized, "Huh? The wound doesn't seem to hurt as much now?" The blistered area had been burning, but the divine ointment emitted a faint coolness, soothing the stinging pain and making him feel much better.

The militiaman was ecstatic. "A divine medicine from the immortal realm! Truly remarkable, I feel so much better!"

Those nearby looked on with envy. "How wonderful! You actually get to use a divine medicine from the immortal realm."

The militiaman retorted, "You rotten scoundrels! How about I pour a pot of boiling oil on you, and you can 'enjoy' it too?"

The others laughed. "No thanks, we're not blessed enough for that. Your enjoyment on our behalf is quite sufficient."

Bai Yuan parted the crowd and walked over. "Your injury, it truly doesn't hurt anymore?"

The militiaman replied, "There's still a little pain, but it's much better than before I applied the medicine."

Bai Yuan nodded, saying nothing further. For a distinguished gentleman like him, a single word of concern for a militiaman was already considered a great kindness; there was no need to show more.

He turned, casting a glance at the "Dao Xuan Heavenly Lord's Grotto" in the center of the village. His heart filled with even greater reverence. This Dao Xuan Heavenly Lord was no fabricated deity, concocted by some White Lotus sect, a non-existent false god. Nor was he like the myriad Daoist deities, cloaked in such mystery that no one had ever seen them, making one wonder if they truly existed.

The one before their eyes was a true god!

*It seems I should also go to the temple and offer my sincere respects.*

With the threat now gone, everyone's mood lightened, and their minds were free to consider other matters.

San Shier approached, drawing Bai Yuan over to Gao Yiye. "This is Gao Yiye, the divine messenger and Saintess of the Heavenly Lord Daoist Sect. All of the Heavenly Lord's commands are relayed through her."

Bai Yuan had already discerned this, but he still cupped his hands in a respectful salute. "My respects."

"And this gentleman's name is Bai Yuan, a renowned gentleman and benevolent figure from Chengcheng County. He organized the local militia and protected the region, earning the deep affection of the people."

In the past, encountering such a distinguished elder would have certainly startled Gao Yiye, perhaps even made her prostrate herself by the roadside. But now, her courage had grown, and as a representative of the Heavenly Lord, she could not diminish the Lord's status. She merely offered a slight nod in return.

Bai Yuan surveyed Gao Family Village, then brought his gaze back. "This Gao Family Village, blessed by the Heavenly Lord, truly is an extraordinary place. With its towering walls, clean and clear pond, and no worries about food or drink, it is genuinely rare in these times of disaster."

San Shier smirked proudly. "Of course! Otherwise, why would I leave the county town and insist on living here? As the saying goes, 'a wise bird chooses a good tree to perch upon.'"

Bai Yuan looked at him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, then chided him, "You, Master San, you have some learning, but not much. You constantly misuse idioms, and now you've even compared yourself to a beast!"

San Shier was speechless.

Bai Yuan continued, "That's why you're only a strategist; you could never pass the imperial examinations for official rank."

San Shier, stung by the jab, muttered back indignantly, "You couldn't pass them either."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan froze as if an acupuncture point had been struck. After several seconds, he sighed. "Yes, I am also merely 'half a bucket of water,' my scholarship is insufficient. In the gentleman's Six Arts, the 'writing' discipline—cross that out, cross that out."

San Shier whispered again, "'Writing' refers to calligraphy, not general scholarship."

Bai Yuan was speechless.

A strange silence descended. After several seconds, Bai Yuan suddenly beamed. "Then the 'writing' discipline can be added back in! No need to cross it out!"

Everyone was speechless.

Listening to this, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but be amused. He had initially thought this Bai Yuan was a very distinguished and refined individual, but it turned out he was quite the character, a genuine joker.

Still, that raised a question: did "writing" refer to calligraphy or general scholarship?

Li Daoxuan pondered for a long time, only to realize he couldn't figure it out either. Indeed, it was probably best to just cross that out, cross that out.