Chapter 59: Daily Life in the Miniature World
Li Daoxuan simply changed the name of his TikTok account to "Daily Life in the Miniature World (Tilt-Shift Photography)." With this change, he could confidently and brazenly post videos that clearly depicted a miniature world. After all, he'd explicitly stated it was "tilt-shift photography"—surely no one would suspect he actually had a miniature world in his home, right?
He considered it carefully. The video of the Daoist temple construction, while authentic and beautiful, wasn't quite thrilling enough. To really capture a massive wave of views, he'd need something more exciting, more spectacular.
That, of course, meant—combat!
He sifted through his video files and quickly found the clip of the Supreme Bright King's attack on Gao Family Village. Excellent. This was where he'd start.
Carefully edited, with a few filters added.
Uploaded again!
Accompanied by the caption: "The industrious villagers of the miniature world were attacked by bandits. Everyone took up arms to defend their homes..."
Damn it, he thought. He should have studied harder back in school. Now, his captions were terrible. Good thing he never became a writer, or he'd definitely be a total flop.
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No one spoke, all fearing an encounter with bandits.
Yet fate, as ever, had a cruel sense of humor. Murphy's Law wasn't just a saying; what you feared most was precisely what you’d find.
When they were about ten li from the village, a cacophony of shouts suddenly erupted from both sides of the road. With a rustle, nearly a hundred figures burst from the trees, their weapons a wildly diverse and bizarre assortment. As soon as they appeared, they blocked the mountain path both ahead and behind, their eyes fixed on the bundles San Shier and the others carried.
Seeing their hostile gazes, Mrs. San's first instinct was to clutch her own bundle tighter. Inside were several jars of "divine medicine," which absolutely could not be stolen.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu were the first to draw their swords.
A group of young men quickly brandished their own weapons.
But in their hearts, they all knew that with such a vast disparity in numbers, a few swords wouldn't save them.
San Shier forced himself to appear calm and loudly called out, "You lot, open your eyes! I am San Shier, the magistrate's strategist. I... and those behind me... are all 'unofficial aides' from the county yamen. If you dare lay a hand on us, it's rebellion! Your families will be executed, your property confiscated; not a single one of you will survive!"
In this situation, he could only bluff. He used his former position to intimidate them, and labeled Gao Chuwu and the others as "unofficial aides"—non-registered assistants to government runners, typically three to five per runner during the Ming Dynasty—hoping the official connection might scare them off.
Unfortunately, San Shier's words didn't frighten the bandits. Their leader chuckled grimly, "We dared to kill the magistrate; why would we fear a mere strategist like you?"
At his words, everyone was startled.
However...
San Shier's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood. "You... you are subordinates of Wang Er, Hero Wang of Baishui County?"
The leader chuckled, "That's right! We all follow Big Brother Wang Er. Scared now? Hahaha! Everyone knows we killed Magistrate Zhang Yaocai. You dare try to scare me with a strategist's title? Hahaha!"
At his laughter, San Shier seized upon it like a lifeline. He declared loudly, "If you're brothers of Hero Wang, then this is easy! Good sir, we are old acquaintances of Hero Wang; we are friends. You absolutely must not lay a hand on us, or Hero Wang will surely be upset, and it might harm your brotherhood."
The leader was taken aback, then swore, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? First, you claimed kinship with the magistrate, and now you want to claim kinship with my Big Brother Wang? You're clearly not a good person."
Sweat beaded on San Shier's forehead. This was a matter of life and death; he couldn't afford a single wrong word. He forced a defiant expression. "Let me make this clear upfront: we truly have a history with Hero Wang. Try touching me, and Hero Wang will tear your skeleton apart!"
His bluster actually intimidated the minor leader. He stood stunned for a long time, unsure whether to order his men to "kill them." Without his command, the other bandits didn't dare move, and the situation froze.
At the very back of the bandit group, a young man quietly slipped away, scrambling up the rear slope.
The minor leader felt a little uneasy, genuinely afraid of offending his Big Brother's friends. "You're definitely lying to me, damn it! How could my Big Brother Wang have a history with a fat-bellied oaf like you?"
San Shier, too, was inwardly timid. He didn't know if Wang Er still remembered the kindness of Gao Family Village, but he had no choice but to put on a bold front. "Then come and chop me down! If you kill us, your Big Brother will chop you into eighteen pieces and hang them on a tree!"
Both sides were outwardly fierce but inwardly timid.
The standoff resumed!
Tension crackled; both sides were tense. One wrong step meant death.
Just then, a sharp shout rang out from the distant hillside: "Put down your swords, all of you!"
Both sides turned their heads in unison. Up on the slope, Wang Er of Baishui County had arrived, a young man leading the way before him.
Wang Er strode swiftly into the center of the scene.
He looked left. "Indeed, it's the people from Gao Family Village."
He looked right. "Bai Mao, pull your men back."
It turned out the minor leader's name was Bai Mao. Hearing Wang Er's command, he secretly exclaimed, "Close call!" These people really did know Big Brother Wang. Good thing he hadn't hacked them to death.
San Shier also sighed in relief at that moment. His legs gave way, and he plopped down onto the ground. Damn it, he thought, it was a good thing Wang Er was an honorable bandit chief. If it had been anyone else, they would all be finished.
The surrounding bandits began to disperse. However, as they left, their eyes still lingered reluctantly on the villagers' bundles. These men had grown addicted to robbery lately; seeing other people's things, they always felt they ought to be their own.
Wang Er glared at the group, and only then did they scatter like birds and beasts.
"Strategist San, brothers from Gao Family Village." Wang Er clasped his fists in greeting to them. "What are you doing? In these chaotic times of war and unrest, instead of staying safe in Gao Family Village, you're traveling with big and small bundles? Are you throwing your lives away?"
San Shier awkwardly glanced at his wife, thinking, *It's all because this woman insisted on returning to the county town.*
However, his wife wanted to return to the county town to help people, and that was also the Heavenly Lord's command, so there was nothing to complain about.
He clasped his fists and said, "We have a compelling reason to go to the county town."
Wang Er frowned, pondering for a few seconds. "In that case, I'll escort you for a while. Once you return to Gao Family Village from the county town, I'll escort you back again. Gao Family Village has shown me kindness; I cannot allow my benefactors to fall into danger."
Hearing this, San Shier was overjoyed. He knew Wang Er was honorable, but he hadn't expected him to be honorable to this extent. This man was truly, surprisingly honorable.
Filled with respect, San Shier clasped his fists again. "Hero Wang, for a man like you to be forced into banditry, it really is... sigh... truly, the world is unjust."
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