Gao Yiye listened, her cheeks instantly turning pink.
"Wait—me? The great madam? This… this… how could I possibly…?"
Shansier nearly choked.
"Why are you blushing?! Focus! I'm telling you to pretend to be Lady Li, not Dao Xuan Tianzun's wife! This 'Master Li' I'm talking about is a completely fictional person. He doesn't exist!"
Yiye muttered softly, "But he's still a form of the Heavenly—uh… Dao Xuan Tianzun…"
Shansier: "…"
He dared not comment on that.
He could only rub his forehead helplessly.
"Yiye, listen. You just smile, nod, and speak as little as possible. Let me handle everything. If Dao Xuan Tianzun gives you any instructions, whisper them to me and I'll adapt."
Yiye hesitated. Should she really pretend to be the wife of a made-up nobleman without divine permission? Would this be too shameless…
Her face flushed red again.
Just then, a warm, amused voice resonated from the sky above:
"Interesting. Go ahead and try it."
Yiye's head snapped up.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun? Y-You actually approve of this?"
"Approved." The voice drifted down gently.
Yiye nearly melted, her face red enough to drip.
"S-Small one obeys… the order…"
Inside the hidden box, Li Daoxuan quickly closed the lid so she couldn't see him grinning like an idiot.
"Oh? She's blushing? This girl is adorable—too adorable."
Shansier, reassured by the divine approval, was suddenly energized. Truthfully, ever since Deputy Commander Cheng asked about the fortress last time, he had been losing sleep over this. This fortress was huge, nine meters tall, taller than some county walls—even a blind official would question it.
How should a place like this be explained?
Not explaining? Smack every visitor to death?
That wasn't cultivating the heavenly path—that was pure demon-cult behavior. Dao Xuan Tianzun would never allow it.
So he had spent days crafting a full backstory.
Now it was time to see whether the plan would fool an actual official.
He had Yiye change into the finest outfit Third Madam had ever gifted her. The villagers brought out their best cosmetics, arranged her hair, straightened her posture, and—surprise—once she kept quiet, she actually looked a little like a noble matron.
Meanwhile, Liang Shixian's group arrived at the gates of Gaojia Fortress.
The ten newly hired bailiffs and thirty assistants were freshly appointed, still without the swagger of veteran bullies. For now, they behaved themselves, standing properly behind the new magistrate.
Liang Shixian's gaze wandered everywhere.
The villagers… were healthy.
Not just healthy—rosy, energetic, with actual muscle.
He even spotted a few who were slightly chubby.
…Chubby.
In a famine-stricken county.
Liang Shixian's freshly written tear-soaked memorial—crying to the throne about starving citizens—suddenly felt like a slap in the face.
The adviser beside him whispered:
"This village is extremely wealthy."
Liang Shixian nodded slowly.
"That is good. This gives me confidence we can get some disaster relief funds here."
Just then, the great gate opened.
Shansier strode out proudly in formal robes, a self-satisfied smile plastered across his face.
"Welcome, Magistrate! It is an honor for our humble household!"
Liang Shixian, in full official uniform, was easily recognized. He nodded politely.
"And you are…?"
Shansier bowed with flair.
"This is Gaojia Village. This fortress belongs to Master Li of the Li family. I am the steward—Shansier."
Liang Shixian had only been in office a few days and didn't yet know the local nobility, so he didn't find it strange.
But he glanced up at the towering nine-meter-tall walls and whispered:
"Your Master Li… seems to be quite wealthy."
Shansier puffed up proudly.
"But of course! My Master Li is no ordinary man. The Li family has been established here for—" He paused, then raised a single finger dramatically. "—one thousand years."
Liang Shixian's heart nearly stopped.
One thousand years?
That would date back to the Tang Dynasty.
Tang Dynasty.
Shaanxi.
Surname Li.
His scholar's brain instantly connected the dots.
A thousand-year family.
A Li family from Shaanxi.
A Tang-era lineage.
Liang Shixian swallowed hard.
Could this be… descendants of the imperial Li clan?
Shansier cupped his hands solemnly.
"Magistrate, our Master Li is currently away on a spiritual journey, so I must greet you in his stead. Please forgive any shortcomings."
Liang Shixian was entirely intimidated.
But he wasn't about to leave empty-handed.
"Is there anyone else in the household who can make decisions?"
Shansier replied immediately:
"Our Lady is still in residence."
Liang Shixian brightened.
"Excellent. Perhaps I may speak with her about disaster relief."
Shansier bowed deeply.
"This way, Magistrate."
He led them through the same narrow passage that Zheng Yanfu and Zhong Guangdao had once stormed—tight corridors, smooth walls, and with the post-rain chill hanging in the air, the place felt imposing.
The magistrate could handle it.
His bailiffs and assistants, however, nearly stopped breathing, terrified that a single misstep in this wealthy home might get them executed.
Turning a few corners, they finally arrived before the ancestral hall beneath the watchtower.
The first floor was the shrine hall.
There, instead of ancestral tablets, a sculpture of Dao Xuan Tianzun sat serenely beneath a giant plaque reading:
"Honoring the Divine Ancestor, Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Liang Shixian froze.
A house shrine…
Dedicated to a divine guardian…
Named "Li Daoxuan"…
Surname Li.
Given name Daoxuan.
His mind raced again.
Li Daoxuan…
Tang imperial clan…
West Wei and Northern Zhou noble…
A descendant of the founding Li family…
His scalp tingled.
"My heavens… what a background…"
Shansier saw the shock in his face and smiled smugly in his heart.
"Magistrate, if you please, the Lady resides on the third floor."