Li Daoxuan knew it was time for him to step in again.
He rummaged through the toolbox on the worktable and quickly fished out a cheap one-coin lighter whose gas had long run dry.
He cracked it open—twenty-seven tiny parts scattered everywhere—and from inside he retrieved a minuscule little spring.
Barely a few millimeters long.
He pinched it between his fingertips and let it drop.
Down below, Cheng Xu was just turning to leave when he suddenly noticed an odd iron coil descending slowly through the sky, landing right before him and Li Da.
The nearby craftsmen, long used to such heavenly happenings, bowed in gratitude without even blinking.
Cheng Xu, however, jumped in fright.
"Whoa—what in the world?!"
Li Da focused, then gasped with delight.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun has bestowed us a spring from the heavens!"
Cheng Xu leaned in. Well, yes… it was a spring.
A giant one.
Half a man tall.
Moments ago he'd squashed the pitiful spring Li Da had made with just his hands. But now, faced with this divine oversized version, curiosity flared like wildfire.
"This thing is clearly begging to be tested. Let this general— cough cough—this instructor give it a try."
Since the spring was too big to crush by hand, Cheng Xu simply set it upright, steadied it with both hands… and sat on it.
"Ha! Easy—!"
That was as far as he got.
A monstrous force surged from beneath him.
Biu!
The spring launched him like a human firework.
Cheng Xu shrieked, flew clean across the smithing courtyard, and crashed straight through a craftsman's window in a glorious explosion of splintered wood and shredded paper.
The entire forge fell silent.
Half a minute later, Cheng Xu's battered head poked out of the broken window.
Nose swollen, face bruised—beaming.
"I understand! Hahahaha—I understand what this divine thing is for!
This is a siege weapon! A real one! In the future, we won't need siege ladders at all. We set a whole row of these Immortal Springs of Siege Warfare beneath the enemy walls, have our bravest soldiers sit on top—BOOM—they leap straight over the battlements!
Heaven-sent warriors landing right on the defenders' heads! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
The craftsmen, inspired by the sheer stupidity genius of that explanation, all lit up at once.
"So that's what it's for!"
"Of course! Siege warfare from the heavens—truly eye-opening! Instructor He understands immortal weapons so fast. Amazing!"
Shansier added dramatically,
"Instructor He, you really are clever. No wonder Dao Xuan Tianzun chose you to train the militia. This is what we call: Using the right person for the right job."
Cheng Xu puffed up like a proud rooster.
"Hahaha! Naturally! My ability is not just for show!"
Li Daoxuan nearly died laughing.
A whole group of idiots, creating idiocy in formation.
He unrolled another huge sheet of paper and wrote:
"Melt it down. Turn it into small springs for the fire lance."
Cheng Xu looked up—and panicked.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun! Why melt such a divine treasure? This thing replaces siege ladders! One spring is worth ten thousand fire lances!"
He turned around—only to see that Shansier had already conveyed the command to Li Da, who obediently hoisted the giant spring and tossed it directly into the furnace.
Cheng Xu clutched his chest, gasping like a widow watching her dowry burn.
"NO—STOP! Don't destroy the Immortal Spring of Siege Warfare! My siege weapon! My divine siege weapon—!!"
Li Daoxuan had to retreat to avoid laughing himself to death.
The sun dipped westward, golden light brushing the waves of green wheat.
Gao Yiye and Gao Sanwa, after playing with the solar cart all afternoon, finally looked exhausted.
Dao Xuan Tianzun hadn't used her to convey messages today—only communicated with Shansier and Cheng Xu using giant sheets of writing—so she was free, gloriously free.
Naturally, she grabbed Sanwa and spent the day joyriding around like a pair of feral spirits until the sun, no longer strong enough to power the solar cart, forced them home.
Sanwa jumped off the cart—only to have his mother seize him by the ear.
"Skipping study again? You little brat—come here!"
"Driving lessons are learning!"
"You dare argue?!"
Smack-smack-smack—bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork.
The nearby villagers burst into laughter.
Gao Yiye hopped off the cart, drenched in sweat. It wasn't dark yet, so she couldn't bathe. She climbed up to the watchtower, leaned over the railing, and gazed over the entire village.
Just peaceful, just perfect—
Until a voice echoed from the sky.
"Yiye, I have some things to tell you."
She straightened instantly and bowed.
"All right. Sit. Let's talk."
Dao Xuan Tianzun's voice was warm as autumn light, and Yiye sat cross-legged, attentive.
"Cheng Xu has begun training the militia."
She glanced out toward the fortress gate. There they were—dozens of villagers trying (poorly) to drill formations beneath the sunset.
She nodded.
"Yes, he's carrying out your orders very seriously."
Dao Xuan Tianzun continued,
"With Cheng Xu's guidance, the militia will grow faster. They will become stronger. And humans—once they gain strength—they swell with pride. As their skills grow, their gear improves, and their battles increase, their self-awareness changes.
From cautious… to arrogant.
From humble… to domineering.
Until one day, they become the very people they hate."
Yiye froze.
"You mean… they might turn into those nasty officers and bullies?"
"If left unchecked, yes. The whole world encourages them to become like that."
"I don't want that! I don't want Chu Wu-ge and Big Niu to turn into those kinds of people!"
Dao Xuan Tianzun chuckled.
"Neither do I.
Which is why I'm giving you an important mission."
"Me…?"
"Yes. Cheng Xu teaches them how to fight.
You will teach them how to be human."
"Wait—me?! I can't do that!"
"You can. After Cheng Xu finishes military lessons each day, you will give them a class on conscience and duty. Have them memorize it ten times a day.
They are children of the common folk.
They are soldiers for the common folk.
Everything they do, every sword they raise, must be for the people."
He then taught her, in detail, all the principles that forge the soul of a soldier.
Because a soldier can be a sword that saves—or a knife that destroys.
And only virtue can decide which.
Footnotes
Immortal Spring of Siege Warfare — Cheng Xu's heroic stupidity achieves new heights. Historically, medieval soldiers would absolutely have tried something this insane if given a giant spring. No, it would not have worked, but it would've killed several volunteers spectacularly.
Militia morale & ethics — Real-world armies that lacked moral education did devolve into bullies. Instructor Yiye is basically inventing political education a millennium early.
Springs & metallurgy — The novel is correct: springs aren't about shape, but materials science. Ancient China didn't have the carbon-steel tech for modern springs. A lighter spring is basically sorcery to them.