Morning sunlight spilled across the yard as Li Daoxuan sat before the storage crate, steaming dumplings in hand. He had just popped one into his mouth when excited shouting erupted from the direction of the workshop.
"Success! We finally did it!"
He paused mid-chew, blinked, and looked toward the noise. Down in the workshop pit, three tiny folk were jumping around like festival acrobats who had just been handed free wine.
Li Daoxuan squinted, then pulled out a magnifying lens and inspected their little faces. Nope. Not a clue who they were. He had seen them around… probably… maybe. Tiny people tended to blend together when you had a thousand things to manage in a day.
He was about to call Yiye! Hey, Yiye! to identify them when Master Craftsman Gao Yi stepped out of the workshop, rubbing his temples.
"It's barely dawn. What are you three screeching about?"
The trio burst out, glowing with pride. "Craftsman! We did it! We really did it! We've completed the Immortal Cement formula that Tianzun assigned!"
Li Daoxuan straightened. Right—he had given them the ancient cement recipe last time, after Xing Honglang sighed about how nice paved roads would be for merchants. He had tossed them the secret formula and told them to experiment.
And they actually succeeded.
Well, to be fair, ancient cement wasn't rocket science: lime, clay, and water. He basically gave them the recipe on a silver platter. Still, credit where credit was due—those little workers put in the sweat and fine-tuning.
Gao Yi walked over. "Let me see."
The three tiny masons proudly held up a small box containing a fully dried, solid block of cement.
Gao Yi tapped it twice. "Not bad. You really did make it."
He was pleased but not nearly as excited as Li Daoxuan—mostly because Gao Yi didn't understand just how world-altering it was to invent a new material.
"You three have completed Tianzun's assignment. You deserve a reward," Gao Yi declared, slipping into his foreman authority. "I'll report to Third Manager and get each of you a hundred catties of pork."
The three tiny masons nearly wept with joy. A hundred catties of pork was basically a lifetime's festival supply.
But Li Daoxuan frowned.
Pork? Just pork?
This was a major scientific breakthrough.
Sure, he'd given them the blueprint—but breakthroughs must be celebrated to teach every villager one important truth:
Innovation changes destiny.
This was why Western science had once sprinted ahead—because inventors were rewarded, respected, and elevated. Meanwhile, Eastern scientists usually died anonymously, penniless, and with zero pork to their name.
Well—not under his supervision.
Time to break out the Big Silver Chain™.
He glanced at the chain coiled like a smug python. So far he had only cut off a few tiny beads—two when paying the teacher, and a few more when buying books. Barely a dent.
Snip. Snip. Snip.
Three new silver beads dropped into his hand.
He lifted his gaze toward the watchtower. "Yiye, awake yet?"
A shriek. "Tianzun is calling me!"
Gao Yiye bolted out of her room, sprinting onto the balcony. She looked up eagerly—and Li Daoxuan immediately noticed something off. Her face was… weirdly smudged.
Zoom in.
Ah. Dark circles. The kid had panda eyes.
"What happened to you?"
Gao Yiye shuffled, embarrassed. "Um… I stayed up all night… drawing."
Li Daoxuan: "…"
She brightened. "After reading your Yang Family comic, it was so fun! So I wanted to draw my own story. I drew and drew and… accidentally drew until sunrise."
Li Daoxuan chuckled. Well, fair enough. Everyone had hobbies. Drawing was at least healthier than some things he'd seen in modern society.
"Do you still have the energy to work?"
"Yes!" She hopped twice like a rubber ball. "Look! I'm full of energy!"
"Good. Take these three silver beads. Have Shansier deliver them. Gao Yi will report the Immortal Cement breakthrough—make sure Shansier gives the three masons a grand reward, and officially names them 'Pioneers of Research.' Then spread the news across the whole village. From now on, anyone who invents something great will receive rich rewards."
"Yes!" Yiye dashed off, her cartoonist enthusiasm unshaken.
Li Daoxuan briefly wondered what exactly she had drawn. He was so tempted to peek.
But no. Respecting privacy was part of being a civilized Tianzun.
Not long after, Yiye returned to report success.
Shansier, after fully grasping the "Heavenly Intention," immediately flew into action. Before sunset, he'd summoned every villager to gather at the main gate for a formal awards ceremony.
Meanwhile…
Xing Honglang traveled hard for days with Xu Dafu, the Lantern Craftsman, and thirty-eight subordinates. By dusk, they finally saw the towering walls of Gaojia Fortress in the distance.
The smugglers dragging packs behind them cheered weakly, "Finally! A place to sleep that isn't cold dirt!"
Even Xing Honglang cracked a smile, patting the thick-backed blade on her shoulder.
She then turned to the two craftsmen. "Once we enter the village, your skills will make you rich."
The two men exchanged uncertain looks. They trusted her strength—that much was undeniable. But trusting their own worth? That was another matter. They were just craftsmen. In cities, craftsmen were important but rarely wealthy.
Xu Dafu stared ahead. "This place is huge…"
The Lantern Craftsman nodded. "Judging by the houses, at least a thousand people…"
But even with that scale, they doubted they would "strike gold" as Xing claimed.
Just then, a team of road workers passed by.
"Oh! Lady Hero, you're back! Good! I've saved a lot of salt—ready for you to sell!"
Xing Honglang snorted. "Selling salt is getting tricky. The new inspector, Fang Wushang, is relentless. Next trip I'll sell sugar instead."
The worker gasped in despair. "No!"
His friend smacked his shoulder. "Ignore him—he's obsessed with money. Lady Hero, perfect timing! Third Manager announced an awards meeting tonight. You'll be just in time!"
Footnotes
Immortal Cement — This resembles real ancient cement used in parts of Rome and early China. Lime + clay + water creates a durable binder. Early societies often rediscovered cement-like materials independently.
Silver chain reward culture — Throughout history, rulers who rewarded inventors (materials, money, titles) generated explosive innovation. Those who didn't… well, their geniuses usually starved quietly.
Comic books in pre-industrial societies — Illustrated storytelling has existed since cave paintings, temple murals, and scroll art. Yiye's all-nighter reflects what artists worldwide still suffer: "just one more panel" at 2 AM.
Road workers cheering smugglers — In many historical frontier zones, smuggling networks and poor villagers had a surprisingly cooperative, symbiotic relationship—salt taxation was notoriously strict and often drove people to creative "side jobs."