The labor camp site felt just a little… off.
The air carried something strange — a twitch of restlessness.
After Lao Nanfeng and his seven buddies had tried to escape, the rest of the laborers couldn't help but feel itchy inside. They'd seen the eight run off earlier, yet not a single warden had moved to stop them. No chase, no shouts. Nothing.
"Wait," someone whispered, "could it really be that easy to escape? Just… run?"
If that were true, half the camp would've vanished by now.
Among them, Zao Ying, who'd spent years roaming the martial world, caught that vibe immediately. She leaned toward Shansier and murmured, "Steward Shan, if you don't do something soon, these six hundred men might riot before sundown."
Shansier smiled, unbothered. "No need to panic. Shao an wu zao—keep calm."
Zao Ying almost laughed and cried at the same time. Not panic? she thought. When exactly do we start panicking, then?
Before she could worry further—
The eight escapees returned.
They stumbled back into view, looking like they'd just clawed their way out of hell. One man was dripping wet, leaving a trail of puddles behind. The others looked pale, gray-faced, hollow-eyed—like they'd just run through a graveyard chased by a zombie for five whole streets.
The rest of the prisoners gawked.
"Wait—aren't those the guys who escaped?"
"No one's escorting them!"
"Why do they look so beat up?"
"Did they run into demons or something?"
Lao Nanfeng hung his head low and trudged up to Zhong Gaoliang, the head overseer.
"Warden… we were wrong. We're done running."
Zhong Gaoliang looked up at the low clouds in the sky, utterly unsurprised. A crooked grin tugged at his mouth.
"Pick up your tools and get back to work. Since you've been missing for a while, you owe two extra hours today. Understood?"
Lao Nanfeng drooped like a wet towel.
"Understood."
He grabbed his shovel and started digging, quiet and obedient.
The others were stunned.
That was Lao Nanfeng — Wolf Qianhu's fiercest fighter, a mad dog of a man who'd rather die than bow his head. Yet now he was working like a reformed schoolboy.
What in heaven's name had he gone through?
Curiosity spread fast. Prisoners gathered around while digging, whispering.
"So what happened out there?"
"Some kind of nightmare castle! Take my advice—never go near it."
"That thing… it must've been built by Dao Xuan Tianzun himself to punish us. Too terrifying."
"I swear, even if he begged me, I wouldn't step inside again."
Shansier waved Zao Ying over, grinning. "Looks like the issue's solved. As long as Lao Nanfeng's tamed, the rest won't dare stir trouble."
Zao Ying frowned, intrigued. "How'd you break him? You had a secret cavalry unit hidden out there, didn't you? Ambushed him, roughed him up, and sent him back?"
Shansier shrugged innocently. "Maybe. Hahaha."
He continued showing her around, cheerful as ever. First, the towering Gao Family Fortress, then the little steam train line that circled the camp. Finally, they stopped by the Refugee Valley, where endless fields of corn swayed golden under the wind.
"See that?" Shansier said. "This valley houses the men of Dian Dengzi Zhao Sheng's unit—about three thousand in total."
Zao Ying blinked. "Wait, Zhao Sheng lives here now? I thought the 'Lamp-Lighter' was forced into rebellion and joined the Unstained Army's Second Division—then vanished completely!"
Shansier chuckled. "Look again. That's him."
She followed his finger and saw a scholarly-looking man walking along the field ridge with a group of old farmers, earnestly explaining the "key techniques of corn cultivation."
Zao Ying's face twisted in disbelief.
"A scholar teaching farmers how to farm? Did the world flip upside down?"
Shansier laughed. "All our corn is grown using the Tianzun's immortal techniques. The methods are written in celestial texts—only literate men can read them. The farmers can't."
Zao Ying was speechless.
Shansier called out, "Mr. Zhao! Come meet someone—this is Zao Ying of Yichuan, leader of the Horse Gang."
For the record, Horse Gang was the polite term for bandits on horseback.
Zhao Sheng froze for half a second, then trotted over, panting like a bellows by the time he reached them.
"Hah… Miss… Zao… greetings… I'm… cough… Zhao Sheng… the Lamp-Lighter…"
Zao Ying blinked. "You're the Zhao Sheng? The famous commander of the Unstained Army's Second Division?"
Zhao Sheng wheezed, face red. "Haha… hardly worth… mentioning…"
Zao Ying slapped her forehead. "Like this? You led a rebellion?!"
Zhao Sheng coughed and chuckled. "I didn't even want to rebel! I don't know how it happened. The folks in Qingjian County just… elected me."
Zao Ying fell silent again. Qingjian County, land of fierce heroes and hot tempers. Yet somehow this breathless scholar became their leader.
After catching his breath, Zhao Sheng grinned brightly. "So, Miss Zao—you're joining Gaojia Village too? You came to the right place! Our Qingjian folks have houses, fields, and jobs now. Some even take the big train to work every morning. Life here—it's just too good!"
He lifted his arms high.
"When I first rebelled, I was full of regret. But once I came here, I realized I was right to rebel! Without rebellion, I'd never have left home—and if I hadn't left home, I'd never have found this paradise!"
Zhao Sheng laughed, beaming like sunlight. "Coming here was the best decision our three thousand villagers ever made! Oh—here, have a corn cob!"
He pulled one straight from his sleeve and handed it to her.
Zao Ying just stared. "…Thanks."
Zhao Sheng grinned wider. "Corn from Qingjian—sweetest in the land! Haha! Excuse me, I need to go discuss fertilizer ratios with the villagers!"
He turned and jogged off again, puffing with each step.
"Can't… keep… them… waiting…"
Shansier called after him, "Slow down, you fool! You'll collapse again!"
Zao Ying just sighed.
But she could tell—Zhao Sheng was genuinely happy.
So happy he no longer felt the need to act tough or hide his softness.
She thought of the others—Old Ghost from Guyuan, Xing Honglang from Yongji—once infamous outlaws of both worlds. Now they all lived content lives here. Xing Honglang had even started dating someone.
And for the first time, Zao Ying felt her heart… waver.
Ming Context Note:
During the late Ming, imperial officials often relocated entire rebel communities instead of exterminating them, using labor reform and resettlement to integrate them into new economies. The "labor camp" here parodies that historical system—but with Daoist absurdity and cosmic irony.
Trivia — :
Corn (yùmǐ, literally "jade rice") only arrived in China in the Ming Dynasty, introduced from the Americas. Farmers were amazed at how it grew even in poor soil.
So when Zhao Sheng calls his corn "divine," he's technically right—it did come from across the ocean.