Li Dao Xuan's vision followed Gao Yiye, Shansier, and Feng Jun as they entered Heyang County City.
Feng Jun had prepared a proper banquet to receive them. Wine was poured generously, dishes arrived in disciplined ranks, and the three had only just settled into the dangerous act of eating comfortably when disaster arrived on horseback.
A single rider galloped straight into the county yamen.
White robes. Dust-streaked boots. No hesitation.
It was Bai Yuan.
He failed to find Feng Jun in the front hall and did not bother asking. He cut straight through to the rear courtyard, stopping only when he reached the banquet table.
"Lord Feng," Bai Yuan said, not wasting breath on ceremony, "urgent news. I have confirmed intelligence. Wang Jiayin's fleet is moving. Their target is Qiachuan Wharf."
Feng Jun's chopsticks slipped from his fingers and struck the table with a sharp clatter.
Blood immediately ran from his nose.
This, unfortunately, was not metaphorical.
"Lord Feng," Bai Yuan continued calmly, as if people did not usually bleed during briefings, "you must immediately summon the village militias from every village and town under your jurisdiction and rush them to Qiachuan Wharf. I will ride to Chengcheng County and request reinforcements there."
Feng Jun swept the hem of his official robe aside and bolted for the door, shouting over his shoulder, "Good! I will gather the militias at once. Chengcheng is entrusted to you, Mister Bai!"
Only then did Bai Yuan notice Gao Yiye and Shansier seated nearby. He paused, genuinely surprised.
"Oh? You're also in Heyang?"
Gao Yiye smiled faintly. "Yes. And Tianzun is here as well."
Bai Yuan's face lit up. He immediately raised his head toward the sky.
"Reporting to Tianzun," he said loudly, "Wang Er of Baishui has returned safely. He is currently at Qiachuan Wharf."
Li Dao Xuan felt a genuine flicker of relief.
Good.
Wang Er counted as one of his people. When one of his people survived, that mattered.
But Bai Yuan was already continuing, fast and precise.
"However, he did not return easily. He attempted to persuade Wang Jiayin to join Gaojia Village. The attempt failed. Wang Jiayin refused outright. Worse, Wang Jiayin's wife's younger brother, Zhang Liwei, along with his clansman Wang Guozhong, attempted to kill Wang Er."
Bai Yuan paused only briefly.
"Fortunately, Wang Er had prepared in advance. He staged a clean escape, seized a small boat, and fled at full speed. He arrived at Qiachuan Wharf roughly one hour ago."
Li Dao Xuan spoke, voice even.
"If persuasion failed, then Wang Jiayin will follow his original plan. That means his water forces will come downstream soon."
"Exactly," Bai Yuan said. "Which is why I intend to return to Gaojia Village and request Instructor He's immediate assistance."
"You won't need to," Li Dao Xuan replied. "Going back and forth wastes time. I'll summon Instructor He myself."
Bai Yuan clasped his hands. "Thank you, Tianzun."
Li Dao Xuan, however, was already thinking ahead.
Qiachuan Wharf was not yet within his visual domain. This would be another battle he could not personally oversee. If something went wrong, he would only hear about it afterward—and that delay always hurt.
His people needed stronger tools.
His thoughts turned to something he remembered clearly: Wang Jiayin's fleet had previously attacked Hequ County and had been blasted back by Western cannons mounted along the riverbank.
Dockside artillery worked. Brutally well.
A fixed position. Narrow river approaches. Wooden ships.
History, when cornered, tended to repeat itself loudly.
He had already provided the Gaojia Village Workshop with fine steel tubing. Whether they had managed to turn that into actual artillery in only a few days was… uncertain.
Time was tight.
Li Dao Xuan tapped Gaojia Village.
The view snapped back instantly.
His visual field was now broad—one thousand meters by six hundred—wide enough to encompass the barracks, the Firearms Bureau, and the cavalry camp all at once.
He did not waste words.
A sheet of paper appeared in the sky, glowing faintly.
"All units mobilize. Reinforce Qiachuan Wharf."
Movement erupted immediately.
The first to depart was Zao Ying.
Cavalry always moved fast. One command was enough. More than a hundred riders thundered out at once—her core force of one hundred and twenty former horse bandits, now disciplined cavalry. The newer recruits scrambled after them, mounting hastily, already falling behind.
Then came Cheng Xu's infantry.
They packed at record speed, rushed to the Firearms Bureau to collect ammunition, and set out on foot. Even at full pace, it would take them a full day to reach Qiachuan Wharf.
Li Dao Xuan watched them go and thought calmly:
The cement roads need to happen sooner. At least then I could move troops by solar carts.
Only after the cavalry and infantry were on the move did he shift his view to the Workshop.
The moment the scene loaded, he stopped.
Two cannons stood there.
Stainless steel. Finished. Complete.
In only a few days, the smiths had produced two full artillery pieces.
Once he thought about it, the reason was obvious. The hardest part of casting artillery was the barrel—and he had already handed them precision steel tubes, sealed on one end, touch-hole prepared.
What remained was assembly.
Wheels. Mounts. Handles. Ammunition sized to the bore. Pre-packed powder charges.
Compared to forging a cannon from raw iron, this was trivial.
The only problem was training.
No one had fired them yet.
Li Dao Xuan decided this was a future problem.
Take them.
He donned the Infinity Glove on one hand, leaving the other bare for precision.
The craftsmen saw Tianzun's hand descend and erupted in cheers.
"The Tianzun reaches down! What does Tianzun require?"
With his ungloved hand, Li Dao Xuan gently lifted a cannon and placed it onto the golden palm. To the villagers, the cannon simply rose into the air and obediently settled into the divine grasp.
He added the ammunition crate.
Then the hand shifted to the Firearms Bureau.
Without being told, Xu Dafu led his team forward, placing the pre-packed powder charges neatly beside the cannon.
No words were exchanged.
The golden hand withdrew, carrying two cannons and their ammunition into the clouds.
Then Li Dao Xuan tapped Heyang County City once more.
The view returned to the city.
Bai Yuan was preparing to depart for Qiachuan Wharf. Gao Yiye was speaking to him.
"Mister Bai," she said, "the militia has assigned one hundred men to guard me. Given the urgency, take them with you. They are Gaojia Village's formal militia—far stronger than the county levies. Flat Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi are among them."
She paused briefly.
"…If we remove those two, the unit's combat effectiveness is excellent."
Bai Yuan shook his head immediately.
"That is not acceptable. If Qiachuan falls, we retreat to the county. That is manageable. But the Saintess's safety comes first. Those men stay."