The news hit the county like a thunderclap: the roaming bandits had been driven back.
For a moment, the entire city felt alive again. Doors burst open, slippers slapped against cobblestone, and villagers poured into the streets, cheering as if they'd just collectively punched fate in the face.
A yamen runner galloped into the main square, instantly mobbed by an eager crowd. He was practically vibrating with self-importance—finally, someone wanted to hear him talk.
"You should've seen it! The bandits barely touched shore before our men kicked them straight back into the river! Hah! That Gao Village militia—they fought like thunder gods!"
He launched into his story, voice rising and falling like a street-side storyteller trying to out-shout the market vendors. By the time he finished "adding just a little detail," the battle of Qiachuan Wharf had become a myth fit for temple walls.
Inside a noodle shop across the street, Gao Yiye and the girls, Qiu Ju and Dong Xue, were halfway through bowls of river-fresh dumplings. War stories were not on their menu.
Li Daoxuan, however, had tuned his "attention" across the street—literally—to eavesdrop on the crowd. He listened as the yamen runner's tale inflated by the sentence until it could float away.
When the story finally deflated back into silence, he exhaled.
No major injuries. No funerals.
Good.
Dao Xuan Tianzun could forgive almost anything except the sight of his own people dying. The man once wept half a day when a cat in his courtyard died—how could he handle losing one of his "little ones"?
"Yiye," he said, voice lighter now, "Heyang County's safe for the moment. Start rolling out those civil projects I told you and Shansier to prepare."
Gao Yiye set down her bowl with a thunk. "On it!"
Li Daoxuan blinked. The bowl was empty. Bone-dry. Even the soup had vanished.
"Wait. Didn't you just say you were full? You tried to make Qiu Ju and Dong Xue eat the rest."
"It's the dumplings," Gao Yiye said with complete sincerity. "They're too good. I discovered a new stomach."
Li Daoxuan just stared. "…Right."
He'd heard modern girls were born with two stomachs—one for food, one for dessert.
Apparently ancient ones came with a bonus: one for curiosity snacks.
Women really were a different species.
By the time the laughter outside began to fade, Zhao Ying's cavalry had already ridden through the north gate, followed closely by Cheng Xu's Gao Village militia.
This time there was no frantic rush, no gallant charge—just fifteen hundred men walking home with the easy swagger of people who'd actually won.
They didn't bother circling around the city either. Straight through the gate, straight down the main street, armor glinting in the winter light.
Cheng Xu raised his voice.
"Flat Rabbit! Zheng Gouzi! Bring the Saintess's guards and follow me—we're reporting in!"
"Got it, boss!"
He turned to the rest of the militia—Gao Chuwu, Zheng Daniu, and the ragged line of dusty soldiers.
"Dismissed! One hour rest, then regroup outside the gate. And listen up—no disturbing the townsfolk. Dao Xuan Tianzun loves the commoners like they're his own. If any of you act like corrupt soldiers, you can start digging your labor-camp beds right now!"
Gao Chuwu grinned. "Boss, come on. We've memorized the 'Three Rules, Eight Warnings.' We'd sooner fight each other than the locals."
Zheng Daniu stretched and yawned. "Besides, bullying people's too much work. Finding food's easier."
The crowd burst into laughter and scattered down the streets.
Seeing that, Zhao Ying gave her own order.
"Cavalry! One hour rest. Don't scare the civilians."
Her troops saluted and dispersed. Horses made sightseeing tricky—you had to hold the reins, bow around corners, and watch your hooves—but they did make an impression. People parted before them like the tide before royalty.
Zhao Ying frowned. She trusted her 180 new recruits; they'd been trained from scratch. The 120 veterans, though—former bandits. A little too comfortable with "informal taxation."
She turned to Cheng Xu. "Tell the Saintess I'll patrol the city. My old crew might forget we're soldiers now, not looters."
Cheng Xu grinned. "Good call. And yes, keep a close eye. Dao Xuan Tianzun may seem mild, but I saw him flatten a bully with one palm once. Didn't even stop chewing his food."
Zhao Ying nodded solemnly. "After living in Gao Village, I understand. We're not outlaws anymore. Time to act like it."
Cheng Xu chuckled. "Tell me about it. I had bad habits stacked higher than a horse. Broke 'em all in Gao Village. Even quit, uh—"
He coughed. "—inflating battle reports."
Zhao Ying arched a brow. "Inflating battle reports?"
He froze, laughed twice, and changed the subject.
She didn't push. The man had worn a mask since the first day she met him. His secrets could wait.
With a polite clasp of fists, she swung off her horse and walked away, leading her steed through the narrow streets like a wandering knight.
Cheng Xu watched her go, smirked, then waved Flat Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi forward. "Let's move."
Inside the yamen, Gao Yiye and Shansier were already waiting.
Flat Rabbit burst through the door with all the grace of a victory parade.
"Saintess! Your elite guard has returned! From now on, your safety rests in the hands of the invincible Rabbit!"
Gao Yiye smiled serenely. "I heard you performed brilliantly—threw gunpowder packs like hand grenades and blew a hole straight through the bandit lines."
Flat Rabbit tilted his head back and laughed loud enough to shake dust from the rafters.
"When this Rabbit strikes—ten thousand flee!"
No one bothered to respond.
Shansier turned to Cheng Xu instead. "So, Wang Jiayin got crushed, huh? Think he'll come back for round two?"
Cheng Xu shook his head. "Doubt it. The Yellow River's long, and we're not his only target. If he's got half a brain left, he'll land elsewhere."
"Good," Shansier said. "You're heading back to Gao Village after an hour? I'll come along. Dao Xuan Tianzun assigned me a list of economic reforms, and we'll need to start immediately. Heyang County's going to be our new hub."
Cheng Xu nodded. "Makes sense. Qiachuan Wharf gives Heyang the best transport lines. It's the obvious next move."
He leaned closer, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"But that County Magistrate—Feng Jun—he's still not one of ours. Might take a little… axle-man work."
Shansier's eyes glinted. "Understood. That one—we turn slowly."
Trivia
"Three Rules, Eight Warnings" – Gao Village's holy scripture for behaving like decent soldiers. Every recruit can recite it. Most still improvise their own ninth rule: Don't annoy Tianzun.
Axle-Man (軸人) – Military slang for a behind-the-scenes operator who "keeps the system turning." Usually someone who smiles, nods, and makes sure the bureaucracy doesn't eat itself.