Beneath the blinding sunlight, Liang Shixian stood before the towering golden statue of Dao Xuan Tianzun, voice raised in righteous indignation.
"Oh, Dao Xuan Tianzun," he began solemnly, "I don't mean to badmouth the Saintess, but I must speak truth for Heaven's sake. She's been… shall we say, creative with your divine decrees. Ordered me to assign two men to Wang Cheng'en's army—both fine young gentlemen from Gao Family Village, and, let's be honest, probably her close friends. Clearly, she's trying to use me to help them earn merit, get promoted, and snag a cushy official title down the line…"
Inside the idol, Li Daoxuan nearly burst out laughing. His giant golden form trembled as he fought to hold it in—one wrong chuckle and the whole statue might just collapse.
Liang Shixian went on earnestly, "It's not a huge scandal—this kind of thing happens in the court all the time—but I figured it's my duty to tell you. If word reaches your divine ears later, you can't say I stayed silent."
Inside the statue, Li Daoxuan nodded in amusement.
Liang Shixian's a keeper, he thought. Integrity like that is worth its weight in iron. When I rebuild the realm, this man's getting a serious promotion.
Just then, his Shaoxing Advisor came running up, excitement written all over his face.
"Magistrate! The workers have found a huge iron ore deposit in Yaotou Town. What should we do?"
Liang Shixian blinked. "What do you think? Mine it, obviously! Dig! Dig until Heaven itself begs for mercy!"
He jabbed a finger toward the horizon. "The Dao Xuan Tianzun loves nothing more than building and digging, digging and building. The Gao Family Village has iron tools, yes, but those came from Heaven's gift! We barely produce our own. So—dig! Every idle hand in the county goes to the mines!"
The Advisor hesitated. "But, Magistrate, we're short on labor. After Dao Xuan Tianzun's divine rain, the refugees went home to farm. The city's population's been cut in half!"
Liang Shixian's eyes gleamed with a brilliant (and slightly devious) idea.
"Then go west to Baishui County and south to Dali County. Dao Xuan Tianzun's grace hasn't reached them yet—they're still choking on drought. Announce that we'll take anyone willing to come. Register them as our people, feed them, put them to work!"
The Advisor paled. "Poaching citizens from other counties? Their magistrates will storm our gates!"
Liang Shixian snorted. "Hmph. Their people are starving! If I take them in and feed them, I'm saving lives—and their jobs. When they report to the Governor, I'll still come out smelling like lotus blossoms."
The Advisor grinned. "Clever as ever, Magistrate!"
He bowed and dashed off, already barking orders.
Liang Shixian turned back to the golden titan, bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Dao Xuan Tianzun. With your divine blessing, I dare to act boldly—to save the people, and to live up to the teachings of the sages."
A voice echoed faintly from beyond the idol.
"...Deactivate Co-Sensing!"
And with a shimmer of light, Li Daoxuan was back in his villa, staring at the diorama box.
He smirked, grabbed a handful of flour, and sprinkled it into the miniature scene near Liang Shixian's position.
Below, Liang Shixian looked up and gasped—the flour manifested as heaps of white grain. Instantly, he understood.
"The Dao Xuan Tianzun supports me!"
He fell to his knees. "This humble official will not disappoint!"
Meanwhile, in Shanxi, at Gudu Ferry, chaos reigned.
Six people stood before the half-crumbling idol of Dao Xuan Tianzun—Gao Chuwu, Xing Honglang, Zao Ying, Lao Nanfeng, Zhao Sheng, and a bewildered Zhan Seng—all gaping at the statue's cracked, broken face.
Xing Honglang wiped sweat from her brow. "Who sculpted this thing? Fifty lashes! The Dao Xuan Tianzun's face—half gone!"
Gao Chuwu rolled up his sleeves. "I'll handle it!"
"Hold it!" Zao Ying stepped in quickly. "If you lash him, there won't be anything left to fix. Maybe it's not the sculptor's fault! Maybe the statue was too small to hold Dao Xuan Tianzun's immense divine power. It just… couldn't handle it."
Everyone nodded in sudden enlightenment.
"Ah! Of course!"
"That makes perfect sense!"
Lao Nanfeng suddenly slapped his forehead. "Ahhh, damn it! When the Dao Xuan Tianzun appeared just now, I was too shocked! I forgot to ask who that celestial singer in the divine mirror was!"
Zhao Sheng stared at him. "...That's what you're upset about?"
Lao Nanfeng glared. "Hey! You've been guarding the frontier for ten years with nothing but men and dry biscuits! I'm half-feral at least—what's your excuse?"
Zhao Sheng, defeated, stayed silent.
Zhan Seng finally spoke up. "Amitabha. Forgive me, but… what just happened?"
Xing Honglang folded her arms proudly. "Dao Xuan Tianzun descended, obviously."
Zhan Seng frowned. "Dao Xuan Tianzun is…?"
She gestured at the cracked idol. "As you can see—a Daoist immortal. Naturally, a monk like you wouldn't recognize him."
Zhan Seng clasped his palms together serenely. "Ah, excellent! I too know a Daoist—Cihang Zhenren, your Guanyin Bodhisattva, who infiltrated Daoism to one day stab Yuanshi Tianzun in the back."
Everyone froze.
Did… did this monk just slander Guanyin?
Then they remembered—this guy was a former salt smuggler turned monk. Enlightenment might not have caught up with him yet.
Gao Chuwu broke the awkward silence. "Less gossip, more work! We need a sculptor! It's unsettling, seeing Dao Xuan Tianzun missing half his face."
"Quick! Ask if any villagers know how to sculpt!"
"There are plenty of craftsmen around, right?"
"Pay them double! The Dao Xuan Tianzun deserves express service!"
"Someone grab a copy of 'The Tale of Dao Xuan Tianzun Vanquishing Demons'! They'll need it for reference!"
The courtyard erupted in frantic activity, everyone shouting over each other.
Only Zhan Seng stayed still. He gazed at the broken idol for a long time, then sat cross-legged before it.
"Amitabha…" he murmured. "So this is a true immortal. To think I, a mere sinner, would meet one…"
He lowered his head.
"In youth, I slew without mercy. Only in middle age did I realize my sins. Tell me, Dao Xuan Tianzun… does Heaven still have forgiveness for me?"
The statue said nothing.
Zhan Seng's voice trembled. "If you do not speak, I'll take it as consent. I can still walk the path of redemption… right?"
Silence.
Then tears spilled freely down his face. "No… I can't even lie to myself. Someone like me—my fate's already sealed."
The wind carried his sobs through the quiet shrine.
The cracked face of Dao Xuan Tianzun watched in silence.