Gao Yiye was no stranger to publishing at her own risk.
Her previous venture—The Legend of Dao Xuan Tianzun, the Demon Slayer—had sold so well that her residence was now less a home and more a warehouse for silver. Coins piled up in corners. Boxes blocked hallways. The air itself smelled faintly of copper and success.
To Gao Yiye, this was not wealth.
It was an obstacle to walking.
For a long time, she'd taken to standing on the balcony just to breathe fresh air, staring into the distance and wondering when money had become so rude.
So when Dao Xuan Tianzun issued another divine decree, her spirits soared.
He still needs me!
Her steps became light. She practically skipped down from the watchtower, weaving through the aging stone alleys of the main fortress.
Thump!
She slammed straight into a man exiting San Shier's house.
The two tumbled apart.
Papers scattered like frightened birds.
The man scrambled up, took one look at the mess, and immediately collapsed back to his knees, eyes welling with tears.
"My illustrated book…" he wailed. "Steward San Shier didn't approve it… no chance of publication… and now it's all over the ground… What did I do in a past life to deserve this?!"
Gao Yiye rubbed her shoulder and looked down.
"Shi Piao?" she said. "Good timing. If you'd taken two more steps, you might've gone home and cried yourself into a new career."
Shi Piao froze.
"Huh?"
She smiled brightly. "Come with me. I'll help you publish it."
Happiness arrived so suddenly that Shi Piao nearly short-circuited.
If anyone else had said that, he wouldn't have believed it. But when the Saintess spoke, miracles tended to follow.
"R–Really?!" he gasped.
"Of course." Gao Yiye pointed skyward. "Dao Xuan Tianzun personally ordered me to handle this."
Shi Piao slammed his head to the ground.
"Many thanks, Dao Xuan Tianzun!"
"Careful," Gao Yiye said. "You'll dent the pavement. Pick up your manuscript first."
"Yes! Right away!"
Together, they gathered the scattered pages. Once everything was neatly stacked, Gao Yiye led him back into San Shier's home.
"Steward San Shier," she called cheerfully, "I'm here."
San Shier hurried out. "Saintess—ah? Shi Piao? You haven't left yet?"
Shi Piao stood straight, glowing. "I'm not leaving. The Saintess is helping me publish my book."
A large, invisible question mark slowly rose above San Shier's head.
Gao Yiye listened quietly to Dao Xuan Tianzun's voice from above, then smiled.
"I hear you didn't like Gao Piao," she said gently. "That's fine. You don't have to. I like it."
San Shier's question mark multiplied.
"I'll personally fund the printing," Gao Yiye continued. "Paper, engravers, printers, transport—everything. Profits and losses are on me. Shi Piao and I will split whatever comes out of it. The village treasury won't lose a single coin."
San Shier was stunned. "Saintess… have you actually read the book? It's unbelievably plain. No villains. No humiliation arcs. No sudden awakening where the protagonist crushes his enemies in three panels."
He gestured helplessly. "From beginning to end, it's just… life."
"Exactly." Gao Yiye giggled.
"Good literature should be like mountains," San Shier insisted. "Peaks and valleys! This is flatter than a salt pan. Commercially, it's doomed."
"I know," Gao Yiye said happily. "But for culture to thrive, you need more than one flavor. Let a hundred flowers bloom."
San Shier paused.
Wait.
That phrasing…
Realization dawned.
This wasn't her line.
He immediately bowed. "Understood. Since the Saintess bears the cost, we will print it."
"Not just print it," Gao Yiye said. "Distribute it."
San Shier stiffened. "Distribute… how?"
"Everywhere," she replied. "Baishui County. Dali County. Hancheng. Dragon Gate Ferry. Gudu Ferry. Anywhere our transport routes reach."
She smiled. "Bundle it with The Legend of Dao Xuan Tianzun, the Demon Slayer. Half-sale, half-gift."
San Shier's mind went blank.
That strategy was used only for books of strategic importance.
But Gao Piao was just… daily life.
Seeing his confusion, Gao Yiye laughed. "Steward San Shier, you're thinking too narrowly."
He looked up at the sky. "Dao Xuan Tianzun… this humble servant truly doesn't understand."
"That's fine," Gao Yiye said cheerfully. "The Heavenly Lord says this is called 'temporal limitations.'"
San Shier winced. "I don't even understand the term!"
"Then don't." She waved her hand. "Just do the work."
San Shier bowed and immediately rushed off.
One thing was clear: if this book ranked alongside Demon Slayer in priority, then engraving had to begin now.
More engravers were summoned. Multiple pages carved at once. Speed above all else.
The wind swept through Hancheng, carrying the earthy scent of the Yellow River.
Life here was improving—quietly, stubbornly.
Not long ago, a relief convoy had arrived from Heyang County, selling grain at absurdly low prices.
Well—selling books, technically.
The grain was just a bonus.
Every household now owned a copy of The Legend of Dao Xuan Tianzun, the Demon Slayer. People devoured it. When Dao Xuan Tianzun smote bandits, cheers erupted. Opera troupes scrambled to adapt the stories, and the city buzzed with his name.
Today, the convoy returned.
With a new book.
"Gao Piao"
Same deal. Buy a book, get grain.
No one questioned it anymore.
Soon, every street and alley held readers flipping pages—then frowning.
"This one's… strange."
"Nothing happens."
"Why is it just… chores?"
But page by page, murmurs changed.
"Wait—he gets food as soon as he arrives?"
"Eight people to a room, but that's still better than sleeping outside…"
"He earns flour in one day building roads!"
"Commoners can ride those giant vehicles?"
"His friend became a blacksmith and got rich… I'm a blacksmith too."
The city grew quieter.
People kept reading.
And somewhere far away, Gao Family Village quietly gained more residents—before anyone realized they'd already decided to go.