Chuǎng Wang's army didn't retreat so much as disintegrate.
Men tripped over banners, horses smashed into fleeing infantry, and commanders vanished faster than unpaid wages. By the time the dust settled, only scattered corpses and discarded weapons remained—proof that they'd been here at all.
The government troops returned in triumph.
So did Huang Yunfa.
Yet while the soldiers cheered and the officials laughed too loudly, Huang Yunfa's face remained utterly still, as though he'd just finished swatting flies.
He glanced once at the battlefield, then said calmly,
"Very well. The bandits have withdrawn. Esteemed sir—shall we discuss the matter of salt?"
The Salt Inspector burst into laughter, relief spilling out of him like cheap wine.
"Master Huang's men are truly unmatched! Such courage—such discipline!"
Huang Yunfa gave a lazy hum, already bored. Without another word, he turned and entered the official residence, the Salt Inspector scurrying after him like a clerk chasing a seal stamp.
Their conversation vanished behind closed doors.
Tie Niaofei did not stay to listen.
He had already learned enough.
He slipped out of Hedong Circuit and headed west at once.
He hadn't gone far when a figure emerged silently from the roadside brush.
"Boss Tie."
Tie Niaofei recognized the man instantly—one of Xing Honglang's cavalry scouts.
"Brother," he asked quickly, "what brings you here?"
"The Dao Xuan Tianzun ordered us to patrol Xie Lake," the scout replied. "If the salt workers were in danger, we were to intervene."
Tie Niaofei's eyes narrowed.
"You saw what just happened?"
"We did."
Tie Niaofei nodded once.
"Good. Come with me. We report immediately."
Some scouts stayed behind to continue watching Xie Lake. The rest mounted up and galloped toward Xiao Lake Salt Village.
By the time they arrived, the village no longer looked small.
Three hundred infantry.
Three hundred cavalry.
Salt huts turned into barracks, bamboo fences bristling with men and steel.
Zao Ying was already waiting. Xing Honglang had arrived not long before.
When Tie Niaofei finished recounting what he'd seen, silence fell like a drawn blade.
Even Dao Xuan Tianzun grew quiet.
The puppet's fox-fur brows slowly knit together.
Xing Honglang broke the silence.
"Huang Yunfa's forces… are they really that strong? Stronger than the government troops?"
Tie Niaofei nodded.
"Especially the vanguard cavalry. Bows, horses, formations—clean, ruthless." He paused. "Boss Zao, no offense, but they're better than yours."
Zao Ying bristled instantly.
"Nonsense! My cavalry are former horse bandits! We've robbed merchants for a living—how could we lose to some merchant's dogs?"
"Enough," Dao Xuan Tianzun said lightly.
Zao Ying stiffened and shut her mouth.
Dao Xuan Tianzun sighed.
"Zao Ying, do not be offended. Tie Niaofei speaks the truth. Your cavalry cannot defeat them—because they are not merchants' dogs."
The room went still.
"They are Jiannu elite riders."
A sharp intake of breath spread through the group.
"Certainly?" someone whispered.
No one questioned the Tianzun.
Zao Ying's anger drained away like blood from a wound.
Dao Xuan Tianzun continued, voice calm and merciless.
"The so-called Eight Great Jin Merchants are not traders. They are predators. For years, they have smuggled salt, iron, grain, and silver beyond the passes—feeding the Jiannu. In return, they sell intelligence, troop movements, and the empire's internal rot."
A pause.
"Do you think Huang Yunfa's guards appeared by coincidence? Jiannu cavalry do not escort merchants for charity. Either they are paid in silver, or in futures."
No one spoke.
History loomed unspoken.
These merchants would one day be ennobled as Imperial Merchants, prospering for two centuries after the Manchus entered the passes—living well on the bones of the Ming.
Compared to them, even Wu Sangui was small.
Wu Sangui betrayed under pressure.
These men betrayed for profit.
Dao Xuan Tianzun tilted his wooden face into shadow.
"We kill," he said.
The words landed clean and final.
Some here had seen Dao Xuan Tianzun crush bandits like insects. Others had only known his mercy. The contrast was unsettling.
"Do not allow Huang Yunfa to leave Hedong Circuit alive," Dao Xuan Tianzun continued.
"Do not let him deliver another grain of salt to the Jiannu."
"This is my decree."
Everyone clasped their fists.
"We obey."
Tie Niaofei stepped forward.
"I'll return to Hedong Circuit. Through the Salt Inspector, I'll track Huang Yunfa's movements."
"I'll tighten the net," Zao Ying said. "Scouts everywhere. He won't slip."
Lao Nanfeng unfurled a map with a snap, fingers already tracing routes of pursuit and escape.
Xing Honglang and Gao Chuwu quietly went to prepare arms and supplies.
Only Zhan Seng hesitated.
He pressed his palms together.
"Amitābha. Dao Xuan Tianzun, this humble monk believes killing disrupts heavenly harmony. Even the gravely wicked should first be reasoned with. Perhaps persuasion—"
Before he could finish, Tie Niaofei began winking like a madman.
He pointed subtly at Zhan Seng.
Then made a quiet slicing motion across his neck.
Several people stared, baffled.
Dao Xuan Tianzun understood instantly.
A blade wrapped in scripture, he thought. Elegant.
His wooden mouth clicked softly.
"Zhan Seng speaks wisely. Proper conduct must be observed."
Zhan Seng's eyes lit up.
Dao Xuan Tianzun continued, voice mild as spring water.
"Take me as well. I, too, shall attempt to enlighten Huang Yunfa."
The puppet's jaw clacked shut.
Somewhere, far away, a merchant was counting silver—
unaware that persuasion was already on its way.