Seeing that this noblewoman clearly had no intention of being persuaded, Qiu Qianfan stopped wasting breath.
If someone insists on walking into danger, at least give them good directions.
"The Jiguanshan Iron Mine at Shuiyukou isn't far," he said. "Five li southwest of the city. Exit through the South Gate, follow the earthen official road, walk five li, climb a small slope, and you'll reach it."
After saying that, he turned and hurried back to the Prefectural Yamen.
There was no time to lose. Whether the miners could still be saved or not, the mine itself had to be reopened. It was a government-owned iron mine—centuries old, vital to Puzhou. A single collapse couldn't be allowed to bury it forever.
Orders were issued immediately: organize civilian laborers, prepare tools, re-excavate the mine.
Meanwhile, Gao Yiye exited the textile factory.
Outside, a carriage had already been prepared. She and her two maids climbed inside without hesitation. Behind them, more than a hundred guards mounted their horses in practiced silence.
The moment the carriage lurched forward, the entire procession broke into a gallop, racing toward Shuiyukou.
Five li passed in the blink of an eye.
After cresting a low slope, the scene below hit them like a wall.
A mining village clung to the hillside, half-shrouded in dust. The air was thick, gritty, choking. Figures ran everywhere—some shouting, some crying, some simply stumbling around as if their souls had already fled.
Screams echoed from every direction.
As soon as the group entered the village, the dust swallowed them whole. Visibility dropped to almost nothing. Pale, panic-stricken villagers rushed past at random, faces streaked with dirt and fear.
Flat Rabbit reached out, grabbed a man by the collar, and shouted over the chaos, "Hey! I can't see a damn thing! What happened here?"
The villager's voice trembled. "The hillside collapsed! The mine shaft— the mine shaft is buried! Dozens of people are still trapped inside!"
Flat Rabbit clicked his tongue. "Tch. With dust like this, we can't even tell up from down."
Gao Yiye's voice cut through the noise, calm and steady.
"Don't panic," she said. "Dao Xuan Tianzun is about to act. Everyone—grab onto something nearby, or you'll be blown away by the wind."
The guards reacted instantly.
"All villagers!" they shouted in unison. "Hold onto trees, pillars, rocks—anything! Do not let go!"
The villagers were already terrified out of their minds. Right now, they didn't care who was giving orders—as long as someone sounded confident.
People scrambled to comply. Some hugged trees like drowning men clinging to driftwood. Others wrapped themselves around house pillars. A few even latched onto boulders with both arms and legs.
And then—
Whoooosh!
A violent gust tore through the village.
The dust that had blanketed everything was swept clean in an instant, as if an invisible hand had brushed the world aside. The sky reappeared. The village snapped back into focus.
Only Gao Yiye noticed the truth.
Her gaze never left the sky.
She saw it clearly: Dao Xuan Tianzun stood above the clouds, wielding an enormous fan and giving the air a casual flick.
Is that… the legendary Plantain Fan? she wondered.
No.
That fan had a very strange design.
A yellow little monster was painted on it, with three characters beside it:
Pikachu.
She had absolutely no idea what that meant.
…Was the divine artifact called the Pikachu Fan?
Before she could think further, the villagers finally noticed the newcomers.
At the front stood three young women—one clearly a wealthy lady, the other two her attendants. Behind them, over a hundred guards stood in disciplined formation, armor gleaming, weapons ready.
This wasn't just help.
This was authority.
Hope surged through the crowd.
People rushed forward, voices overlapping:
"Lady, save us!"
"The mine is buried!"
"My husband is inside!"
"My brother hasn't come out!"
Gao Yiye raised her hand slightly.
"Where is the mine shaft?"
They led her to the slope.
There, carved into the earth, was a massive pit—dug deeper and deeper over centuries. A shaft opened in its wall, but the entrance was completely sealed by mud and stone.
Anyone with eyes could tell: the debris hadn't collapsed from within.
It had slid down from above.
Which meant—
"They're not crushed inside," someone whispered.
"They can still be saved!"
Villagers surged forward and began clawing at the mud with bare hands.
Flat Rabbit shouted, "Everyone help! Clear the rocks—fast! If we open the entrance, they can get out!"
Zheng Gouzi grabbed him by the shoulder. "Stop."
Flat Rabbit turned. "What?"
"There's too much debris," Zheng Gouzi said grimly. "Even with all of us, it'll take days. By then, they'll suffocate."
Flat Rabbit clenched his fists. "Then I'll do what I do best! I'll dig a tunnel—burrow straight in!"
"You'll get buried alive," Zheng Gouzi snapped. "The soil's loose. One wrong move and it collapses again."
Flat Rabbit froze. "Then… then what the hell do we do?"
The embroidered figure at Gao Yiye's collarbone spoke softly.
"Evacuate the people. Tell them to stop digging and move back."
The guards' eyes lit up.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun is acting personally!"
They immediately shouted, "Everyone, step back! Stop digging for now!"
The villagers resisted.
"How can we stop?"
"My family's inside!"
"We have to keep digging!"
Gao Yiye stepped forward.
"If you move back," she said gently, "it will be easier for us to save them."
Her voice was soft, but unwavering.
For reasons even they couldn't explain, the villagers trusted her.
Slowly, reluctantly, they backed away.
"Further," Gao Yiye said. "Everyone retreat… ten zhang."
She paused, corrected herself mentally, then nodded.
Ten zhang.
The villagers were confused.
That far?
Won't we be useless back there?
But she didn't waver.
"Move back."
Only after the crowd had retreated more than thirty meters did Gao Yiye lower her head slightly.
"It's done."
"Hm."
The connection severed.
Outside the diorama box, Li Daoxuan returned to his true form.
He looked down.
To the tiny people below, the collapsed mine entrance was a mountain of death.
To him—
It was just a pile of dirt.
Li Daoxuan stepped onto his balcony and picked up a small gardening trowel. Palm-sized. The kind used to plant flowers.
Then he returned.
Below, the villagers waited anxiously.
They had expected soldiers to rush forward and dig.
Instead, everyone stood perfectly still.
Confusion spread.
Then, as one, all one hundred guards tilted their heads upward.
"Whoa!"
"It's coming!"
The villagers followed their gaze—
And looked up at the sky.