For Gao Family Village, defending a city was no longer a problem.
With riflemen armed with Chassepot rifles stationed atop solid walls, even the fiercest army would smash itself to pieces before breaching a city guarded by Gao Family Village.
But—
Gao Family Village was not the imperial court.
The court could shut its gates, cling to its walls, and watch the countryside burn without batting an eye.
Gao Family Village could not.
The moment the messenger finished his report, Xing Honglang never once thought about "defending the city." Her mind leapt straight to the real issue:
the Salt Villages.
Encircling Xie Lake, over a forty-li perimeter, lay Salt Villages belonging to Gao Family Village. Salt artisans lived there year-round, tending vast salt flats. Blue Hat technicians were stationed among them, operating steam pumps that drew brine day and night.
Around the salt region stood factories.
One was a salt refinery, using a so-called divine method to purify coarse salt into clean, snow-white table salt—no bitterness, no grit.
Nearby stood a chemical plant, turning salt into substances like soda and alkali. Xing Honglang didn't understand the formulas, but she knew one thing very clearly: without those chemicals, dyes couldn't be made, and without dyes, the Puzhou Textile Factory would grind to a halt.
By now, the lands around Hedong had been completely reshaped by Gao Family Village.
Everywhere mattered.
Everywhere had to be protected.
The weight settled heavily on Xing Honglang's shoulders.
Orders were issued immediately.
Scouts from Gao Family Village scattered toward Jincheng, eyes peeled, ears open. The bandits' every movement had to be tracked. They could not be allowed anywhere near Hedong's defenses unnoticed.
—
Meanwhile…
At Puzhou First Textile Factory, steam looms thundered without pause. Female workers moved deftly among the machines, practiced and confident.
Puzhou had enjoyed a bumper harvest this year. Cotton farmers went home smiling, money heavy in their sleeves. Their cotton flowed into the factory, where steam-powered looms spun it into yarn and wove it into cloth.
In a small office behind the factory—
Gao Yiye sat threading a needle.
After a long while, she straightened, lifted a cotton outfit with both hands, and snapped it smartly through the air, smoothing its folds.
A striking set of martial attire.
"Ta-da!" She tilted her head, smiling brightly.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, Dao Xuan Tianzun—look! The clothes I made for you are finally finished!"
Naturally, the design had come from Li Daoxuan himself. Post-modern wuxia style, sleek lines, gold and silver thread worked into the seams—elegant, bold, undeniably flashy.
The Dao Xuan Tianzun puppet, which had been half-asleep across the table, stirred. He rose, smiling faintly.
"Very well," he said. "I'll try them on."
He was about to change—
But Gao Yiye didn't move away. Instead, she stepped closer, hands already lifting the edge of his robe, clearly intending to help.
Li Daoxuan laughed.
"Isn't this… a little improper?"
Gao Yiye bit her lower lip.
"It's nothing! I saw this statue when it was being made—you know it wasn't wearing anything back then."
Li Daoxuan fell silent.
That logic was… disturbingly sound.
When he wasn't co-sensing, the statue was just an object—no different from a mannequin in a shop. Dressing it was perfectly normal.
But once co-sensing began…
The statue felt like him.
And having a young woman undress him suddenly felt far less philosophical.
Still—
To fuss over appearances was attachment to form.
One must not cling to form.
He couldn't let anyone discover he was just an innocent young man with a very ordinary heart.
He raised his arms.
"Go on, then."
Gao Yiye's cheeks flushed. Her heart fluttered strangely.
Truthfully, she felt the same. When the Dao Xuan Tianzun wasn't present, touching the statue meant nothing. But now—now it felt entirely different.
Oh no.
Oh no oh no.
She's bad.
With a blush, she removed the Daoist robe. The smooth silicone body beneath was revealed, uncannily lifelike. As she worked, her hand accidentally slipped, brushing lightly against him.
The sensation was shockingly real.
Too real.
It felt as though she had touched the Dao Xuan Tianzun himself.
Something unfamiliar stirred deep inside her—an emotion she couldn't name, one that refused to quiet down.
She bit her lip harder and hurried, quickly dressing him in the new outfit.
Only after stepping back did her heartbeat slow.
She brought over a mirror.
"Please look."
The Dao Xuan Tianzun didn't really need it. Li Daoxuan could simply end co-sensing, float back to his real body, and examine the avatar from every angle.
Still, he humored her.
The outfit looked—
Excellent.
If Gao Yiye had to compare, it was somewhere between Guo Jing and Yang Kang—but far closer to Yang Kang. Stylish. Sharp. Heroic in a dangerous sort of way.
Guo Jing's clothes were too plain.
Li Daoxuan's priority was simple: handsome first, everything else second.
He laughed.
"These clothes are extremely well made. I like them very much."
Gao Yiye beamed.
"As long as the Dao Xuan Tianzun likes them."
Li Daoxuan smiled.
"My clothes are ready. What about yours?"
"Mine too!" she said eagerly. "I'll put them on for you to see!"
She pulled another outfit from the wardrobe—a female version—and began changing without hesitation, right in front of him.
Li Daoxuan shook his head slightly.
This girl really doesn't avoid me at all, does she?
Then again…
Since Observation Mode allowed him to see through walls, whether she avoided him or not was irrelevant. At this point, his restraint relied entirely on personal virtue.
Being a gentleman wasn't optional.
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, Gao Yiye was already dressed.
The outfit was excellent—lively, agile, reminiscent of Huang Rong, except with the image of the Dao Xuan Tianzun embroidered in gold on the chest.
As for the fact that Yang Kang's outfit and Huang Rong's outfit happened to form a matching pair—
That was purely coincidental. Absolutely not worth discussing.
Gao Yiye spun around happily.
"How is it? Pretty?"
"Beautiful," Li Daoxuan replied honestly.
She clasped her hands.
"We agreed, didn't we? Once the clothes were ready, you'd take me out."
"To Luoyang."
"All right," Li Daoxuan said. "Luoyang it is."
Then he added gently,
"But prepare yourself. Luoyang suffered a great flood in June. Nearly half of the Henan plains were swallowed by yellow waters. The scenery… may not be what you imagine."
Gao Yiye nodded slowly.
"I'm ready," she said softly.
"To witness the suffering of the world with the Dao Xuan Tianzun—
and to save the common people."