Bai Yuan understood immediately.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, I comprehend."
With that, Xiaolangdi entered full combat readiness—effective immediately.
Of course, matters of preparedness, patrol rotations, and troop deployment had nothing to do with Gao Yiye.
Those were Bai Yuan's headaches.
Gao Yiye, on the other hand, was here to enjoy herself.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun," she said brightly, eyes sparkling, "I want to go see the Yellow Flooded Area. I want to know what it really looks like now."
Li Daoxuan nodded. "Let's go. We'll pass through Mengjin County first."
The two of them, escorted by their guards, descended Eagle Beak Mountain and headed toward Hengshui Town.
After several months of reconstruction, Hengshui had come back to life.
Displaced people had settled in large numbers, and the sudden population boom made the town lively to the point of noise. The streets were crowded, voices overlapping, footsteps never stopping.
Supplies were plentiful. Stalls lined the road. Someone had even begun selling Hengshui's local specialty—
Hengshui braised meat.
Gao Yiye's eyes locked on it instantly.
Naturally, she bought a piece.
Li Daoxuan stood beside her, staring so hard he nearly drooled.
Damn it…
He could endure hunger, danger, boredom—almost anything.
But these strange, tempting delicacies that kept appearing inside the box?
They were his weakness.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun," Gao Yiye asked sweetly, holding the meat up, "would you like a bite?"
Li Daoxuan pointed at his mouth.
A layer of silicone skin wrapped around a steel skull. Inside was cold metal, jointed plates, and gears—more Terminator than human.
How was he supposed to eat like this?
Then—
He froze.
Wait.
He had tested this before.
Through the co-sensing function, he could feel wind, temperature… even pressure.
So why not taste?
He took the braised meat from Gao Yiye's hand and tossed it into his mouth.
Crunch.
Steel teeth pulverized it instantly.
There was no esophagus, no swallowing—but as the meat was crushed, the flavor was transmitted back through the co-sensing link.
Rich. Savory. Slightly sweet.
He tasted it.
Li Daoxuan was ecstatic.
"Hahahaha! I'm unstoppable now!" he burst out laughing. "I'll eat my way across China—no, the whole world! When my field of view reaches Beijing, I'll devour Peking roast duck. In Guangzhou, beef offal stew. In Thailand, curry rice. In Japan—"
He paused.
"…Wait. Sushi probably hasn't been invented yet."
Then what would he eat?
Virtue and artistry teachers?
Gao Yiye's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun," she said suspiciously, "why are you smiling like that? Did you think of something strange?"
Li Daoxuan immediately spat out the chewed braised meat and coughed lightly. "Nothing. Just… thinking about food. Yes. Delicious food."
They left Hengshui Town and continued eastward, entering the Yellow Flooded Area.
The official road had been dug out by the common people and was barely passable. On both sides, however, thick layers of silt and sand lay piled high.
Twenty to thirty centimeters thick.
A vast yellow crust blanketed the plains, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The sun had baked it dry until it looked solid—almost trustworthy.
Gao Yiye knelt down and dug at the surface with her hands.
It didn't budge.
She stood up slowly, her expression heavy.
"If our Gao Family Village's fields had turned into this…" she murmured, "…I'd cry myself awake every night. How are these people supposed to live?"
She looked up. "Mr. Bai must have arranged work for them, right?"
"He has," Li Daoxuan replied. "Many from Mengjin were resettled in Xiaolangdi. For now, they earn wages building villages, hauling earth, doing manual labor."
Gao Yiye let out a small breath of relief. "Thank goodness… we came."
They continued along the road, walking as if through a shallow earthen trench.
After a long while, Mengjin County finally appeared ahead.
Mengjin now had close ties with Xiaolangdi. When the gate guards saw the emblem of the Golden Thread Dao Xuan Tianzun on Gao Yiye's chest, their expressions changed instantly.
They knew.
This couple was from Xiaolangdi—and of high standing.
The gates opened at once. Someone was sent to inform the magistrate.
As they entered, a guard asked respectfully, "May I ask, honored guests—what is your relationship to the benevolent Mr. Bai?"
Li Daoxuan smiled. "My name is Xiao Qiushui. This is my wife, Tang Fang. Mr. Bai and I are old friends."
"Then you are friends of Mengjin County," the guard said without hesitation.
Moments later, Liu Bawan, the magistrate's aide, hurried over and bowed repeatedly, words spilling out in a stream of politeness.
"Young Master Xiao! The Magistrate wished to receive you personally, but half an hour ago a large detachment of soldiers arrived. He is currently entertaining the generals. Please forgive the discourtesy."
Li Daoxuan laughed. "It's nothing."
Then his tone sharpened slightly.
"Soldiers, you say? They're not here for disaster relief, I assume."
Liu Bawan gave a bitter smile. "Sir jests. Since when have soldiers helped with relief? They're likely here because of trouble across the river."
Li Daoxuan nodded. "The Shanxi rebels breached Zezhou."
Liu Bawan sighed. "Exactly. Zezhou is directly across from Mengjin. They could cross at any moment. After a flood… if bandits arrive too…"
His voice trailed off.
At that moment, a column of soldiers rushed past them.
Their armor was crooked, formations loose, morale nonexistent. They looked nothing like the disciplined troops of a great empire—more like armed hooligans.
They seized goods from shops without paying and swaggered down the streets.
The shopkeepers dared not protest.
Li Daoxuan frowned.
Gao Yiye muttered, "The bandit disaster hasn't arrived yet, but the soldier disaster already has."
Liu Bawan sighed deeply. "We only hope they leave soon."
He led them into the magistrate's residence and arranged accommodations.
Because of the number of guards, only Li Daoxuan and Gao Yiye were placed in the guest quarters.
They entered the room.
Small.
Neat.
With a single large bed.
Both of them froze.
"Oh?"
This was their first night away from home. And since they were posing as husband and wife, being given one room was entirely reasonable.
Sleeping separately would raise suspicion.
Li Daoxuan looked at Gao Yiye.
Gao Yiye sat down on the edge of the bed, pretending to be calm. Her posture was composed—too composed.
"I've slept beside the statue of Dao Xuan Tianzun countless times," she said lightly. "I don't mind at all."
Then she added, almost too quickly—
"In fact… I'm quite happy."
The room suddenly felt much smaller.