Chapter 105: Bai Yuan Seeks Help

In the evening, Li Daoxuan dragged his exhausted body back home.

During the day, he had invited Cai Xinzi to the Jialing River. The two old friends enjoyed the cool autumn breeze, brewing tea and chatting awkwardly, having a splendid time. They then indulged in some Zibo barbecue, returning home only as the sun was sinking and they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Back at home, he habitually sat down beside the box.

First, he looked down at Gaojia Village to see if the village was operating normally. Then he switched his view to Zhengjia Village to inspect the emerging autumn wheat fields. He happened to see over twenty residents of Zhengjia Village returning on the Solar Vehicle No. 2, bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

“Hurry up, the sun is setting!” Gao Chuwu was frantic. “Any later, and we’ll all be stranded on the road.”

Zheng Daniu: “I’ve opened the curtain as wide as possible. We’re going top speed now!”

Gao Chuwu: “Is top speed always this slow?”

Zheng Daniu: “Because the sun is almost out.”

The two big fellows were sweating with urgency, yet the passengers on the vehicle roared with laughter, seemingly unconcerned. With everyone onboard in the large vehicle, they could always push it back even if the sun truly set. But they didn’t say that – watching the two blockheads fret was amusing.

Li Daoxuan couldn’t help but smile. Shifting his view back to Gaojia Village, he saw Gao Yiye playing jump rope with a group of children. She was letting go more and more, no longer deliberately maintaining the noble air of the Saint Lady. Instead, following the Deity’s decree, she was returning to her original self.

She was the most willful, mischievous, troublemaking girl in Gaojia Village, not some big porcelain vase pretending otherwise! She just insisted on jumping rope and playing games with the kids.

While jumping rope, the children were also singing a pinyin song: “Open wide, aaa, Round lips, ooo, Flat mouth, eee, Teeth aligned, iii…”

They were singing merrily when Teacher Wang stormed out of Gaojia Fortress, a discipline ruler in hand: “Gao Sanwa, you little rascal! That homework you handed in! You actually wrote ‘ya’ instead of the word for ‘duck’! How could this be? Simply outrageous!”

Gao Sanwa panicked and tried to hide behind Gao Yiye. But to his surprise, Gao Yiye flipped him around and shoved him right in front of Mr. Wang: “Teacher, give him a good one! Hahaha!”

Mr. Wang swung the ruler with a smack. Gao Sanwa’s palm instantly turned red. Mr. Wang was far from appeased: “Go write the character for ‘duck’ one hundred times!”

Li Daoxuan chuckled: “Gao Sanwa truly experienced a perfect childhood.”

Looking elsewhere, a group of artisans were sitting in the artisans’ well, awkwardly chatting under the setting sun: “Luo Leg Hair, why do you keep running off to the county town lately? You’re a permanent craftsman! You’ve skipped two months’ worth of your labor obligations. Aren’t you afraid you’ll be caught when you go back?”

Luo Leg Hair chuckled sheepishly. “The county town is full of refugees right now, waiting for the county magistrate to distribute congee. I blend right in; no one checks me. I’ve been going back recently to find some old craftsman friends. I told them about the situation here in Gaojia Village. They’ll be arriving in a few days.”

Li Da laughed: “If you actually manage to bring in a few artisans, the Deity will surely be very pleased! He’ll definitely reward you handsomely!”

Luo Leg Hair smiled too: “Rewards aside, it doesn’t really matter. We have such a good life now, all thanks to the Deity. Although I’m not strong and my abilities are meager, if there’s anything I can do to please the Deity, I’ll spare no pain or effort!”

Just then…

Clip-clop horse hooves sounded beyond the fortress. A carriage came galloping up, flanked by several fast horses. Pulling up to the fortress gates, the driver jumped down – a figure clad in a white robe billowing about him, unmistakably Bai Yuan.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he threw his head back and laughed triumphantly. “Ha ha ha! My driving skills are still superb! The ‘horsemanship’ art among the Six Arts of Gentlemen – I haven’t lost a bit of it!”

Thirty-Two inside the fortress (now called Steward Thirty-Two) had already been alerted by the sentinel and came out to greet him with his clerk, Tan Liwen: “Mr. Bai, it’s been too long! Your spirit is as high as ever! What brings you here today?”

Bai Yuan, rushing with pride, casually clasped his fist towards Thirty-Two. Then, lifting his head towards the sky, he performed a solemn, grand salute before speaking: “I have come to Gaojia Village this time, Bai Yuan, with a request.”

Li Daoxuan thought it over internally, finding it odd: Seems serious, he even brought the carriage. Inside must be Bai Yuan’s wife and son.

Thirty-Two asked: “What is this matter?”

Bai Yuan answered: “I wish to lodge my wife and son here in Gaojia Village. I humbly ask Steward Thirty-Two to watch over them on my behalf.”

(Thirty-Two was now addressed as “Steward” by everyone, not “Clerk” anymore.)

Hearing this, Thirty-Two’s heart skipped a beat: “What happened? That your wife and son need to take refuge?”

Bai Yuan sighed: “Huanglong Mountain stands right beside Bai Family Fortress, which you know, correct?”

Thirty-Two nodded: “I know.”

Bai Yuan: “Recently, a band of vicious bandits numbering thousands has gathered on Huanglong Mountain. Who knows when they might charge down the mountain, kill their way into my Bai Family Fortress? After much deliberation, I deemed it safer to send my wife and son here to Gaojia Village first.”

Thirty-Two was shocked: “Thousands?! That many?”

Bai Yuan nodded gravely.

Thirty-Two: “The new magistrate, County Magistrate Liang Shixian, isn’t pressing for tax silver collections anymore, instead distributing congee everywhere. The common people of Chengcheng County should be able to survive now. How can rebels amass in such numbers? Could it be Bai Shui Wang Er making a comeback? We have some dealings with Wang Er, and you once went into the mountains to rescue him. Surely he…”

Bai Yuan lowered his voice: “Not Wang Er’s people. These men came from Luochuan County to the west and Yichuan County to the north. You folks here don’t move around much, so news doesn’t reach you. While Chengcheng County is stable now, the situation in several counties to the north is completely disastrous. Luochuan County; Yichuan County; Qingjian County; Fugu County; Mizhi County… rebels and bandits are everywhere, worse than Chengcheng County was two months ago.”

Thirty-Two was utterly horrified: “All those counties have descended into chaos? I… I thought only our Chengcheng County was active.”

Bai Yuan shook his head: “You don’t realize how enormous the impact of Wang Er’s rebellion was. His reputation in the Green Forests is immense – a man of such prestige that his call can shatter the land.”

Hearing this brought Li Daoxuan a frown as well. He sighed inwardly. Ah, what was destined will inevitably come. Bai Yuan already mentioned Mizhi County. That means… that history-changing figure who shares my surname is likely already brewing there. If only my scope could reach Mizhi right now, I might still intervene. But it can’t.

Moreover, he thought, the downfall of the Ming Dynasty stems from a complex combination of disastrous policies and natural disasters. Stopping the great figure named Li won’t salvage it.

Even if he were stopped… it wouldn’t prevent the fall of Great Ming.

Bai Yuan concluded: “Anyway, Bai Family Fortress could come under attack by the bandit army at any moment. All I can do is entrust my wife and children to Gaojia Village. I implore you!”