At this point, Gao Yiye was essentially playing the role of a high-end ornamental vase.
She stood there, maintaining her dignified posture, unable to actually lift a finger to help. When she saw the injured guard with his leg covered in massive, angry blisters from the boiling oil, she desperately wanted to run over and assist.
But then she remembered Madame San's warning: "The more dignified your bearing, the more people will respect the Great Dao Xuan Tianzun."
She couldn't afford to move. She refused to lose face for her god.
Just as she was wrestling with her internal dilemma, the clouds in the "heavens" parted.
The "majestic" face of the Great Dao Xuan Tianzun appeared once more, and a colossal hand descended, reaching toward her.
Another gift? she wondered.
But as she squinted at the hand, her confusion grew.
What the Dao Xuan Tianzun was handing down was a small glob of something yellow, soft, and distinctly sticky.
"Eh? Is this something else to eat?" Gao Yiye blurted out.
Up above, Li Dao Xuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Eating again! The last time I gave you guys iron plates, your first thought was to bite them."
Gao Yiye's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson in record time.
"This is medicine. It's for burns. Take it."
Gao Yiye was overjoyed.
She had just been aching for her injured comrade, and now the Dao Xuan Tianzun had provided a divine remedy. She reached out with both hands, ready to receive the blessing.
On Li Dao Xuan's fingertip, the ointment was smaller than a sesame seed.
But to Gao Yiye, it was a massive, heavy lump of salve.
As it touched her palms, the weight caught her off guard; she fumbled, and the glob began to slide toward the dirt.
Fortunately, Madame San had been "guarding the Oracle" the entire time.
Seeing the divine gift about to hit the mud, she lunged forward. Together, the two women used all their strength to catch and support the large mass of medicine.
Madame San, unable to hear the divine conversation, was utterly baffled by the "spontaneous appearance" of the sticky substance.
"What is this? How did it just appear in your hands? The medicinal scent is so powerful."
"It's a burn ointment granted by Dao Xuan Tianzun," Gao Yiye explained breathlessly. "Quick, we need to apply it to that injured guard."
Madame San's eyes widened.
"Divine medicine? Oh, goodness! This is a big deal!"
She began shouting to the surrounding crowd.
"Someone! Quickly! Bring an empty jar over here!"
Because of the recent battle, the area behind the wall was teeming with women who had been preparing oil vats.
Empty jars were everywhere.
A maid from the Bai family scrambled over with a large, clean vessel.
With an expression of utter solemnity, Madame San carefully lowered the glob of ointment into the jar. She then proceeded to seal the mouth of the jar with oil paper, winding a rope around it and tying it tight.
She looked like a woman who would bite anyone who tried to touch her stash.
"Wait," Gao Yiye said, blinking. "Why did you seal it? We still need to treat the guard."
"This is heavenly medicine! It must be preserved with the utmost care," Madame San replied firmly. "As for that guard... there's plenty of residue left on your hands. Just smear that on him. It'll be fine."
Gao Yiye looked down.
Sure enough, her palms were coated in a thick, sticky, and surprisingly cool layer of ointment.
She walked over to the injured guard, trying her best to maintain her "Saintess" dignity despite her messy hands.
"Stay still. Dao Xuan Tianzun has granted you a divine cure."
The guard was stunned.
Overcome with joy, he tried to kowtow, but his burned leg gave a sharp throb of protest. Instead, he made a deep, respectful bow toward the sky.
"The Dao Xuan Tianzun is truly benevolent."
Gao Yiye slowly knelt down and began to smear the leftover ointment onto the man's raw skin.
Since her hands were covered in the stuff, she just started rubbing it on, left swipe, right swipe, a messy backhand smear.
Her technique was, to put it mildly, zero percent professional.
The guard sucked in several sharp breaths, hissing through his teeth.
God, that hurts! I almost think I was better off without the medicine!
However, the moment Gao Yiye finished and stood up, the guard's expression changed.
Wait...
The searing, white-hot pain of the blisters was fading. The divine ointment radiated a deep, penetrating coolness that suppressed the stinging. He let out a long sigh of relief.
"This heavenly medicine is incredible!" the guard shouted. "I feel so much better already."
The people standing nearby looked on with naked envy.
"Must be nice, getting to use medicine from the celestial realm."
The guard shot them a look.
"To hell with you! You want me to pour a vat of boiling oil on your legs so you can 'enjoy' it too?"
The onlookers laughed.
"No thanks, we'll pass. Having you enjoy it on our behalf is plenty."
Mr. Bai Yuan pushed through the crowd and looked at the wound.
"The pain is truly gone?"
"There's still a little sting, but it's nothing compared to before," the guard replied.
Mr. Bai Yuan nodded, saying no more. As a high-ranking master, a single word of concern for a servant was already a great "favor"; there was no need to overdo it.
He turned his gaze toward the "Dao Xuan Tianzun Cave" at the center of the village, and his sense of awe deepened.
This Dao Xuan Tianzun wasn't some imaginary "pseudo-god" invented by the White Lotus cult. Nor was He like the mysterious deities of orthodox Taoism, who were so shrouded in secrecy that no one had ever actually seen them manifest.
This was a living god.
I suppose I should go pay my respects at the shrine as well, he thought.
With the threat gone, the atmosphere in the village had turned light and airy. People finally had the mental bandwidth to worry about other things.
San Shier walked over, leading Mr. Bai Yuan toward Gao Yiye.
"This is Gao Yiye, the Oracle and Saintess of the Dao Xuan Tianzun faith. All of the Dao Xuan Tianzun's commands are relayed through her."
Mr. Bai Yuan had already surmised as much, but he still cupped his hands in a formal salute.
"My greetings to you."
"And this," San Shier continued, pride swelling in his chest, "is Mr. Bai Yuan. He is a renowned gentleman and philanthropist from Chengcheng County. He organized the militia to protect the region and is much loved by the people."
Back in the day, seeing a high-status lord like this would have terrified Gao Yiye. She probably would have dropped to her knees by the side of the road.
But her courage had grown.
She was now a representative of the Dao Xuan Tianzun, and she couldn't afford to diminish His status.
She simply gave a small, dignified nod in return.
Bai Yuan scanned the Gao Village Family once more before bringing his focus back to the girl.
"This village is truly blessed. To have high walls, a clean water pond, and no lack of food or drink in such a disastrous year... it is a rare thing indeed."
San Shier gave a smug laugh.
"Of course! Why else do you think I abandoned my comfortable life in the county seat to live here? As they say, 'Fine birds choose the best trees to roost in.'"
Bai Yuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn't help but poke fun at the man.
"You, San Shier... you have some education, but not much. You're always butchering idioms. You just compared yourself to a bird or a beast. You should have said, 'A wise minister chooses a worthy lord to serve.'"
San Shier went stiff.
"..."
"This is exactly why you're still just a clerk," Bai Yuan added with a smirk. "You could never pass the imperial examinations with that level of scholarship."
San Shier, feeling a bit miffed, muttered under his breath, "It's not like you passed them either."
The words hit Bai Yuan like a paralysis spell. He froze, his face twitching.
After a few awkward seconds, he let out a heavy sigh.
"Fine, you caught me. I'm only half-educated myself. My scholarship is lacking. The 'Calligraphy' part of the Six Arts of a Gentleman... Cross It Out, Cross It Out"
San Shier whispered again, "Calligraphy refers to the art of writing, not necessarily your academic knowledge."
Bai Yuan went silent again.
"..."
After a few more seconds of eerie quiet, Bai Yuan's face suddenly lit up with joy.
"In that case, put 'Calligraphy' back on the list! No need to cross it out!"
The surrounding crowd stared at him in silence.
"..."
Up in the "heavens," Li Dao Xuan couldn't help but chuckle.
He had initially thought this Bai Yuan guy was some high-level, stoic protagonist, but it turned out he was just a huge goofball.
Wait, Li Dao Xuan thought, paused in mid-laugh.
Does 'Calligraphy' in the Six Arts refer to the art of writing or general literacy?
He thought about it for a long time and realized he didn't actually know either.
Yeah, forget it. Cross It Out, Cross It Out!!!