Li Dao Xuan secured the atomizer's nozzle in a fixed position, allowing the device to hum along and perform its divine duties. With the rain successfully falling, he finally had a moment to breathe and let his eyes wander across the miniature landscape.
While the rest of the villagers were losing their minds with joy, rolling in the mud and dancing under the silver mist, one middle-aged man caught his eye. He was standing apart from the celebratory chaos, his shoulders slumped and his gait heavy with a palpable sense of exhaustion. Slowly, he detached himself from the crowd and began a long, solitary trek toward the looming walls of the Gao Village stronghold.
Li Dao Xuan adjusted his perspective, zooming in on the figure.
The man reached the massive gates of the stronghold, collapsed onto his knees, and began to kowtow with rhythmic, desperate intensity.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Tianzun, have mercy! Please, save this humble servant!"
"Huh?" Li Dao Xuan whispered, leaning closer to the glass. "Is this one of mine?"
He could recognize the original forty-two villagers by sight alone, but since San Shier had started "recruiting" people with bags of flour, the population had exploded. Between the hundred-plus newcomers and the nearly two hundred labor reform convicts, keeping track of every face had become an impossible task.
However, the travel-worn bundle strapped to the man's back gave him away.
"Not one of mine," Li Dao Xuan concluded. "This is a wild little person who just wandered in from the outside world."
"Tianzun, save me! You are the light in the darkness, the savior of the suffering! Please, pull this wretch out of the sea of misery!"
The man continued to knock his head against the dirt, and then, as if reciting a formal prayer, he began a rambling self-introduction.
It turned out he was a resident craftsman from the government workshops in Chengcheng County, a "hereditary artisan" of the lowest social caste, much like Li Da.
Ever since he'd heard rumors of two sculptors striking it rich under the protection of Dao Xuan Tianzun, he had been obsessed with finding this place. After a grueling search and a few cryptic hints from a local "Layman," he had finally arrived at the gates of paradise, begging for a scrap of divine favor.
Li Dao Xuan didn't waste any time.
"Yiye, find Li Da and bring him to the stronghold gate immediately."
Gao Yiye, who had been playing in the rain like a child, immediately composed herself. She plucked Li Da from the crowd, and the two of them went jogging toward the gates, their footsteps splashing in the fresh puddles. Their cotton clothes were already half-soaked, but the thick fabric ensured there was no risk of any scandalous transparency.
The moment they arrived at the gate, Li Da's eyes widened.
"Luo Tuimao? Is that you?"
The man's surname was Luo, but because of his exceptionally thick leg hair, his coworkers had dubbed him Luo Tuimao.
It was a testament to the lack of poetic flair among the laboring class. When they gave you a nickname, they made sure it was as unrefined and grating as possible.
Luo Tuimao froze, staring up at Li Da in shock.
"Li Da? What are you doing here? Ever since the Wang Er rebellion, you vanished. We all thought you'd been... well, executed."
Li Da rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish.
"Well, it's a long story. I used the chaos of the rebellion as a cover to escape. I was tired of being treated like a stray dog by the government officials every single day."
Luo Tuimao gasped, horrified.
"Have you lost your mind? If you do that, you become a 'refugee'! You lose your artisan status! You can never even set foot in a city again without being arrested!"
Li Da let out a boisterous laugh.
"I'm eating fine white flour and fatty meat every day here. Why the hell would I want to go back to the city? They can take that 'artisan status' and shove it. Being a refugee in Gao Village is a thousand times better than being a registered craftsman in the city."
When he'd first arrived, Li Da's ultimate dream was to become a "commoner" with a clean legal record. But after living here for a while, he realized that social status didn't mean a thing. As long as you were in Gao Village, you were happy.
His words left Luo Tuimao completely dazed.
"So, what brings you here?" Li Da asked, nudging him with a wet boot. "Did you run away like I did? Ready to ditch the registry?"
Luo Tuimao looked down, looking embarrassed.
"I... I heard from the two sculptors that they made a fortune under Dao Xuan Tianzun's blessing. So I... well, I asked around and followed the trail."
Li Da blinked, and then his face split into a massive grin.
"Hah! Well, you certainly picked the right time to show up. You're the best papermaker in Chengcheng County! This is perfect timing!"
"What do you mean, perfect timing?"
Li Da gestured toward the newly constructed Gao Village stronghold.
"This fortress was just finished. It has over two hundred rooms, but we don't have a single scrap of paper to glaze the windows. Every single window frame is empty. The Third Manager was just preparing to make a trip to the county seat to buy a mountain of paper so the villagers wouldn't freeze. You showing up now is a literal godsend."
Luo Tuimao hesitated.
"Wait... you want me to make paper for the villagers? For the windows?"
"Exactly," Li Da nodded. "It's what you're best at, isn't it?"
"Well... yes, but... I only have ten days before I have to report back to the government workshop. I only have ten days of leave..."
"Forget going back!" Li Da barked, waving a hand dismissively. "You don't have a wife or kids to worry about. Now that you've tasted the fresh air, don't go back to that cage. Do what I did. Put down roots here, become a refugee, and live the good life."
Luo Tuimao shook his head frantically.
"No, no. I can't be a refugee. I'm not as brave as you are... the law... the punishment..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Gao Yiye spoke up, her voice clear and authoritative.
"Tianzun has issued a divine decree. If you are willing to stay and manufacture paper for Gao Village, and if you teach your techniques to the other villagers, you will receive a monthly wage of one hundred pounds of rice or flour, ten pounds of meat, and one pound each of salt, sugar, and oil."
The air seemed to leave Luo Tuimao's lungs.
He turned his head toward Gao Yiye with agonizing slowness, his eyes bulging.
"Miss... what... what did you just say?"
Gao Yiye offered him a serene, patient smile.
Luo Tuimao began to tremble.
"Are you... are you for real?"
Li Da laughed so hard he nearly doubled over.
"Why would she lie? I get the same amount every month! And if I do something extra impressive, I get bonuses on top of that. Though... Luo Tuimao, with your scrawny frame, I doubt you'll be winning any 'extra achievement' awards anytime soon! Hahaha!"
"Who... who exactly is this young lady?" Luo Tuimao whispered.
Li Da's expression instantly turned solemn and respectful.
"She is the Saintess of the Tianzun Sect. She is the divine messenger who speaks for the Old Man Himself. This is Miss Gao Yiye."
"!!!"
"Look at you, looking like a country bumpkin who's never seen the world," Li Da teased. "I was just like you when I first got here. So, what's it going to be? Are you going to stay and be a 'glorious refugee' or not?"
The choice wasn't a difficult one.
In a heartbeat, Luo Tuimao mentally incinerated his artisan registry and embraced his new identity as a proud resident of Gao Village.
"Follow me," Gao Yiye said. "Tianzun says you are to be assigned a house. You'll live right next to Li Da and the two sculptors. All of our village's craftsmen are currently living in the same courtyard."
Li Da grinned as he led the way.
"The stronghold has nine halls and eighteen courtyards. We craftsmen have an entire courtyard all to ourselves. We call it the 'Artisan Well.' And don't think it's some lowly place just because we're workers. On the contrary, the people in the Artisan Well get the highest monthly rations in the entire village! Hahaha!"
Luo Tuimao, still feeling like he was walking through a dream, followed the two of them into the stronghold.
To his eyes, the massive Hakka-style earthen building was a soaring, majestic castle. It felt so dignified and powerful that he felt a sudden pang of insecurity, as if he weren't worthy of walking its halls.
After a confusing series of turns through various corridors, they arrived at the Artisan Well.
Luo Tuimao immediately spotted the two sculptors. They were sitting under the eaves of the porch, meticulously fiddling with two strange-looking figurines. They were deep in the process of "customizing micro-figurine faces" for a new order.
Seeing Luo Tuimao, the two sculptors shared a knowing look and laughed.
"So, you finally made it too, huh?"
They teased him briefly, then immediately dove back into their work. They were far too busy with their lucrative commissions to engage in any idle small talk.