At noon, Li Dao Xuan sat at his desk with a clay pot of Cantonese beef offal simmering gently in front of him. The broth bubbled softly, releasing a thick, layered aroma of spices, fat, and slow-cooked richness. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks, blew on it once, then ate with obvious satisfaction while lazily scrolling through his phone.
On the screen was his video channel, Daily Life of the Little People Kingdom.
Yesterday, he had clipped a short segment of the Shaanbei Daoqing performance and uploaded it. It was not edited heavily, just trimmed clean and left with its original flavor.
This morning, when he checked the results, he gave a small, satisfied click of his tongue.
The performance was doing quite well.
The comment section was already lively.
"This Daoqing has such an old and authentic tone."
"This troupe looks ridiculously rustic. Did the uploader really go all the way into rural Shaanbei to find them?"
"It is not easy to be this earthy. This feels almost too real."
"Troupes like this are hard to find nowadays. Hiring them is cheap, but locating them probably costs more than the performance itself."
"You must be new here. This creator always spends big money. Every video looks like he poured resources into it."
"I would not be surprised if he paid people to search village after village just to find something this authentic."
Li Dao Xuan read through the comments with a faint smile.
The audience had constructed a perfectly reasonable explanation, even though it was completely wrong.
He did not bother correcting them. Sometimes misunderstanding was part of the entertainment.
The likes continued to climb steadily. The miniature plastic stage he had placed in the shop sold quite well, and the small plastic houses also moved in decent numbers. Without much effort, another few tens of thousands in profit quietly accumulated.
In the past, numbers like this would have made him feel excited.
Now he only glanced at them and closed the page.
He had seen too much already. The novelty had faded.
Just as he set his phone aside, WeChat chimed.
He opened it and saw that it was Cai Xin Zi.
"There is a micro sculpture exhibition. Are you interested?"
Li Dao Xuan paused mid-bite and replied casually, "What kind of exhibition?"
"The client who has been ordering custom micro Buddha statues from us just contacted me. There is an exhibition in Shanghai. They are inviting micro sculpture artists from all over to display their works. It is mostly for exchange and showcasing skills."
She added another message.
"He thinks your work is good enough to be exhibited."
Li Dao Xuan let out a short laugh.
"I do not have time to go to Shanghai."
"You do not need to go personally. A master like you can keep a bit of distance. Just send your work. Someone can take it there for you."
He typed back, "For example, you?"
"For example, me," she replied immediately. "I am going to Shanghai anyway for a business exchange event related to ACG merchandise. You helped me make quite a bit of money. Helping you with this is nothing."
Li Dao Xuan was about to refuse out of habit, but his gaze shifted unconsciously to the corner of his desk.
There sat a miniature Daoist temple.
The Dao Xuan Tianzun Temple.
It had been constructed collectively by more than a hundred villagers when the second wave of settlers arrived. Later, because space was needed for the Hakka walled house, the temple had been dismantled and taken "up to the heavens" by him.
Now it rested quietly on his desk.
The details were exquisite.
Inside the tiny structure stood a statue of Dao Xuan Tianzun. In front of it were a miniature incense burner and a pair of candlesticks. There were also small tables and chairs arranged neatly. On one of the tables lay a tiny book, a micro-sized copy of Hanyu Pinyin, placed there by Li Dao Xuan out of pure mischief.
He looked at it for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"This thing actually looks pretty decent."
Leaving it here did feel somewhat wasteful.
If it were displayed at an exhibition, it would probably attract quite a bit of attention.
"Alright," he replied. "I have a miniature Daoist temple. You can take it to the exhibition for me."
"Done. I will come pick it up tomorrow."
The conversation ended there.
Li Dao Xuan put his phone aside and returned his attention to his meal. Just as he lifted his chopsticks again, something in his field of vision shifted.
A group was approaching.
Cheng Xu had returned.
Bai Yuan walked beside him.
Behind them followed a long, sprawling crowd.
Three thousand people.
Men, women, children. Their clothes were worn and patched. Their faces were sallow and thin from prolonged hunger. Their movements were slow, weighed down by exhaustion.
The sheer number of them made the scene heavy.
Gao Village Family only had slightly over one thousand residents. Seeing three thousand more suddenly arrive naturally caused unease.
The villagers stopped what they were doing. Some put down tools. Others turned to look, their expressions cautious and alert.
Only when they recognized Cheng Xu and Bai Yuan did the tension ease.
Shan Shier and Gao Yiye hurried forward to greet them.
From a distance, Shan Shier called out, "Mr. Bai, you have brought the people from Qingjian County?"
Bai Yuan smiled and nodded.
"Yes. I have fulfilled the task entrusted by Dao Xuan Tianzun."
He gestured behind him.
"These three thousand people left Bai Family Fort at dawn. They walked more than thirty li and spent over two hours on the road. They are exhausted and hungry."
He looked at Shan Shier and continued, "Third Manager, please arrange food and let them settle down first."
Shan Shier maintained a calm smile.
"Food is not a problem. Dao Xuan Tianzun has blessed us with plenty."
He paused briefly before adding, "However, the issue lies with cooking."
Dian Dengzi quickly stepped forward.
"Our people brought cooking pots with us."
Shan Shier shook his head slightly.
"It is not the pots. It is the firewood."
He gestured toward the surroundings.
"The trees near Gao Village Family have already been cut. If we want firewood, we must go farther away to gather it. That will take time."
His tone remained gentle, but the meaning was clear.
"These people may have to endure hunger for a while."
The atmosphere immediately became awkward.
Three thousand hungry refugees stood there, waiting.
The hosts had food but no way to cook it quickly.
From above, Li Dao Xuan observed everything and sighed quietly.
A village of a thousand attempting to take in three thousand newcomers would inevitably face shortages in every aspect. Even if food was available, logistics alone could become a bottleneck.
"This situation cannot be solved without intervention," he thought.
His gaze fell upon the pot of beef offal in front of him.
Steam rose steadily, carrying an irresistible fragrance.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Then let them eat something truly good today."
"Let them remember it for the rest of their lives."
He spoke.
"Yiye."
Gao Yiye immediately straightened and listened.
"Relay my words."
"Today is a festival."
"The name of the festival is 'Dao Xuan Tianzun Has a Sudden Whim Festival.'"
"All people are to gather and enjoy a good meal together."
Gao Yiye did not question the order. She raised her voice and conveyed the divine decree.
The reaction was immediate.
The villagers of Gao Village Family stopped their work and gathered quickly. In a short time, more than a thousand people assembled. They stood neatly, then bowed toward the sky with sincere expressions, offering thanks to Dao Xuan Tianzun.
After that, they lifted their heads and looked up.
Their eyes were bright with anticipation.
They were waiting.
Waiting to see what Dao Xuan Tianzun would bring down this time.
The newly arrived three thousand people, however, were completely confused.
Dian Dengzi stepped forward and asked on their behalf, "Who is Dao Xuan Tianzun? And what exactly is this festival?"
Bai Yuan only smiled.
"You will understand soon enough."
At that moment, the clouds parted.
Something enormous began to descend from the sky.
A massive chunk of meat slowly lowered itself toward the ground.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
Just before it touched the ground, it stopped midair.
Then another object descended.
It was a strange sheet, smooth and flat, unlike ordinary paper. It did not absorb moisture and remained perfectly intact as it was laid on the ground.
Only after that did the meat settle onto it.
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
This was different from before.
Previously, Dao Xuan Tianzun had always bestowed raw meat, such as chicken or pork, which required further preparation.
But this time, the meat was already cooked.
Its surface glistened with a rich, dark sauce.
The aroma spread rapidly through the air.
It was deep, savory, and layered with unfamiliar spices.
San Shi Er stepped closer and examined it carefully.
"It looks like beef," he said slowly.
Bai Yuan nodded, his eyes fixed on the meat.
"It resembles braised beef, but the fragrance is far more complex."
Cheng Xu took a deep breath and frowned slightly.
"This scent… I have never encountered anything like it."
All three men shared the same realization.
Whatever this dish was, it was far beyond anything they had ever tasted before.