Li Dao Xuan dragged the box into the very center of the living room and carefully positioned it, making sure there was enough empty space on all sides. Only after confirming that nothing would get crushed did he finally reach out and press the glowing "Expand" button.
A brilliant flash erupted.
The entire box lit up like some divine artifact being awakened. The radiance was so intense that Li Dao Xuan could not look at it directly. He instinctively blinked, his eyes closing and opening in a split second.
In that tiny gap of time, the box had already changed.
It had grown.
Not a little.
Double.
Both length and width doubled instantly, turning into a massive structure five meters long and three meters wide. Thankfully, the depth remained the same. If Li Dao Xuan leaned over the edge, his arm could still reach the bottom.
But the real change was not the box itself.
It was the world inside.
His field of vision expanded dramatically, stretching out to a full thousand meters by six hundred meters. The entire Gao Village Family, along with its surrounding satellite villages, the firearms workshop, the prison, the barracks, even the cavalry camp, all fell neatly within his sight.
Li Dao Xuan sucked in a breath.
This feeling…
Ridiculously satisfying.
It was like upgrading from a cracked phone screen to a full-blown ultra-wide display overnight.
He stood there for a moment, basking in the expanded view, silently enjoying the sensation of having more control, more awareness, more reach.
Then reality kicked him in the face.
The living room was full.
Completely full.
There was no more space left to give.
He stared at the giant box, then slowly turned his head, surveying the cramped surroundings. His sofa had been pushed aside, his table relocated, and even his chair was awkwardly wedged into a corner like it had been punished for something.
"What about next time?"
Because there would definitely be a next time.
The Salvation Points would keep increasing.
The "Expand" button would light up again.
And when that happened…
Where would he put it?
There was only one answer.
"Guess I have to buy a house."
Li Dao Xuan scratched his head, feeling a strange mix of disbelief and excitement.
Not long ago, he had just been a freelance designer scraping together enough money to survive. The small apartment he currently lived in had required contributions from six different wallets, and even then, it had felt like a lifetime achievement.
Back then, buying a bigger house was not even a dream.
It was a joke.
But now?
Ever since he got the box, started doing miniature builds, filming videos, and accidentally becoming some kind of content-creating demigod, his income had skyrocketed.
Buying property no longer felt impossible.
It felt… reasonable.
And considering that the box might continue expanding in the future, he might as well go big.
A large house.
Better yet, a villa.
Preferably with a huge yard.
Place the box in the yard, let it expand freely, and his viewing range could grow to absurd levels.
The thought alone made him grin.
Almost instantly, three words popped into his mind.
Zhaomushan.
In Chongqing, if you talked about high-end villas, that was the place. The most stylish, most outrageous, most wallet-destroying properties all clustered around that area.
"No point browsing online for this."
Buying a house was not like ordering takeout.
He had to see it himself.
Before leaving, Li Dao Xuan took a quick look over Gao Village Family from above. Everything seemed stable. No fires, no chaos, no one running around screaming.
He shifted his view to Cheng County.
Bai Yuan was busy organizing the new militia.
Wang Xiansheng was assisting the county magistrate with work-for-relief projects.
Gao Yiye, along with Third Madam, was leading a group of devoted believers in constructing a massive statue for Dao Xuan Tianzun.
Everything looked… calm.
Orderly.
Suspiciously peaceful.
"Should be fine if I step out for a bit."
With that, Li Dao Xuan grabbed his keys, rushed out the door, hailed a cab, and headed straight toward the largest real estate agency near Zhaomushan.
Luxury villa.
Fully furnished.
Garden included.
Parking space included.
Let's take a look.
…
Time passed.
The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and fading into dusk.
Li Dao Xuan was still out, meticulously inspecting properties, checking layouts, examining details, asking questions like a man who had suddenly realized he might actually afford this madness.
Meanwhile, back in Cheng County…
Bai Yuan returned to the bookshop in high spirits, accompanied by two of his household guards.
At the same time, Gao Yiye arrived as well, followed by Flat Rabbit, Zheng Gouzi, and a small squad of militia soldiers.
The two groups met at the entrance.
Bai Yuan immediately stepped forward and gave a respectful bow.
"Saintess, I am ashamed of my limited ability, but today's militia expansion went quite smoothly. We managed to recruit over fifty promising candidates."
Gao Yiye smiled lightly.
"You can tell me, but I would not understand much of it. Better report when Dao Xuan Tianzun is present."
Bai Yuan blinked, then instinctively looked up.
No low clouds in the sky.
Which meant one thing.
The boss was offline.
"Ah, I see."
He straightened up and chuckled.
"In that case, no need to rush. Let us all rest early tonight."
The two entered the bookshop and returned to their respective guest rooms.
The courtyard gradually quieted down.
Only two Bai family guards and two militia soldiers remained outside, standing watch in the stillness of the night.
Everything seemed peaceful.
Too peaceful.
At the edge of the academy wall, five heads slowly rose, one after another, like mushrooms growing in the dark.
The leader was none other than Dahonglang, the Fourth Boss under Wang Zuogua.
Behind him were four seasoned outlaws, men who had long since abandoned any concept of morality in favor of survival.
They were terrible at open warfare.
But when it came to sneaking, stealing, and killing in the dark…
Professionals.
One of the outlaws whispered, "That is the place where Bai Yuan is staying. Hah, barely any defense. Just four guards in the courtyard."
Dahonglang narrowed his eyes.
"And that woman just now. Why did Bai Yuan call her Saintess?"
Another outlaw snorted.
"I asked around in the city. She belongs to some so-called Dao Xuan Tianzun sect. Just another bunch of charlatans tricking fools."
Dahonglang clicked his tongue.
"In that case, we kill her along with Bai Yuan."
The outlaws nodded, grinning.
"That woman looked quite decent…"
"Heh heh heh…"
Their laughter was low, filthy, and full of unspoken intentions.
Dahonglang's expression darkened.
"Enough. We move fast after the job. No time for your nonsense."
One of them smirked.
"Relax. Those guys are quick. Three seconds, tops. Only I take a bit longer. Half an hour at least."
"Fuck you!" the others cursed in unison.
Dahonglang snapped, "Shut up! Get moving. You four sneak in, take out the guards at the same time, then rush Bai Yuan's room and cut him down."
The four nodded.
They slipped over the wall silently, their movements smooth and practiced. Keeping low, they crept along the base of the wall, using the darkness as cover.
Within moments, they reached the backs of the two Bai family guards and two militia sentries.
Then…
They struck.
Four blades flashed.
Four bodies dropped.
Not a single sound escaped.
Dahonglang vaulted over the wall next, landing lightly in the courtyard. A smug smile spread across his face as he pointed toward Bai Yuan's room.
The four outlaws nodded and advanced.
Step by step.
Closer.
Closer.
Then suddenly…
Creak.
The door to Bai Yuan's room opened.
A young man stepped out, a longsword hanging at his waist.
Flat Rabbit.
Both sides froze.
Eyes met.
Faces aligned.
Silence.
For a split second, time itself seemed to pause.
Flat Rabbit had been inside the room all along. Before Bai Yuan returned, he had already snuck in, pestering him nonstop, begging to be taught swordsmanship.
Unfortunately, Bai Yuan knew absolutely nothing about swordsmanship.
Zero.
Not even the basics.
Flat Rabbit refused to leave, insisting that Bai Family Fort must have some secret ancestral techniques. The two had argued endlessly until Bai Yuan finally lost his patience and kicked him out.
So Flat Rabbit pushed the door open and stepped outside.
And immediately saw four corpses on the ground.
And five men who looked like trouble.
Big trouble.
They were clearly about to storm into Bai Yuan's room and turn him into minced meat.
Flat Rabbit's face hardened.
"Who are you people!"
Dahonglang did not bother answering.
"Kill him."
The four outlaws moved instantly, sabers flashing as they lunged toward Flat Rabbit.
Flat Rabbit's heart skipped a beat.
His first instinct was to dodge.
But then, like a bolt of lightning, a thought struck him.
If he dodges…
They will rush in.
They will kill Bai Yuan.
He clenched his teeth.
"No."
"I cannot move."
"I must hold this door."
Clang!
His sword left its sheath in a sharp, ringing arc.
He did not retreat.
He did not evade.
Facing four incoming blades, he stepped forward instead, swinging his sword in a fierce horizontal slash toward all four attackers at once.
The courtyard, silent just moments ago, exploded into violence.
Ming Context:
Militia systems like Gaojia Village's often relied on young civilians trained in basic weapons. Their real power came from morale and loyalty—not battlefield expertise.