The captured outlaw lay there, half-dead, voice weak and breath thin.
"We… we're Dahonglang's men… he led us here to kill you… the one who escaped… that was him…"
Bai Yuan frowned slightly, clearly trying to connect dots that refused to connect.
"Dahonglang? That man is called Dahonglang? I don't recall ever having a grudge with someone by that name."
The outlaw swallowed, forcing the words out.
"Dahonglang… is under Wang Zuogua… captain of the fourth squad…"
This time, Gao Yiye and Mister Wang both reacted at once, their expressions tightening.
"Bai Yuan," Gao Yiye said in a low voice, "Wang Zuogua is a notorious bandit entrenched in Huanglong Mountain. He once attacked Bai Family Fort."
Bai Yuan slapped his forehead as realization finally hit.
"Oh, that guy. Now I remember him clearly."
Everyone else went silent.
That memory delay was… impressive.
Bai Yuan continued, tone sharpening.
"No wonder. Couldn't take down Bai Family Fort head-on, so he resorts to these cheap Jianghu tricks and tries to assassinate me instead."
The outlaw coughed weakly.
"You… you took our five hundred warhorses… Wang Zuogua was furious… he wanted revenge…"
Bai Yuan's brows knit together again.
Far above, Li Dao Xuan also frowned.
So Wang Zuogua had guessed correctly that the warhorses were taken by this group. However, he had no idea how the internal hierarchy worked. He assumed Bai Yuan was the leader.
And so this assassination attempt happened.
Misjudgment, classic fatal misjudgment.
"Alright," Li Dao Xuan said flatly. "That's enough. Give him a clean end."
Bai Yuan did not hesitate. He gave Zheng Gouzi a slight nod.
Zheng Gouzi stepped forward, blade flashing.
Crack.
The outlaw's head rolled.
The main culprit was now identified.
Revenge, therefore, had a clear direction.
Li Dao Xuan's expression darkened, his voice carrying a cold edge that had not been heard before.
"From this moment on, Gao Village Family officially declares war on Wang Zuogua. This band of roaming bandits must be wiped out completely."
He paused, then continued with calm precision.
"Bai Yuan, spend some money and recruit hunters. Buy information. Find Wang Zuogua's exact position in Huanglong Mountain."
Bai Yuan clasped his hands respectfully, though concern lingered in his tone.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, Huanglong Mountain is vast, dense with forests, and the terrain is extremely complex. Bandits have hidden there for generations. Even official armies struggle to locate and eliminate them. With our current strength… can we truly destroy them?"
Li Dao Xuan replied without hesitation.
"The government fails at suppressing bandits because of poor logistics and interference from other officials. We have neither problem. We have as much supply as we need, and no one to hold us back. If we decide to do it, we will do it."
Bai Yuan's spirit surged.
"Understood!"
Li Dao Xuan turned his gaze.
"Gao Yiye, return to Gao Village Family tomorrow. Deliver my order to the artisan district. From now on, the village enters wartime mode."
His tone did not rise, but it carried weight.
"All craftsmen will stop producing civilian tools. Full transition to military production. Blacksmiths will focus entirely on flintlock muskets and grenades. Carpenters will produce crossbows and arrows."
Gao Yiye hesitated for a brief moment.
"Then… no one will be making kitchen knives or sickles. Daily life might become inconvenient…"
Li Dao Xuan waved it off.
"Let the craftsmen in Cheng County and Fengyuan Town handle civilian tools. Liang Shixian enjoys working on matters of livelihood. Let him handle it thoroughly. Then use the public transport wagons to bring those goods back to Gao Village Family for sale."
Gao Yiye nodded.
"Understood."
She could hear it clearly.
Dao Xuan Tianzun was truly angry this time.
Before, he always prioritized the people's livelihood above all else. Now he was halting civilian production entirely to focus on weapons.
That was not a small shift. That was a storm brewing.
Li Dao Xuan added one more instruction.
"Bai Yuan, since the enemy has identified you as the target, increase your personal security. Bring more guards. Assign another militia squad to protect you. You must be extremely careful in Cheng County."
Bai Yuan cupped his fists.
"A lesson learned through blood will not be forgotten. I will be cautious."
The next morning, at first light, Gao Yiye and Zheng Gouzi led a group back toward Gao Village Family at top speed, carrying the heavily wounded Flat Rabbit on a stretcher.
And then…
The artisan district exploded into motion.
Full capacity. No holding back.
Blacksmiths immediately stopped forging kitchen knives, sickles, and hoes. Instead, they began mass-producing firearm components, grenade shells, and iron pellets.
Carpenters shifted entirely to crafting bows, crossbows, and arrows. Inside the Firearms Bureau, a swarm of apprentices worked tirelessly, hand-assembling grenades one after another.
The papermaking workshop sent stacks upon stacks of paper to the gunpowder division, where they were used to create pre-measured powder cartridges for firearms.
Lamp makers joined the frenzy, producing long-burning torches for night marches.
This was no longer the small artisan group from the early days.
Under Li Dao Xuan's long-standing policy of prioritizing craftsmen, countless people had joined the trade, learning skills, becoming workers.
Especially in blacksmithing and the Firearms Bureau, where labor shortages had once been severe, recruitment had never stopped. Now those former apprentices had all grown into full craftsmen.
Once they went into full production, flintlock muskets came out one after another in rapid succession.
Time began to accelerate.
The year Chongzhen Two surged forward, driven by the feverish expansion of military production in Gao Village Family.
…
"Flat Rabbit… Flat Rabbit… wake up…"
A voice echoed faintly.
Flat Rabbit struggled, then slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself standing in a misty mountain landscape, clouds swirling around peaks that looked like they had been painted into existence. A waterfall cascaded in the distance like molten silver.
Under an ancient tree stood an old man with an immortal bearing, waving at him.
"You know, there is a beam of spiritual light shooting out from the top of your head," the old man said gravely. "At such a young age, you already possess a body tempered by horizontal training. A once-in-a-century martial genius. If one day you open your Ren and Du meridians, you will soar like a dragon into the heavens. As the saying goes, if I do not enter hell, who will? The duty of punishing evil and maintaining peace in the world… I shall entrust it to you. What do you say?"
Flat Rabbit's eyes lit up.
"Leave it to me!"
The old man smiled.
"Since you are willing to bear this responsibility, I have a sword technique, my personal specialty. It is called Heavenly Rabbit Severing Tyrant Sword. Today, I shall pass it on to you."
Flat Rabbit froze.
"Are you kidding me? That name doesn't even exist. I made that sword technique up on the spot."
The old man burst into laughter.
The waterfall scattered, the ancient tree twisted, the mist dissolved. The entire immortal mountain shattered like glass.
The world collapsed.
Flat Rabbit's eyes snapped open again.
This time, he was lying on a bed.
Beside him sat Zheng Gouzi, dozing off.
"I… want water…"
Flat Rabbit forced the words out with great difficulty.
Zheng Gouzi jolted awake.
Then instantly exploded with joy.
He ran out of the room, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Flat Rabbit is awake! He's awake! He's alive!"
Moments later, a crowd poured in.
The Saintess Gao Yiye. San Shier. Cheng Xu. Gao Chuwu. Zheng Daniu.
Everyone surrounded the bed at once.
Some patted his head.
Some pulled open his eyelids to check.
Some examined his wounds.
Others grabbed his shoulders and shook him excitedly.
"Flat Rabbit, you're finally alive!"
Bang.
The one shaking him, Gao Chuwu, was sent flying by a punch from Xing Honglang.
"Don't shake the wounded!"
Ming Context Notes
Mountain bandits in the Ming
Rugged mountain terrain often acted like a natural fortress. Even well-equipped government troops struggled to flush out entrenched bandits.
Workshop-scale weapons production
Some late-Ming rural areas did develop specialized craft hubs. A militarized workshop like Gaojia's is exaggerated for dramatic effect — but grounded in real-era manufacturing practices.