Flat Rabbit trudged along the mountain path, step after step, stubborn as ever.
The spot on his shoulder where the rock had struck him throbbed more with every movement. The pain had deepened into something dull and heavy, the kind that made you quietly suspect a crack in the bone. But there was no time to check, no time to rest, not even time to complain.
He just kept moving.
All the food had been left behind in the village. He carried nothing now.
Not that it mattered.
Back in the day, he had endured far worse. Thirst meant drinking from mountain springs. Hunger meant grabbing a handful of grass.
He was a rabbit, after all. Eating grass was practically tradition.
Three full days passed like this.
Only then did a small town finally appear ahead.
But the moment he got closer, his heart sank.
This place had not escaped the disaster either. Half the buildings had collapsed, and the entire town was wrapped in fear and confusion. People wandered like lost souls, their eyes hollow.
Flat Rabbit did not slow down.
"Where's the town chief? Where is he?" he shouted the moment he entered.
The townsfolk took one look at him, his foreign appearance, the sword at his waist, the aura that practically screamed "important person," and did not dare delay. Someone immediately ran off to fetch the town chief.
The chief arrived in a hurry. The moment he saw Flat Rabbit, his eyes widened.
"Rabbit Lord?"
"Good, you recognize me." Flat Rabbit gritted his teeth. "I'm injured. Haven't eaten in three days. I need food."
The chief wasted no time. Food, water, medicine, everything was brought out at once.
Flat Rabbit ate quickly, carelessly applied some medicine to his shoulder, and before the others could even suggest rest, he was already standing again.
"You stay here," he said. "I'll go call for rescue."
The town chief panicked. "Rabbit Lord, in your condition, you should rest here. I'll send someone in your place."
"No." Flat Rabbit's voice was firm, almost cutting. "Whoever you send might not be taken seriously. It's only year seven of the New Ming. The outside world is still half old, half new. If I don't go personally, they might brush it off."
The chief fell silent.
Because he knew that was the truth.
A small-town official sending a plea for help might receive nothing more than a polite dismissal, or worse, a lazy excuse.
But Flat Rabbit was different.
He had once stood at the very top. Even now, no one would dare ignore his words.
After a brief rest, Flat Rabbit set off again. This time, the chief gave him a small, stubborn donkey to ride, along with some food. It was, at the very least, an improvement.
Still, the dangers of western Sichuan were no joke. One man and one donkey against these mountains, it was not exactly a comfortable journey.
Another three days passed.
At last, the mountains began to thin, and the land opened up. Ahead lay the outskirts of the Chengdu Plain.
And there, a large city stood.
Dujiangyan.
Even from a distance, it was obvious the city had suffered. Collapsed buildings dotted the landscape.
But this place had something the others did not.
Factories from Gao Village Family.
Massive hydraulic engineering works were under construction here, along with a hydropower plant. It was not yet complete, not yet operational, but the presence of countless blue helmets and yellow helmets meant something far more important than machines.
It meant manpower.
It meant organization.
It meant hope.
The donkey, however, had reached its limit. Stubborn to the end, it refused to take another step.
Flat Rabbit jumped off and stumbled forward on his own two feet, rushing toward the gates of the hydropower plant.
"Someone! Get over here!" he roared.
The shout brought a crowd running. Blue helmets, yellow helmets, workers and engineers alike gathered around him.
"Rabbit Lord?"
"What happened to you?"
"Quick!" Flat Rabbit did not waste a second. "Organize rescue teams immediately. Head west. A vast mountainous area has been hit by the earthquake. Many villages… are gone. The people are waiting."
One of the blue helmets hesitated, his face tight with discomfort.
"Rabbit Lord… we've also been hit here. We're rushing to repair the equipment. We don't have enough manpower or resources to spare."
Flat Rabbit's eyes flared.
"Don't just focus on the cities. The people in the mountains matter too. If you squeeze your resources, you can always find something to send."
The blue helmet lowered his head, pained. "It's not that we don't want to… we really are stretched too thin."
Flat Rabbit studied him carefully.
Then his expression shifted.
This man was not lying.
"This bad?" Flat Rabbit asked quietly.
The blue helmet nodded. "Worse than you think. The disaster area is huge. Multiple cities and villages have been destroyed. Our rescue teams are already overwhelmed. It's not that we're ignoring the mountain villages… we just don't have the capacity."
Flat Rabbit clenched his jaw.
"Understood."
He turned.
"I'll call upon Dao Xuan Tianzun."
The blue helmet nearly jumped out of his skin. "What? Call… Dao Xuan Tianzun? Since the first assembly, he said the world is ours to govern. He only appears occasionally, and no one knows where. If you disturb him, he might not respond… he might even punish you."
Flat Rabbit did not hesitate.
"I don't care. If he wants to punish someone, let him punish me alone."
He scanned the area.
"Where's the bell? A city like Dujiangyan must have one."
"Yes… we do."
They led him to the center of the hydropower plant.
There, standing silent for years, was a massive bell.
Ever since Dao Xuan Tianzun had declared his departure after the first great assembly, no one had dared to ring it again.
Not once in seven years.
Flat Rabbit picked up the heavy hammer.
He raised his voice.
"Heaven, open your eyes!"
Then he brought the hammer down.
GONG!
GONG!
GONG!
The sound rolled into the sky, deep and vast.
Everyone nearby stood frozen.
Seven years.
Seven whole years, and no one had dared to strike that bell.
Only Rabbit Lord had the audacity.
Moments later…
Across the entire New Ming, the embroidered image of Dao Xuan Tianzun on the chests of high officials opened its eyes.
A decree descended.
"Mobilize the entire nation. Support the disaster zone."
The entire nation.
The words hit like thunder.
Sichuan mobilized immediately. Neighboring regions, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hunan, Hubei, Yunnan, Guizhou, all poured in volunteers without hesitation.
Countless iron vehicles carried endless supplies, rushing toward the disaster zone from every direction.
Flat Rabbit, his shoulder wrapped in bandages, still smelling faintly of medicine, stepped forward without a second thought and took up the role of frontline commander for disaster relief.
He threw himself straight back into the chaos.
Days later…
Back in that poorest village.
The little girl held the last bit of food in her hands. She did not want to eat it. She kept glancing at the adults around her.
The adults, meanwhile, stared at the blocked mountain road.
The food was almost gone.
The road was still buried.
So this is it, isn't it…
That Rabbit Lord… he couldn't bring help after all…
Just as that thought began to settle—
A strange, low-hanging cloud drifted into the sky above them.
From within it, a gigantic mechanical arm extended outward, ending in a massive excavator bucket.
It swung down.
One scoop.
The blocked mountain road was instantly cleared.
"Ahhh!" The villagers dropped to their knees. "A divine miracle!"
On the other side of the newly opened road, Flat Rabbit appeared, sitting atop his stubborn donkey, waving at them.
"Didn't I tell you? I'd bring help."
The villagers stared in awe.
"The help you brought… is a god?"
Flat Rabbit threw his head back and laughed.
"Hahaha! Dao Xuan Tianzun takes good care of me. I'm a rabbit favored by heaven!"
Year 8 of the New Ming.
Flat Rabbit founded the Charity Rabbit Society.
Year 18.
It gained a new name. The International Red Cross.
Year 32.
One of its managers embezzled donations. Flat Rabbit personally executed him with the Heavenly Rabbit Severing Tyrant Sword. For that act of killing, he was imprisoned.
Officials and commoners alike petitioned for leniency. Combined with his age and good behavior, he was released after two years.
Year 34.
The sword was placed in the main hall of the foundation. People jokingly called it the "Imperial Sword of the Charity Rabbit Society," meant to cut down those who dared to steal from the needy.
Year 48.
On his deathbed, Flat Rabbit spoke softly to the orphans he had raised.
"Do good… without asking what comes next…"
Year 98.
A later president misused funds. He was executed by his own subordinate with that very sword.
Year 142.
Another president personally beheaded eight corrupt subordinates in one stroke of justice after another.
…
From then on, anyone who dared reach for charitable funds would first glance at that blade.
To see if it was still sharp.
To wonder if somewhere in this world, there was still someone like Flat Rabbit.
Someone willing to pay any price, even imprisonment, just to cut down corruption.
The Heavenly Rabbit Severing Tyrant Sword…
Had become a legacy.