The mountainside was quiet as the SEIU vehicle drove up the slope and stopped not far from a small courtyard.
The team stepped out. Leading them was Zhao Huoyan, a familiar face in Lingcheng. His name had appeared countless times in news related to spiritual activity.
As soon as they arrived, the people kneeling by the roadside began shouting for help.
"Director Zhao! Please, you have to help us! Song Miaozhu's gone too far!"
"Director Zhao! My father's still unconscious! You have to give us justice!"
"She even demanded a ransom! Said she wouldn't let me go unless I paid fifty thousand!"
...
The paper soldiers tugged on the hemp ropes in their hands. The kneeling ones flinched and fell silent at once, though their heads twisted to stare pleadingly at Zhao Huoyan's group, eyes brimming with desperation.
Zhao Huoyan frowned slightly. He looked at the paper soldiers gripping the ropes, clearly guarding the scene. "And you two are…?"
The paper soldiers glanced at the newcomers, their eyes devoid of emotion. They said nothing.
Zhao Huoyan waited for a while, but it quickly became clear that these two identical figures—who looked like twins—had no intention of replying.
Inside, Song Miaozhu had already learned from her little paper servant that they had arrived. She set aside the paper craft she was working on and stepped out, just in time to see Zhao Huoyan and the others locked in a silent standoff with the two paper soldiers.
"They're not human," she said.
Zhao Huoyan turned at the sound. "Master Song! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. They didn't give me any trouble," Song Miaozhu replied with a calm shake of her head. She held up a tablet. "I've got the surveillance footage right here. Everything that just happened is recorded. Would you like to take a look?"
Given how loud things had gotten earlier, she had already anticipated an official visit. She just hadn't expected Zhao Huoyan to come in person.
They watched the footage together. Everything was crystal clear. From the old man knocking on the door, to pretending to fall, to the crowd gathering in the name of justice to pressure Master Song. Through it all, she never once stepped outside. It wasn't until someone brought a ladder and tried to climb the wall that the two powerful "bodyguards" finally came out and subdued them.
The two had been stationed there specifically to prevent incidents like this—troublemakers looking to harass Master Song over the Spirit-Gathering Lucky Dolls, disturbing her cultivation.
After all, she alone decided how many dolls were made each day. If she got annoyed or distracted, production would drop. That meant fewer dolls for each SEIU branch across the regions.
Sure, making them kneel on the side of the road facing the mountains as punishment might seem a little humiliating, but it wasn't exactly excessive.
As for the ransom demands? Completely justified. Each Spirit-Gathering Lucky Doll cost 30,000 contribution points—that's three million yuan. Asking them to cough up a few thousand was generous. Those trying to bargain down to 30,000 or 50,000 yuan were clearly scheming. Probably the masterminds behind the whole incident. Frankly, they were getting off easy.
"We'll go with Master Song's decision. Once the kneeling punishment is complete, you cultivators will report to the SEIU. This incident of organized disturbance will be recorded in your cultivation profiles."
The kneeling ones looked like their necks were about to snap from how hard they twisted to stare at him, waiting for this very verdict.
"What?!"
They had expected rescue, not sentencing.
Once a negative mark entered a cultivator's record, joining the SEIU became impossible. If the mark indicated serious misconduct, even their children's future prospects could be affected.
They had only come to snatch a few Spirit-Gathering Dolls, hoping to soak up more spiritual energy. Banking on strength in numbers and the notion that the law wouldn't bother with a mob, they tried to pressure a lone girl. If they succeeded, great. If not, nothing major would happen. Even the police wouldn't bother with it.
They never imagined the SEIU would side with her—and punish them.
Only now did they realize the truth of the situation.
They couldn't bully Song Miaozhu. The SEIU stood firmly with her.
She might be a solitary orphan who rarely left the mountain, but clearly, she had strong ties with Lingcheng's SEIU.
Too late for regrets now.
"I'll pay the fine!"
"Me too!"
...
With no hope of rescue, they figured they might as well pay quickly to reduce their kneeling time. Song Miaozhu had the paper soldiers untie those who were willing to pay and pulled out a QR code for payment.
As soon as the money was received, those people scrambled to their feet and fled the scene, tails between their legs. More and more stood up, making the few who remained look even more conspicuous.
The atmosphere changed. There was a big difference between kneeling with a crowd and kneeling alone. More gave in and paid.
In the end, only Wang Lao Qi and his son were left.
"My father has asthma! He's seriously weakened and still unconscious! Song Miaozhu has to pay for this!"
"He has asthma, and you made him hike all the way up here to demand Spirit-Gathering Dolls from Master Song?" Zhang Leyong scoffed. "Let's not pretend. Even if he really did faint, you should be the one paying, not her."
"You two want to kneel? Go ahead. Drop dead kneeling for all I care," Song Miaozhu said coldly.
If she let them off easy now, all sorts of pests would come buzzing around her in the future. She would never know peace again.
Wang Lao Qi's son turned to the SEIU group, eyes filled with accusation. "You're just going to stand by and do nothing?"
"This is Master Song's residence. Cultivators have a certain level of authority over incidents that occur on their own grounds. Even excessive self-defense is permitted," Zhao Huoyan replied.
In other words, even if someone accidentally died, it wouldn't be illegal.
Wang Lao Qi immediately snapped out of his "faint." "Forget it! Son, let it go. That girl's got a black heart. She really would kill someone!"
...
With great reluctance, the son paid the fine and helped his father down the mountain.
"Mind if we step inside for a chat?" Zhao Huoyan asked.
"Come in," Song Miaozhu replied.
He turned to his team. "Stay out here and keep watch. If anyone else shows up looking for trouble, detain them immediately and bring them back to HQ for questioning."
Only after giving the order did he follow Master Song into the house.
His eyes kept drifting to the two towering women standing beside her.
He hadn't forgotten what Song Miaozhu had said earlier.
They're not human? If not human… then what?
He recalled how emotionless and efficient they looked in the video as they subdued the crowd. And even now, they hadn't said a single word.
"They're paper soldiers," Song Miaozhu explained. "Not only can they deal with people, they can fight spirits too. They're the ones who protect me in underworld."
She had already decided not to keep their identities a secret any longer. That was why she'd let Zero-One and Zero-Two take action today.
"Paper soldiers?" Zhao Huoyan looked at them in astonishment. "They look completely lifelike! I can't even tell they're made of paper. How is that possible?"
"That's what happens when you cultivate a spiritual item properly."
She had no interest in elaborating further.