At first light, Bai Yuan and his family were already preparing to leave.
A dozen Bai family guards and several dozen tenant farmers would return with him to Bai Family Fortress. The journey from Gao Family Village took roughly two hours on foot, so everyone needed a proper meal before departure.
San Shier lent them pots and bowls and personally arranged the food. There was fluffy white rice, tender bok choy, and finely cut chicken. He cooked several large pots of chicken and bok choy porridge. Steam rose thickly into the air, carrying a rich fragrance.
Everyone ate their fill.
For the tenant farmers, this was a shocking experience. Many of them had never eaten such good food in their lives. As they swallowed the porridge, tears streamed down their faces.
They could hardly believe it.
They had fled bandits for dozens of li, running for their lives like stray dogs. Yet the food they now ate was better than what they had back home. The contrast made the world feel absurd.
Their eyes drifted toward the grand structure at the center of the village.
The Grotto of Dao Xuan Tianzun stood tall and magnificent.
At that moment, a thought formed in their hearts. Gao Family Village enjoyed abundant food and strong walls because they were protected by Dao Xuan Tianzun. If Bai Family Fortress built a temple and worshipped sincerely, perhaps they too could receive such blessings.
By the time they finished eating, the decision had already been made.
They would build a temple.
Even if they had to sell everything, they would build one.
Before leaving, Madam Bai and Young Master Bai climbed into their carriage. But within moments, they both leaned out with alarm.
"Master, the carriage is full of flour. There's no room to sit."
Bai Yuan snorted.
"Endure it."
They had no choice but to obey.
Half the carriage was stacked with flour sacks. Each time the wheels jolted against the road, the sacks shifted and released clouds of fine white powder. By the time they reached Bai Family Fortress, both Madam Bai and her son were covered from head to toe in flour. They looked like pale ghosts.
Bai Family Fortress itself had been thoroughly looted.
The bandits had taken everything. Furniture, cloth, grain, silver. Nothing remained except empty halls and bare walls.
Bai Yuan showed no sign of distress.
He dismissed the guards and brought his son alone to the rear courtyard. There, he pried open a large bluestone slab embedded in the ground. Beneath it lay a hidden passage.
They descended.
At the end of the passage was a secret basement.
Inside lay piles of gold, silver, and jewels.
Bai Yuan casually grabbed a sack filled with gold and silver, then returned to the surface and sealed the entrance again.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"My Bai family rises again."
He stepped forward and addressed the assembled guards and tenants.
"Each of you will receive one tael of silver and two catties of flour. After that, go find our scattered neighbors and bring them back. Bai Family Fortress will be rebuilt."
He paused briefly.
"Remember this. Our survival today is thanks to Dao Xuan Tianzun's protection."
Everyone answered in unison.
"May Dao Xuan Tianzun protect us."
Bai Yuan stroked his beard thoughtfully.
He had now established Dao Xuan Tianzun's authority and spread his influence. He had also personally demonstrated proper ritual conduct. Surely, this counted as fulfilling the discipline of rites among a gentleman's six arts.
Above Gao Family Village, the sky was clear and bright.
Mrs. San held a bundle of jars tightly in her arms. Her face glowed with excitement and reverence.
Inside the jars were medicines.
Dao Xuan Tianzun had given them to her directly.
She had carefully transferred each one into the finest containers she owned and labeled them.
Burn medicine.
Wound medicine.
Skin rash treatment.
Cold medicine.
Stomach medicine.
The assortment included both traditional remedies and modern pharmaceuticals.
Li Daoxuan himself was no medical expert. He simply provided small portions of common medicines he had at home. Creams were easy enough to handle. He could scoop a small amount and give it to her.
Tablets were more troublesome.
He had to cut tiny fragments and let Mrs. San grind them into powder.
The entire process took two days. In the end, more than a dozen jars were filled.
Li Daoxuan repeatedly warned her about proper dosage.
External medicines were relatively safe. Applying too much rarely caused serious harm. But internal medicines were different. Too much could kill.
Ancient people had no concept of grams, so he could only describe the dosage using comparisons.
"For this cold medicine, use no more than half the size of your pinky fingernail per dose. Take it three times a day. Always after meals. Never on an empty stomach."
Mrs. San listened carefully and recorded every word.
"For this detoxifying medicine, use even less. Half a pinky fingernail. Twice a day."
Again, she wrote it down.
Each jar received its own instruction label.
To her, these jars were more precious than life itself.
For two entire days, she guarded them obsessively. Anyone who came near was treated as a potential thief.
Even San Shier was not spared.
When he reached out to touch one jar, she struck him repeatedly, her fists landing like those of an enraged tigress. His face soon became swollen.
"Do you know what these are?" she shouted. "These are celestial medicines. Dao Xuan Tianzun entrusted them to me. I would protect them with my life. And you dare touch them?"
San Shier quickly apologized.
He nearly knelt before her before she finally calmed down.
Afterward, he kept his distance and asked cautiously,
"Wife, now that you have these medicines, what will you do next?"
Mrs. San answered without hesitation.
"I will return to the county town."
San Shier frowned.
"The county town is dangerous. Chaos still lingers. What if something happens to you? Dao Xuan Tianzun's divine power only manifests here."
His words gave her pause.
She was afraid.
But only briefly.
Soon, determination replaced fear.
"I follow the Heavenly Dao to save the people," she declared firmly. "Though I am not a saint, I am still a divine messenger. Evil cannot touch me."
San Shier fell silent.
Even his sharp tongue could not find a response.
At last, he sighed.
"Very well. Give me a few days to finish matters here. I will escort you back to the county town with several young men. Once you are settled, I will return and continue managing Dao Xuan Tianzun's affairs here."
Mrs. San nodded.
Her arms tightened around the jars.
In her eyes, they were no longer mere medicine.
They were miracles.