The main gate of Gao Family Village was alive with activity.
Convoys of carts rolled in from the county seat one after another, their wooden wheels creaking under heavy loads while horses snorted clouds of breath into the air. Servants moved busily between them, shouting instructions and coordinating the unloading. Ever since Liang Shixian had personally sworn that not a single grain would be embezzled, he had treated the entire relief effort with the utmost seriousness, guarding it as carefully as if it were his own inheritance.
Today marked the first transport of grain, and he had come in person, riding at the head of the convoy in full official robes. His scribe and constables accompanied him, standing close at his side while he remained at the gate, watching each cart enter, load flour, and depart once more.
Beside him, the scribe leaned in and whispered, his voice filled with awe.
"The strength of the Li family is beyond comprehension. This is already the thirtieth cart of flour. It is truly terrifying."
Liang Shixian gave a faint nod.
A clan descended from the Tang imperial bloodline, with a legacy spanning more than a thousand years, naturally possessed foundations far beyond those of ordinary families. To receive the support of such a lineage was nothing short of a blessing. Without it, he would have walked straight into a deadly trap and become easy prey for the Eunuch faction waiting to destroy him.
Only after the fortieth cart had been loaded and sent off did San Shier finally emerge.
He approached with measured steps, cupped his hands respectfully, and offered a faint smile.
"Your Excellency, the forty carts of flour promised by the Li family have all been delivered. What remains now depends on your methods of saving the people."
Liang Shixian returned the salute with solemn dignity.
"This official will personally oversee the distribution. If anyone dares embezzle even a single grain, they will be executed without mercy."
San Shier smiled calmly.
"The countless people of Chengcheng County are watching. If Your Excellency remains upright, the people will naturally honor and support you. But if not..."
He left the rest unsaid, his meaning clear enough.
Liang Shixian lifted his chin, pride and resolve burning in his eyes.
"If I take even a mouthful from the relief provisions, may heaven strike me down where I stand."
San Shier bowed once more.
"Then the lives of the people rest in your hands."
Liang Shixian tightened his grip on the reins and turned his horse, following the departing convoy as it carried hope toward the starving population.
Meanwhile, far beyond their world, Li Daoxuan sat hunched over his computer, completely absorbed in studying winter wheat cultivation.
Gao Family Village was preparing to plant winter wheat, and as someone who had grown up in the city with no farming experience, he found the entire process strangely fascinating. He had already adjusted the cameras inside the diorama box so they hovered above the fields, capturing every movement of the villagers below with crystal clarity.
He read carefully, murmuring to himself.
"So the first step is deep plowing."
He glanced toward the box and saw Gao Chuwu working alongside his parents. The young man's strength was remarkable. Each swing of the plow turned over thick layers of soil, sending clumps of earth flying.
Li Daoxuan laughed and slapped his forehead.
"Farmers understand this a hundred times better than I ever could. Trying to teach them would just make me look ridiculous."
He paused, then grimaced.
"Damn it. I've picked up San Shier's way of speaking."
He quickly skipped over the basic farming steps. The villagers clearly knew their work. What he needed to focus on was fertilizer.
Soon, he came across something important.
"The soil pH should be around 6.5."
He froze.
"How am I supposed to measure that?"
After a frantic search, he discovered that flower markets sold pH testing probes.
But the deeper he read, the more complicated everything became. Potassium sulfate, phosphate fertilizers, organic manure, microbial treatments. Each served a different purpose, and using the wrong one could do more harm than good.
A headache began to form.
"Damn it. Last time, the villagers wished for a better harvest, and I thought fertilizer would be an easy solution. But if I mess this up, I could destroy their crops entirely."
He straightened in his chair, determination hardening his expression.
"A promise is a promise."
He spent hours studying.
He read agricultural manuals. He watched instructional videos. He called relatives who still lived in rural areas and asked detailed questions about soil conditions, fertilizers, and crop management.
Their practical experience proved invaluable.
At last, he picked up the pH probe he had purchased and carefully lowered it into the diorama box.
At that moment, Gao Chuwu and his parents were hard at work in their field.
Without warning, a massive silver rod descended from the heavens and drove itself deep into the earth.
They froze in shock.
"Huh?"
Fortunately, strange divine occurrences were no longer unfamiliar to the people of Gao Family Village.
Gao Chuwu tilted his head back and stared upward.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, what is this? Did you borrow this giant staff from Sun Wukong?"
His parents immediately smacked him.
"Fool. Show proper respect."
Above them, Li Daoxuan paid no attention to their reaction. His focus remained on the probe's display.
pH 7.5.
Too alkaline.
He quickly sent the reading, along with detailed descriptions of the soil and environment, to his rural relatives. After reviewing the information, they provided precise recommendations, including fertilizer type and exact dosage.
After calculating carefully, Li Daoxuan called out.
"Yiye. Come here."
Gao Yiye immediately ran forward.
He handed her the fertilizer.
"Tell Gao Chuwu's family to measure exactly two jin. No more, no less. Dissolve it in water and spread it evenly across the field. Their harvest will improve this year."
Gao Yiye's face lit up with joy.
She ran off at once.
"Chuwu. Chuwu. Dao Xuan Tianzun has bestowed divine fertilizer upon your family. Your harvest will flourish."
Gao Chuwu's father was overwhelmed with gratitude.
"To receive Tianzun's grace is the greatest blessing our family could hope for."
For a farmer, nothing inspired greater confidence than the promise of a good harvest.
One field completed.
Li Daoxuan pulled the probe free and moved on to the next.
Once again, the silver rod descended from the heavens and pierced another family's land.
Soon, Gao Yiye arrived there as well.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun commands that you use three jin. Dissolve it in water and apply it evenly."
That family bowed repeatedly, their faces filled with reverence and joy.
One by one, every field in Gao Family Village received Tianzun's guidance.
At the edges of the village, refugees and villagers from Zhengjia Village, Wangjia Village, Zhongjia Village, and other nearby settlements watched silently.
Their eyes were filled with longing.
"Gao Family Village is truly fortunate," one of them murmured. "They have land to farm. Our villages still have nothing. Not even rain."
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan paused.
He felt a weight settle in his chest.
If only his influence could reach farther.
Just then, his gaze shifted to the Salvation Index displayed outside the box.
It began to rise.
Five points, increasing in rapid succession.
He immediately understood.
Liang Shixian had begun distributing relief porridge.
And somewhere beyond the boundaries of Gao Family Village, lives were being saved.