The Birth of a New Scheme
This time, Li Daoxuan didn't print a full A5 sheet.He printed the Supreme Treasure Edition Sun Wukong onto a tiny corner, then carefully cut out that corner with scissors.
The result was a miniature picture—just three centimeters long and two centimeters wide. Any smaller and the details of the Monkey King's golden circlet, purple coat, and fierce eyebrows would blur into nothingness.
He placed the tiny printout gently into the diorama box, right in front of Gao Yiye and the two sculptors.
A Divine Appearance (Again)
The sculptors had seen the "Heavenly Venerable Apparition" once before—but it still scared the soul out of them.The moment the small picture descended from the sky like a divine omen, both men froze, then dropped to their knees and banged their heads on the ground.
Only after Gao Yiye hauled them upright by force did they dare look at the image carefully.
They recognized it instantly.
"This is… the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the Victorious Fighting Buddha—Sun Wukong!"
As expected of craftsmen, they recognized deities more quickly than relatives.
A New Assignment
Gao Yiye relayed Li Daoxuan's voice from the heavens:
"Tianzun commands you to carve this Buddha exactly as shown. And not from clay—this one must be wood."
The two sculptors squeaked.
"Make it as big as the picture? Two feet tall?"To them, a two-foot wooden statue was already approaching the size of a small giant Buddha.And where in these mountains were they supposed to find a tree thick enough for that?
But Gao Yiye shook her head.
"No, no. Just make it taller than a man. Human-height is enough."
The sculptors exhaled.
"Oh, then that's easy! A life-sized wooden statue is a few days' work. The details will take longer, but with careful carving, we can do it."
Then Gao Yiye delivered the killing blow:
"Tianzun says… it must be painted."
The sculptors' faces turned green.
"Paint? Madam… colored pigments are extremely costly!"
"That's Tianzun's concern," Gao Yiye replied calmly. "Start by finding suitable wood. When the wooden embryo is finished and ready for coloring, come to me."
That was good enough for them. They hurried off to search for timber.
The Quest for Paint
Li Daoxuan rose from his seat outside the box.
"Time to go out again."
Across from his apartment community was the massive Red Star Macalline Furniture City—a labyrinth of overpriced couches, suspiciously glossy wardrobes, and, thankfully, a tiny paint shop hidden in a corner.
Ten minutes of wandering later, he found what he needed.
Mini-paints, 15 yuan a can.
He grabbed every color, weighed down like a mobile art supply shop, and hauled them home. Soon the diorama box was surrounded by bottles and cans like a shrine to DIY craftiness.
Gaojia Village in Motion
By the time he returned, Gaojia Village was alive with noise.
Blacksmiths were hammering away under Master Li Da's guidance. To anyone else it looked like forging iron; to Li Daoxuan, it looked suspiciously like table tennis with molten metal.
Villagers—old and new—were hauling stones and beams, preparing the foundation of the soon-to-be Temple of Heavenly Venerable Daoxuan.
San Shier drifted through the crowd with his hands behind his back like a self-appointed general, directing everyone with the air of someone who definitely wasn't qualified but pretended otherwise.
Li Daoxuan watched this bustling scene and felt a warmth in his chest.
My children are growing up…He smiled the indulgent smile of an elderly mother who absolutely wasn't elderly.
Unexpected Visitors
By sunset, dust clouds rose from beyond the village.
Li Daoxuan glanced over, and his eyes narrowed.
A general in full armor rode at the front, followed by more than a hundred soldiers in cloth armor. Their steps thundered. Their voices echoed.
The officials and soldiers had come.
"Ah," Li Daoxuan muttered. "That's trouble."
He could easily squash them all with a few slaps—but that would be wasteful.
Instead, he leaned over the box.
"Gao Yiye. Go call San Shier. I'll teach him how to bluff the officers and soldiers away."
General Cheng Xu
The leader of the troops was Cheng Xu, a ninth-rank military officer of the Ming Dynasty—an inspector tasked with catching bandits.
He was furious enough to curse Wang Er, the infamous "White Water King," all the way back to eighteen generations of ancestors. His colorful vocabulary demonstrated the long, unbroken tradition of Ming-era sincerity and enthusiasm, e.g.:
"May your ancestors rise from their graves to scold you!"
"May your next son be born without a backside!"
"May your whole clan be chopped up like firewood!"
He had reason to be angry.
Only days earlier, the county had descended into chaos.Wang Er and his mob had stormed the county seat, decapitated Magistrate Zhang Yaocai, killed officials, robbed the granary, and murdered local gentry.
By the time Cheng Xu arrived, Zhang's severed head was already hanging on the city gate, swinging gently in the breeze like a grotesque lantern.
It was dereliction of duty, plain and simple.And the court would punish him for it—unless he caught Wang Er quickly.
So he traced the bandit's trail to Wangjia Village… only to find it deserted.He wandered, searching for any clue, and thus arrived near Gaojia Village.
And then he saw it.
The "City"
A towering stone wall, shining with the glow of the setting sun.
Cheng Xu blinked.
"…What in Heaven's name?"
His deputy whispered, "General… that's a city."
"A city?" Cheng Xu hissed. "Don't tell me Wang Er built a fortress in the mountains!"
If the bandit really had a walled city, the hundred soldiers behind him would be as useful as wet noodles.
His heart sank.
If Wang Er has grown this powerful, I'm finished. The imperial court will roast me alive…
Before his despair could deepen, a cheerful voice interrupted him.
"Oh my, isn't this General Cheng? What a surprise!"
San Shier approached, smiling like a fox greeting chickens.
"Such a distinguished guest! What brings you to Gaojia Village?"
Normally Cheng Xu wanted to punch San Shier on sight.But at this moment, the familiar ridiculousness strangely comforted him.
He dismounted."Third Master? Thank Heaven you're here. A city just appeared out of nowhere—I thought Wang Er built it! Tell me quickly, what's going on?"
San Shier blinked innocently.
"A city? Where?"
Cheng Xu pointed at the enormous wall behind him."That! That huge city wall! What else could it be?"
San Shier turned dramatically, squinting left and right as if examining an empty horizon.
"City wall? General, with all due respect, your imagination is impressive. There is no city here—just a humble refugee village. No walls. Nothing grand. You must be… seeing things."
Cheng Xu's eyelid twitched.
He yanked half his saber from its sheath.
"San Shier, are you TALKING NONSENSE WITH YOUR EYES OPEN?!Are you playing with me?!"