Night had already fallen. The bandit army had arrived at dusk, and after the battle ended, darkness soon set in. The Bai family entourage couldn’t travel further that day and had to stay overnight in Gaojia Village. The village houses were limited and couldn’t accommodate everyone. The tenant farmers from Bai Family Fortress, accustomed to hardship, didn’t mind crowding by the city wall with the refugees living there. However, Bai Yuan, Madam Bai, and Young Master Bai couldn’t squeeze together with those refugees. After some hesitation, the trio looked toward the newly built “Dao Xuan Deity Cave.” In ancient times, travelers often sought lodging in temples. Unoccupied temples without resident monks could be freely used. But in Gaojia Village, things were different. The Deity hovered above them, and His divine power had manifested just recently. Who would dare irreverently barge into His sanctum? Gao Yiye tilted her head as if listening to the heavens, then beamed. “The Deity has permitted it.” Bai Yuan joyfully bowed toward the sky. “My deepest apologies for this intrusion. In future days, I shall build a temple and cast a sacred statue in Your honor.” Gao Yiye added, “The Deity decrees: One hour from now, when all villagers have rested, Thirty-Two, Third Lady, and Bai Yuan must come to the Deity Cave. He has tasks for each of you.” The named individuals straightened up immediately. Third Lady especially was astounded; she’d never expected a woman like herself to be summoned by the Deity. Shivering with excitement, she whispered, “This lowly woman… to earn the Deity’s esteem… it’s a blessing earned over three lifetimes.” All began eagerly counting down the hour. Darkness came swiftly. As the sun plummeted below the horizon, the world turned pitch-black, lit only by the moon above and the dim glow of lanterns along the city wall. The villagers rested. Only two sentinels patrolled the walls. A few oil lamps flickered to life inside the Dao Xuan Deity Cave. Gao Yiye, Thirty-Two, Third Lady, and Bai Yuan sat circled around them. Madam Bai and Young Master Bai, unsummoned, dared not approach and stayed well away. Gao Yiye tilted her head, listening. “The Deity has arrived!” The others straightened their posture, backs rigid. Li Daoxuan gazed through his window. “Only you few are summoned because only you, in Gaojia Village, can accomplish this. This is an honorable and challenging task.” The moment Gao Yiye finished translating, Thirty-Two rushed to respond, “No matter how arduous, I shall strive with utmost dedication.” Bai Yuan also offered a deep bow to Li Daoxuan’s statue nearby. “This life was saved by the Deity. I dare not refuse any command.” Li Daoxuan: “I wish to save more suffering souls, freeing them from hardship and violence, granting them peaceful lives.” He paused briefly. He nearly said “let things unfold naturally,” but that applied only to his own perspective. Others needed their own efforts. He swallowed those words. Both men blinked in uncertainty. It was Third Lady who caught the spirit. Seeing herself as compassionate, she thrilled at the prospect of rescue work. Chiding the men beside her, she said, “What are you dazed about? The Deity, in boundless mercy, seeks to save all humanity! What a magnificent vision! And you’re stunned?” The men hastily bowed. “The Deity’s benevolence is profound.” Yet, how to effectively save the masses left them baffled. Where to even start? Li Daoxuan: “In this drought, I can bestow grain upon the people to ensure survival. That too is rescue. But if saved, they become idle parasites, is that true deliverance?” Instantly, they grasped it. “Give them tools for fishing, not just fish.” “Exactly!” Li Daoxuan agreed. “Salvation is complex. Some require merely life preserved; survival alone propels them onward. Others need more – souls saved alongside lives. Perhaps only then are they truly alive.” Li Daoxuan’s understanding of the “Rescue Index” remained incomplete. He felt his way, testing possibilities. Li Daoxuan’s voice deepened. “Yet, happiness isn’t something everyone deserves. For the virtuous, I embrace my role as a merciful fool, aiding them unstintingly. For the vile, those who engage in illegal activities or cruelty? They deserve not salvation, but divine slaying. To spare them is to harm others. Eliminating evil is rescue.” Truthfully, after realizing the box overlooked the Ming Dynasty, Li Daoxuan resolved to rescue widely. Yet he remained fiercely protective, smiting the unrepentant. A “merciful fool” who loathed evil intensely, his salvation was selective. He preferred limited vision over saving monsters. Li Daoxuan addressed Bai Yuan: “You return to Bai Family Fortress tomorrow?” Bai Yuan: “Yes! With their chief slain by the Deity’s divine palm, the remaining bandits pose little threat. I must return and restore order.” Li Daoxuan: “The common folk near your fortress suffer terribly now. Yet your treasury, emptied by bandits, leaves you powerless to help them rebuild.” Li Daoxuan: “Step outside. Look inside your carriage.” Baffled, Bai Yuan hurried out. The carriage stood at the cave’s entrance. He reached it swiftly, flung the curtain open, and gaped. Inside lay half a carriage full of flour balls, loaded there unseen. Li Daoxuan: “Carry this food back to aid those around the fortress. This is insufficient, of course. Dispatch men and carts later to Gaojia Village for more grain. Ensure no villager endures hardship. Then guide them toward new lives.” Bai Yuan breathed deeply, bowing profoundly skyward. “The Deity’s benevolence is boundless.” Li Daoxuan then spoke to Third Lady: “You hold one jar of burn salve already. Tomorrow, prepare more vials. I shall confer sacred medicines of varied potency. Take them to heal the world’s afflictions.” Third Lady understood instantly. “With each life cured, I shall proclaim Your glorious vision.” Li Daoxuan: “That isn’t necessary. They needn’t know their savior. Healing is grace enough. But tell them: This gift of life must never become a blade aimed at others.” Hearing this, Bai Yuan felt a jolt of comprehension and added swiftly, “When aiding villagers around my fortress, I’ll teach them the Deity’s truth: Salvation belongs to the worthy. Those who engage in illegal activities forfeit its grace. Rescue includes instruction in virtue.” Li Daoxuan: “Yes. So it shall be.” With that, He “vanished” beyond the “clouds”… Gao Yiye: “The Deity has returned to His heavenly realm.” A collective sigh of relief filled the cave. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N0veI.Fiɾe.net Bai Yuan shook his head. “I nearly made a grave mistake. For a moment, I misunderstood the Deity, fearing He acted an undiscriminating fool… Saving all indiscriminately? How deeply disrespectful! As for the Rites of the Six Arts of Gentlemen… cross that one out.”