Alone, I Drink Myself Drunk

Lin Wen picked up the three children, walked out of the cave, and leaped onto the embankment.

"Safe."

He spoke briefly.

He handed the children over to Xiuyu, who rushed toward him. She clutched all three children tightly and wept until she could barely speak, choking out again and again, "My children... thank goodness, thank goodness. Even if I have to work myself like an ox or a horse, I'll repay you..."

The others were equally overjoyed. They could not wait to spread the news, shouting with all their might atop the dike.

"The children have been found!"

"We've found hope!"

"Everyone is safe!"

"The Great Immortal's divine powers are vast, his magic boundless!"

"Enough!"

Lin Wen cut off that beginning in time. He had no desire to turn into some fool like the Old Immortal of the Constellations.

Standing atop the dike, he began addressing the tens of thousands below.

"I am Lin Wen, Commandery Governor of Long Mountain Commandery. From this moment on, I officially take over the post-disaster reconstruction efforts. I will bring you food, tents, hot water, and medicine. I will organize everyone to rebuild our homes together."

He repeated what he had said before, setting the tone for what the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart would say next so it would not lose its bearings.

Since the duration of the previous spell had run out, Lin Wen had no choice but to spend Good Karma to activate another Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart.

The speech lasted five minutes before the situation showed signs of spiraling out of control. No matter how he guided the topic, the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart would always drift on its own toward immortals and immortal arts saving all the people of the world.

In the end, Lin Wen had no choice but to cut the speech short and force an ending.

"All right. Now, please return to the camp in an orderly manner and tell those who have not yet heard the news."

Only then did the crowd disperse reluctantly.

Afterward, Lin Wen went down from the dike, gathered all the Imperial soldiers, and announced his decision.

"Starting today, you will join the reconstruction effort and build homes for the common people."

Even the Imperial soldiers, who had always obeyed orders, erupted into commotion. Fang Dashan was even more incredulous. "What? We're joining the reconstruction effort? But we're Imperial soldiers! We're not engineering troops. Besides, even engineering troops don't do this—this is labor meant for the workers of the Construction Corps!"

Lin Wen said sternly, "This is an order!"

"But, but, this..."

Seeing that none of them could accept it, Lin Wen changed tack and asked, "Tell me, what is the duty of an Imperial soldier?"

Fang Dashan straightened his back and shouted, "Defend our homes and protect our country!"

Lin Wen asked again, "Why defend our homes and protect our country?"

Fang Dashan froze. He had never encountered such a strange question before. After hemming and hawing for quite some time, he finally said uncertainly, "Of course, it's to protect the interests of the Empire's people from violation and keep their safety from being threatened."

Lin Wen pointed at the departing disaster victims and asked again, "Are they not people of the Empire?"

"Of course they are."

Lin Wen snapped, "Then the flood has violated their interests and threatened their safety. Why aren't you helping them?"

"This, this isn't... but this isn't, isn't..." Fang Dashan got stuck again. He felt a string in his mind tightening and twisting, as though it might snap at any moment.

Lin Wen pointed at their uniforms and equipment. "What you need and take comes from the people's blood and sweat."

Then he pointed at Fang Dashan. "What you do is deceive the world and steal a name you do not deserve!"

Fang Dashan's face instantly flushed bright red. He struggled to defend himself. "No, it's not like that, Officer Lin. We... we didn't know. The Empire has no precedent for this."

Lin Wen sneered. "From now on, it does. And it starts with you."

Fang Dashan's face turned pale again.

Lin Wen turned away, leaving only his back to them.

"Do you know that there is a method that can make you unstoppable, invincible in every battle?"

"If you accomplish it, every one of you will be Imperial heroes."

"Heroes appointed by me."

Fang Dashan's face reddened to the tips of his ears. He scratched at his head, both excited and unable to believe it.

"Really? Can we really become that kind of unit?"

"If we do, can our combat strength really increase severalfold?"

Lin Wen merely smiled at Fang Dashan's questions.

"Rest assured."

Fang Dashan huffed and puffed for a while, then suddenly slapped his chest and shouted, "From this moment on, everyone joins the post-disaster reconstruction team! Whoever doesn't want to do it, speak up now—I'll kick him out myself!"

That night, after a lavish and sumptuous cultivation feast—two leafy greens, three radishes, a cup of dew collected from the night sky, and a bowl of millet rice befitting an immortal's aura—Huang Mingxiao came looking for him again.

Unlike Lin Wen, whose mood had improved to the point that he almost seemed bathed in sunshine, Huang Mingxiao looked miserable, haggard, and dejected.

He said, "Commandery Governor Lin, the food and daily supplies have already been distributed. As you instructed, enough for two days."

Lin Wen stood atop a hill as the night breeze drifted toward him. Taking a sip of dew from the night sky, he felt a faint intoxication rise within him. He seemed to float toward immortality, as though gravity had vanished and there were no more restraints between heaven and earth.

"I must remind you again: the supplies in storage will only last a little over one day. Please urge the procurement staff in the Finance Department's Purchasing Division to complete the purchases as quickly as possible."

Lin Wen took another sip of night-sky dew as though drinking fine wine. The pure water seemed to have acquired a kick, fermented from spiritual energy, rich and mellow.

"Also, as per your request, after the distribution work was completed, I gathered all the staff and security guards. They are now assembled outside town, awaiting screening and judgment."

With the third sip of night-sky dew, the world turned upside down, heaven and earth reversed. When he looked upon the world again, it felt as though three autumns had passed.

"Your subordinate has one final reminder: the screening must be swift. Those unable to prove their innocence should be detained for now and dealt with another day. The work cannot be left without people; otherwise, even if you punish the bad ones, if the people's lives do not improve, your prestige will decline just the same."

After the final sip of night-sky dew, Lin Wen was in high spirits and recited a poem on the spot.

"Wine does not intoxicate; men intoxicate themselves. Perhaps the mortal world, too, is bound by old affections."

"Why speak further of the immortal hero's road? One sword's cold gleam chills nineteen provinces!"

Huang Mingxiao listened quietly until he finished, then said, "Commandery Governor Lin, your subordinate has failed in his duties. I managed incompetently, failed to provide timely relief, and achieved nothing in suppressing the unrest. I request to resign and accept punishment."

His thoughts returned to the mortal world, and Lin Wen finally spoke to him. "No. Keep doing it."

What a joke. If such a fine worker ran off, where was he supposed to find another one?

Today, his good karma had already bled heavily; the wound had only just scabbed over. Lin Wen had no desire to tear it open again.

Thus, Huang Mingxiao was the only—and most suitable—candidate.

"But..."

Lin Wen cut him off. "There's no 'but.' Consider it making up for your mistakes through merit. If you handle what comes next well, your past faults will be forgiven."

He turned around, his gaze burning as he looked at him. "From now on, be sure to put your talents to use. You understand the saying, 'Mend the fold after the sheep are lost,' don't you?"

Huang Mingxiao looked both moved and admiring. "Commandery Governor Lin, I..."

Lin Wen had no intention of letting him continue. He asked, "Have you summoned the chief judge of the Long Mountain Commandery Tribunal?"

Huang Mingxiao nodded. "He has already been notified as you instructed. He will arrive a little later."

"Good. When he arrives, have him come directly to see me."

Lin Wen asked again, "Have the Imperial soldiers finished setting up camp?"

At those words, Huang Mingxiao looked slightly embarrassed. "They should be done soon. It won't affect tonight's rest."

During the day, he had just boasted before Commandery Governor Lin that he could arrange accommodations for however many people came. Then, that very night, three thousand Imperial soldiers had arrived all at once.

It worried Huang Mingxiao sick. Changle Town was so impoverished that, over the years, many people had fled famine, leaving behind countless empty houses. That was also why they had initially chosen to establish the temporary command headquarters here.

Though those empty houses were dilapidated, they could still be lived in after some cleaning and tidying, and there were quite a lot of them. Thus, housing people had not been difficult before.

But no matter how many there were, they absolutely could not house three thousand people.

Huang Mingxiao had never imagined so many would come. Changle Town did not have that many empty houses, and they could not force residents out of their homes.

In the end, it was Commandery Governor Lin who came up with the solution. He simply ordered the Imperial soldiers to camp outside town.

With a single sentence, he solved a problem that Huang Mingxiao had scratched his head over for half the day without finding an answer to.

So Huang Mingxiao truly had the feeling that Commandery Governor Lin might really be an immortal sent down by Heaven to save him. Without him, the consequences would have been unimaginable.