Li Daoxuan did not print out a full A5 sheet this time. He printed the pattern of the Supreme Treasure version of Sun Wukong onto a corner of an A5 sheet, then used scissors to cut that corner out.
It became a small picture merely three centimeters long and two centimeters wide.
He could not shrink it any further, or the details on the picture would also become unclear.
Then he gently placed this tiny picture into the box, setting it before Gao Yiye and the two sculptors.
This paper descending out of thin air really gave the two sculptors a fright. This was the first time they had seen the "Heavenly Venerable manifestation" after coming to Gao Family Village, and they were so frightened on the spot that they knelt on the ground and knocked their heads heavily several times.
When Gao Yiye told them to get up, the two looked closely and recognized it at once: "This is... Victorious Fighting Buddha, Sun Wukong."
As people who made sculptures, they truly recognized far more gods and Buddhas than the people of Gao Family Village did, and Gao Yiye had been unable to tell at a glance who this figure was.
"The Heavenly Venerable wants you to make this Buddha statue. It must be made exactly the same as this picture. Oh, right, don't make it out of mud; use wood."
"Make it as big as this picture? Two zhang tall?" The two sculptors were startled.
In their cognition, if a Buddha statue were made two zhang tall, it could already be called a giant Buddha. Besides, how thick of a tree would be needed to make a two-zhang wooden Buddha statue? Could a tree this big be cut down nearby?
Gao Yiye shook her head: "That's not necessary. Just make it one person tall."
The two sculptors: "That's simple then. With our craftsmanship, an ordinary one-person-tall statue can be made in a few days. It's just that if this statue is to be made exactly like the one in the picture, it will require quite a bit of fine work, and that will take a few more days to carve the details."
Gao Yiye listened sideways to the voice in the sky, putting on a solemn face: "It needs to be painted, oh."
As soon as these words came out, the two sculptors froze: "We don't have colorful lacquer, and this stuff is very expensive."
Gao Yiye: "This is a trivial matter. You go find the wood first. When the wooden blank is done and it's time for painting, come find me again."
The two sculptors hurriedly went to find wood.
Li Daoxuan stood up from beside the box: "I have to make another trip out."
Opposite the residential compound's east gate, there was a Red Star Macacall Home Furnishing Mall. He vaguely remembered that various paints were sold there. Following his memory all the way there, he spent ten minutes finding the paint shop in a corner of the furniture mall.
Miniature paints at 15 yuan a can, a small can of every color. This stuff was quite heavy; when all the colors were bought complete, it was terribly heavy. He managed to carry it home with difficulty and placed the large pile of bottles and cans beside the Scenery Box.
After going out for a stroll and returning, the village was already a scene of bustling activity. Several blacksmiths were now gathered around Li Da in the blacksmith's shop, clanging and banging away at iron blocks under his guidance.
New and old villagers worked together to transport stones and timber, busily and enthusiastically preparing to build a temple. San Shier carried his hands behind his back, weaving back and forth through the crowd, directing the villagers to run here for a while and run there for a while.
The atmosphere of human fireworks began to grow thick, and shouts rose one after another.
Li Daoxuan looked as though his own child was growing up, wearing the gratified smile of an old mother.
As the setting sun went down, people arrived outside the village...
Li Daoxuan's gaze slanted toward the outside of the village, and tsk, extraordinary, quite a lot of people were coming.
A general riding a tall horse, wearing armor and a helmet, looking like a human-shaped creature, led the way. Behind him, over a hundred soldiers in cloth armor came noisily toward Gao Family Village.
The government troops had arrived.
Li Daoxuan did not need to use his brain cells to know why the government troops had come to this vicinity. He frowned and thought about it-slapping them all to death with a few pats would be easy, but... there was no need!
He lowered his head and said into the box: "Gao Yiye, go call San Shier over. I'll teach him how to bluff the government troops away."
The leading military officer was named Cheng Xu, a ninth-rank military officer of Great Ming, a patrol inspector.
He was currently inquiring after the eighteenth generation of Wang Er of Baishui's ancestors from the back of his horse.
The greetings he used fully demonstrated our dynasty's tradition of respecting the old and loving the young for thousands of years, such as: fuck your mother, shag your dad, chop up your whole family, have a son without an anus, and so on.
It was no wonder he was furious, because the work of the patrol inspector position was to arrest bandits and maintain public order.
A few days ago, while he was watching an opera troupe sing in his own territory, he suddenly heard the news that Wang Er had raised his arms in a call, gathered several hundred mud-legged peasants, hacked his way into the county seat, and hacked County Magistrate Zhang Yaocai to death. He had also conveniently hacked the county magistrate's assistant and the chief secretary, killed several wealthy gentry, opened the granary, and seized the official grain.
The incident happened too suddenly. By the time Cheng Xu received the news and hurriedly mustered the soldiers under his command to rush to the county seat to suppress it, it was already too late.
Zhang Yaocai's head was hung on the city gate, swaying left and right in the wind. Wang Er of Baishui's gang had already patted their bottoms and slipped away smoothly, leaving him with only a devastated Chengcheng County seat and several houses with black smoke billowing from them.
No matter which direction one looked at this matter, it was Cheng Xu's dereliction of duty. Being held accountable and blamed afterward was definitely going to be unavoidable.
He had spent two days pacifying the out-of-control county seat. What he could do now was to bring Wang Er to justice as soon as possible, so that perhaps he could atone for his crimes with meritorious service and lighten his guilt just a tiny bit.
Cheng Xu had just come from Wang Family Village. That village was already empty of people with not even a ghost's shadow to be found. Wanting to ask which direction Wang Er had fled, he could find no one to ask, so he had no choice but to wander around everywhere nearby, and as he wandered and wandered, he wandered over to Gao Family Village.
Catching a sudden glimpse of Gao Family Village's "towering city wall," Cheng Xu couldn't help rubbing his eyes: "Damn it, am I seeing things?"
The deputy patrol inspector beside him said in a low voice: "Chief, you didn't see wrong. There really is a city over there."
Cheng Xu uttered a "siss" sound: "Could it be that Wang Er has already built a large city in the mountains?"
A wave of panic arose in his heart. If Wang Er had already built a city, then the hundred or so soldiers under his command wouldn't be worth a damn. Capturing a city was impossible, and the notion of capturing Wang Er to atone for his crimes was probably going to fall through.
"This is bad... If the rebels already have this kind of strength, the imperial court will definitely arrest and deal with me... I can practically see my great-grandmother beckoning to me..."
"Aya, isn't this General Cheng?" The city gate of Gao Family Village opened, and an old acquaintance ran out. It was none other than the county magistrate's secretary, San Shier. He waved at Cheng Xu, as if greeting an old friend, and then happily trotted toward the government troops, stopping in front of Cheng Xu's horse: "What wind blew the General to Gao Family Village? This is truly [distinguished guests arriving at the door]."
Usually, when he heard San Shier's exaggerated and funny summary words, Cheng Xu wanted to beat him up, but hearing them this time, for some reason he felt twice as relaxed. He flipped down from his horse: "Eh? Third Secretary? A city suddenly pops up here, and I thought the rebel Wang Er already had this kind of strength. It truly scared me to death. It's fortunate that Third Secretary is here. Hurry up and explain to me what on earth is going on with this city?"
San Shier's face wore a peculiar expression: "A city, what city is there?"
Cheng Xu reached out and pointed at the huge city wall before him: "Isn't this right here a city? With a city wall this tall, what is this if not a city?"
San Shier turned his head and glanced behind himself, looking left, looking right, putting on the appearance of someone playing blind and seeing nothing at all, then turned his head back to face Cheng Xu: "What city wall? I don't see anything. There is only a desolate little village here, a village full of refugees, and no city walls or cities. General, how can you [make something out of nothing]."
Cheng Xu with a swish pulled his sword halfway out: "My fuck, San Shier, you motherfucker are talking nonsense with your eyes open, playing me for a fool?"
Before you continue