Chuǎng Wang and Li Zicheng's forces disappeared as suddenly as they had arrived, leaving no trace behind.
Only then did Lao Huihui finally speak. "Alright. Miss Zhou, you can come out now."
Zhou Daya and her entire group emerged from the dilapidated house.
The moment she appeared, her expression screamed only one word: gossip.
Women were naturally fond of gossip, and as a frontline reporter, Zhou Daya's gossip radar was running at maximum output. She immediately bounced over to Lao Huihui, eyes sparkling.
"General, dear," she said eagerly, "Chuǎng Jiang just said his wife was seduced by Gao Jie. What exactly happened? Could you tell your little sister the whole story? I really love listening to these kinds of things."
Lao Huihui could not help but smile bitterly.
Why did women enjoy these stories so much?
Still, the young lady was charming, and there was no real harm in telling her. Besides, this matter had already been discussed openly at the Xingyang Conference. All three hundred thousand rebel troops knew about it. One more person hearing it would not change anything.
So Lao Huihui recounted the entire affair in detail. He explained how Gao Jie, also known as Fan Shan Yao, had seduced Chuǎng Jiang's wife, how the scandal exploded, and how it ultimately led to Chuǎng Jiang's betrayal and defection to He Renlong.
Zhou Daya listened with shining eyes.
"Big news!" she exclaimed. "Absolutely massive news! Hahaha! This is exactly the kind of thing journalists dream about! This is incredible. I have to make a news segment immediately. This will definitely cause a sensation. The people of Gao Family Village will love watching this!"
Not long after, Jiang Cheng's cargo ship arrived to pick her up.
Zhou Daya leaped aboard in a single bound, immediately directing the special operations soldiers to load the camera equipment. She urged them anxiously, "Quick, quick! Find a place with a Divine Mirror! I need to produce some major news. Truly major news!"
Jiang Cheng still had no idea what kind of storm was about to be unleashed. He smiled helplessly. "What's the rush? This ship can only go so fast."
Zhou Daya waved him off impatiently. "Instructor Jiang, lend me some writing implements. I need to organize my draft first."
"There are some in the cabin," Jiang Cheng replied. "Use whatever you need."
—
The next evening.
At the main fortress of Gao Family Village, Gaojia News officially began broadcasting.
Villagers sat neatly in front of the Divine Mirror, their television. Watching the news every evening had become the greatest form of entertainment at dusk.
Even Gao Yiye sat among them, watching along with everyone else.
Because the news was pre-recorded, Gao Yiye was free during playback and could relax with the crowd.
To her left sat the Old Village Chief. To her right were Gao Laba, Gao Sanniang, Gao Sanwa, and the others. Of the original forty-two residents of Gao Family Village, some were currently away on assignments, leaving just over thirty people gathered here.
The broadcast began with international news, followed by domestic affairs, factory reports, and various village updates.
Everyone thought that was all for the day.
But just as Gaojia News was about to end, a massive golden hand suddenly descended from the sky and began operating the tablet.
Gao Yiye immediately stood up, smiling brightly. "Oh my. The Dao Xuan Tianzun says there's some interesting breaking news. It was provided by our frontline reporter, Miss Zhou. To obtain this report, Reporter Zhou went deep into enemy territory and faced great danger. She personally edited the footage, and now the Dao Xuan Tianzun will show it to everyone!"
Instantly, everyone's interest was piqued.
The gigantic hand tapped several spots on the Divine Mirror. The screen shifted, revealing a dilapidated ferry port.
Zhou Daya's voice narrated from behind the camera. "This is Gudu Ferry. Here, your reporter uncovered a hidden secret among the rebels. It turns out that the wife of the notorious rebel leader Chuǎng Jiang was seduced by his subordinate Fan Shan Yao, and the two engaged in an illicit affair…"
Before she even finished the sentence, the audience erupted in laughter.
People who loved excitement never complained about drama escalating, and gossip was the most beloved form of news.
On the screen, a figure appeared. Chuǎng Wang rode into view, calling out urgently, "Brother Chuǎng Wang, I heard you just ran into He Renlong and Gao Jie?"
The camera swung quickly.
It zoomed in tightly on Chuǎng Wang's face.
Chuǎng Wang replied, "Yes. Their forces are currently just west of here."
The footage playing was exactly what had happened earlier at Gudu Ferry.
The villagers watched, chuckling and whispering.
But at that exact moment, Gao Yiye suddenly jumped to her feet.
"Ah! Second Uncle!"
The Old Village Chief stared at the screen, then exclaimed in shock, "Isn't that Gao Yingxiang, that brat?"
Gao Laba shouted, "Brother Yingxiang!"
Gao Sanniang gasped. "Good heavens. It really is Brother Yingxiang."
The original residents of Gao Family Village were completely stunned.
Back in the Tianqi era, Gao Yingxiang had assaulted an official and committed a crime. After that, he fled Gao Family Village and ran north. In those days, information traveled slowly. The villagers never learned what became of him.
And now, after all these years, he had suddenly reappeared on Gaojia News.
Not only that, he had become the infamous Chuǎng Wang.
Li Daoxuan, who was operating the tablet, had been closely monitoring the situation. Seeing the reaction from the villagers, he let out a soft sound of surprise.
"Oh?"
Wasn't Gao Yingxiang supposed to be from Ansai?
So he had actually fled from Gao Family Village and later ended up in Ansai?
The atmosphere instantly became strange.
Whispers spread among the original Gao Family Village residents, then reached the ears of people from Zheng Family Village, Wang Family Village, and Zhong Family Village nearby. The news spread outward layer by layer, leaving more and more people confused and unsettled.
But the most shaken person of all was Shi Kefa, who was mixed in among the crowd.
He was still studying in Gao Family Village and had not yet left.
Hearing such explosive information, Shi Kefa felt his head spin.
He was a Jinyiwei hundred-household commander. Upon learning intelligence of this magnitude, he should have immediately written a memorial to report to the Emperor.
But he also knew that if he did so, everyone in Gao Family Village would be doomed.
The crime of rebellion was unforgivable. It was punishable by the extermination of nine generations.
If this information were reported, it was very possible that not a single original resident of Gao Family Village would survive.
Shi Kefa absolutely did not want that to happen.
He had lived here long enough to form genuine friendships with these people. Bonds that were sincere and precious, untouched by rank or status.
He did not want to expose them.
Yet he also prided himself on being a loyal subject of the court.
If he failed to report such a major incident, what face would he have to stand before the Emperor?
Shi Kefa froze in place.
The atmosphere in Gao Family Village turned deeply awkward.
People whispered nervously.
"What should we do?"
"We've been fighting the rebels all this time."
"The Gao Family Village Militia has fought so many battles against rebel armies."
"Who would have thought it was Gao Yiye's uncle?"
"This is serious trouble."
Suddenly, Gao Yiye sprang to her feet. She looked up toward the sky and shouted loudly, "Dao Xuan Tianzun! I want to go to Henan! I want to find Uncle Gao Yingxiang and persuade him to abandon evil and return to righteousness!"
"I'm going too!" Gao Laba immediately stood up.
"Me too!" Gao Sanwa followed without hesitation.
At last, even the Old Village Chief slowly stood up. He clenched his fists and snorted.
"I'm going to go thrash that brat!"