The eighth year of Chongzhen, late in the year.
Luoyang.
After several months of recuperation, Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao had finally crawled back from the gates of death.
Walking through the streets of Luoyang again, the uncle and nephew both felt as though an entire lifetime had passed.
"Uncle, we can finally walk around," Cao Bianjiao said cheerfully. "Being stuck in bed for almost half a year, lying there day after day, it nearly drove me insane."
Cao Wenzhao reached down and patted his leg. "After not moving for so long, my body feels stiff. If we do not start moving again, our martial skills are bound to decline."
The two of them walked slowly through the streets, looking around as they went.
After glancing forward and backward several times, Cao Wenzhao suddenly exclaimed, "Huh? Luoyang has changed so much."
Indeed, the changes in Luoyang were enormous.
Business was far more prosperous than before. The streets were crowded with people, carts, and horses, and everywhere one looked, faces were full of smiles. This was nothing like the Luoyang they remembered from their last visit. The entire city felt as if it had been reborn with a new spirit.
As they turned a corner, they unexpectedly ran into Gao Jie and Xing Honglang. The couple was also out shopping, followed by several personal guards.
Gao Jie immediately greeted them. "General Cao."
Cao Bianjiao blurted out in surprise, "Huh? Gao Jie? What are you doing in Luoyang?"
Gao Jie deliberately lowered his voice. "I am currently studying in Luoyang. The governor ordered me not to lead troops into battle until I finish, or he will really deal with me harshly."
"Deal with you harshly?" Cao Wenzhao was shocked. "What kind of punishment? Dismissal from your post, or fifty strokes of the rod?"
Cao Bianjiao cut in, "Uncle, should you not be more curious about what the governor is making him study?"
"Ah, right," Cao Wenzhao said, nodding.
Gao Jie looked a little embarrassed. "That governor is quite strange. He claims I was once a notorious villain and insists I learn how to be a good person. If I do not learn properly, I can forget about ever leading troops again. Truly baffling."
Cao Wenzhao raised an eyebrow. "???"
Cao Bianjiao looked just as confused. "???"
This was simply outrageous. How could a provincial governor behave like this?
Just then, a young man and a young woman walked down the street. The man wore heroic clothing and looked extraordinarily handsome. The woman was dressed in a snow white long gown, decorated with red and gold ribbons, graceful and beautiful.
As the two walked, the surrounding commoners all bowed.
"Greetings, Dao Xuan Tianzun."
"The Saintess is in Luoyang again."
The pair were none other than Li Daoxuan and Gao Yiye.
Li Daoxuan waved casually at the people. "Hello, everyone."
Gao Yiye smiled and chatted with them. "Staying at home all day is boring. Now that transportation is so convenient, I enjoy traveling around. Luoyang really is the center of the world, full of fun things and good food."
The commoners laughed. "Please visit often. It is our honor that the Saintess likes our city. Come, have a snack at my small shop."
"My shop's specialty snacks are especially good."
Their popularity was clearly extraordinary.
At that moment, two men dressed as servants hurried over from another street and rushed straight toward Gao Jie. "Master, it is time for class. You are not there. The governor is furious and orders you to attend the ideological lecture immediately."
As soon as Gao Jie heard this, his face darkened. "I am not going. I am not going. Today I am accompanying my wife on a shopping trip. I do not have time for that cursed lecture."
The servant insisted anxiously, "The governor is angry."
Gao Jie snorted. "That Fan Shangzheng is truly annoying. He chases me to attend class every day. Do I look like someone who enjoys listening to lectures? I am not listening. I am not listening."
The servant was drenched in sweat. "Master, he is still a governor. If you offend him, the consequences will be severe."
Gao Jie retorted loudly, "I report to General He Renlong. I do not answer to the Henan governor. I am not afraid of him at all."
Xing Shi quietly reminded him, "Husband, you should speak more carefully."
"There is no need," Gao Jie said firmly. "That damned lecture is driving me mad. I refuse to go, absolutely refuse."
He then turned toward the Cao uncle and nephew. "Have the two of you also been ordered to attend that terrible lecture?"
The Cao generals shook their heads. "Not yet."
Before they could finish speaking, a group of soldiers, servants of the Henan governor Fan Shangzheng, hurried over. They stopped in front of the Cao uncle and nephew, saluted, and announced, "Generals Cao, we have heard that your injuries have healed. The governor has sent us to inform you that it is time for your ideological lecture. This humble servant searched the barracks and learned you were out shopping. It took quite some effort to find you. Please come with us to attend the lecture."
The Cao uncle and nephew looked at each other.
"So we have to go as well?" They were completely stunned.
The captain then turned to Gao Jie. "General Gao is here too. Perfect timing. Please hurry and attend the lecture as well."
Gao Jie flew into a rage. "No. Just listening makes my head ache. 'Do not take even a needle or thread from the common people.' Why is taking a needle such a big deal?"
The captain warned, "The governor is angry."
Gao Jie shouted, "Tell Fan Shangzheng to come and say it to my face and see whether I care."
The captain stammered, "But this humble servant was ordered to…"
"Orders my ass," Gao Jie cursed and kicked him.
The captain was not skilled in martial arts and could not dodge in time. He was struck in the waist, fell heavily to the ground, rolled twice, and ended up covered in dust from head to toe, looking miserable.
Cao Wenzhao said, "Why did you dodge like that? You should have used this stance to avoid the kick, then twisted like this. You could even counterattack with a punch."
Cao Bianjiao hurriedly said, "Uncle, is not the important point that hitting people is wrong?"
"Ah, you are right," Cao Wenzhao said.
He then turned to Gao Jie. "General Gao, if you do not want to attend the lecture, then do not go. Why hit someone?"
Gao Jie muttered, "That fellow surnamed Fan is infuriating."
While they were speaking, the two young people who had been adored by the commoners earlier walked over. The handsome young man bent down, helped the captain up, and sighed. "You should train your martial arts properly in the future, so you do not suffer such losses when you meet villains."
The captain was overjoyed. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, you are here too."
Li Daoxuan said, "Leave this matter to me."
He then turned his gaze toward Gao Jie. "General Gao, you are quite defiant, are you not?"
Gao Jie was just about to retort when he felt a light tug on his sleeve. Xing Honglang was pulling him, giving him a strong, urgent look.
"What is it?" Gao Jie asked.
Xing Shi lowered her voice and whispered, "Be careful. Look at his face."
Gao Jie followed her gaze and looked carefully at Li Daoxuan's face.
Then he understood.
That face was exactly the same as the face of the deity depicted in The Legends of Dao Xuan Tianzun.
One could not even say it was merely similar.
It was completely identical.