"Ahead lies Gao Family Village's main stronghold."
The scarred cavalryman riding at the front spoke in a hoarse, battle-worn voice. His face bore knife marks and sunburn scars, the kind that didn't come from one fight, but from decades of bandit life turned mercenary under Zao Ying.
"Soon, you will meet our Gao Family Village's Dao Xuan Tianzhun," he continued coldly. "Be careful with your words. If you offend him, that is blasphemy."
His eyes narrowed.
"And if that happens, we will slaughter every man, woman, and child of your Wushen tribe. Understand?"
An Jile didn't understand a single word of Han.
She only understood one thing: the man was threatening them.
Zhebu, however, understood every word.
His throat tightened as fear crawled up his spine. He leaned close to his mother and whispered urgently, his voice trembling, "Mother… the one receiving us is a Han Living Buddha. If we offend him, it's blasphemy against the Han deity. They will wipe out our entire tribe."
An Jile sucked in a sharp breath, her body stiffening.
"I'm not good with words," she whispered back. "Then I won't speak. Son, you must handle this carefully."
Thus, carrying fear heavier than shackles, the mother and son stepped into Gao Family Village's main stronghold.
This stronghold had been placed into the box by Li Daoxuan in the seventh year of the Tianqi Era.
Eight years had passed.
Wind and rain had washed over it countless times. Moss crawled along stone walls. Wooden beams darkened with age. Yet instead of decay, it radiated something else entirely—weight.
Authority.
Order.
As they walked through it, An Jile felt as though she were stepping into the belly of some enormous beast.
The corridors were cold and narrow, stone underfoot echoing with each step. Their footsteps sounded unnaturally loud, as if the walls themselves were listening.
Neither dared to speak.
They finally arrived at a three-story watchtower.
Inside the ancestral hall on the first floor, a towering statue stood.
Dao Xuan Tianzhun.
The statue's gaze was calm, distant, and mercilessly neutral, as if it could look at slaughter and harvest with the same expression.
Knowing it was a Han deity, mother and son didn't dare hesitate. They knelt at once and bowed deeply, foreheads nearly touching the ground.
Only then did they ascend the stairs.
On the third floor, they saw two figures waiting.
One was Gao Yiye.
She sat upright, refined and composed, her posture elegant yet firm. Though young, she carried an unmistakable air of authority. It made one instinctively lower their eyes.
Beside her sat Li Daoxuan.
He wore a Daoist robe. His appearance was solemn, his presence heavy. The moment An Jile and Zhebu saw him, their hearts skipped.
It was him.
The statue downstairs.
Come to life.
An Jile didn't know Han. She knelt immediately and bowed repeatedly, not daring to raise her head.
Zhebu swallowed and spoke in a low voice, "Greetings, Living Buddha."
Li Daoxuan: …Huh? Living Buddha?
Right. Mongols of this era… Yellow Hat? Red Hat? Honestly, I can't tell.
Modern people like me only know one thing: if you glow a bit and sit still, you're probably a Living Buddha.
Fine. Living Buddha it is.
Li Daoxuan, who had always disliked excessive pomp, didn't put on a divine tone. He smiled casually and said, "You've had a difficult journey."
He thought this was a friendly smile.
He did not, at any point, consider how terrifying a smiling silicone puppet might look.
Mother and son dared to glance up.
What they saw made their hearts seize.
The Living Buddha's smile did not reach his eyes. His tone was gentle, but his face was… wrong. Empty. Still. Like a calm lake concealing something sharp beneath the surface.
An Jile's hands trembled.
Zhebu gathered what little courage he had left and asked softly, "Living Buddha… what are your commands?"
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly. "You should already know that you are hostages. However, I respect even prisoners of war, let alone hostages. You don't need to worry about inhuman treatment."
Zhebu's face turned pale.
He whispered rapidly to his mother, "The Living Buddha is warning us. He says we must remember we are hostages. We are less than prisoners of war. We shouldn't expect respect or to be treated as human. If we resist, we'll face inhuman treatment."
An Jile shuddered.
Li Daoxuan continued calmly, "You'll live here in the main stronghold. Food, clothing, daily necessities—everything will be provided."
Zhebu immediately prostrated himself. "As you command!"
Then he whispered again, translating, "He says he will provide food and clothing only if Mother stays here with him."
An Jile had prepared herself long ago.
She knew this moment would come.
On the grasslands, such things were common. Survival always came with a price. She exhaled softly and bowed. "As you command."
If a Han man were in Zhebu's place, he might have drawn a blade on the spot.
But Zhebu didn't see it that way.
This was simply how the world worked.
He only asked, uncertain, "What about me?"
Li Daoxuan looked at him carefully. "You… you're not particularly old, nor particularly young. Frankly, you're a bit troublesome."
Zhebu's heart nearly stopped.
Is he going to kill me?
Li Daoxuan said, "Go enroll in first grade at school."
Zhebu: "???"
An Jile whispered anxiously, "Son, what did the Living Buddha say?"
Zhebu replied weakly, "This time… I didn't understand either."
Seeing their confusion, Li Daoxuan laughed. "It means he'll attend a private academy."
Zhebu froze.
"The Living Buddha wants me to study at a Han academy," he whispered.
An Jile frowned. "He won't let you practice archery or horsemanship… he wants you to study. That means he intends to make you useless."
Zhebu clenched his fists. "I understand. I'll train my body in secret."
Li Daoxuan waved his hand. "That's all. You may leave."
Zhebu stood and fled downstairs.
An Jile stayed behind.
Li Daoxuan tilted his head. "Hm? Why are you still here?"
She didn't understand.
With no translator left, An Jile could only rely on instinct.
The Living Buddha was looking at her.
As if asking: Why aren't you doing what you're supposed to do?
Understanding dawned.
Han men… didn't wait until night?
Her face flushed with humiliation. She bit her lip and reached for her clothes.
A massive question mark rose above Li Daoxuan's head.
Gao Yiye slammed her palm on the table and jumped up. "What are you doing?! Get out! Get out!"
The question mark wobbled… then popped.
Gao Yiye fumed. "Dao Xuan Tianzhun, that Mongol woman is shameless! She's old, doesn't even know her age, and still tries to seduce Dao Xuan Tianzhun! Disgraceful!"
Li Daoxuan blinked. "Oh? She was seducing me? I thought she looked wronged. Yiye… are you jealous?"
Gao Yiye's face turned red. "N-No! I'm not jealous! Jealousy is bad! I wouldn't— Fine! I just don't want to see Dao Xuan Tianzhun with other women! I am jealous, alright?!"
She blurted it all out.
Li Daoxuan laughed. "Then you handle them. As a woman, she won't misunderstand you again."