While Chengcheng County descended into chaos, Gao Family Village encountered an entirely different problem. Their city gate construction had come to a halt.
The issue was simple.
They lacked proper rope.
The city walls Li Daoxuan had casually assembled from Lego bricks were extraordinarily tall, wide, and imposing. Although he had deliberately made the gate opening smaller than the surrounding walls, it still measured two zhang in height and two zhang in width. A gate of such massive scale could not be constructed from a single slab of wood. It required numerous tree trunks bound tightly together to form a single, unified structure.
Unfortunately, the villagers' straw ropes were completely inadequate for the task.
Not only were they scarce, but they had also been twisted by hand. Their workmanship was rough, their fibers loose and fragile. At best, they could secure furniture, plow handles, or simple tools. Binding heavy timber trunks as thick as a man's arm was far beyond their limits.
Before long, the worksite descended into chaos.
"Oh no! This rope snapped again!"
"Village Chief, the ropes you brought fall apart with barely any force!"
"Hurry! Tie those posts over there before they collapse!"
Panic spread through the villagers as they scrambled to salvage their work.
From outside the box, Li Daoxuan watched the tiny figures struggle for over an hour. Just when it seemed they had finally secured a row of timber trunks, two ropes suddenly snapped. The entire structure collapsed in an instant, forcing them to begin again from the very start.
Li Daoxuan frowned.
What could he use to help them?
His gaze wandered across the cluttered mess in his room until it landed on a dusty fishing tackle box in the corner. His eyes lit up immediately.
Fishing line.
He distinctly remembered researching fishing line specifications when he first purchased it. Among his supplies was a 0.4-gauge line, with a diameter of only 0.104 millimeters.
Even if magnified two hundred times inside the box, its diameter would only reach about two centimeters. Compared to the villagers' crude straw ropes, the difference was like heaven and earth.
He leaned closer to the box.
"Gao Yiye," he called. "Gao Yiye."
At that moment, Gao Yiye was struggling to twist another length of straw rope. Hearing Tianzun's voice, she immediately looked up. Her expression filled with reverence and devotion.
"Tianzun, what are your commands?"
Li Daoxuan cut a length of fishing line and lowered it slowly into the miniature world.
"Use this rope," he said. "Bind the city gate with it."
Gao Yiye turned at once and called out to the others.
The villagers instinctively followed her gaze upward.
From the heavens, a transparent rope slowly descended.
It was about as thick as a finger and glistened faintly under the light. To their eyes, it resembled a giant strand of translucent vermicelli.
The villagers exchanged bewildered looks.
"What kind of rope is this?"
Gao Yiye spoke solemnly.
"Tianzun has instructed us to use this rope to bind the timber and construct the city gate."
A ripple of uncertainty spread through the crowd. Though doubt filled their hearts, no one dared question Tianzun's command.
When the rope finally touched the ground, several villagers cautiously reached out and touched it.
Their expressions changed instantly.
"This rope… it's incredibly strong!"
"It's far stronger than the straw ropes we make!"
"Don't be fooled by its thinness. It's sturdier than ropes as thick as an arm!"
"Quick! Bring knives! Let's cut some and try it!"
They hurried to fetch their knives and began cutting the fishing line. However, they quickly discovered that the rope was far tougher than anything they had ever encountered. Their dull blades struggled to bite into it. Even cutting a single segment required tremendous effort, leaving them sweating and breathless.
Yet instead of discouraging them, this only increased their excitement.
The more difficult it was to cut, the stronger it must be.
Soon, they bound two massive timber trunks together and tested the strength. Several villagers pulled from opposite ends with all their might, straining until their faces turned red.
The rope did not budge.
"It's far stronger than straw rope!"
"This must be a divine rope!"
"Could it be an immortal-binding rope used by the gods themselves?"
The moment those words were spoken, the surrounding villagers froze. Their faces turned pale.
"We… we cut an immortal rope…"
"Will Tianzun punish us?"
Fear spread rapidly.
Gao Yiye burst into laughter.
"You're all overthinking it. Tianzun said this is merely a toy. Use it however you wish. There is plenty more."
Her words shocked them even more.
If even a toy possessed such terrifying strength, then what kind of power must Tianzun truly wield?
Several villagers instinctively began to kneel.
Outside the box, Li Daoxuan groaned.
"Stop kneeling all the time. Focus on your work."
Gao Yiye quickly relayed his words, scolding them in a similar tone.
Embarrassed, the villagers stood up and returned to work.
With the divine rope, their progress accelerated dramatically. In a short time, they had bound together an entire row of tree trunks, forming a massive wooden slab. Standing upright, it became a gate panel two zhang tall and one zhang wide. They needed only one more to complete the gate.
Just then, a lookout standing atop the unfinished wall suddenly shouted.
"Gao Chuwu is back!"
He paused, squinting into the distance.
"And… he's brought outsiders!"
The villagers immediately stopped working and gathered near the gate.
Li Daoxuan also shifted his attention to the edge of the box.
Soon, Gao Chuwu appeared, running toward the village.
Behind him followed a thin servant dressed in simple clothing. After him came a plump, fair-skinned middle-aged woman holding the hand of a young girl around ten years old. A maid walked protectively beside the child, while three village youths followed behind.
All eight of them looked exhausted and terrified.
When Gao Chuwu had left earlier that morning, the Lego city walls had not yet existed. Seeing the enormous, brightly colored walls surrounding the village now, he was utterly stunned.
Panic surged through him.
Had something happened to the village?
Fortunately, the lookout waved at him.
"Chuwu! You're back!"
Seeing familiar faces, Gao Chuwu finally relaxed.
"What happened to the village?" he shouted. "Where did this wall come from?"
The lookout laughed.
"That's Tianzun's divine blessing. Don't call it strange. If Tianzun hears you, he might stop giving us food."
Gao Chuwu's face turned pale.
He immediately bowed toward the sky.
"Tianzun, please forgive me. I spoke carelessly. I meant no disrespect."
Li Daoxuan chuckled, thoroughly amused.
Gao Chuwu and his group entered the village.
The four newcomers remained silent, their eyes filled with fear and uncertainty. They stared at the towering walls and the transparent rope, unable to conceal their shock. Yet as outsiders, they did not dare ask questions.
Finally, Gao Chuwu found Gao Yiye.
He spoke urgently.
"Yiye, please tell Tianzun. These four are Strategist San Shier's wife, daughter, servant, and maid. He has gone to find a blacksmith for Tianzun. He asks Tianzun to protect his family."