Zhang Xianzhong let out a hoarse, miserable shriek.
"You monster… you fiend—!"
Before he could finish the curse, Li Daoxuan calmly extended his left hand and clamped it over Zhang Xianzhong's mouth.
Zhang Xianzhong bit down with all his strength, desperate to take a piece of flesh with him.
Instead, a piercing pain exploded through his teeth, as if he had bitten into solid iron. Several teeth nearly shattered on the spot.
Li Daoxuan's hand didn't budge in the slightest.
With his mouth forcibly pried open, Zhang Xianzhong couldn't even close his jaws properly.
Then he watched, eyes wide with terror, as the blade in Li Daoxuan's right hand slowly entered his mouth—
—and with a single clean motion, severed his tongue.
"Mmph… mmph…!"
Now, he couldn't even curse.
Only then did Li Daoxuan grab him by the collar and drag him out of the forest like a sack of trash.
Outside, the battle was already drawing to a close.
Zhang Xianzhong's subordinates, their morale utterly shattered by the flintlock rifles, were fleeing in all directions like headless flies.
If the militia had enjoyed numerical superiority, they would have pursued the rebels relentlessly.
But with only five hundred men on hand, actively chasing ten thousand bandits was unrealistic. Driving them off was already a victory.
Thus, the militia simply fired a final volley into the rebels' retreating backs, killing whoever fate allowed.
As Li Daoxuan emerged from the woods, Chen Yuanbo hurried forward carrying a large cloak. He swiftly draped it over Li Daoxuan's body, concealing the severely damaged silicone outer layer beneath.
Li Daoxuan was quite satisfied with this arrangement. Dragging Zhang Xianzhong along, he continued walking until he came face-to-face with Fan Shangzheng.
Fan Shangzheng's face was glowing with exhilaration.
"Hero Xiao! I never imagined—truly never imagined—that we would win! And so easily at that!"
He paused, staring at the cloak. "Huh? Why are you wearing such a large garment?"
Li Daoxuan tilted his head back slightly and gazed at the sky at a perfect forty-five-degree angle.
"A lone shadow on a cold river," he recited solemnly.
"A familiar face in the martial world.
Why must we have known each other to meet again?"
Then he looked back at Fan Shangzheng.
"Is my cloak dashing?"
Fan Shangzheng was completely speechless.
Chen Yuanbo leaned in and whispered into Fan Shangzheng's ear, "Hero Xiao sustained a minor injury. He didn't wish to worry Your Excellency, nor alarm the common people, so he wrapped himself up."
Fan Shangzheng instantly understood.
"Ah! Hero Xiao's attire truly radiates elegance and dignity!"
Li Daoxuan casually tossed Zhang Xianzhong onto the ground at Fan Shangzheng's feet.
"This man," he said calmly, "I leave to the imperial court."
Fan Shangzheng was overjoyed.
"He actually captured Zhang Xianzhong alive!"
"I initially planned to kill him with a single stroke," Li Daoxuan said indifferently. "But after some thought, such a man shouldn't die so easily. The people should see him suffer a thousand cuts. Only then can their resentment be soothed."
Fan Shangzheng nodded emphatically.
"You're absolutely right! He must be escorted to the capital and publicly subjected to death by a thousand cuts!"
The aftermath involved clearing the battlefield and various mop-up operations.
Li Daoxuan did not participate. Wrapped in his cloak, he quietly slipped into a brightly colored tent.
Fan Shangzheng assumed he was tending to his wounds and did not dare disturb him. He ordered his guards to bind Zhang Xianzhong securely and prepare him for transport to the capital.
With that, Wenshui County's crisis was temporarily resolved.
Early the next morning, Fan Shangzheng went to visit Li Daoxuan—
only to find the tent empty.
Hero Xiao had already departed.
Fan Shangzheng sighed deeply, admiration written all over his face.
"To accomplish a great deed and then calmly depart, hiding one's achievements and fame… Hero Xiao is truly extraordinary."
The No. 2 Dao Xuan Tianzun Avatar had suffered severe damage. Its silicone outer layer was completely ruined, making it unsuitable for public appearance.
It was immediately shipped back to the vessel and transported all the way to Gao Family Village Advanced Vocational Technical School.
Coincidentally, Gao Yiye, who had just returned from Xi'an, also arrived at the school.
Song Yingxing, Young Master Bai, Wang Hui, Gao Yiyi, Li Da, numerous graduate students, and a large number of senior technical engineers gathered around a table, packing the room full.
Gao Yiye spoke first.
"Repairing the silicone layer of the No. 2 Avatar is a trivial matter. The real reason I called everyone here today is to announce the design requirements for the No. 3 Avatar."
Everyone straightened.
"We're listening."
Gao Yiye continued, "These requirements were personally proposed by Dao Xuan Tianzun himself."
"First," he said, "both arms must be equipped with cannons."
Song Yingxing felt his scalp go numb.
"Second," Gao Yiye added, "the feet must be fitted with wheels, so Dao Xuan Tianzun can enjoy roller skating."
Wang Hui's vision went dark.
"These," Gao Yiye said, "are Dao Xuan Tianzun's explicit requests. However, after observing the damage sustained by the No. 2 Avatar, I believe we must go further."
He sighed.
"The damage was… severe. Truly heartbreaking."
Young Master Bai raised his hand eagerly.
"I agree! Dao Xuan Tianzun enjoys experiencing mortal life. If we give him a body with more features and more entertainment, he'll surely be pleased."
Li Da raised his hand solemnly.
"If Dao Xuan Tianzun smiles, I could wake up laughing even from death."
There was no rebuttal to that.
Everyone present had received immense grace from Dao Xuan Tianzun. Repaying even a fraction of it felt impossible.
Young Master Bai continued, "In fact, designing Dao Xuan Tianzun's body is easier than building automobiles. Cars need steam engines for power, but Dao Xuan Tianzun needs no power source at all. Once the framework is complete, he can move it himself."
The room stirred.
"That means," Young Master Bai said, eyes shining, "many designs we once abandoned can now be realized."
"For example?" someone asked eagerly.
Young Master Bai pondered.
"I once considered mounting cannons on vehicles, but the power requirements were too high. However, mounting cannons on Dao Xuan Tianzun's arms poses no issue at all—and he personally requested it."
"We could go further," he added. "Install small flintlock rifles throughout the body. Elbows, shoulders—multiple firing ports."
Gao Yiyi raised her hand.
"What if we replaced all the ribs with blades? At critical moments, they could flip outward."
Her eyes sparkled.
"Just imagining it feels terrifying."
"Genius!"
"Absolutely genius!"
Wang Hui chimed in.
"Roller skating is fine, but upright posture creates wind resistance and balance issues. Instead, we could conceal two wheels at the waist. When needed, Dao Xuan Tianzun could lie prone and deploy a four-wheeled glider configuration for high-speed travel."
The room erupted.
"Genius!"
"Another genius!"
Ideas flew wildly—some practical, some insane, some probably lethal.
But the engineers of Gao Family Village had long embraced enlightened thinking.
They were not afraid of experimentation.
Whether something worked or not could only be determined by trying.
As for failure?
What was there to fear?
After ten thousand failures, there would surely be one success.
Be bold.
Move forward.
And build it.