The great train thundered onward, carrying the women and children through the night, until at last it arrived at Gao Family Village proper.
The sun had already sunk beyond the western hills.
Yet Gao Family Village was anything but quiet.
Nightfall only made it livelier.
The entire Gao Family Business District blazed with lanterns and electric lights, streets overflowing with people, laughter, music, and endless motion. Shops were still open, food stalls sent steam curling into the air, and voices overlapped in a joyous din. Prosperity was not hidden here—it shouted from every corner.
The women froze the moment they stepped off the train.
What kind of place… is this?
Even without ever having seen Qinzhou City, they were certain of one thing:
This place was far more prosperous.
Dragged straight from a ruined village into a city of light, their hearts pounded. Awe mixed with fear. Their hands instinctively tightened around their children.
And then—
They saw someone approaching.
A young man.
They recognized him instantly.
The one who had stood alone at the stone house door in Houjia Village.
The one who had fought bandits head-on and shielded them with his own body.
Li Daoxuan.
The Dao Xuan Tianzun himself.
Test-03—externally indistinguishable from an ordinary man, yet beneath the skin lay a terrifying war construct: weapons folded within weapons, even ribs capable of unfolding into blades.
He waved casually.
"Hey. Welcome to Gao Family Village."
The women felt an overwhelming wave of relief crash over them.
"Ah… Hero Xiao—"
"No—Dao Xuan Tianzun!"
They already knew.
This was the supreme ruler of this land.
What puzzled them was how he had returned so quickly. Back in Houjia Village, he had clearly gone off with the army to suppress bandits.
Li Daoxuan smiled, as if reading their thoughts.
"Didn't I tell you?" he said lightly. "Once you enter my domain, you'll find that I'm everywhere."
The women exchanged glances.
Yes… he had said that.
Li Daoxuan continued, "It's late today. I'll have Yiye arrange your food and lodging. Rest well first. After that, you're free to walk around, look around, and find work you like."
"If you have questions, ask Yiye or the village administrators. No one here will refuse to help you."
The women hurriedly bowed, voices overlapping with thanks.
Li Daoxuan paused, then added calmly, deliberately:
"I hope you remember one thing."
"As long as you wish it, and are willing to work for it, you do not need to rely on anyone else to survive."
"You do not need to place your future in a man's hands."
The women gasped softly.
Before they could fully process those words—
Music exploded from the nearby business district.
A famous female singer from Puzhou's Flower World Star Agency was performing as part of a tour.
Her voice rang out, bright and fearless:
I'm not afraid of cockroaches—
not afraid anymore.
Sleeping alone, I'm not afraid anymore.
No matter how dark the night,
I'll just pretend not to see—
because the sun will surely rise…
Men and women alike sang along.
Laughter erupted.
Groups of women danced openly in the streets, spinning, clapping, shouting lyrics at the top of their lungs—without shame, without restraint, without fear.
The newly arrived women stared.
These women were nothing like those of Houjia Village.
They were alive.
Unbound.
If only we could live like this…
Meanwhile—
On the eastern outskirts of Xi'an City, a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony was underway.
Today marked the official opening of the long-distance railway connecting Xi'an directly to the Hedong Circuit.
The project had been monumental.
More than six hundred li of track, crossing mountains, valleys, rivers, and plains, linking every critical point under Gao Family Village's control from east to west.
The iron consumption alone was staggering.
The iron mines under Gao Family Village's control were nowhere near sufficient—this railway owed its existence largely to the Dao Xuan Tianzun's… creative shortcuts.
(Of course, for the next railway, the Dao Xuan Tianzun had already resolved not to "cheat" again.)
Nearly all the high officials and noble families of Xi'an Prefecture had gathered at the station.
Flat Rabbit, Gao Family Village's chief representative in Xi'an, stepped forward to take the ceremonial scissors.
Then he paused.
After a moment's thought, he handed them to Wang Tang, muttering quietly, "You do it. I'm not suited for this kind of scene."
"I'm honestly itching to unleash my My Heaven Rabbit Rending Overlord Sword and rob the rich to help the poor, rather than exchange empty pleasantries with this crowd."
Wang Tang gave a helpless smile.
"Rabbit Lord… you truly are something else."
Taking the scissors, he endured a mountain of formal greetings, polite smiles, and hollow praise—skipping at least a hundred million unnecessary words.
Snip.
"I hereby declare!" Wang Tang announced loudly, "The Xihe Number One Train, connecting Xi'an to Hedong, officially begins operation today!"
Thunderous applause erupted.
"Boarding is now open! And as a special promotion—today's first journey is completely free!"
Free?
The nobles surged forward without hesitation.
Only one man remained behind.
The Prince of Qin's heir, Zhu Cunji, stood on the platform, face full of regret.
"Alas… I cannot go."
Imperial princes of the Ming were forbidden from leaving their fiefdoms.
Zhu Cunji could roam Xi'an City, perhaps even visit Lintong's hot springs—but no farther.
Wang Tang walked over, smiling.
"Your Highness, the train stops in Lintong as well. You may ride it and simply disembark there."
Zhu Cunji's eyes lit up.
Without another word, he dashed aboard.
The train soon rumbled forward, carrying nobles, guards, maids, servants—and the Prince's heir himself—toward Hedong.
Zhu Cunji could only ride a short distance, but even that was enough.
As the scenery flashed past, a thought slowly formed.
He beckoned a conductor.
"Today's ride is free," Zhu Cunji asked casually, "but future rides will require tickets, correct?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Are they expensive?"
The conductor scratched his head.
"That depends. The luxurious front carriages cost dozens of taels for a few stops. The middle carriages cost a few taels for several stops. The rear carriages—just a few dozen copper coins."
Zhu Cunji quietly counted the number of carriages. Then he estimated passenger capacity.
His fingers moved.
"…If the train is full," he murmured, "one trip could earn over a thousand taels of silver."
The conductor laughed nervously.
"It's not easy to fill it completely…"
"Even half-full," Zhu Cunji said calmly, "that's several hundred taels."
He smiled.
"This business seems… very profitable."
Zhu Cunji had no ambition for power.
But money?
Money was something he liked very much.
His gaze swept the carriage—and landed on a familiar figure.
At the far end sat Li Daoxuan, leisurely holding a birdcage. Inside, a black mynah tilted its head, watching the world with malicious intelligence.
Zhu Cunji immediately sat down opposite him, smiling broadly.
"Steward Li," he said, "we meet again. This humble prince has a small business proposal he wishes to discuss with you."
The mynah bird suddenly squawked loudly:
"What's the use of talking business? It won't get hard!"
Zhu Cunji: "..."