Zhu Changxun gradually noticed something that didn't sit right with him.
The two thousand militia brought by Bai Yuan, after climbing onto the walls of Luoyang, did not behave like soldiers he was familiar with. They didn't crowd together, nor did they randomly pick spots along the battlements.
Instead, they split into small units.
Each arquebusier squad walked to a specific section of the wall as if following an invisible map. They paused, checked distances, exchanged a few quiet words, and then—most baffling of all—marked the city wall.
Some took out small pieces of charcoal and drew symbols or numbers directly onto the stone.
Others scratched lines.
A few even wrote characters.
Zhu Changxun stared.
"These walls belong to me," he thought irritably. "When did they start letting people scribble on them?"
Unable to hold back, he asked aloud, "What exactly are they doing?"
At some point, Bai Yuan and Dao Xuan Tianzun had already walked up to the watchtower. Dao Xuan Tianzun stood quietly to one side, gaze unfocused, clearly uninterested in Zhu Changxun or anything happening around him.
Bai Yuan, however, was in a good mood.
Seeing Zhu Changxun finally ask, he smiled and replied, "Arranging positions."
Zhu Changxun frowned. "Arranging what positions? When the fighting starts, won't they just stand on the wall and shoot? Why the fuss?"
Bai Yuan shook his head. "That won't do at all. If everyone rushes to the wall at the last moment, it becomes chaos. People argue over space, block each other's firing angles, waste time shouting. Preparing in advance prevents panic."
Zhu Changxun looked at him sideways, unconvinced.
Before he could say anything else, something even stranger happened.
After confirming their assigned positions, the arquebusiers… left the wall.
One unit after another descended from the battlements and disappeared into the defensive shelters behind them.
Zhu Changxun's eyelid twitched.
"Hey—hey!" he snapped.
Bai Yuan explained calmly, "We don't know when the bandits will arrive. There's no need for soldiers to stand on the wall all day, freezing in the wind. Let them rest properly. When the bandits come, they'll have strength."
Zhu Changxun stared at him as if he were hearing nonsense.
"Are these soldiers," he demanded, "or are they your revered fathers?"
Bai Yuan only smiled, saying nothing.
That smile made Zhu Changxun even more uncomfortable.
Still, this was not the moment to explode. He swallowed his temper and waved his hand sharply.
"You!" he barked at his own men. "Go guard the walls! If bandits arrive and we're caught unprepared, I'll skin the lot of you!"
The five hundred personal guards immediately obeyed.
They climbed onto the walls in neat ranks, lining both sides of the East Gate.
Though their combat strength was nothing special, they were extremely well-dressed. Polished armor gleamed. Helmets were adorned. Sashes were tied just right. Standing tall on the wall, they looked imposing, dignified, unmistakably princely.
Dao Xuan Tianzun glanced over and thought mildly, What a shame my Field of View hasn't expanded here yet. Otherwise, these aerial shots might be useful someday.
He didn't know when the bandits would arrive.
Or whether they would arrive at all.
After waiting for a few minutes, he grew bored.
He walked to a quiet corner, sat down cross-legged, and with a soft whoosh, his consciousness slipped away.
His Co-sensing jumped elsewhere.
This movement once again caught Zhu Changxun's attention.
He pointed at Dao Xuan Tianzun. "What exactly is this man here for?"
Bai Yuan replied readily, "He's here to help. And he's very, very formidable."
Zhu Changxun snorted. "Formidable? I don't believe it."
He stood, strode over, and looked down at Dao Xuan Tianzun with all the authority of a prince.
"Hmph. I hear you're a martial arts master," he said. "Show this Prince your skills."
Dao Xuan Tianzun, whose consciousness was currently elsewhere, did not react at all.
Zhu Changxun's face darkened. "This Prince is talking to you!"
No response.
He grew angrier. "Pretending to be deaf?"
He reached out and shook Dao Xuan Tianzun's shoulder.
With a dull thump, Dao Xuan Tianzun toppled sideways and collapsed onto the ground.
Zhu Changxun jumped back in fright.
"Why is he so stiff?!" He crouched, checked for breathing, and panicked. "Dead? No—no, impossible! I barely touched him! I didn't kill him! I'm not a murderer!"
He stumbled backward and slammed straight into Fan Shangzheng.
Fan Shangzheng quickly steadied him. "Your Highness, don't panic. Master Xiao practices a cultivation technique called Ice Soul Condensation Qi Gong. While cultivating, he appears lifeless. You'll get used to it."
Bai Yuan nearly laughed.
Such a ridiculous name, and you remembered it exactly. As expected of a governor.
Meanwhile, Dao Xuan Tianzun was happily touring the world.
Xi'an.
Gao Family Village.
Puzhou.
Shi Jian's troops.
Tie Niaofei's caravan.
He hopped from place to place, checking if anything required intervention.
Nothing did.
Satisfied, he withdrew his consciousness.
Back in the real world, he opened a food delivery app and ordered a strawberry milk pudding.
Soon—ding-dong.
The villa's electronic doorbell rang.
He glanced at the camera feed and froze.
Not a delivery rider.
A cargo van.
The solar power systems had arrived.
"Perfect timing," he said happily.
He rushed downstairs, opened the door, and was greeted by a smiling driver.
"Your solar power systems are here. Fifteen sets in this truck. Three more trucks will arrive shortly. Where should we stack them?"
"The basement," Dao Xuan Tianzun replied.
The unloading took a long time.
When it was done, the basement was stacked high with equipment.
Dao Xuan Tianzun carried one set upstairs and placed it beside the box.
The box had grown enormous now—five meters long, three meters wide, dominating the room.
He measured the solar panel.
Perfect fit.
He selected Puzhou on the box.
The Field of View shifted.
An empty rocky plot outside the city.
He followed the manual carefully, step by step, connecting frames, panels, wires, batteries.
Finally, he ran a cable all the way into the city, through the Flower World Star Agency's grand theater—
Click.
The tablet lit up.
A lightning icon appeared.
Charging.
Dao Xuan Tianzun nodded in satisfaction.