The entire Gaojia Village fell into chaos again!

Villagers ran around completely aimlessly.

However, this time the situation was much better than the last.

At least the villagers knew to prepare war supplies.

No one knew whether stones and oil worked for night fighting, but they prepared them anyway.

Two blacksmiths rushed back to their blacksmith’s shop and brought out the armor they had made in recent days.

Most of the female villagers in the village had been weaving cloth these past few days; although they slacked off a bit when Thirty-Two was away—after all, the diligence of laboring folk from our dynasty was no exaggeration—even with slacking, their efficiency remained impressive, leaving plenty of cotton cloth in the village. So, the two blacksmiths gathered some skilled and nimble-fingered women to help thread the previously forged iron pieces together.

There were eight sets of cotton armor.

Compared to those fancy iron armors, this actually suited the current Gaojia villagers better. Iron armor was too heavy, and without proper military training, the villagers would feel overwhelmed and immobile if worn.

But cotton armor was light, so the villagers could bounce around freely while wearing it.

“Zheng Daniu, here’s a set for you! You’re the main fighter.”

Zheng Daniu grinned widely.

“Save one for Gao Chuwu since he’s also a main fighter. For these others, come forward, a few of the strongest young men…”

A woman dashed over from the side and pushed a thick bundle of cotton cloth on Li Da: “Blacksmith Li, I still have a bundle I hadn’t passed on yet—the bandit army won’t come for a few more hours, so see if there’s time to hurry and make one more armor set.”

“Blacksmith Gao, I have extra cotton cloth too.”

In less time than half an incense stick burns, the two blacksmiths collected several more bundles of cotton cloth.

The two were about to rush off to expedite armor-making, when suddenly an awkward, melodious female voice spoke: “I… here… also have cotton cloth.”

On hearing this voice, everyone froze and turned to look—actually, it was the Saint Lady.

Gao Yiye cradled a big bundle of cotton cloth in her hands and said guiltily: “I… wove a bit too…”

The crowd snorted dismissively!

Thirty-Two had been gone for two days, and the Deity hadn’t manifested either, leading to chaos and disorder all over the village—even the Saint Lady neglected her proper duties.

Never mind; it wasn’t the time to mock the Saint Lady now. The two blacksmiths quickly dashed into the blacksmith’s shop, rounded up the other village blacksmiths, women who could thread needles and sew, and with a whole day still ahead, they might just manage to hastily produce a few makeshift sets in time.

A big crowd rapidly got to work on the cotton armor.

…

Gao Chuwu left the Gaojia walled house and strode speedily toward the Bai Family Fortress. He only knew the rough direction, not the exact spot, but it was fine as long as he inquired politely.

Along the way, he stopped anyone he met to ask. Once, he even asked a group of bandits. Those villains whipped out their knives in a flash, but before they could swing them, Gao Chuwu sprinted away over ten meters—leaving the bandits utterly confused—how could he run that fast in this severe drought with everyone starving?

Where others took two hours, Gao Chuwu needed just an hour and a half.

The Bai Family Fortress came into view.

To their eyes, it looked surprisingly busy, like one big construction site.

Bai Yuan wore a flowing white robe, standing straight with hands clasped behind him, like a refined gentleman, supervising his staff, tenant farmers, and nearby hired villagers as they repaired the fortress wall that the Supreme Bright King had damaged earlier.

On the grounds outside the Bai Family Fortress, a large group of young men clutched long sticks and practiced a thrusting move.

After returning home, Bai Yuan rebuilt the militia. This time, he spent more money and recruited more people, swearing to protect Bai Family Fortress and prevent bandits from breaching its walls again.

Seeing his men train diligently, Bai Yuan felt inspired and shouted, “Bring me a bow!”

A servant promptly handed him a light bow.

Bai Yuan drew an arrow and shot it toward a straw dummy nearby, hitting its face dead center.

“Hahaha! The ‘Archery’ skill from the Six Arts of Gentlemen has returned to me—hahaha! Restored, wonderfully restored!”

Just as he rejoiced, a simple and honest voice yelled from afar, “Lord Bai! Lord Bai!”

Turning around, Bai Yuan spotted the caller. “Ah, isn’t that from Gaojia Village… Gao… Gao Shiwu? Gao Wuwu? Gao Yi? Gao Er? Gao San? What exactly is your name?”

Gao Chuwu dashed toward him. “Gao Chuwu!”

Bai Yuan nodded. “Yes, yes. I remember clearly. You’re Gao Chuwu. What’s the matter? You look quite exhausted.”

Gao Chuwu panted quickly, “Bandits are planning to raid Gaojia Village tonight. Third Lady is no warrior, so we beg Lord Bai for aid.”

Bai Yuan’s face immediately darkened. “Damned brutes! Gaojia Village once saved me. Their business is mine now—failing to repay kindness violates the ritual of gentlemen. This is what we call ‘reciprocity.’ I hold the ‘Ritual’ art from the Six Arts in great esteem.”

“Bring two horses!”

Servants arrived promptly, leading two fine horses.

Previously, Bai Yuan had fled with his family in a carriage. But with Bai Family Fortress secure now, he didn’t need to bring them along. Traveling by horse was faster and more comfortable. “Gao Chuwu, do you ride?”

“No!”

“Then hug the horse’s neck and hold on tight.”

Gao Chuwu stammered, “Huh? Hold—?”

Bai Yuan mounted and said to his servants, “Guard Bai Family Fortress as trained. Await my return.”

“As you command, Lord Bai!” the servants chorused.

Watching Gao Chuwu clumsily climb onto the horse and grip its neck, Bai Yuan chuckled. He held Gao Chuwu’s reins in one hand, his own in the other, and nudged the horse sharply with his heels. “Let’s ride!”

Both horses burst forward together. Once they picked up speed, Bai Yuan tossed Gao Chuwu’s reins to him. From then on, Gao Chuwu’s horse followed Bai Yuan’s steed instinctively. Mounted and racing intensely, two man-horse pairs galloped furiously toward the village.

Horses moved leagues faster than human legs. Gao Chuwu took three hours running to Bai Family Fortress, but they returned to Gaojia Village in just ninety minutes. When the village walls came into view, it wasn’t even noon yet.

Meanwhile, Li Daoxuan tinkered with a surveillance camera setup. He had much to handle: the anticipated night battle needed prime viewing. Multiple HD cameras required installation, night surveillance alerts had to be activated, and everything demanded painstaking calibration.

He polished the glass walls meticulously, positioning each camera for wide coverage from diverse angles. This way, he could later edit a high-quality battle documentary. Just as he finished adjusting the camera group, two horse specks—no larger than finger segments—appeared near the village. Li Daoxuan murmured in delight, “How adorably tiny. Ah, so Mr. Six Arts, Bai Yuan himself, has arrived.”