Chapter 5: The Shocked Chat Group Members (Patreon)

Meanwhile, the livestream chat group had already erupted into chaos.

[Hu Tao: Amazing... so amazing! This is what it truly means to protect the common people!]

[Ganyu: If only Liyue had someone like this...]

[Zhongli: To hold the common people in his heart, to raise justice as his banner. Such vision far surpasses that of any regional ruler.]

News that the Way of Great Peace had raised its banner hit the mortal realm like a ladle of cold water poured into boiling oil — the whole world erupted at once.

The first to react were the immortal sects and noble clans scattered across the land.

The sect master of the Heavenly Star Sect slammed the letter in his hand onto his rosewood desk, his face darkening. "The Way of Great Peace? Some nobody Daoist with no pedigree, daring to preach that land belongs to those who till it? Absurd!"

Beside the desk, his senior disciple stood with hands folded, speaking carefully. "Master, that Daoist's strength... they say it's unfathomable. The Heavenly Sword Sect sent three elders to investigate, and he subdued all three with a single move, stripped their cultivation, and sent them packing."

Zhao Xuanqing's eye twitched. After a moment of silence, he gave a cold snort. "We'll watch for now. Let's see just how much trouble this old man can stir up."

Similar exchanges played out across the great sects and noble estates.

Some raged, some feared, and some quietly began to have other ideas.

But whatever the case, the Way of Great Peace's rise was already fact — all the great sects and clans had no choice but to pick a side.

Unsurprisingly, the immortal sects and clans all chose to stand with the imperial court.

After all, the terms the Way of Great Peace proposed were something those sects and clans could never accept.

Gusttave paid it no mind. Surrender, and he'd give you a chance.

Choose to resist instead, and it only made things easier for him.

The strongest fighters among humanity these days barely reached the level of a Demon King, and not one could even rival a Great Demon King — let alone stand against Gusttave.

It took Gusttave only three years to sweep away every hostile faction like autumn wind scattering fallen leaves, reunifying the fractured human race in the process.

On the surface, the human race had all fallen under the banner of the Yiqidao League, but in truth the great clans within the Alliance were at odds with each other, and the imperial court was scheming to turn the Alliance into its own attack dog.

Now, under Gusttave's purge, the immortal sects and clans were stripped from the rolls entirely, and the Yiqidao League fell completely under his own control.

Under Gusttave, the Yiqidao League became an organization that merged police and military functions into one.

Most of its members were followers of the Way of Great Peace, personally cultivated by Gusttave.

They had received Gusttave's teachings since childhood, and their moral standards and social awareness were well ahead of their time.

With them holding the reins of the military and police, Gusttave felt entirely at ease.

After that, Gusttave personally led men to each of the great demon kingdoms, forcing them to sign treaties of peaceful coexistence between humans and demons.

They promised to hand over every demon who had ever harmed humans.

And in the future, they would work together with humanity to deal with any demon who broke the treaty.

"From this day forward, humans shall not oppress demons, demons shall not devour humans. Territories shall be clearly divided, trade shall flow freely between us, and any who stir up chaos shall be jointly punished by both races."

With the demon race settled, Gusttave turned to strengthening internal governance, borrowing wholesale from the systems of his homeland.

After all, his homeland had been a poor, backward agricultural nation in its early years, and many of its old systems still suited this era well enough.

Frankly, after sorting through his finances, Gusttave was startled to discover he now had more resources at his disposal than his homeland had possessed even at its founding.

The thought made him curse under his breath. "Damn the shaven heads and the queue-wearers!"

If not for them, his homeland wouldn't have started out so dirt poor.

That Three Alls Policy especially had been utterly inhuman.

The surplus funds let many of Gusttave's policies run smoothly.

After all, running a nation came down to money — without it, nothing moved forward.

Only with money could anything actually get done.

So a wave of new policies soon rolled out across society.

Land was resurveyed and the old tenant system abolished outright; finances were unified and arbitrary levies scrapped; infrastructure boomed, with rivers tamed and roads built; basic education spread to stamp out illiteracy; a unified public health and medical system was established; workshops were reorganized to regulate labor and protect the livelihoods of the lowest classes; order was rebuilt, with law replacing arbitrary rule and public interest replacing private gain; and the borders between human and demon territories were coordinated to promote trade...

[March 7th: Wait, wasn't he just an ordinary person before he transmigrated? Why does he have so much experience running a country?]

[Hu Tao: This Director wants to know too! Didn't he say he was just an ordinary player?! Since when do ordinary players found nations?!]

[Ningguang: From land, food, and education, to healthcare, labor, and security... he's thought of everything.]

[Ningguang: These policies interlock with one another — this is no improvised whim. Behind this man there must be a complete philosophy of governance.]

[Silver Wolf: I have reasonable suspicions he did this exact job back in his original world.]

[Silver Wolf: There's no way his hometown just taught everyone this stuff from childhood, right?]

[Seele: If only Belobog could be like this too...]

[Asta: So impressive! Resource distribution, infrastructure, education — all laid out so clearly!]

[Keqing: ...I suddenly understand a little why he once said "Liyue makes him sick."]

The moment those words appeared, the chat group fell silent for a few seconds.

Keqing was the pragmatist among the Liyue Qixing, always proud of Liyue's prosperity. For her to say something like that meant everything that plain-robed Daoist on the screen had done had shaken her worldview to its core.

[Zhongli: To govern through commerce emphasizes circulation and the accumulation of wealth; to govern through policy emphasizes distribution and the welfare of the people. Neither is inherently superior. But if merchants pursue only private gain while disregarding the common people, that is a path toward disaster.]

Zhongli's words were as measured as ever, but those who knew him well could hear the note of self-reflection hidden within them.

The consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor rarely commented so bluntly on Liyue's institutions.

The livestream continued.

Gusttave also placed heavy emphasis on cultivating elite combat strength.

After all, beyond their borders, great enemies still circled.

The human race was still short on strength, and without hurrying to train elite fighters, there'd be trouble.

Right now, the entire human race rested on Gusttave's shoulders alone.

During this time, Huohuo, Feixiao, and Tingyun came looking for him.

After a hundred years apart, Huohuo had shed the timidity of her younger self. Her jade-green fox fur robe set off a poised, upright figure, and her brows carried a melancholy that never quite lifted. Only in the instant her eyes met Gusttave's did those long-still eyes tremble faintly, betraying the feelings buried deep in her heart.

Tingyun looked just as smoothly gracious as ever, her fox ears swaying lightly, her smile gentle — though a trace of hard-to-notice seriousness hid in her eyes.

Feixiao still looked like a young girl, her defiance undiminished. Her tail swayed lightly behind her, and her eyes fixed directly on Gusttave, carrying both a flicker of excitement and a trace of wronged indignation.

Feixiao was the first to break, stepping forward with a clear voice. "Daoist of Great Peace — so it really is you."

Gusttave turned around, his gaze sweeping slowly over the three of them, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Long time no see."

Huohuo pressed her lips together, staying silent for a long moment before finally speaking, her voice still faintly hoarse but no longer edged with the panic of those years. "Are you human, or a demon?"

More than a hundred years had passed since she'd first met Gusttave, yet not only had he not died, his appearance hadn't changed one bit.

"How am I even supposed to explain that..." Gusttave rubbed his chin, falling into thought. "Just think of me as something born of heaven and earth — an innately divine being."

"Like those fellows from the Kingdom of Aolai."

Tingyun stepped forward first, her fox tail flicking lightly, her smile carrying just the right touch of probing. "An innately divine being... no wonder you look exactly the same after all these years apart."

Her gaze drifted lightly over Gusttave before settling back on his face, her tone gentle. "These past years, the Way of Great Peace has swept the mortal realm like a storm, and the borders between human and demon lands have settled a great deal thanks to your treaty. Truly, your merit is immeasurable."

"Just doing what needed doing." Gusttave waved a hand.

Then Huohuo asked a question that cut deep. "Why did you lie to me?"

Back then, Huohuo had naively believed Gusttave was dead and had been consumed by grief — only to find he hadn't died at all, and was in fact perfectly fine.

Faced with such a deception, even after learning Gusttave was alive, Huohuo hadn't wanted to see the liar again.

"Because I like you." Gusttave said it without a shred of hesitation.

"I wanted my 'death' to carve out a place for me in your heart."

Huohuo's body went rigid. Her melancholy features snapped taut, her fox ears shot upright without her meaning to, and the tip of her tail trembled faintly.

She stared at Gusttave, her eyes churning with hurt, confusion, and a flicker of panic at having a hidden feeling laid bare. It took her a long moment to force out a hoarse reply. "You... what are you even saying."

Tingyun covered her mouth with a soft laugh, a knowing teasing glint in her fox eyes. "Now that's quite the confession — not a single roundabout word in it."

Feixiao's fur bristled instantly, her tail puffing out. She stepped forward to shield Huohuo, tilting her head up to glare at Gusttave. "Hey! You are not allowed to have designs on my sister!"

But the wronged, jealous look in her eyes didn't quite match what she was saying.

The moment Feixiao said that, Tingyun shot her a knowing glance, a smile tugging at her lips without saying a word.

Gusttave looked down at the bristling little fox, then suddenly reached out and rested a hand on her head, ruffling it gently.

"It's not just your sister — I don't plan on letting you or Tingyun off the hook either."

Feixiao's ears flushed red from the touch. She smacked his hand away, her tail puffing out even more, and stammered despite herself. "W-what do you mean by that!"

"What I mean is — I've decided to court all three of you sisters!"

Feixiao's small face flushed crimson. Her mouth opened and closed, opened and closed again, before she finally choked out, "Y-you shameless—!"

"Yep, shameless." Gusttave nodded in agreement, his expression not changing in the slightest.

Feixiao got even more flustered. "You're vile!"

"Vile indeed."

"You have no shame!"

"Who needs shame when you're courting future wives?"

Feixiao was completely out of words. Her tail drooped, and she looked exactly like a fox cub pinched by the scruff — furious, flustered, and at a total loss. In the end, all she could do was glare at Gusttave with reddened eyes.

Tingyun laughed softly behind her hand, her fox eyes curving into crescents, her tone leisurely. "Seems you're planning to sweep up all three Tushan sisters in one go. Quite the appetite you have."

Gusttave said, perfectly at ease, "If my appetite were any smaller, how could I ever support the three of you?"

"Who said I need you to support me!" Feixiao's fur bristled again instantly.

Tingyun gave her round fan a light wave, her smile deepening. "Don't get the wrong idea. I never said I agreed."

"I know." Gusttave looked at her, his gaze calm but earnest. "That's why I said 'court,' not 'marry.' Whether you say yes is your business. Whether I pursue you is mine."

The fan in Tingyun's hand paused for a moment.

She was well used to smooth, polished pleasantries, well used to roundabout probing and hints. A confession as blunt as Gusttave's — almost reckless in its directness — left her, for once, at a loss for how to respond.

"You really are an interesting one." Tingyun lowered her eyes, her fox tail sweeping lightly to hide the faint, barely noticeable smile at the corner of her mouth.

[March 7th: Whoa! A direct confession! And to three at once! That's bold!]

[Kiana: Huohuo's ears are completely red! She's clearly smitten but won't admit it!]

[Hu Tao: Well look at that — the Daoist of Great Peace can found a nation AND sweet-talk foxes! This Director is impressed!]

Huohuo's hands, hanging at her sides, quietly clenched. Her ears were flushed red enough to bleed. It took her a long moment before she turned her head away, her voice as soft as wind:

"You... don't say nonsense. I haven't settled the score with you for what happened back then."

Gusttave watched her forced composure, his smile deepening:

"That debt can be paid slowly. This life, the next — I've got all the time in the world."

Feixiao, still bristling, stood guard in front of Huohuo, her tail swaying without her noticing, stubbornly insisting:

"Don't try that on us! My sister won't fall for your sweet talk that easily! Neither will I!"

Gusttave leaned down and tapped a fingertip lightly against her upright fox ear, his tone teasing:

"And who was it that came down the mountain and followed me around for ten straight years, back then?"

Feixiao's face went instantly crimson, and she jerked back half a step:

"T-that was when I was little! I'm the Second-in-Command of Tushan now!"

"Yes, yes, mighty General Feixiao." Gusttave played along, then turned to Huohuo, his expression turning more earnest. "Faking my death back then was wrong of me. But I never meant to hurt you."

"All these years building the Way of Great Peace and pacifying this chaotic world — part of it was wanting to create an age where humans and demons could live in harmony, so we could be together out in the open, without hiding."

Huohuo stared at him blankly, her heart pounding.

[Elysia: Oh my, is Miss Huohuo blushing?]

[March 7th: Building a whole new era just to openly be with the person he likes — how romantic!]

On the light-screen, the footage kept playing.

Gusttave didn't press the topic any further. He always knew when to stop — the seed had been planted, and forcing it to bloom too soon would only damage the roots.

Ten years later, the new nation had settled into a stable order, and once society had found its footing, Gusttave took a step back and left the day-to-day running to others, setting off to travel the world.

But the handful who took over the work were anything but pleased.

After all, Gusttave had merely left — not died.

If this man happened to stumble across some irregularity somewhere during his travels, they'd be the first ones to face the consequences.

Gusttave played the absentee boss with an entirely clear conscience.

He had divided state affairs with meticulous clarity: military power, financial power, and judicial power were split into three separate branches, each with its own institution to check the others.

The Yiqidao League handled military affairs and public order, the Way of Great Peace transformed into an education and oversight system, and the newly established State Council took charge of land, taxation, workshops, and commerce.

The core members of all three bodies were disciples of the Way of Great Peace whom he had personally trained over the past century — their loyalty and competence both proven beyond doubt.