Chapter 43: Teaching the Women How to Fish

Leisurely days always pass rather quickly.

In the blink of an eye, Li Dao and Jiu'er had already stayed in Peach Blossom Town for ten days.

During these ten days, with Li Dao's help, the remaining women of the town successfully buried everyone in the village in the earth.

After ten days of gradual calming, the women's emotions also slowly recovered from their initial panic.

They were people of this era, possessing strong resilience against adversity, so temporary hardship could not completely defeat them.

On the tenth night of their stay.

A bonfire was burning in a courtyard in Peach Blossom Village.

At this moment, all the women had put down the work in their hands and gathered around both sides of the bonfire.

Li Dao sat on one side, slowly recounting, "And so, through the concerted efforts of countless people, the foreign tribes surrendered, and the red totem was planted on every inch of that country's land, until everyone welcomed a new life."

Li Dao picked up the tea poured by Jiu'er beside him, took a sip, and slowly said, "Alright, the story ends here."

Looking at the crowd, who remained lost in thought for a long time, he asked, "If anyone didn't quite understand, I can help clear up your confusion."

As soon as his voice fell, a woman raised her hand.

Li Dao glanced over and smiled faintly, "Liu Xia, do you have any questions?"

Through more than ten days of contact, relying on his extraordinary memory, he had already memorized the names and faces of everyone here, meaning he knew all of them by now.

Liu Xia blushed shyly, but still mustered up the courage to say, "Benefactor, is what you said in the story about women holding up half the sky true?"

Hearing this, the rest of the women also perked up.

They had heard this phrase in the story earlier, but hadn't taken it seriously, treating it merely as a tale. After all, their understanding from birth until now was that they were attachments of the era.

Often, phrases describing the downfall of states and seductive beauties were used to criticize them as women.

Yet now that someone had actually asked, they wanted an answer.

Especially since this answer came from their benefactor.

Hearing this, Li Dao looked at the group and nodded, "If women can all be like you, then what I said is true."

The reason he emphasized being like these women was because certain women truly could not hold anything up, and even standing straight on their own feet posed a problem.

Upon hearing Li Dao's affirmative answer, the eyes of all the women present involuntarily lit up.

Originally, with the pillars of their households gone, they hadn't even known what to do with themselves. Once the grief subsided, what remained in their hearts was mostly bewilderment.

With not a single man left in the entire village, how were they, the remaining ones, supposed to survive?

Now, hearing the notion that women could hold up half the sky, they suddenly felt that they too could shoulder the burden left by their men.

Seeing the women whispering among themselves, Li Dao nodded slightly. It seemed the method had worked, which meant he could leave in peace.

"Benefactor, are you leaving soon?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the crowd.

Li Dao was slightly startled and looked toward the source of the sound, only to see a woman with a scar on her face stand up and fix her gaze on him.

It was the very same woman he had helped fetch water for previously.

If he remembered correctly, her name was Liu Xiu'er.

Because Liu Xiu'er's voice was not soft, the others heard it as well.

A trace of panic instinctively surfaced in their eyes.

Though they had mentally prepared themselves long ago, suddenly hearing that their benefactor was leaving still made it hard for them to accept for a moment.

"Yes, it's time for us to leave as well."

Li Dao did not deny it. Some things could not be hidden from clever people, such as the young woman Liu Xiu'er before him.

"Benefactor, are you really leaving? Please stay a little longer."

"Benefactor, I beg you not to go."

"Can you not leave? We can't bear to part with you."

"......"

Voices urging him to stay quickly rose from the crowd.

Before Li Dao could say anything, Liu Xiu'er suddenly raised her voice sternly, "Quiet down, all of you! Benefactor has his own affairs to attend to; that is not something you can dictate. Benefactor saved our lives and helped us exact revenge—do you intend to repay him with such unreasonable behavior?"

"Do you have any conscience left?"

Following Liu Xiu'er's words, everyone instantly fell silent, each of them displaying looks of shame, and a few women even began to sob on the spot.

Looking at Liu Xiu'er, Li Dao could not help but admire her.

Facing the coercion of the Northern Barbarian cavalry, she could unhesitatingly disfigure herself to preserve her purity; at the same time, she could deduce his impending departure, and now she possessed the strength of character to suppress the other women single-handedly.

Placed in his past modern world, she would undoubtedly be a formidable career woman.

Seeing that no one refuted her, Liu Xiu'er turned to look at Li Dao.

Thud!

Liu Xiu'er dropped directly to her knees. "Benefactor, although we have never read many books, we know that a life-saving grace can never be truly repaid. We only lament that we sisters are currently powerless to return this kindness."

"I only ask that if Benefactor ever has a place where we sisters can be of help in the future, you will remember us. This kindness will be etched in our hearts for generations."

At this, the rest of the women also fell to their knees in unison.

"This kindness will be etched in our hearts for generations."

Immediately afterward, the group of women began to kowtow.

"Young Master......"

Beside him, seeing this scene, Jiu'er could not help speaking up.

Li Dao shook his head. "It's fine."

Because he understood this was the only thing these women could do; to refuse would be tantamount to humiliating them.

After a few breaths.

Seeing that it was about enough, Li Dao spoke up to remind them, "All right, that's enough."

Hearing this, Liu Xiu'er immediately stopped.

Seeing this, the others also ceased their kowtowing one after another.

Li Dao suddenly gave a light laugh, "Don't just stare, wipe your foreheads first."

Hearing this, the women looked at each other and discovered that everyone's foreheads were smudged black.

Suddenly, a chuckle broke the silence, as if tripping some hidden switch, and everyone could not help laughing out loud, thereby shattering the gloom that had weighed upon their hearts for so many days.

A moment later.

The laughter gradually subsided, and Li Dao clapped his hands. "Alright, let's stop laughing for now."

Seeing the benefactor speak, all the women promptly收敛 their smiles.

Glancing at the women, Li Dao said, "We've spent ten days together, which can be considered a bond of fate. Before I leave, I will leave you all with a gift."

Instantly, curious gazes appeared in the eyes of all the women.

Li Dao beckoned, and Jiu'er at his side handed a package over to him.

"Liu Xiu'er."

"Yes, Benefactor."

"Come here."

Liu Xiu'er stood up, walked over to Li Dao, and said respectfully, "Benefactor."

"This is for you all."

Li Dao placed the package in her hands.

"Benefactor, what is inside this......"

"Open it and see for yourself."

"May I?"

"Of course. Once given to you, it is yours."

Hearing this, Liu Xiu'er carefully untied the package.

Three books came into view.

When she clearly recognized what these three books were, her pupils constricted, and she hurriedly said, "Benefactor, no, this is far too precious."

"Precious?"

Li Dao shook his head. "These things are worthless to me."

"But......"

Liu Xiu'er wanted to say more.

"There are no buts."

Li Dao interrupted her, speaking bluntly, "Do you not want to grasp your fate in your own hands?"

"Or do you wish to watch what happened before repeat itself in Peach Blossom Village?"

"Look at the women behind you; how are they supposed to protect themselves?"

Sentence after sentence pierced Liu Xiu'er's heart like a dagger, gradually clearing her mind.

Li Dao stroked the top of Liu Xiu'er's head just as he used to do with Jiu'er.

"There is also a very realistic question."

"And that is, how do ordinary people like you plan to help me?"

"You can only do so by becoming stronger. Or perhaps your so-called repayment of kindness is just talk, without any intention of truly fulfilling it."

"No!"

Liu Xiu'er shook her head hastily, then suddenly fell silent.

She looked down at the package in her hands, which contained three books:

*The Yellow Sun Formula*

*Gale Saber Technique*

*Mandarin Duck Coordinated Strike Formation*

Among them, *The Yellow Sun Formula* was something Li Dao had looted from a Northern Barbarian commander.

*The Gale Saber Technique* was derived from his improvement of the Raging Wind Saber Technique, making it very suitable for ordinary people to master quickly.

As for the last one, the *Mandarin Duck Coordinated Strike Formation*, it originated from the *Butcher Military Strategy*.

It was a simple coordinated combat formation requiring only a small number of people, making it extremely suitable for the women of Peach Blossom Village.

As for why he was giving these things to them—

It was the principle of 'give a man a fish versus teach a man to fish.'

Rather than worrying about them endlessly, it was better to let them grow strong on their own.

They didn't even need to be exceptionally powerful; if each of them merely mastered the basics of *The Yellow Sun Formula* and barely became postnatal martial artists, then when those Northern Barbarian cavalry arrived, they wouldn't have been able to breach Peach Blossom Village so easily.

Indeed, if a few of them practiced well enough, winning against those Northern Barbarian cavalry the next time wouldn't be entirely out of the question.

Seeing Liu Xiu'er remain silent, Li Dao said nothing more.

From the pair of tightly clenched hands, one could tell she desperately desired this chance to seize control of her own destiny.

Finally, after a moment, Liu Xiu'er relaxed.

When she raised her head once more, Li Dao saw a fire burning in her eyes; though he didn't know the exact nature of that fire, he knew she had accepted.

"Thank you, Benefactor."

Not knowing what else to say, Liu Xiu'er repeated the phrase that was so frequently on her lips.

Yet this time, the tone in which she spoke felt different, carrying a faint sense of fervent zeal.

Li Dao didn't overthink it; as long as she had figured it out, that was enough.

......

The next morning, at dawn.

Outside Peach Blossom Village.

Li Dao held the reins of his carriage, slowly arriving at the ancient path outside the village. Behind him followed Liu Xiu'er and the rest of the group.

They gazed at Li Dao upon the carriage with eyes full of reluctance, yet they could say nothing.

Li Dao leaped up onto the driver's seat, turned back to lightly address the group behind him, "Alright, seeing us off this far is enough. You should head back quickly."

Hearing this, the group didn't know what else to say, and ultimately bowed in unison, "Benefactor, farewell."

Li Dao smiled slightly, "I hope to see you all again in the future. Take care."

"Hyah!"

Accompanied by the crack of a whip, the carriage set off along the ancient path, slowly moving toward the distant horizon.

Leaving behind a cluster of figures gazing into the distance.

Long after the carriage had completely vanished at the end of the ancient path, the crowd finally came to their senses, the sense of loss on their faces impossible to conceal.

Beside them, Liu Xiu'er took in everyone's expressions.

She stepped forward and suddenly spoke, "Let me ask you all one question: do you want to repay the benefactor's kindness?"

The crowd was stunned, but quickly responded one after another.

"We do, of course we do! I was utterly in despair back then; if not for the benefactor, I truly wouldn't have known what courage I had left to live."

"I almost died at the hands of the northern barbarians; if not for the benefactor, I wouldn't be alive either."

"I almost lost my purity; it was the benefactor who saved us."

Seeing this, Liu Xiu'er nodded. "Since all of you wish to repay the benefactor's kindness, from today onwards we must do one thing: become stronger."

"Because only by becoming stronger can we be of use."

"Only by becoming stronger can we live with dignity."

"The benefactor said that women hold up half the sky, but ask yourselves honestly, can you truly do it?"

Hearing this, the group felt somewhat lacking in confidence.

Yesterday it had sounded wonderful, but waking up today with a clear head and looking at the endless chores waiting for their hands, they instantly doubted themselves.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd said, "Liu Xiu'er, just tell us straight—what do you want us to do with you?"

A spark flashed in the depths of Liu Xiu'er's eyes as she uttered, "Cultivate!"

Cultivate?

Confusion filled the eyes of many present, as most of them had no idea what that meant.

Seeing this, Liu Xiu'er understood the reason and stated bluntly, "You don't need to think too much. You only need to know that if you want to become useful people—useful to the benefactor—you simply have to listen to me."

The crowd looked at one another and nodded in unison.

"Liu Xiu'er, you were always the village beauty and the prettiest of us all. We'll listen to you."

"Liu Xiu'er, I never liked you before, but for the sake of that scar on your face, I'll follow you."

"I'll follow you too!"

"Me as well."

"......"

Watching everyone agree one after another, Liu Xiu'er took a deep breath, feeling countless burdens settle upon her fragile shoulders.

Yet thinking of their past ordeal, she quickly braced herself.

Silently, she vowed in her heart, "Benefactor, we will definitely meet again."