Chapter 1733: The Great Work of Spreading the Faith

Zhou Mengyao and Qi Xuansu were welcomed into the fortified village, where everyone treated them with the utmost respect.

Through his conversations with the elders, Qi Xuansu had gained a general understanding of the situation here.

Those bandits were not actually bandits at all, but government troops.

Zhou Mengyao had truly called it. When ordinary people were forced to build fortified villages to protect themselves, the government troops could no longer be relied upon. In fact, the government troops themselves were often the source of the turmoil.

Aside from the problem posed by the government troops, the elders also had other matters for which they sought the help of Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao.

For the villagers, having an invincible hero who could save their village was certainly a good thing, but some problems could not be solved through force alone. There were still problems of food shortages, epidemics, and the sick and wounded.

As such, what they needed was a prophet who could show them the path forward, someone like the Old Taiping Sect’s Great Teacher.

Zhou Mengyao had judged the situation very accurately. The two of them could not simply play the role of wandering heroes who upheld justice. That would earn them respect, but not awe, making it difficult to seize power within a short period of time. They might even end up being reduced to hired help, constantly entrusted with one task after another. Thus, they had to play the part of holy charlatans and strike directly at the heart of the matter.

Zhou Mengyao said nothing, putting on the airs of an inscrutable master.

Qi Xuansu spoke on her behalf. “The food problem is relatively easy to solve. There are many people here but little cultivated land. As long as we can drive back the government troops, you can reclaim the land and have a harvest by next year. The truly urgent matter at present is the epidemic.”

The village elders nodded repeatedly.

Qi Xuansu glanced at Zhou Mengyao before continuing, “My master has come here in accordance with the will of the Yellow Heaven to deliver all living beings from suffering and guide them in establishing a world of Great Peace. So long as you sincerely devote yourselves to the Dao, calamities will naturally be dispelled and illnesses cured.”

The chief elder hurriedly asked. “Is this truly so?”

Qi Xuansu deliberately put on a displeased expression. “Sincerity brings efficacy. To even ask such a question shows that your heart lacks sincerity.”

The elder was startled and hurriedly admitted his fault and repented. “It was a thoughtless remark. I beg for your forgiveness, Venerable One.”

Qi Xuansu’s expression softened slightly as he began preaching their doctrine. “Considering that you have yet to formally convert, I will overlook it this time. I shall now formally introduce you to our Lord, the Yellow Heaven, so listen carefully. Our Lord, the Yellow Heaven, also revered as the Yellow God, is an incarnation of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor.”

One of the elders said, “I know of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. According to the tales passed down by the older generations, he was supposedly the great ancestor of the Li family’s Sage, called the Primordial Xuanyuan Emperor.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Precisely so. The Primordial Daoist Ancestor is the progenitor who opened the heavens and created the earth, born from the primordial chaos. His venerable self resides high above the Thirty-Three Heavens, with purple qi coming from the east for 15,000 kilometers. He also possesses 3,000 incarnations spread throughout the 3,000 worlds. The Primordial Daoist Ancestor once descended in the incarnation of Immortal Guangcheng to enlighten the Human Emperor and descended as the ancestor of the Li family to enlighten the First Sage of the Confucian School. Our Lord, the Yellow Heaven, is one of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor’s many incarnations.

“Our Lord, the Yellow Heaven, exists in the past, present, and future, and abides within the boundless, profound, wondrous world. It is also the Lord who commands thunder and divine punishment, sweeping away all injustice.

“Our Lord, the Yellow Heaven, dwells within the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace, commanding a million Yellow Turban Warriors. So long as you believe in our Lord, even if you should die, you may ascend to the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace and attain eternal life beneath our Lord’s protection. In the World of Great Peace, there is no exploitation, oppression, hunger, cold, sickness, and calamity, much less fraud or theft. There, every person shall be as powerful as a dragon.

“Our Lord’s eldest son is named Li Changgeng, a Great Sage who attained the Dao, revered as a teacher by beings of both the netherworld and the mortal realm. He transforms and manifests wherever needed. Once his work is accomplished, he withdraws into seclusion, nowhere to be found yet ever-present. He roams throughout the Six Voids and spreads his teachings across the Three Realms. There is nothing he has not thoroughly comprehended.

“The Primordial Daoist Ancestor, the Yellow Heaven, and Li Changgeng are one entity, while our religious leader, the Great Teacher, is the Yellow Heaven’s second daughter. She is the messenger sent by our Lord into the mortal realm to save mankind and the guide who leads the way to the World of Great Peace.”

Qi Xuansu had given no shortage of speeches over the years. Now that he had taken upon himself the great work of spreading the faith, he played the part quite convincingly. Moreover, he was currently dressed in the full attire of an Omniscient Sage and wore a lotus crown and cloud-patterned boots, with a sword hanging from his belt. With his extraordinary bearing and imposing air of authority, he was remarkably convincing.

The elders were clearly in awe. After exchanging a few glances, they all dropped to their knees. “We are willing to convert!”

Back in the days of the Qi Dynasty, the Imperial Court had revered the Daoist Order. Later, Empress Mingkong took the throne and seized the realm from the Li family, replacing the Daoist Order with the Buddhist Sect since the latter had contributed greatly to her usurpation, even personally stepping forward to lend legitimacy to her cause. This led to the flourishing of Buddhism. Although there were later attempts to set things right, the people on this island had evidently been swallowed into the belly of the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon before they ever lived to see that day.

Thus, the inhabitants of the island still predominantly believed in Buddhism. But after believing in the Buddha for so many years and worshipping the Bodhisattvas for so long, it had not helped them in the slightest. Those who were meant to die still died. They should have stopped believing long ago.

It was just like praying to the Dragon King for rain. If the Dragon King sent rain, then there would be no shortage of fine food, drink, and all kinds of offerings. But if the Dragon King took the offerings without doing the job, producing nothing but thunder without a drop of rain, then the Dragon King’s statue would have to be hauled out of his temple, paraded through the streets for all to see, and left beneath the blazing sun.

The faith of the Central Plains people was just that simple and pragmatic.

Thus, these elders had no ideological baggage to speak of, much less any qualms about converting, so they simply converted on the spot.

Qi Xuansu stepped aside, making room for Zhou Mengyao to receive their reverence.

Once the elders had been won over, the ordinary villagers followed suit one after another. With that, this fortified village could be considered theirs.

However, these elders were shrewd old foxes. Words alone would not be enough. Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao would have to demonstrate some genuine ability as well. Otherwise, even if the elders were temporarily in awe now, it would not be long before they came to their senses and changed their minds.

Qi Xuansu moved closer to Zhou Mengyao. He suppressed his mental discomfort and put on a respectful front. “Master, may I ask you to bestow the talisman water to cure the people here of their illnesses and dispel their calamities?”

Zhou Mengyao continued to play the part of an inscrutable master. Without saying a word, she merely gave a slight nod and handed Qi Xuansu the small bottle she had prepared beforehand.

This bottle containing the Jade Liquor was utterly unremarkable among Zhou Mengyao’s many treasures. But here in the middle of nowhere, set against their humble surroundings, it looked like an Immortal’s sacred jade vessel. Thus, it drew a chorus of astonished exclamations.

Qi Xuansu said, “Everyone, let me make one thing clear beforehand—sincerity brings efficacy. If your hearts are insincere and you remain doubtful of our faith, then drinking this talisman water will only be a waste and have no effect on you whatsoever. If you do not believe, then it would be better not to drink the talisman water at all.”

Several elders hurriedly replied, “We believe! Of course we believe!”

Qi Xuansu instructed, “Bring me a large cauldron and boil a pot of clean water. Then bring out all the wounded and the sick.”

The village elders promptly obeyed and went off to carry out his instructions.

The Jade Liquor was precious. Back then, Qi Xuansu had gone to quite a few places and expended considerable effort just to obtain a cup of the lowest-grade Jade Liquor. In the end, he had spent around 1,000 Taiping coins to buy it.

Naturally, Zhou Mengyao’s Jade Liquor was no such low-grade product, but the finest of the finest. Although it was still nothing more than an insignificant leftover ingredient to an Immortal, to ordinary people, it was extraordinarily precious.

Ordinary people could not withstand the elixirs produced by the Huasheng Hall and could easily be overwhelmed by the medicinal power. However, the Jade Liquor was an exception, as it was used to temper and neutralize medicinal potency. Back when Qi Xuansu had taken the Blood Pill, its medicinal power had been so fierce that he feared he would be unable to assimilate it, which was why he had bought the Jade Liquor to take alongside it.

Even so, it still had to be diluted with water before it could be consumed. Allowing ordinary people to drink the Jade Liquor directly would still be far too dangerous.

This diluted Jade Liquor—or the supposed talisman water—was not merely a placebo. It genuinely strengthened one’s vitality and fortified the body. This increased a person’s chances of enduring an illness until recovery, so it could cure diseases and save lives.

Before long, the elders had prepared a large cauldron according to Qi Xuansu’s instructions and brought the clean water to a boil. Qi Xuansu then opened the jade bottle and dripped a single drop of the Jade Liquor into the cauldron.

Qi Xuansu said, “That will do. Give every sick or wounded person one bowl each.”

The elders directed the women of the village to administer the talisman water to the wounded and sick one by one.

The conditions of the wounded and sick varied greatly. Some had relatively minor ailments and were already in good physical condition. After drinking a single bowl of talisman water, they immediately felt a cool, refreshing feeling wash through their bodies. Their entire bodies felt lighter, their strength returned, and many of their aches and illnesses vanished without a trace. Some were even able to get up on the spot, stand on their own feet, and walk around without difficulty.

Although those who were seriously ill did not experience such immediate and dramatic results, their conditions also improved noticeably, and their complexions looked much healthier.

Upon witnessing this scene, how could anyone still harbor disbelief? They immediately dropped to their knees in gratitude. Quite a few even broke down in tears.

People needed something to hope for in order to keep living. Their lives in the past had been like dwelling in darkness without ever seeing the light of day, with no idea when their suffering would end. Now that they had finally glimpsed hope, they finally had something to strive toward.

The people of the Central Plains had never feared hardship, nor were they afraid of adversity. What they feared was having nothing to strive for and nothing to look forward to. In this sense, hope was more precious than gold.

Now was time for Zhou Mengyao to put on her performance. She walked over to the large cauldron, scooped up a ladle of talisman water, and splashed it toward the crowd.

Her technique was ingenious. The talisman water she scattered transformed into a fine mist, ensuring that everyone received their share of her blessing. At the same time, she secretly circulated the six qi, causing various hues of light and shadow to shimmer through the mist. At first glance, it looked almost like a rainbow.

In truth, this little bit of mist had extremely limited effects. Yet under the influence of herd mentality and the placebo effect, everyone felt as though they had undergone some kind of purification, making them feel much lighter.

Zhou Mengyao and Qi Xuansu were striking while the iron was hot, pressing their advantage in one concerted effort. Now that the talisman water had opened the way for them, they needed to further consolidate the villagers’ support and deepen their impression.

As long as one commanded the hearts of the people, one commanded power.

Political power and military force reinforced one another. Though military force served as the foundation of political power, one also needed political power to organize an army and strengthen its military capabilities.

Both Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao had realized that the black qi surrounding those rebel soldiers might be the key to escaping this place. But the two of them could not possibly defeat those rebel soldiers alone. They would have to raise a rebel army with the Taiping Religion at its core before they could contend on equal footing with the Commander’s Office mentioned by the elders.

In civil affairs, the Taiping Religion led by the Great Teacher would take precedence. In military affairs, the Yellow Turban Army led by the General of Heaven would take the lead.

Then they could finally proclaim the famous slogan. “The Azure Heaven is dead. The Yellow Heaven shall rise. In the Jiazi Year, great fortune shall descend upon all under Heaven.”