Chapter 1731: Taiping Religion

Qi Xuansu thought it over carefully and concluded that Zhou Mengyao’s idea was indeed quite feasible. It was also the best way to marshal outside forces within a short period of time.

That was why secret societies gave the Daoist Order such a headache. They spread especially quickly among the common people at the lowest levels of society, and the slightest lapse in vigilance could allow one to grow into an enormous organization like the White Lotus Sect.

The Lingshan Witch Cult and the Cult of Fates could only be considered rising newcomers. In fact, the Daoist Order itself was an old hand at this. Its predecessor was the Old Taiping Sect, followed by the Heavenly Sect. Both were masters of preaching, capable of sweeping across the entire realm at the slightest opportunity.

At its root, it all came down to the human heart.

Qi Xuansu had previously ordered the handling of several incidents involving secret societies. Since the final results naturally had to be reported back to him, he had acquired some understanding of the subject.

This had been especially true during his time at the Poluo Daoist Mansion, where all kinds of secret societies emerged one after another, with good and bad mixed together. There were genuine heretical cults with sinister ambitions, such as the Lingshan Witch Cult and the Cult of Fates, as well as numerous groups of swindlers interested in nothing more than cheating people out of their money or taking advantage of them sexually.

Among the members of these secret societies were plenty of so-called “smart people.” Some came from respectable backgrounds and well-off families, and some were even educated, yet in the end they still fell into such groups and became members themselves.

Eventually, Qi Xuansu noticed a pattern.

When a person was riding high in life, or even simply living an ordinary, stable life, they were generally disdainful toward religious preaching. But when someone fell into a low point, encountered hardship, became physically weak, or found themselves anxious, confused, and lost, the weak-hearted would invariably seek something to rely upon.

All one had to do was step forward at such a moment and offer some comfort and assistance, or point them toward a path, even if it was the wrong path, to easily gain their trust and acceptance. From there, it was simply a matter of drawing them in step by step.

People needed something to hope for in life in order to offset their suffering. If they could see hope in the material world, their desires would run rampant. If reality offered them no hope, they would turn to religion in search of solace.

Looking at the situation now, these villagers had fallen upon hard times. This was exactly when they needed someone else’s help.

If Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao could resolve the villagers’ predicament, then their subsequent preaching would proceed far more smoothly.

After thinking it over, Qi Xuansu said, “If we’re going to preach a religion, then first we need a doctrine and a deity. The doctrines of the Daoist Order are deep and profound, but I’m not sure whether ordinary people can understand them. To be fair, the Daoist Order isn’t particularly strong when it comes to stirring people’s passions or attracting followers. In that respect, it falls far short of the Holy Court and the Buddhist Sect.”

Zhou Mengyao said, “You’re talking about the Daoist Order as it is today. The Daoist Order of the past rose to prominence through rebellion. If it had lacked the power to stir and attract the masses, how could it possibly have launched rebellions? The Taiping Sect was an expert in this regard, having led the Yellow Turban Uprising. We might as well use the Taiping Sect’s ready-made template and establish the Taiping Religion.

“I will be the Great Teacher, the supreme leader of the Taiping Religion. You will be the General of Heaven, commanding the religion’s armed forces, called the Yellow Turban Army. We will take the Yellow Heaven as our supreme deity and proclaim that the Yellow God created heaven and earth. The Taiping Scripture will serve as our religion’s supreme scripture, with the authority to interpret it vested in me. Our core doctrine will be bringing about Great Peace. We will establish a world of Great Peace, a world without exploitation or oppression, without hunger, cold, sickness, or disaster, and without fraud or theft. It will be a world where everyone can rise like dragons.

“If anyone asks where we came from, there’s no need to hide it. We can simply tell them outright that we came from another world to save them. Doesn’t the Western Holy Court love preaching all that stuff about a savior? We can borrow that idea ourselves. We are the saviors. As long as they believe in our Taiping Religion, even after death, they can ascend to the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace and obtain eternal life under the protection of our Lord.

“Although the Taiping Religion will be a monotheistic faith, we can still invent a few other divine figures, like the Holy Court’s Saints and Apostles. Let me think... Oh! We’ll use Li Changgeng’s name. Li Changgeng is a Great Sage who attained the Dao, revered as a teacher by both the living and the dead, transforming as circumstances require. He withdraws into seclusion and eternally abides nowhere, yet is never absent. He roams throughout the Six Voids, teaching and transforming the Three Realms. There is nothing he has not thoroughly comprehended.

“Hmm...I suppose we can add another point as well. The Primordial Daoist Ancestor, Yellow Heaven, and Li Changgeng will form a trinity. The Yellow Heaven is an incarnation of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, Li Changgeng is the Yellow Heaven’s eldest son and heir, while I am the Yellow Heaven’s second daughter. I know it’s dangerous to claim any connection with the Yellow Heaven, but I can hardly say that Li Changgeng is the son of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. That would be slandering the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. Do you still want to ascend someday, brat? By saying the Yellow Heaven is an incarnation of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, we’re also asking for a little divine protection. Who knows? Perhaps when we invoke the Yellow Heaven, it will actually be the Primordial Daoist Ancestor who answers.

“If we want to unite people internally, we inevitably need to establish an external enemy. Fortunately, we already have a ready-made enemy—these bandits. We can say that all the suffering in the world exists because the Azure Heaven has no benevolence. Therefore, the Primordial Daoist Ancestor manifested in the form of the Yellow Heaven to save the people. Hence the saying, ‘The Azure Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise. In the Jiazi year, great fortune shall come to all under Heaven.’ These bandits are followers of the Azure Heaven. Their existence is both a trial for us and an obstacle standing in our path. Once we defeat and eradicate them, we will be able to establish a world of Great Peace and usher in true happiness.

“That way, we can naturally direct the Taiping Religion’s objective toward eliminating the bandits. Don’t look at me like that. Eliminating bandits is obviously a good thing, isn’t it? This will be a win-win situation, each of us getting what we need. We can search for an opportunity to leave this place, while they will be rid of banditry and can live and work in peace. Wouldn’t that be a world of Great Peace?”

Having been the leader of the Qingping Society and having come from the Taiping Sect, Zhou Mengyao made these up effortlessly.

In a few sentences, the basic framework of an entire religion had already taken shape.

On closer thought, this could not really be considered deception. Zhou Mengyao genuinely was an Immortal, so she could not be accused of impersonating one. Qi Xuansu was also a dignified Omniscient Sage, so he was more than qualified to play the role of a General of Heaven.

Qi Xuansu said solemnly, “I have no objections, Great Teacher.”

“Very good. You’re getting into character quickly.” Zhou Mengyao continued, “But words alone won’t be enough. Back in the day, one of the Taiping Sect’s greatest tools was talisman water. Its practitioners would hold a nine-section staff and serve as talismanic ritualists, instructing the sick to kowtow and repent for their transgressions before giving them talisman water to drink. If the illness happened to cure itself, they would say that the person had faith in the Dao. If the person failed to recover, they would say that the person lacked faith in the Dao.

“As it happens, I still have a few leftover odds and ends that can be made into talisman water. I won’t claim it can cure every disease, but it should at least have some effect. You can pour a bowl of talisman water down someone’s throat. If they pull through, then that proves they have faith in the Dao. If they don’t, then their heart simply wasn’t sincere enough. That will be more than sufficient.”

As she spoke, Zhou Mengyao took a small bottle from her magical receptacle.

Zhou Mengyao’s cultivation was ultimately still a level above Qi Xuansu’s, so opening her magical receptacle was not quite as difficult for her. However, she encountered the same predicament as Qi Xuansu. Most of the items stored inside could no longer be used normally. Some produced no response whatsoever, while others had no effect. Only a small portion could still be used, and even then only barely.

Zhou Mengyao glanced at Qi Xuansu and said in a tone that was half joking and half mocking, “I suppose I have you to thank for this. You had Jiang Hedao cut off my head, so I’ve been carrying all these elixirs with me lately while recuperating from my injuries. To prevent their medicinal properties from dissipating, I personally placed restrictions on them. Now most of those elixirs are unusable, and I can’t even lift the restrictions I set myself. Fortunately, this small bottle of Jade Liquor was merely leftover material for compounding medicine. Since it wasn’t worth much, I didn’t bother placing any restrictions on it. Dilute it with some water, and it’ll be more than sufficient to serve as talisman water.”

Qi Xuansu coughed lightly. “Fortune and misfortune are greatly entangled. Who could have anticipated this?”

Zhou Mengyao said, “Now that we have the talisman water, we’re still missing a token of faith. Back in the days of the Old Taiping Sect, they used a nine-section staff as their sacred token. That item is now in the hands of the Imperial Preceptor, and I don’t have anything similar. We also need a copy of The Taiping Scripture.”

That reminded Qi Xuansu of something. He opened his magical receptacle once more and, enduring the agony brought on by blood loss, took out the Taiping Essential Arts that he had obtained from the Dragon Palace beneath the sea. He said, “I don’t have The Taiping Scripture. Will the Taiping Essential Arts do?”

Zhou Mengyao took the Taiping Essential Arts and gave it a cursory look. “They both have the words ‘Taiping’ in their titles, so close enough. We’ll make do with this. It’s not as though we’re actually going to let them read it. We just need something that looks the part.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Now, we have our doctrine, our pontiff, our knight-protector, our holy scripture, and our deity. Everything is ready. All we lack is the east wind.”

Zhou Mengyao pointed toward the village. “Now, we have to figure out how to drive off those bandits and take our first step. This first step is crucial.”

Qi Xuansu thought carefully before saying, “The key is morale. As long as these bandits have emotions and aren’t mindless corpses, crushing their morale could make them flee without a fight. You said earlier that the rules apply equally to everyone. Aside from Immortals, who can disregard some of those rules and retain much of their cultivation, everyone else should have little to no cultivation left. At most, they should be around our current level. These locals and bandits certainly won’t be exceptions. Under such circumstances, displaying a small miracle, like flying through the sky while radiating brilliant light, should be quite intimidating.”

Zhou Mengyao pondered for a moment. “That makes sense. We need to use a clever shortcut. A display like that would not only frighten off the bandits but also help us win over the villagers, making them revere and worship us. We would accomplish two things at once.”

Qi Xuansu looked at Zhou Mengyao. “Can you do it?”

Zhou Mengyao gave her cloak a shake. “Lucky us, this cloak can actually fly. I certainly had no use for that function before. I simply preferred this style, so I chose this cloak instead of the one that could turn me invisible. I never expected it to come in handy now. However, flying consumes a tremendous amount of innate qi. With my current cultivation, I can only sustain it for a few minutes.”

She had not flown during her fierce battle with Qi Xuansu earlier because there would have been no point. She had no means of attacking from a distance, so what would she accomplish by flying into the sky? She would only exhaust all her innate qi and let Qi Xuansu win without a fight. Besides, Qi Xuansu had a pistol, so she was not about to turn herself into a visible aerial target.

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment before deciding to hand his pistol to Zhou Mengyao. “When you’re flying, you can use the pistol and pass it off as Thunder Palm. That’ll be our miracle.”

Zhou Mengyao looked at Qi Xuansu with an ambiguous smile. “You’re really willing to lend me this life-saving weapon of yours? Aren’t you afraid I’ll turn around and shoot you with it?”

Qi Xuansu said, “First, one shot might not necessarily kill me. Second, I...trust you for now.”

Zhou Mengyao put away the pistol and said, “I ought to thank you for your trust, huh? Alright, let’s make our move.”