Chapter 285: Tribulation Religion

Hao Xiangtong was vehemently opposed to the idea of marrying Liu Yao.

When she first learned of their marriage arrangement, she had immediately thought of Wu Zetian and the story of how she had risen to the top of the world. She also wanted to live like Wu Zetian and be in control of her own fate. However, no matter how much she yelled, cried, and objected, her parents ultimately agreed to the marriage.

Hao Xiangtong had made many attempts to spoil the marriage agreement, but to no avail. The betrothal gift of tens of thousands of taels of silver weighed on her like a mountain. Even though she hadn't received a single copper coin of it, she had no choice but to honor the marriage agreement. She wanted to pull out tens of thousands of taels of silver and tell Liu Yao that the marriage was off, but that was far too much money for a seventeen-year-old girl like her.

Backed into a corner, she had chosen to run away and follow Chu Qiguang all the way to Shu Province. However, she knew that her family owed Liu Yao a massive debt, so she couldn't help but feel guilty now that he had confronted her.

Liu Yao's question brought a puzzled look to Hao Xiangtong's face. "Have I done what with Chu Qiguang?"

Liu Yao gritted his teeth. He didn't want to ask the question, but the answer was of the utmost importance to him.

"I'm asking if you've slept with Chu Qiguang!"

"Of course not! What the hell are you saying?" Hao Xiangtong yelled, her cheeks flushing bright red.

"Good," Liu Yao said with a nod before grabbing Hao Xiangtong by the shoulder.

The force exerted through his fingers was enough to make half of Hao Xiangtong's body go numb, instantly immobilizing her.

"I'm taking you back to Spirit Province with me," Liu Yao declared. "Don't expect Chu Qiguang to come and save you. If he dares to come, I'll break his legs."

Just as he was about to drag Hao Xiangtong away, a woman dressed in a Daoist robe gently brushed Liu Yao's hand aside and positioned herself in front of Hao Xiangtong. The Daoist nun had long black hair that fell naturally around her, yet it didn't appear ragged or disheveled at all.

"I advise you not to force the issue, Young Master Liu," she said. "This girl clearly doesn't want to go with you."

Liu Yao's heart sank slightly at the sight of the Daoist nun.

Her name was Zhang Fengyun, and she was the abbot of the Ba Manor Daoist Temple. She had performed the exorcism on Liu Yao and his companions when they arrived at the Daoist temple two days ago.

During his time at the Daoist temple, Liu Yao had learned that Zhang Fengyun came from an ethnic minority group native to Shu Province, where women were regarded as leaders. Hence, Zhang Fengyun's way of doing things was quite different from most of her peers, and she was a staunch advocate for women's rights in a feudal system where such ideas were generally scoffed at.

"This woman is going to be my wife!" Liu Yao explained.

"Going to be your wife? So that means she isn't your wife yet, correct?" Zhang Fengyun asked. She then turned to Hao Xiangtong. "Do you want to marry him?"

Hao Xiangtong immediately shook her head frantically.

"You see? She doesn't want to marry you," Zhang Fengyun said as she turned back to Liu Yao. "Men who force women into marriage are among the people I detest most. Did you even ask for her hand in marriage?"

"I did!" Liu Yao insisted. "I asked for her hand in marriage and even gave her family a betrothal gift. Both of her parents agreed!"

Zhang Fengyun sighed. "So it's another arranged marriage."

All of a sudden, she threw a punch at Liu Yao, but her fist stopped just short of his face. It swept up a fierce gust of wind that surged through the entire street, much to the alarm and bewilderment of the nearby pedestrians.

"Let that serve as a warning to you," Zhang Fengyun said. "Begone, and do not trouble this girl any further."

Liu Yao gritted his teeth and cast a longing glance at Hao Xiangtong before storming away in silence.

Hao Xiangtong heaved a sigh of relief, then thanked Zhang Fengyun for saving her.

"No need to thank me," Zhang Fengyun replied with a dismissive wave. "We women have to look out for one another. Only by becoming stronger than men can we make them listen to what we have to say. Do you want to learn martial arts and Dao arts under me?"

A surprised look appeared on Hao Xiangtong's face at the offer.

Zhang Fengyun smiled as she pinched Hao Xiangtong's cheek and said, "I can tell just by looking at you that you possess decent aptitude. I can teach you martial arts and Dao arts, and once you become stronger than that man, you'll be able to free yourself from your arranged marriage."

Before Hao Xiangtong even had a chance to react, Zhang Fengyun grabbed her by the shoulder and raced through the air, coming to an abrupt halt at a market.

Hao Xiangtong was still reeling from the breakneck pace at which they had gotten here when she heard Zhang Fengyun murmur to herself, "Someone from the Tribulation Religion is here."

"What's the Tribulation Religion?" Hao Xiangtong asked reflexively.

Zhang Fengyun led her into the market as she explained, "Demons have existed since ancient times, and most people try to avoid interacting with them at all costs. However, there are also those who wish to harness the power of demons, and in order to do that, they must first find demons.

"In the beginning, the Tribulation Religion was a respected force of good in the world that went around capturing demons. However, that was a very risky and time-consuming endeavor, so some of the Tribulation Religion's cultivators began capturing people and turning them into demons instead. As more and more of its cultivators resorted to this, the Tribulation Religion's reputation soured, and it came to be regarded as a cult.

"The Tribulation Religion is one of the oldest religions to have taken root in Shu Province, and the imperial court has made extensive efforts to eradicate it, but to no avail. In recent years, it seems the imperial court has given up and simply allowed the Tribulation Religion to do as it pleases in Shu Province."

Right at that moment, a young man strode over to Zhang Fengyun and Hao Xiangtong and remarked with a wide grin, "You sure know a lot about our Tribulation Religion, Abbot Zhang."

"You're Gao Yi, the Tribulation Religion's Hatred Demon, aren't you?" Zhang Fengyun asked in a cold voice. "I recall seeing you there when I killed your master."

"I really have to thank you for that," Gao Yi said with a grin. "My master was holding me back, so you did me a huge favor by taking him out of the picture."

"Why are you here? Were you responsible for all those fiend and demon corpses on the official road?"

Gao Yi took a step back, and his body disintegrated into a pile of sludge that instantly seeped into the ground. However, his bright, cheerful voice continued to reverberate from where he had been standing. "Relax! I'm not up to anything bad this time. I can assure you that no one is going to die."

Hao Xiangtong was astonished by what she had just witnessed. "How did he do that?!"

"He's using the Animitta Tribulation, one of the twenty-five orthodox arts," Zhang Fengyun explained. "However, he hasn't mastered the Animitta Tribulation himself. Instead, a Dao Comprehension-state cultivator of the Tribulation Religion has used the Animitta Tribulation to refine a demon, then planted that demon into his body. His ability to disintegrate his own body like that essentially makes him impossible for any fifth-state martial artist to kill."