Chapter 201: Chapter 198: Nobody is a Fool
A cry of alarm suddenly emanated from the crowd, and Jiang Li focused her gaze to see an elderly person had fainted.
The old timer had just arrived in Fufeng County after a long journey, thinking they could finally escape hardship, only to be greeted by the unexpected disappearance of the river water. Unable to withstand the shock, they had collapsed, exhaling far more than inhaling and looking as if they might breathe their last at any moment.
"Make way, quickly make way!"
A middle-aged man, dressed in a long robe and looking like a doctor, squeezed through the crowd to take the elder’s pulse and check their eyelids. Then, instead of employing the methods expected of a doctor, he took out a piece of talisman paper.
"Bring water."
As soon as the talisman paper touched the water, it was dyed, and in the blink of an eye, a bowl of rune water was ready.
The doctor held the rune water to the elder’s lips to drink; after adjusting his breath, the elder awoke from his faint state with a soft groan.
’The believers of the Taiping Sect.’
Jiang Li recognized the yellow turban on the doctor’s head and was certain of his identity.
The Taiping Sect had cast its net wide in the villages throughout Yong Province, and only they had the means to motivate such a large-scale migration of people so effortlessly. Just by looking at the situation in Linsan Town, one could see how deeply rooted the Taiping Sect was; their capability was not surprising.
However, even the most devout faith seemed a little shaken after witnessing the river disappear in the blink of an eye.
The elder had been saved, but the crowd remained panic-stricken and bewildered.
Then the doctor spoke.
He raised his hand, signaling the people to look at him, and declared loudly, "Everyone, there is no need to worry. The river water has merely leaked into the crevices of the earth. The court has the Land Gods, the River God, and even Lord of the City God. They manage the land and rivers, and with a slight trick after the fact, we can bring the river water back."
"Please believe in the court, trust in our officials; the court won’t abandon us."
It sounded magical, as if those plotting rebellion were pleading on behalf of the court, and from the look of it, the doctor was not lying but truly believed.
He was a believer in the Taiping Sect, but also sincerely wanted to live a good life, unlike some doctors who would save people on one hand and cause harm on the other.
But it was precisely because of this belief that the greater the disappointment, the starker the contrast.
’The trust in the court is broken, the people have lost their footing, and chaos ensues. Sometimes, creating disorder is this simple,’ Jiang Li mused, ’no one is foolish indeed.’
Ji Chengye is not foolish; his clandestine assistance to the Taiping Sect is because he is confident he can quell the chaos. With the presence of Yin Law Department and the Book of Life and Death, it is predestined that ordinary people will struggle to succeed.
The Upper Pure Sect and Huqi Mountain are not foolish either. Knowing the court is not so easy to confront, they have not opposed the court openly, instead using the Taiping Sect as their pawn.
The Taiping Sect, naturally, is not foolish either.
The Taiping Sect may appear bullheaded, but in reality, they have no intention of a direct confrontation. Instead, they aim to gradually erode the public’s trust in the court, making the rebellion appear as a grand display with little substance behind it.
The evidence lay in this batch of migrating people.
It hadn’t been long since Jiang Li’s successful Praying for Rain, not even an hour passed before these people entered Fufeng County, clearly the Taiping Sect had taken early action.
Was this to prepare for a potential failure of Praying for Rain? Or perhaps, they wanted to fail from the start, whether or not Jiang Li succeeded, Yang Ji would have intentionally led to a failure?
It was no longer important.
What was important now was that after the success of Praying for Rain, Ji Chengye had taken a risk and stepped into the fray himself, and the Taiping Sect had seized the opportunity presented by the court’s weak spot.
The Taiping Sect, seemingly thwarted and used by Ji Chengye as a tool, with the young Sect Leader Yang Ji barely holding on, had, in fact, reaped substantial rewards from this encounter.
At least, they had damaged the court’s credibility.
No one is foolish, except the uninformed masses, the ones who were being used as fodder.
’And then there’s me, caught up in the midst of it all, having set all these events in motion — am I not foolish too?’
Jiang Li smiled wryly at herself, suddenly feeling dispirited.
With a flash, she vanished before the middle-aged man’s eyes, not minding their cries of alarm, and simply went back.
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The water in the Fengquan River was getting shallower, replaced by the muddy riverbed.
On the riverbank, Zhang Daoyi’s face was stern, exuding a murderous aura.
Zhong Shenxiu wore a grave expression; his gaze alone emanating a chilling presence.
This wasn’t only because he realized that Ming Yang, a fellow Imperial College Scholar, had gone missing but also because of what Hui Lun had said.
Hui Lun, the monk, was seated cross-legged atop the White Dragon, murmuring softly. Listening to him, it sounded like he was chanting the Rebirth Mantra.
When Jiang Li returned, this was the scene that she was met with.
"Sister," she called to Gongsun Qingyue.
Gongsun Qingyue did not look pleased either; her pretty face was somber. Seeing Jiang Li return, she said softly, "The Fourth-Grade Expert King Zhuanlun from the Buddha Country had sensed something a few days ago, the appearance of a Yama Dao Fruit in Yong Province. According to the high monks of the Buddha Country, someone in Yong Province will ascend to become King Yanluo."
This is clearly what Hui Lun had said.
And this person is almost certainly the one behind Ji Chengye.
That’s why Hui Lun could determine that even if the rain prayer was successful, chaos in Yong Province was inevitable. Because the Yama Dao Fruit is fourth-rank, the real promoter must be at least fifth-rank; Ji Chengye is just the visible pusher.
In the shadows, there are other masters waiting.
"The promotion of King Yanluo..."
Jiang Li’s thoughts stirred, and he said, "Does this promotion require the death of a large number of living creatures?"
He didn’t associate King Yanluo with the drought, but rather thought of the drought and the rebellion causing a large number of deaths.
"To be precise, it requires ghosts," Gongsun Qingyue said with an icy expression, "The promotion ceremony of the Underworld King Yan always requires a large number of ghosts. Whether it is calling upon Ten Thousand Ghosts or guiding the souls of myriad beings, the ceremony will differ, but the foundation lies in the appearance of a large number of ghosts. In years past, when the Awakened of Buddha Country fought the Fire House Buddha Hell Karma Tathagata at the Western Extreme, the casualties numbered over two hundred thousand, and it was after this battle through guiding myriad souls that King Zhuanlun was able to be promoted. This is also the only method for someone to be promoted as King Yan in today’s world."
In today’s world, ghosts cannot linger for long; upon death, the spirit dissipates, and only with a massive number of casualties within a short time, causing an intertwining of Yin Qi and Death Qi, can ghosts avoid immediate destruction.
In essence, every appearance of King Yan, whether intentional or not, has been built upon the massive casualties of living creatures.
And now, the person behind the scenes is deliberately causing casualties in order to promote themselves.
This person...
"King Lu," Jiang Li said in a low voice.
King Lu, who was about to meet the Ji Family’s ancestors due to the attack by two God Demons of the Devil God Sect. (see Chapter 185)
The Ghost Attribute Dao Fruit has one characteristic: the one being promoted must be in a state of death, that is, become a Ghost. Essentially, all Ghost Cultivators are considered dead, having died once.
This is one major disadvantage for Ghost Cultivators, but in a sense, it is also an advantage.
If a person is gravely injured and on the brink of death, obtaining a Ghost Attribute Dao Fruit allows them to forgo being human and continue life in another form.
Another characteristic of Ghost Cultivators is that Dao Fruit Practitioners of other attributes, if they dare to ’die’ once, all have the basic Fitting Conditions to skip paths in their promotion. The chances of successful promotion vary, but they are never zero.
As the Princely Heir, instead of being by the side of King Lu who was about to die, Ji Chengye came to Yong Province after concealing this message at King Lu Mansion. Not because he was unfilial, but because his father, King Lu, did not want to meet the ancestors just yet.
He didn’t want to die just yet.
After Jiang Li said this, seeing that no one’s expression changed, he knew that Gongsun Qingyue had already revealed King Lu’s impending death.
He had spoken softly, not telepathically. With everyone’s cultivation, it was not hard to hear this voice.
"Both Zhong Shenxiu and Zhang Daoyi have backgrounds. After King Lu’s promotion, they will definitely be aware of the inside story. In that case, it might be better to inform them in advance, so they can help us attack King Lu afterwards," Gongsun Qingyue communicated telepathically.
"But this can’t take King Lu’s life," Jiang Li replied with a sigh.
If King Lu failed, all plans would implode, and not only would he perish, but King Lu Mansion would also take the blame.
However, if he were successful, between a fourth-grade expert and the deceased citizens, which one was heavier or lighter would be self-evident.
The Royal Family would certainly not let King Lu take the blame and would even cover for him. Even if there was a punishment, it would only be for show and not affect the core. As for the blame, isn’t there the Devil God Sect?
By this point, even if the court was aware that King Lu was up to mischief, they would have to accept it, and even hope that King Lu’s promotion succeeded. Since things had reached this point and were irreparable, it would be better to help King Lu succeed so that they didn’t lose out.
At least for the Royal Family, it was so.
These younger generations, no matter how capable, could not intervene in King Lu’s promotion. They could only deal with Ji Chengye and the others after King Lu’s failure.
Therefore, both Zhong Shenxiu and Zhang Daoyi had such grim expressions, an annoyance born from a sense of powerlessness.
The only consolation now was that King Lu Mansion would face a reckoning after King Lu’s failure. If the prayer for rain hadn’t succeeded, King Lu didn’t even need to personally interfere; he could just lie down and wait for promotion.
In which case, even if the promotion eventually failed, Ji Chengye could still emerge uninvolved and ascend to power smoothly.
"Let’s go," Jiang Li spoke.
"Go?" Gongsun Qingyue looked at Jiang Li, puzzled.
Was Jiang Li the type of person to suffer in silence after being wronged? Shouldn’t they be trying to sabotage King Lu’s promotion now?
Or had she misjudged him before?
"What else can we do? Wait for the other side to come and besiege us?"
Jiang Li spoke indifferently: "I was investigating the abnormality of the river waters and encountered resistance from the Yin Law Department. That Lord Cui, he too has sided with King Lu. Since this is a lost cause, everyone should disperse. You return to your Imperial College, Daode Sect; I’ll return to my Dinghu Sect."
"Let’s disperse."
With these words, Jiang Li flicked his sleeves to create a gust of wind, carrying Gongsun Qingyue as they soared toward the direction of Jiang’s Ancestral Land.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Shenxiu also sheathed his sword and headed straight for Jun City.
Hui Lun, having finished reciting the sutras and seeing that no one obstructed him, also ascended on his dragon to leave.
As for Zhang Daoyi, he remained still, waiting for Yuan Zhen to return, but from his helpless expression, he seemed to know that he should give up on the matter.