nucmednet Chapter 72 Wang Bao
Chapter 72 Wang Bao
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The middle-aged Taoist priest held his right sleeve with his left hand, and slowly brought his right hand closer to the churning oil. The hot air enveloped his face, and from the opposite angle, his features were somewhat distorted, making him look rather ferocious.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally made his move. His right hand swiftly reached into the pot, scooping out a string of things. Oil dripped from his hand, but the scene everyone had anticipated—a bloody mess, even revealing bare bone—did not occur. He triumphantly held up what he held in his hand—a string of copper coins.
The villagers, perhaps stunned, fell silent for a moment. A man dressed as a disciple in a Taoist robe stood up and shouted, "The Dharma Master's power is boundless!"
The villagers then realized what was happening and began shouting in a frenzy, "The Great Immortal's power is boundless!" "The Great Immortal possesses extraordinary abilities!"
Bai Lian frowned. She didn't believe this person possessed such skill as retrieving food from a cauldron of boiling oil without sustaining any harm, but the facts were undeniable. Seeing the surrounding villagers descend into fanaticism, it was clear they were about to become new followers, further expanding this person's power.
Liu Ye watched the performance with a cold smile. The shocking act of retrieving something from a vat of boiling oil was actually quite simple to explain using physics principles, but it was enough to fool the ignorant villagers of the 17th century. He turned around and saw Bai Lian's serious expression. A thought struck him, and he tentatively asked, "Fairy, could this person be..."
"That's right, this is Wang Bao. He used these methods to attract a large number of believers and quickly became the most powerful protector of the White Lotus Sect's Shandong headquarters."
"Holy crap, he managed to thrive using such primitive methods? It seems like it was easy to make it in a religious sect during the late Ming Dynasty!" Liu Ye found it unbelievable and pointed at Wang Bao, saying, "He recruits followers using this?"
"That's not all. There are many other petty tricks and thieves, some I know and some I don't."
Bai Lian was not born into a wealthy family. She traveled the martial arts world as a child and knew some martial arts tricks such as sword swallowing, but she disdained to use them. She believed that to attract believers, one should rely on doctrine, make everyone believe in the Eternal Mother, and ultimately achieve the utopian state of "all men in the world are brothers and all women are sisters", rather than using such methods to deceive.
Seeing that the atmosphere was getting lively, the disciple who had led the shouting said loudly, "The Dharma Master has finished demonstrating his supernatural powers. Now we respectfully invite the Dharma Master to descend from the altar and rest. Brothers and sisters, after one incense stick's time, the Dharma Master will personally answer your questions, resolve your doubts, and predict good and bad fortune. Only one person from each household may come."
Wang Bao dried his hands and returned to the inner hall, surrounded by his disciples. A table was set up at the entrance, and a disciple took out paper and pen. Before he could even stand still, the villagers swarmed forward, holding several strings of copper coins or pieces of silver, shouting, "I'll go first! Write my name first!"
The disciple was nearly knocked over and shouted, "Come one by one, everyone has a chance, don't rush." Several other disciples came over to help maintain order, and it took a while before the villagers were able to line up and register in turn.
Liu Ye watched with wide eyes. Each villager who left money or goods received a talisman with their name on it and left happily. Confused, he pulled over a villager and asked, "Brother, what's this all about?"
The villager glanced at him and said, "You must be passing through from out of town. This is a talisman from the immortal. As long as you offer gold and silver, you can get a talisman blessed by the immortal. When the immortal performs his ritual, just burn this talisman in front of him, and he will be able to tell you your birth date and time, how many people are in your family, whether there are any good or bad omens recently, and how to resolve them. It's amazing!"
Liu Ye clicked his tongue in amazement, unable to figure out how this trick was done for the moment. He decided to sneak in and see for himself, saying to Bai Lian, "Fairy, I want to see what Wang Bao is really up to."
Bai Lian hesitated and said, "What good will it do to see it? You can't solve it anyway. It's more important to hurry inside and discuss with him how to infiltrate the rebel army!"
Liu Ye sighed. This Bai Lian was only thinking about how to promote the White Lotus Sect. Although her martial arts were not bad, she was a complete novice when it came to fighting. Wang Bao was desperately recruiting believers and plundering wealth, so how could he let you reap the rewards? He asked, "May I ask, Fairy, what is your position in the sect, and what is Wang Bao's position? Who is higher and who is lower?"
Before Bai Lian could answer, Ling Xi'er interrupted, "Master is the Holy Maiden Protector of the Shandong Main Altar, while Wang Bao is the Venerable Protector of the Inner Dharma Hall. In terms of status, Master is higher; as for power, the Inner Dharma Hall is in charge of the entire sect's laws and regulations, and can execute anyone below the level of Incense Master without prior approval, this..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ye sighed again. One was an honorary position, while the other was a position with real power. It was like the United Front Work Department Minister having a higher political status than the Public Security Bureau Chief, but the latter obviously had more real power and was a powerful department. The comparison of their strengths was obvious, not to mention that Wang Bao had recruited a large number of disciples and believers through various means.
“Fairy, I’m telling you the truth, and you may not like to hear it. You may have a high status in the sect, but Wang Bao may not take you seriously. If you just go in like this, saying that Wang Bao will take you to contact the rebel leader, you will definitely get nothing and he will beat you out in a few words.”
Ling Xi'er said, "I also talked to my master about it, but she wouldn't listen. She always said that we are all from the same sect and that we are all doing this for the White Lotus Sect. She said that Wang Bao would consider the bigger picture."
After analyzing the rebels, Bai Lian was very convinced of Liu Ye's abilities. She asked, "Are you saying that Wang Bao would never let me use his influence to control the rebels by myself?"
“I don’t know if he can control the rebels, but it’s human nature to want to take credit for others’ work. You’re just a saintess without a specific job title, while Wang Bao’s status is not much lower than yours. Plus, he’s rich and powerful, so why would he let you share in the credit?”
Bai Lian didn't mind his bluntness and humbly asked, "What do you think should be done?"
Liu Ye replied confidently, "Let's observe from the sidelines and see what tricks he's up to. Knowing your enemy is the key to victory. If we have leverage over him, we won't be afraid of him disobeying us. Otherwise, I'll expose his deceitful tricks in public!"
Bai Lian and Ling Xi'er didn't believe it. Wang Bao's methods were endless, and retrieving objects from boiling oil was just one of them. How could Liu Ye, a rich young man with little experience in the martial arts world, possibly solve them all?
"Believe it or not, it's up to you. Anyway, you don't have a better way, so come in with me and see for yourself." Liu Ye seemed very confident.
The two thought it made sense, so they followed him and mingled into the crowd, heading towards the inner hall. By this time, the villagers had almost finished receiving their talismans and were all rushing towards the inner hall. The three of them blended into the crowd and didn't stand out.