Chapter 219: Before the Duel
At the grand ceremony, he would execute a few wavering Incense Masters and Attendants on the spot to display his power and serve as a warning to others.
This way, he could largely stabilize the local incense halls. Then, he could slowly deal with the rebellious ones.
“As for that Daoist Zhang, we’ll also send him an invitation to attend the ceremony,” Xuan De said.
Luo Saichun was very worried. “This man’s magical powers are formidable. What if he breaks our spells?”
“Hmph, I don’t believe his powers are that great.” Xuan De smiled with confidence. “If he comes, we have over a dozen experts from the main altar—as they say, two fists are no match for four hands. If he doesn’t come, it means he’s scared, and his prestige will plummet. The followers who joined him will also waver.”
Everyone present thought this made sense. However, most were still worried about the opponent’s high level of magical power, fearing heavy casualties if a conflict arose. But no one dared to say this aloud, not wanting to be branded a “coward” by the Law Master.
“No matter how powerful he is, he is just one man. If it comes to a fight, we will all risk our lives to defend the faith and eliminate this heretic in one fell swoop,” Xuan De said slowly. “What do you all think?”
Xuan De held a high and powerful position in the sect, unmatched by anyone present. Although his words were a question, they allowed for no dissent. So, everyone simply said in unison, “We will follow the Law Master’s lead!”
“Rest assured, everyone,” Xuan De stood up and said in a deep voice. “Even if that heretic’s powers are truly great and you cannot handle him, I have a way to deal with him. At worst, I will expend ten years of my cultivation and use the True Thunder Law to strike him dead!”
The crowd was shaken. Xuan De’s “True Thunder Law” was said to be a direct transmission from the previous Sect Master, incredibly powerful. Once unleashed, it often caused massive casualties and was therefore rarely used. Now, hearing that they had this spell as a backup, the unease in their hearts immediately settled. A few of the quicker-witted ones immediately showered him with flattery. Xuan De simply smiled it off.
Seeing the relaxed atmosphere, Ma Weisan quickly ordered wine to be served. The group toasted each other and drank merrily. During the feast, they also discussed plans for developing the sect’s affairs and the steps to clean up the mess of the collapsed local incense halls. Several emissaries from the main altar proposed transferring “loyal and reliable” people from other sub-altars to take over as Incense Masters and Attendants—of course, they had already prepared the lists.
Xuan De naturally kept saying, “Good, good.” These people just wanted to secure good positions for their own children, friends, and disciples. He needed their help now, so he was unwilling to spoil the mood—and he knew Ma Weisan wouldn’t dare to say much.
Ma Weisan wore a broad smile, agreeing to everything, but his heart was filled with displeasure. He had built half of the Yizhou sub-altar’s domain with his own hands. On what grounds should outsiders be allowed to meddle? But he didn’t dare say a word, nor did he let any hint of anger show on his face. It was still uncertain whether he could even keep his position as Altar Master. Everything was in the hands of this sanctimonious and black-hearted old man.
To save his life and position, Ma Weisan had not only been extorted for over 15,000 taels of silver but also had to promise Xuan De a residence in Yizhou city and to support the two maids given to him—of course, he had to cover all the expenses. To keep his position, he also had to agree to arrange for four of Xuan De’s disciples to “serve” in the Yizhou sub-altar and to make them “Incense Attendants” within three to five years.
In short, the Yizhou sub-altar had become a large piece of fat meat that Xuan De could carve up at will.
Every time he thought of this, Ma Weisan’s heart ached with pain. He even felt that defecting to the Daoist Zhang might have been a viable option. No matter who the Daoist was, a powerful figure like himself joining would have to be treated with courtesy.
But even though this thought was fleeting, it always left him in a cold sweat.
With the major decisions made, preparations for the grand incense hall ceremony began in earnest. As someone atoning for his crimes, Ma Weisan worked especially hard. He not only instructed his subordinates to serve the people from the main altar with meticulous care but also personally oversaw the preparations for the ceremony. For a time, the sect, which had been on the verge of collapse in Yizhou, became active again.
Messengers on horseback, on foot, and in sedan chairs rushed throughout Yizhou, delivering invitations for the ceremony.
At the Yunsheng Temple, Zhang Yingchen was organizing his own affairs, paying close attention to the sect’s local activities. He knew that the newly joined incense halls had complex personnel and their faith in the New Daoism was not yet firm, so they couldn’t be trusted. Therefore, the task of monitoring the Yizhou sub-altar was handed over to Ye Mengyan’s squad.
The most reliable force was the members of the original incense hall in Dadian Village. Most of these followers had witnessed him “perform magic and techniques,” so their attitude was much more resolute. From this group, Zhang Yingchen organized the first local “study group.”
The reason it was called a “study group” instead of an incense hall or something similar was mainly to show a clean break from the old system. In reality, this so-called study group was just the old sect’s incense hall in Dadian Village, converted wholesale. The “study groups” in other parts of Yizhou were formed in the same way.
According to Zhang Yingchen’s original plan, the New Daoism would not adopt the structure of a traditional monotheistic religion, nor would it follow the organizational model of a secret society: that is, having clear initiation rites, a tight organization, and a strict hierarchy. These elements, considered a threat by the Council of Elders, were not to exist. But he now found that this approach, which worked well in the Li and Han areas of Hainan Island—where it was strongly protected by the Council’s regime and other religions were weak, with even the most powerful, the Lin’gao Monastery, not being hostile—was not suitable here. In those places, he could use a gentler approach to slowly spread his faith.
To show that the New Daoism’s philosophy was about “changing customs and traditions” and “respecting science,” and to distinguish it not only from folk secret societies but also from traditional Daoism, he had created a completely new organizational system.
The system Zhang Yingchen promoted was centered around Daoist temples as regional cores—in places without temples, clinics or similar institutions would take their place. He did not create the secret or semi-secret organizations common in folk secret societies, like incense halls or altars, but rather open and legitimate institutions under the traditional system.
All New Daoist temples, even those in Ming-controlled territory, were to seek official approval from the local Daoist Affairs Office to gain a cloak of legitimacy. If a new temple was difficult to get approved, he would try to gain leadership and control over some old, dilapidated temples and then reform them. There were many officially registered temples in various prefectures and counties that were either in disrepair or had few worshipers, making them easy to take over.
According to Zhang Yingchen’s design, the New Daoism would implement a “one county, one temple” system. Each county, including states of the same level, would have one temple as the center of faith. Believers would engage in activities as individuals around this center. However, this center of faith would not have roles like Incense Masters or Incense Leaders, nor would it have a grassroots organization or clear initiation rites like baptism or ordination.
But after arriving in Yizhou, a series of events had shaken Zhang Yingchen’s original ideas. When the opponent possessed numerous grassroots organizations and could use violence without hesitation when necessary, if his own side did not create a more combat-effective grassroots organization, it would be difficult to even survive in the area, let alone expand his influence. Zhang Yingchen thought that if it weren’t for a bit of protagonist plot armor, he would have long since reported to the Thirty-Three Heavens.
For this reason, he wrote a memorandum to the Office of Religious Affairs and a letter to Dai E, asking him to immediately take the memorandum to He Ying and report on the organizational methods for proselytizing outside the green zones, to gain his understanding.
“…At this stage, if we do not establish a grassroots organization, we will indeed be squeezed out of Yizhou. This will cause a serious setback for our next steps in Yizhou and the entire southern Shandong region…”
Now, regardless of the Office of Religious Affairs’ reply, Zhang Yingchen decided to build the structure first. The situation was unclear, and having no organization was like going into battle naked.
Therefore, he decided to take over the defected incense halls wholesale, without any screening or purges for the time being, and without adjusting their structure, just to consolidate his territory first. The “study group” in Dadian Village was thus established. With this unreliable system, he at least had a grassroots organization he could command, so he wouldn’t have to do everything himself—and of course, his finances had also become much looser.
These days, while wary of the opponent’s counterattack, he focused his main energy on disaster relief and arranging for the transfer of refugees. He was busy every day. According to the historical timeline, the natural disasters in Yizhou and the surrounding areas would be even more severe next year. The local private disaster relief system, already severely damaged this year, would be overwhelmed. That would be his time to shine and gather people.
While he was busy, Ye Mengyan’s surveillance team reported the latest movements at the Ma Family Village, the location of the Yizhou sub-altar. A group of people had suddenly arrived, and soon after, the followers responsible for monitoring the city in various “study groups” also sent related intelligence: among the newcomers were several high-ranking members from the main altar in Jinan, such as protectors from the inner and outer law halls.
As news of the arrival of people from the Jinan main altar spread, Zhang Yingchen felt a palpable sense of panic within the “study groups,” especially among the small-time leaders like the current “group leaders,” who were former Incense Masters and Attendants. It was clear they still feared the “magic” of the main altar’s people. Some followers even secretly informed him that some group leaders had quietly sent people to the Ma Family Village. And some incense halls that had not yet defected but had been eagerly trying to build a relationship with him had now suddenly turned cold.