Chapter 13: Path Of Divinity, Methods Of Proselytizing
Scholar Ma patiently explained the arithmetic classic to Chen Shun’an【】, and found that Chen Shun’an was truly confused and didn’t understand, then said with heartache,
“The stupidity of the people of the country is due to the seclusion of the Sacred Dynasty! Such a simple reason that even a three-year-old child should understand, yet a warrior with strong muscles and bones can’t open his mind! What a pity, what a sadness, what a sigh!”
Chen Shun’an remained expressionless, feeling more and more regretful in his heart.
Fortunately, Scholar Ma was not a stubborn old pedant who rigidly followed ancient ways, and immediately noticed the impropriety in his words, showing some apology on his face,
“It’s Ma Mou who speaks bluntly and straightforwardly, I should be more tactful, more tactful…”
Chen Shun’an looked at Scholar Ma with a cold face, and after a few breaths of silence, asked instead,
“Then according to Teacher’s esteemed opinion, how should our Sacred Dynasty open up politics and become enlightened, and how should the people of the country awaken their wisdom?”
Scholar Ma sat on a small folding stool and invited Chen Shun’an to sit on the wooden stump opposite, then said wistfully,
“Use the most accurate compass to let this broken ship dock as soon as possible!
The Sacred Dynasty has stood for nine hundred years, corrupt and rotten, like a broken ship floating on the sea about to be swallowed by wind and waves. The helmsmen only know how to live peaceful days, and once they encounter wind and waves, they panic, make blunders one after another;
There are also those who incite others to rebel, even those who bore holes in the ship and destroy the oars, the so-called centrists, who only make the ship sink faster;
There are also those who take the opportunity to amass wealth wantonly, who don’t think about docking quickly, but instead ravage good people there, even holding the idea that if this ship rots, they can just switch to another one.
The last kind are the common people who drift along aimlessly with the waves.”
Scholar Ma’s eyes suddenly revealed a surging yet very restrained light, and said,
“Brother Shun An, with these four kinds of people, the Sacred Dynasty is beyond saving. The only chance of survival is from outside, not inside.”
Hearing this, Chen Shun’an showed some shock and emotion on his face.
These were words of warning to the world, words for the greater good, requiring sharp and macroscopic insight into the Sacred Dynasty from top to bottom.
Just Scholar Ma’s words today, if he took the imperial examination, or even wrote them as the top scholar’s paper, it would surely… lead to the extermination of his entire clan!
Chen Shun’an showed a confused look: “Ah? Teacher, I don’t understand what you’re saying…”
“You!”
Scholar Ma glared at Chen Shun’an irritably, blowing his nose and staring.
He knew full well that Chen Shun’an was pretending to be foolish.
And these words, he had been holding back for a long time, not even daring to confide them to his classmates and friends.
Only this Brother Shun An in front of him, clearly just a water carrier and martial artist, but Scholar Ma had surprisingly discovered years ago that Chen Shun’an had an air that didn’t fit with others or with this world.
Although Chen Shun’an hid it very well, Scholar Ma still vaguely sensed it.
Scholar Ma sighed and said,
“I have a friend who drifted back from overseas and told me that the outside world has changed. There are phonographs that can speak, telescopes that even ordinary people can use to see thousands of miles away, and astronomical instruments that record the territories, mountains, and rivers of the world.
There are also various parties and societies springing up like mushrooms after rain.
Teachers no longer need to be wiser than disciples, disciples no longer need to be inferior to teachers; the so-called ‘teacher’ has been freed from heavy and cumbersome familial inheritance bonds, forming a public and beneficial popular method.
No interference, no forced faith among the people, even faiths in chopsticks and brooms.”
Scholar Ma’s expression was full of yearning, and he was momentarily lost in thought.
Chen Shun’an suddenly asked: “Then according to Teacher’s esteemed opinion, if one wants to establish the Path of Divinity in the Sacred Dynasty and gather faith, how should it be done?”
The Changbai Sacred Dynasty seemed to have no deities.
Only immortals who occasionally revealed mere scales.
Especially after Chen Shun’an became a god and refined【Mínghòng Shàngyuān Shuǐyuán Great Emperor】’s divine status, he even vaguely sensed…
The entire heaven and earth had not a single god.
This was extremely against common sense.
Temples everywhere had flourishing incense, yet there were no deities that feasted on the incense and manifested divine power in public.
Except for him.
I alone am the god.
Scholar Ma looked at Chen Shun’an in surprise.
He didn’t know why this Chen Shun’an, who had always been extremely wary of such macroscopic principles and avoided them like snakes and scorpions, was suddenly so interested in the concept of faith.
But today he was in a rare good mood, so Scholar Ma couldn’t help but say more,
“That’s simple. Nothing more than first declaring oneself a god, proclaiming oneself as some Great Emperor or some Heavenly King, then using bewitching words to confuse the masses, manifesting divine power in public; smashing or absorbing other faiths to monopolize one path, while writing books and establishing legends to confirm one’s conformity to the heavenly dao, as one born in response to the mandate! Then build high walls, accumulate grain widely, and slowly claim kingship, gathering strength.
After developing for a few years, one will naturally be ruthlessly crushed by our Sacred Dynasty, without exception.”
Chen Shun’an’s mouth twitched.
A lively light appeared in Scholar Ma’s eyes, and he laughed heartily a few times before saying,
“Brother Shun An, oh Brother Shun An, our Sacred Dynasty has lasted nine hundred years, what storms hasn’t it weathered? How many self-proclaimed supreme sages and predecessors, as soon as they show their heads, will attract His Majesty the Emperor’s attention, and their nine clans will be eliminated together. However…”
At this point, Scholar Ma showed a meaningful smile on his face and said,
“It’s not impossible, that is to… join it, integrate into it, become it.”
Chen Shun’an’s breathing quickened slightly, then he regained his composure.
His Path of Divinity required relying on well springs and water veins, Four Seas Ferry, to complete the advancement.
And all these were controlled by the Changbai Sacred Dynasty’s ‘beneficiary class’.
At fifty years old, Chen Shun’an was past the age of hot-blooded impulsiveness and wouldn’t think of confronting the entire world single-handedly.
On the contrary, he preferred to use rules and systems, slowly and safely inching his buttocks upward, to claim a spot.
Then silently dig a big pit for the Sacred Dynasty and unleash a thunderous explosion.
Fortunately, with the water station at his back, he was already on the path.
“Then why hasn’t Teacher joined it earlier, stubbornly persisting here? If short of money, Chen Mou is willing to provide some aid.”
The more he interacted, the more Chen Shun’an felt that Scholar Ma was a talent.
He just wanted to quickly complete the angel round investment, so that when Scholar Ma climbed to a high position, he could pull him up.
Scholar Ma shook his head,
“No, no, my father left a bloody letter before his death, enjoining me to live cleanly and uprightly. How could Ma Mou betray the family precept and bribe the academy?”
Chen Shun’an let out a long sigh and said no more.
After that, the two seemed to have both forgotten their previous conversation.
One continued reciting texts and copying poems, the other silently listened and practiced martial arts.
Half a hour later, Chen Shun’an bid farewell to Scholar Ma.
Then he quickly walked out of the large courtyard and pushed the water cart parked in the corner.
He filled the water vat of the fresh goods shop, conveniently bought two bags of fruits, and went to the slightly farther firecrackers courtyard to deliver blessed water to an old blind man.
Along the way,
Chen Shun’an’s bone joints vibrated subtly, his legs pushed against the ground, qi and blood originating from the heart, connecting through limbs and bones, flowing through the yongquan point on the soles of his feet.
Finally absorbed by his entire body’s bones like water-deprived sponges, hidden away.
And in this process of entering and exiting, Chen Shun’an clearly sensed that his strength had made subtle progress again.
Pushing the cart to deliver water was also cultivation.
During breaks, Chen Shun’an’s eyes showed contemplation as he recalled his conversation with Scholar Ma.
Faith was inherently a broad and complex concept.
Gratitude from those who received water counted.
And fear, worship, filial piety, yearning also did.
Some ancient deities appeared accompanied by death and calamity, their authorities useless for salvation, instead all experts at destroying the world.
Yet They still had abundant incense and continuous faith.
Fish, due to their extremely strong reproductive ability, overlapped with the primitive and simple reproductive worship of early humans, thus forming totem worship.
Many acquired and xiantian deities were related to fish, water, rivers and mountains.
Chen Shun’an couldn’t help but speculate.
For his believers and beneficiaries ‘good’, he could obtain wishes.
Then for his opponents and enemies ‘evil’, bringing fear and death, could he also obtain wishes?
“Qing Pi Ma…”
Chen Shun’an silently recited this name, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes.
Nearly fifty years old, Water Origin Great Emperor, afraid of violence.
Qing Pi Ma was too young, and youth meant infinite possibilities.
Moreover, he was too clever, assessing the situation, enduring such bullying from Ah Hua and himself, yet knowing to remain silent, always keeping a low profile.
Too terrifying.
If one day Qing Pi Ma really stepped on dog shit luck, received the mandate of heaven, and grew up.
Wanting to settle scores with past enemies one by one and wash away previous humiliations?
How should he, this skinny little old man who only pushed carts to deliver water, cope?
Thinking of this, Chen Shun’an sighed.
Having just completed today’s water delivery tasks, he turned the water cart back to Weihang Street.
He took his overcoat and didn’t go to the teahouse to listen to tunes.
He went straight home.
So, better to strangle all potential dangers, latent heavenly prides, in the cradle.
After eating Wan Niang’s dinner.
Chen Shun’an took his medicinal bath as usual.
At the same time, he took out a bottle of second-rate pills called Dragon Elephant Bone Quenching Pill.
This pill had the effect of surging qi and blood, stimulating bone marrow to secrete bone marrow, a common auxiliary secret medicine for second-rate martial artists.
It was what Chen Shun’an had obtained yesterday by disguising himself and shopping at the Ghost Market of Banye Ferry Crossing.
The price was more than twenty percent higher than market price, this bottle priced at 10 taels of silver.
But safe, reliable, no worry of identity leak.
For Chen Shun’an at this stage, any difficulty solvable with money and risk avoidance was very worthwhile.
The pill entered his abdomen.
A vast and majestic qi and blood suddenly surged out, ultimately condensing into a qi and blood seed, traveling along the extraordinary meridians and eight vessels, integrating into the bones.
A ‘crack’ crisp sound came from his whole body’s bones, suddenly emitting a faint light, the surface covered in jade color.
After a few breaths, everything quieted down, returning to normal.
According to《Ròufēi Xiān》’s records, the second-rate realm first required ‘Hide Blood’.
Hiding one’s own qi and blood into the bones to warm and nourish the bone marrow.
《Ròufēi Xiān》 could hide blood 36 times, each time bringing significant improvement.
After 36 times to perfection, it was second-rate perfection.
Due to the lack of a good teacher to guide him, Chen Shun’an only knew the what, not the why.
He was ignorant about the ‘Hide Blood’ method and could only follow the script.
“Practicing martial arts really burns money… my silver.”
The medicinal power gradually faded.
Feeling his qi and blood rise another level, Chen Shun’an was both joyful and very pained.
It was already late at night, the street’s clamor receding like the tide.
A strong wind swept through the alley, shaking the wind chimes under the eaves to clatter.
Chen Shun’an got up to wipe the water stains, changed into extremely tight-fitting clothes specially sewn to avoid wind noise.
Then he bent down to drag the bed aside, lifting the inner piece of floorboard.
Under the board was a rope end; pulling the rope head revealed a hidden compartment.
It contained quite a few things.
A hanging knot reinforced with fish scale buckles, coiled into a bundle, stained with blood.
Flying knives thin as paper in willow leaf shape, twelve in total, snow-white and new, clearly meticulously maintained by Chen Shun’an.
Besides that, there were some bottles and jars.
Chen Shun’an took out the hanging knot, lifted his clothes, and wrapped it around his waist and hips.
He then took out the flying knives, inserting them into accessible places like inner thighs, inner calves, arms, chest, etc.
Chen Shun’an restored everything to original, then sat on the bed edge, silent, adjusting his internal breath.
His eyes grew brighter bit by bit, almost illuminating the dim room.
The night was deep.
The second watch bell rang, and suddenly a north wind blew, rustling the leaves.
Dark clouds passed, completely blocking the moonlight.
When the clouds parted and the moon shone, pale bright light poured into the bedroom through the door crack.
Where was Chen Shun’an’s figure?
Author’s note: Fictional history, no need to match real events. The methods of preaching are also fabricated and won’t stand scrutiny, do not imitate…
