Infinite Professions

Chapter 409: Chapter 211: Harvest (Part 2)

With the support of these pills, the Red Lotus Temple not only gained immense fame and incense offerings, but also cultivated a considerable number of True Qi Masters, establishing excellent relations with the nobility of Tongzhou Prefecture and various major Noble Families.

It was only because Li Mubai did not follow the conventional route this time, directly mobilizing the Yellow Turban Warriors from Qinghe, that if he had dispatched troops from the Prefecture City, it would have been impossible to mobilize them, and even if they were mobilized, the Red Lotus Temple would have received the news early and prepared defenses.

Fortunately, this ’if’ did not hold true, and everything has already settled, with the millennium accumulation of the Red Lotus Temple already changing hands.

Looking at the numerous pills in the box, Li Mubai nodded secretly.

Over the years, although Qinghe and Huangshan have developed rapidly, attracting and cultivating a large amount of talent through the means of the Mountain God’s birthday and various major sacrifices, there is still a critical shortcoming that has never been compensated for.

That is foundation!

The accumulation is insufficient, the foundation is lacking.

To say nothing else, just these pills, even as early as in Little Huang Village, Song Wen had already allocated the best dozens of acres of fertile land to plant medicinal herbs to promote medicine. Later, the Huang Family produced two generations of divine doctors, Huang Qi and his father, who established Baozhi Lin, specializing in medicine, but this still could not meet the demand.

Because medicinal herb cultivation severely depletes the soil and requires a long time to grow, especially ginseng and sealwort, which are tonics that greatly enhance vitality. Without a few decades or even a hundred years of age, they are simply unworthy.

And what Qinghe and Huangshan lack most is time. Without the accumulation of time, neither the Song Martial Arts Hall nor the Huangshan Academy can provide enough great pills and medicines for cultivation. They fully rely on the rewards from the Divine Monarch during the Martial Sacrifice to make up for it, which, though effective and even stronger than pills, ultimately cannot completely replace them.

This can be seen from the number of True Qi Masters and Gang Qi Grandmasters on both sides. Red Lotus Temple not only has the head of the Arhat Hall and Lei Zhendong, two Grandmasters, but also dozens of True Qi Masters, more than those mobilized by the Song Clan this time, directly leading to Song Wu’s sacrifice.

This is the lack of foundation.

But now, this deficiency has been made up for, with the thousand-year accumulation of the Red Lotus Temple filling the gap, the Song Clan’s strength is sure to greatly increase. Even without this cornerstone of Song Wu, others will follow to fill the gap.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Just as Li Mubai was counting the loot, another team rushed up from outside the mountain. The person in front dressed in official attire with a sword at the waist, seemed to be government officials and constables from the County Government Office, followed by servants in neat clothing from a prominent household and finally a few ragged commoners.

These people came with urgency, with carts and horses carrying water in the back, looking as if they were here to extinguish a fire.

Evidently, the anomaly caused by the Red Lotus Buddha Realm had alarmed the surrounding people, and regardless of whether they were government officials, local powers, or even common folks, all believed it was a fire at the Red Lotus Temple and came to provide assistance.

This shows the influence of the Red Lotus Temple here.

When these people arrived at the temple, they did not see the expected great fire, instead, they saw a scene full of blood, severed limbs, and numerous Golden Buddha Statues, chests of gold, silver, and jewels, and teams of Yellow Turban Warriors with indifferent expressions.

"Bandits?"

The County Magistrate at the front was shocked by this scene and quickly reined in his horse. The government officials, household guards, and escorts behind him were also filled with terror, looking anxiously and uncertainly at the warriors holding the mountain gate.

Such a scene, was it bandits attacking and looting the Red Lotus Temple?

What kind of bandits could loot the Red Lotus Temple?

The County Magistrate’s eyes were filled with panic, his mind in a muddle, not knowing what to do.

Fortunately, Li Mubai walked out in time, revealing his identity by his black hat and red robe: "I am Li Mubai, the Magistrate of Jinyang Prefecture, on a mission to exterminate the Red Lotus Demon Monks, and we are currently confiscating illegal goods. No outsiders are allowed to approach; violators will be executed without mercy."

"Lord Li?"

The County Magistrate was stunned, then quickly realized, nodding hastily: "So it’s Lord Li on duty, I was unaware, please don’t blame me."

With that, he signalled the government officials with his eyes, turned his horse around, and left.

Though he didn’t understand how the well-standing Red Lotus Temple had become a den of demon monks and was beset by soldiers from the prefecture, he couldn’t possibly confront Li Mubai, the military authority of the entire prefecture, even if he had good relations with the Red Lotus Temple before.

Piped down when the grass is cool, the past is the past, and the present is the present.

The government officials retreated, and the household servants of the prominent families, seeing the already detained gentry, also silently chose to step back.

The people in front retreated completely, but people at the back, especially some Buddhist followers, came forward.

"It’s sinful, oh so sinful!"

"How can you do this?"

"Master Abbot..."

The Red Lotus Temple has operated for a thousand years, and despite incidents like the Hell Map and various means of amassing wealth, these were unknown actions in the dark. On the surface, it still practiced healing and exorcism, gaining an excellent reputation in the surrounding area, with many devout followers donating sincerely.

These believers, uninterested in fame and fortune, not even fearing death, in the absence of government officials and household servants, came forward to curse Li Mubai and sought to rescue the monks of the Red Lotus Temple.

This shows the power of faith.

The struggle in the divine realm involves both martial force and incense faith. Without winning the people’s hearts, even if the mountains are conquered, and temples extinguished, the conqueror gains no real benefit.

Therefore, these Red Lotus devotees actually became the most troublesome people to deal with afterward. If recklessly slaughtered, it would certainly affect future development.

Fortunately, Li Mubai was prepared and directly ordered the crowd: "Take them down!"

"Yes!"

The crowd was straightforward, directly capturing and tying them up together with the monks of Red Lotus Temple to be guarded together.

In this manner, overnight, the news of the Red Lotus Temple’s downfall spread like the wind, sweeping through Jinyang Prefecture and beyond.

"Li Mubai!"

In the study within the Prefecture Government Office, the Prefect of Jinyang, Lu Jingrui, slapped the table and rose, his face ashen with anger and panic entwined: "Audacious! Outrageously wicked! Who gave him the order to act in such a way?"

His words trembled, his body even shivering, not just with anger but also with fear.

The anger goes without saying, as the Red Lotus Temple, with its thousand-year tradition, held deep roots in Jinyang Prefecture, maintaining good relations with the dignitaries of the prefecture and various major families. He, the Prefect of Jinyang, was no exception, having visited the Red Lotus Temple many times to offer incense, and the abbot of the Red Lotus Temple was even a good friend, often sending him Spirit Pills to treat his hidden ailments.

With such a friend harmed, Lu Jingrui is naturally enraged.

But that is not the key point.

Piped down when the grass is cool, whatever the friendship was, it was merely an exchange of interests, fundamentally insignificant.

The key is that Li Mubai is the magistrate of his Jinyang Prefecture, and the Red Lotus Temple is a Buddhist sect temple.

Now rumors outside say it was his Jinyang Prefecture order to break the Red Lotus Temple.

Isn’t this trying to pin the blame on him?

He is merely a Fourth-Grade Prefect, how can he offend the Buddhist sect and those big figures associated with the Red Lotus Temple?

"Quick!"

Thinking of this, Lu Jingrui’s expression turned colder, immediately slapping the table and speaking to the steward beside him: "Write a letter at once, summoning Li Mubai back to the prefecture, dismissing and investigating him, to set an example."

"Prefect, you mustn’t!"

The steward, hearing this, spoke hastily: "Li Mubai did not have the prefecture’s order, this time the mobilized troops were from Qinghe, the Song Clan’s warriors, this indicates..."

Lu Jingrui’s eyes sharpened: "Indicates what?"

The steward pointed upward and then lowered his voice: "This conflict is beyond the handling of ordinary people, the Prefect must not be involved, it’s best to stay out of it and watch from the sidelines."

"This...!?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingrui was first stunned, then suddenly realized in horror, dripping with cold sweat, his face turning pale.

The steward’s words were correct, the Red Lotus Temple matter has surpassed mundane strife.

The Venerable Red Lotus was a Sixth Grade True God, standing for a thousand years, with profound roots.

Such being the case, both Li Mubai and the Song Clan people could break the Red Lotus Temple.

What does this suggest?

It suggests that behind them, there stands a more formidable existence than the Venerable Red Lotus, who broke the Red Lotus Temple and even slew the Venerable Red Lotus.

Such a conflict, how can a small mortal like him get involved?

Thinking of this, Lu Jingrui’s complexion grew even paler: "But if the prefecture makes no statement, people outside might truly think it was the prefecture’s order to dispatch troops to the Red Lotus..."

"Rest assured, Prefect."

The steward comforted: "Ordinary people may be unaware of this matter, but how could the Divine Beings not understand? They would certainly not implicate the Prefect. The Prefect need only remain uninvolved and let them engage in magical combat!"

"This... alright then!"

Hearing this, Lu Jingrui had no alternative but to nod in agreement.

Meanwhile on another side...

"Demon!"

"Rebel!"

"How dare he do this!"

"We will not rest until this demon is destroyed!"