In the Golden Book world, whenever people mentioned the Ming Cult, their first thought was naturally Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.
But in truth, the Ming Cult had existed long before that.
It originated in Persia. Its original name was Manichaeism, and it was introduced to the Central Plains during Empress Wu Zetian's reign in the Tang Dynasty, around the year 700.
It was now 1062, during the Song Dynasty. Zhang Wuji became the Ming Cult's leader near the end of the Yuan Dynasty, as its thirty-fourth leader. That was in 1356.
In other words, the Ming Cult had been in the Central Plains for more than six hundred and fifty years. It had passed through four dynasties—Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming—and had more than thirty leaders.
Zhang Wuji passed it on to Yang Xiao, and later it was probably destroyed by Zhu Yuanzhang. The claim that it had lasted a thousand years was an exaggeration.
By that reckoning, the Cult had averaged one leader every twenty years.
So by now, the Ming Cult had probably reached around its eighteenth generation.
The leader of this era wasn't famous, but in a few years, one of the most colorful figures in the Ming Cult's history would appear.
Fang La!
Most people who heard that name thought of the man Liangshan had put down in Water Margin.
In fact, Song Jiang had been a real person in history, and he had rebelled too, but on a very small scale.
Just how small?
He had only thirty-six men under his command.
They were also the model for the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits that came later.
Yet by then, the Northern Song's military had rotted to the core. With just thirty-six men, Song Jiang rampaged across Hebei and the eastern capital region, while tens of thousands of imperial troops didn't dare oppose him.
But that didn't last long. The court soon sent in troops, and Song Jiang was defeated and surrendered.
But Song Jiang didn't take part in the campaign against Fang La, because Fang La's forces were already on the verge of defeat when Song Jiang surrendered.
Song Jiang hadn't surrendered willingly. He did it to preserve his strength, then raised the banner of rebellion again when the time was right. But his second uprising was quickly crushed, and all thirty-six men were killed.
Compared with a band of wandering bandits like Song Jiang's, Fang La was the true thorn in the Great Song court's side.
At the start, his uprising had the same momentum as the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Eastern Han. He used the Ming Cult's faith to sway the people, called himself the Holy Duke, and named his reign Yongle. The common people rallied to him, and his forces seized prefectures and counties one after another, shaking the southeast.
At the height of his power, he commanded an army of three hundred thousand.
Even if they were only a rabble, that was still an impressive number.
But Fang La had established a regime, and even planned to hold the land along the river and expand gradually, overthrowing the Song Dynasty within ten years. Emperor Huizong of Song couldn't sit still. He sent out the finest imperial troops, and an army of a hundred and fifty thousand crushed Fang La's regime in one fell swoop.
That was what happened in history. In the Golden Book world, the Ming Cult was a powerful force in the martial world, so Huang Shang was added to the story.
In The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Zhou Botong recalled that Huang Shang had led troops to destroy Fang La's forces, first displaying his peerless martial arts and killing most of the Ming Cult Dharma Kings and their envoys before finally putting down the rebellion.
So Huang Shang and the Ming Cult were mortal enemies.
More precisely, the Great Song court, represented by Huang Shang, and the rebellious class, represented by the Ming Cult, were mortal enemies.
It was easy to imagine how delighted Wu Que was when he realized that the Fairy and her maid were members of the Ming Cult.
But that was all it took: his emotions stirred, his breathing grew slightly heavier, and his expression changed. He abruptly tilted his head aside.
Smack!
In an instant, splinters flew everywhere. A hand like cast iron punched through the wooden panel covering the secret passage's entrance and jabbed toward Wu Que.
Wu Que tilted his head to dodge. His folding fan swept across, striking straight at the assailant's Taiyuan acupoint on the wrist.
But the hand abruptly withdrew. The entire wooden panel burst apart, and a figure charged at him with ferocious force.
It was Fairy He.
The fortune-teller, now revealed in her true form, was a plump woman.
She was clearly quite old, but her hair was as white as silk, and her bearing was dignified and kind. She truly had the air of a fairy.
Fairy He was furious and alarmed.
As a member of the Ming Cult, she was at odds with the authorities. The secret passage beneath the Fairy Temple was undoubtedly a crucial escape route.
That was why its entrance was hidden beneath the meditation cushion where she sat.
If anything went wrong, she would burn down the temple, gather up the cash and land deeds, and escape through the passage.
But tonight, someone had slipped into the passage without anyone noticing and overheard their conversation.
Her disciple had just been discussing things that must never see the light of day. If they were exposed, all their years of effort would be wasted.
Intent on killing them, Fairy He swept her gaze across the chamber. There were three people inside. The man fighting her had impressive skill, but she couldn't sense any trace of martial arts training in the other two. Her confidence returned, and a storm of attacks immediately poured down on Wu Que.
"This old woman might not be one of the Left and Right Guardians, but she's at least on the level of one of the Four Great Dharma Kings!"
A single exchange was enough to show her skill. This old woman was no ordinary opponent.
But so what?
Wu Que opened his folding fan and moved as fluidly as flowing water. His wrist turned with astonishing dexterity, leaving a phantom peony before him as he caught every one of Fairy He's attacks and dissolved them completely.
It was the Night Emperor's martial art from Handsome Siblings: the Incense-Cutting Sword Art. Tie Zhongtang, the Night Emperor's disciple, was Chu Liuxiang's master, and he later passed the art on to the Fragrant Marshal.
With Wu Que wielding it through the Bright Jade Art, it was both stylish and practical. He parried and counterattacked, seizing the initiative in an instant.
Seeing how exquisite his moves were, Fairy He gritted her teeth and poured sixty years of cultivation into a palm strike.
She meant to overwhelm him with sheer force. The chamber was cramped, and if Wu Que kept dodging, he would inevitably expose his two ordinary companions. Only by forcing him to block could she hope to win quickly.
But Wu Que gave a cold laugh. He circled and turned his palm, and the surging gust of force abruptly changed direction, blasting back toward Fairy He herself.
Caught off guard, Fairy He was forced to meet it with her left palm. Her face turned pale as she was hurled backward. Sweetness rose in her throat, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
What shocked her even more was the familiar technique. "The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth?"
Wu Que smiled and sent his words to her by telepathy. "You Ming Cult people aren't the only ones who can redirect an opponent's force. But I'm quite fond of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, so naturally I'll go to Bright Peak and take it!"
What he had used was Moving Flower Grafting Jade, the technique that had made the Moving Flower Palace famous throughout the martial world in Handsome Siblings.
He had chosen the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils world this time in part because he wanted the Murong Clan's Star-Shifting and the Ming Cult's Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.
All three were signature arts that redirected an opponent's force. Wu Que was preparing to combine their strengths, create a peerless art of his own, and advance to two-star rank.
Having landed a blow, Wu Que didn't waste time talking to Fairy He. He launched into the Incense-Cutting Sword Art, determined to finish the fight as quickly as possible and capture her alive.
All this had happened in the blink of an eye. As gusts of force whipped through the chamber, the maid in green rushed inside. Seeing blood at the corner of Fairy He's mouth and her at a disadvantage, she turned pale with alarm. Her gaze swept across the room, and she lunged at Huang Shang and his companion.
"An excellent sparring partner!"
Huang Shang's eyes lit up. Gripping the Zhuge Pen, he stepped forward to meet her.
Seeing Huang Shang's tall figure place himself in front of her to protect her, Nightingale immediately brightened. See? He acts cold on the surface, but he must have feelings for me!
Before you continue