God-Worship Cult

God-Worship Cult

On the main street, Jiang Ning's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked ahead.

Ahead of them was a procession beating gongs and drums.

"Big Brother, what is this?" Confusion showed in Jiang Ning's eyes.

Jiang Li gave it a brief look. Upon spotting a familiar emblem, he said, "These should be God-Worship Cult believers among the common folk. They're going to the City God Temple to worship the gods and pray for blessings."

Jiang Ning looked startled. "God-Worship Cult? Isn't the God-Worship Cult a target for suppression by the authorities? How can they be going to the City God Temple to offer sacrifices and pray for blessings?"

Jiang Li shook his head. "I don't know either. According to the higher-ups, ordinary believers are to be left alone. The mission is to suppress and kill the cult's actual followers."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning could not help shaking his head inwardly.

How could the God-Worship Cult possibly be kept down this way? Such indulgence would only make the God-Worship Cult grow ever more rampant.

He understood the formidable power of religious organizations better than anyone.

History in his previous life had demonstrated the power of religious organizations countless times.

Whether it was the Yellow Turban Rebellion that swept through the late Eastern Han Dynasty or the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement at the end of the Qing Dynasty, both had displayed the terrifying power of religious organizations.

Even in that civilized, technologically advanced society, the distant West still had the world's largest religion, along with countless fanatical believers.

In this world, perhaps one where gods had once existed, a world with supernatural power, any religious organization would become even more terrifying. Its ability to gather hearts and strength would multiply.

Jiang Ning did not believe that Luoshui County's three great families and the county magistrate were unaware of the dangers of indulging the God-Worship Cult like this.

At this moment, he became even more certain of his previous judgment and of the information revealed by Xu Yunfeng's words.

Luoshui County was clearly a struggle between a dragon crossing the river and a local snake.

His elder brother's family, along with Jiang Ning himself, had all been swept into this conflict.

He did not dare place any hope whatsoever in the county magistrate's sentiment or righteousness. Thus, he understood that if he wanted to leap out of this whirlpool, he had to find a third party.

Constable Wang, stationed outside Luoshui County, was that third party. Holding military authority in his hands, he was the foundation that allowed him to sit atop the wall and watch the fight.

If he wanted to borrow Constable Wang's power to escape this whirlpool and save his elder brother's family as well, then he could only rely on Wang Jin's connections at the Blue-Wave Martial Academy.

Both men bore the surname Wang and were related by blood.

As long as he passed the Blue-Wave Martial Academy's test and became a true disciple of the academy, he would be qualified to borrow that power.

I only hope the panel is miraculous enough!

Soon afterward, the two brushed past the procession of God-Worship Cult believers and headed straight along the broad avenue toward the inner city.

Half an hour later, thanks to Jiang Li's status as a constable, the two passed unimpeded through the city wall separating the inner and outer cities and entered Luoshui County's inner city.

Luoshui County was divided into an inner city and an outer city. The outer city was generally inhabited by commoners such as peddlers and laborers, and its public order was relatively chaotic.

The inner city was different. Its five-zhang-high walls divided the inner and outer cities into two separate worlds.

Those living in the inner city were either wealthy or noble, and public order there far surpassed that of the outer city. The Blue-Wave Martial Academy was located in the inner city.

The moment he entered the inner city, Jiang Ning felt as though he had arrived in a new world.

Towering, thick trees and flowerbeds blooming in mutual splendor lined both sides of the crisscrossing roads.

A faint floral fragrance even drifted through the air. The roads were clean and broad enough for five carriages to travel abreast.

"To the Blue-Wave Martial Academy!"

The two boarded a carriage, and Jiang Li took out ten copper coins and spoke to the driver.

"Yes, sir!" The driver bowed and nodded.

The next moment, the carriage sped through the inner city with the two of them inside.

Only after the time it took to burn an incense stick did the carriage slowly stop before a large compound.

Blue-Wave Martial Academy.

Seeing those four large characters overhead, then looking at the scale of the buildings before them, no one would doubt the academy's strength.

Land in the inner city was worth its weight in gold.

The fact that Jiang Li had struggled for so many years yet still failed to move his entire family into the inner city showed just how absurdly expensive this place was.

Yet the Blue-Wave Martial Academy occupied an enormous area at a glance. The walls alone at the academy's front stretched fifty or sixty meters in total.

"Stop there!"

The moment the two approached, two burly men standing on either side of the gates stretched out their hands to block them.

"Please announce us. Jiang Li has come as promised with his younger brother to pay a visit," Jiang Li said, cupping his hands.

The two men at the entrance immediately sized Jiang Li up. Even upon seeing the constable's uniform he wore, their expressions remained indifferent, without the slightest fear ordinary commoners showed upon meeting an officer.

Then one of them turned and headed into the martial academy.

A short while later.

The man who had entered strode back out.

"Academy Master Wang says only your younger brother may enter."

Hearing this, Jiang Li nodded. "Understood."

Then he looked at Jiang Ning. "Little Brother, I've already paid your apprenticeship fee in advance. Once you go in, Academy Master Wang will teach you martial arts. But whether you can pass the test and become a true disciple of the Blue-Wave Martial Academy will depend entirely on yourself!"

Jiang Ning nodded. "Don't worry, Big Brother! I'll definitely become a true disciple of the academy."

Their conversation fell clearly into the ears of the two men guarding the academy gates.

Upon hearing this, both revealed faintly disdainful expressions.

Other than that, they said nothing.

After all, they had long grown accustomed to such words.

During their time guarding the gates, they had seen countless ambitious youths enter the Blue-Wave Martial Academy full of dreams and aspirations.

Before entering the academy, who was not brimming with confidence?

Nearly all of them were children of wealthy families from the inner city, and there was no shortage of direct descendants from great clans.

After all, poor families pursued literature, wealthy families pursued martial arts. Learning martial arts was a rich man's pastime.

Which of them did not have abundant resources behind them? Since childhood, they had been nourished with precious medicinal herbs, blessed with extraordinary foundations, and naturally able to go farther than ordinary people on the path of martial arts.

Yet even now, only those few had truly become disciples of the Blue-Wave Martial Academy.

If even wealthy young masters and children of great clans found it difficult to pass the test and become disciples of the Blue-Wave Martial Academy, then how much more difficult would it be for this youth before them, who looked at a glance like he came from an ordinary household?

For an ordinary family, merely producing the apprenticeship fee was extremely difficult.

After all, it was one hundred taels of silver—enough for a well-off family of three to five people to live on for three to five years.

And that was only the registration fee. There would be far more expenses once he began training.

Not to mention anything else, daily meat was a basic household staple for martial artists. Without meat in one's diet, training would sooner or later ruin the body.

Thus, at this moment, they did not think highly of this somewhat thin youth at all.

"Come with me," one of the burly men said to Jiang Ning.

Afterward.

Watching Jiang Ning's figure disappear through the side gate of the Blue-Wave Martial Academy, Jiang Li finally left with peace of mind.