Infernal Affairs

The White Lotus Sect was a rebel organization known to everyone in Changle Commandery. It had once swept across the entire commandery, and the Changle Commandery Office had expended tremendous effort to suppress it.

After that, the White Lotus Sect went from operating openly to hiding in the shadows. Rather than carrying out public activities, it moved among aristocratic clans and powerful families, through mountain wilds and rural villages. This tactic of breaking up into scattered units made the White Lotus Sect one of the few rebel forces whose strength was clearly not great, yet which the imperial court found difficult to eradicate and endlessly troublesome.

"But... that was all."

Wang Ping had transmigrated twenty years ago and had long since gained a thorough understanding of the world as it stood. From his perspective, the Great Shun Dynasty was clearly not yet fated to perish.

The imperial court still retained control over the local regions.

Although popular resentment boiled over, it was confined to the countryside. The aristocratic clans and powerful families within the county towns were actually quite satisfied with the court and held no grievances.

Thus, the court still had the hearts of the people.

Under such circumstances, the White Lotus Sect could only take the low road and deceive Blackheads in the countryside. Perhaps it would not be destroyed, but it would be difficult for it to grow any larger.

Therefore, when the authorities secretly contacted him, Wang Ping—who had only joined the White Lotus Sect to scrape together a living—immediately chose to abandon darkness and turn toward the light.

From then on, he became an undercover agent.

"Though there is nothing wrong with honestly being a rebel in the White Lotus Sect, for me, joining the imperial court offers a boundless sea and sky."

In the courtyard, having finished his meal, Wang Ping slowly stretched his limbs. He formed his hands into the shape of a lotus, then steadily pressed them against his lower abdomen, his fingertips gradually massaging his dantian.

"Oh, not bad."

On the other side, the young Daoist Xie Shi pushed open the door and emerged. Watching Wang Ping, he nodded approvingly. "Junior Brother has learned this move, Lotus in Fire, quite well."

"Turtle and snake coil, life and destiny endure, yet golden lotuses may be planted in fire."

This was the White Lotus Sect's introductory martial art. One used lotus hand seals to massage the acupoints around the dantian, kneading the blood and qi. Over time, it could greatly improve one's physical strength.

Wang Ping patiently kneaded himself for a full half hour before stopping. By then, sweat drenched his head and his steps had grown somewhat unsteady. At the same time, he sighed inwardly. This hand seal truly has some mysteries to it. It is only a simple massage, yet it produces the effects of high-intensity exercise. My years of hard practice have not been wasted.

"That is enough."

Not far away, Xie Shi smiled. "Too much is as bad as too little. Continuing will only harm your body... Just in time, Master intends to see you this afternoon. It is time to teach you martial arts."

"...Martial arts?"

Wang Ping blinked. Thinking of the marvels of Lotus in Fire, a trace of anticipation rose in his heart. Could this lousy place actually be a low-martial world?

Very soon, the two returned to the Daoist temple.

More than ten sect members suspected of being traitors were still confined in the main hall. The old Daoist, on the other hand, had come outside and was stretching his limbs in the temple courtyard.

When he saw Wang Ping and Xie Shi approaching, a smile appeared on the old Daoist's face as well.

"You are here?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Ping immediately knelt and bowed. "This subordinate pays respects to the Sect Master."

The old Daoist narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, then waved his hand. "How many times must I tell you not to care so much about empty formalities? This old man does not like them."

"This subordinate understands."

Wang Ping lowered his head without truly rising. His tone and expression remained as respectful as before.

"I told you there was no need for this." The old Daoist shook his head helplessly and said gently, "I called you here this time because I intend to teach you our sect's peerless martial art."

"This old man's Daoist name is Shouchong. From now on, do not call me Sect Master."

Wang Ping blinked at that.

Not call him Sect Master? Then what was he supposed to call him?

"You." Seeing Wang Ping's bewildered expression, Xie Shi immediately laughed. "Once you leave this door, you may call Master Sect Master, and Master will not find fault with you."

"But once you enter this door, what should you call Master?"

"..."

Wang Ping understood perfectly well. They wanted to win him over. But was this old bastard dreaming too beautifully? He thought one martial art manual would be enough to win him over?

Admittedly, he had some expectations for so-called martial arts, but no matter how formidable martial arts were, what could they really do?

Sir, the times had changed!

Talking martial arts? Talking weapons would make more sense!

In his view, unless the old Daoist pulled out a Maxim machine gun with unlimited ammunition right then and there, rebelling with him had no future whatsoever.

"This child truly is honest and simple."

The old Daoist did not get angry at the sight. Instead, he reached into his robes and took out a palm-sized little knife that gleamed with silver light, weighing it in his hand.

"Our White Lotus Sect's secretly transmitted peerless martial art is called the Plain Moon Lotus Blade. It is an art of throwing knives. If you can cultivate it to perfection, you will obtain a weapon art called A Thought Blooms a Flower. If you can learn it, among Great Shun's eight circuits and twenty-four prefectures, there will surely be a place for you."

Wang Ping listened without much interest.

What Plain Moon Lotus Blade? The name sounded quite nice. And weapon art, and A Thought Blooms a Flower—could a flying knife possibly be faster than a bullet?

What nonsense...

BOOM!!!

The next second, a world-shaking roar interrupted Wang Ping's wandering thoughts. The deafening sound left him frozen on the spot.

Only after a moment did he snap out of it like waking from a dream, turning to look behind him.

There stood what had originally been an artificial mountain several people tall. Yet at that moment, it had exploded completely, turning into shattered stones scattered across the ground.

On the shadow wall behind the artificial mountain, the throwing knife that had just been in the old Daoist's hand was firmly embedded at its center. Dense cracks spread in all directions from the knife, as though the instant it was pulled free, the entire wall would collapse into ruins as well!

"Holy shit..."

The next second, finally understanding what had happened, Wang Ping whirled around. His eyes burned as he stared fixedly at the smiling old Daoist Shouchong.

The old Daoist said softly, "Well? Do you want to learn?"

"This disciple pays respects to Master!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Ping acted completely against his instincts. He immediately threw himself flat on the ground and kowtowed, acknowledging this bargain-basement master.

Because at that moment, he understood perfectly well:

"What ancient feudal age? A casual move could blast apart mountain stone, and a throwing knife could be used like a missile. Conservatively speaking, this is at least a mid-martial world. How could I let such an opportunity slip by!"

The times had changed back again!

Besides, becoming the White Lotus Sect Master's disciple did not hinder him from continuing as an undercover agent for the imperial court. Rounding up and down, this was basically getting something for free. How could he pass up such a good opportunity?

"Heh, you are finally no longer foolish... Get up."

Shouchong patted Wang Ping on the shoulder in satisfaction, then took a thick book from his robes. "Go back and practice properly. I think very highly of you."

"Thank you, Master, for your cultivation!" Wang Ping kowtowed once more.

Shouchong smiled faintly and continued to instruct him. "Once you have learned it, remember not to use it casually. The moment you use it, blood must be spilled. You cannot leave anyone alive."

"After all, your master's old face is well known throughout Changle Commandery, and nearby Longxing County hunts me every day. Exposure would be extremely troublesome."

"But as you know, I have not actually spread the sect's teachings in Former Village, much less incited rebellion. I have merely done my part, treating illnesses and saving people... Yet as the number of people I saved grew, the incense offerings to this Daoist temple and sect naturally became more prosperous, and more people began following me of their own accord."

At this point, the old Daoist's expression suddenly darkened.

"This is not because this old Daoist possesses such great ability. It is because the world has become like this... because that tyrannical ruler far away in the Eastern Capital has turned the realm into this state!"

"Twice he conscripted troops against the demon kingdom, leaving the eight circuits and twenty-four prefectures with empty doors and exhausted households."

"He built palaces and temples, tearing flesh from bone across three hundred and sixty provinces and counties."

"Fields are few while taxes are sufficient; the poor people of the realm feed one clan and one state."

The more the old Daoist spoke, the angrier he became, looking as though righteous indignation filled his chest. Yet Wang Ping let it enter one ear and leave the other, his mood unchanged in the slightest.

After all, it had nothing to do with him.

As the saying went, drag whatever shoes fit the river you are crossing, and wear whatever underpants fit your backside. I am just a farmer—why are you talking to me about affairs of the realm?

On the surface, however, he put on a loyal expression and declared loudly, "Therefore, only the Sect Master can save everyone from the depths of misery and fire, allowing everyone to enter the True Void Homeland and enjoy eternal life... Sect Master, to me, you are the only sun in my heart!"

"...That was too much."

The corner of Shouchong's eye twitched slightly. If a newly initiated sect member had said such words, his first reaction would have been that the person surely harbored ulterior motives.

But Wang Ping was different.

This child had been in the sect for five years and had always spoken this way... To be honest, it had been rather awkward at first, but lately, the more Shouchong heard it, the more pleasing it sounded.

"All right, all right. Go back and practice first."

"Once you have finished reading the manual and prepared the necessary things, come ask me if there is anything you do not understand."

Shouchong said casually, "There is no rush in investigating the spy for now. Three days from now, I intend to visit River Village. Before then, I can guide your martial arts practice."

"Thank you, Master!"

Wang Ping left amid profuse thanks, leaving only Shouchong and Xie Shi, master and disciple, standing where they were. The atmosphere gradually changed from gentle to murderous.

After a moment of silence, Xie Shi spoke. "Congratulations, Master, on taking in an excellent disciple."

"An excellent disciple? Not necessarily."

Shouchong lowered his eyelids, his expression as still as an ancient well without ripples. "In truth, I liked what Wang Ping said earlier as a teacher... Kill them all, and the spy dies too."

"Unfortunately, they cannot be killed."

"If we truly kill them, people's hearts will scatter... He deliberately proposed that plan and offered to kill himself. It is also possible that he anticipated I would certainly stop him."

Xie Shi blinked. "So he may still be the spy?"

"That is not the important point."

Shouchong turned to glance at Xie Shi and said softly, "If one wishes to accomplish an extraordinary undertaking in the world as it is today, one must sometimes employ extraordinary methods."

"Thus, who the spy actually is does not matter. What matters is how much damage these people can inflict upon the entire organization. The greater the damage he causes, the more likely he is to be the spy... Even if he is not a spy, he must be treated as one. Only then can mistakes be avoided to the greatest extent."

"...This disciple has been taught." Xie Shi clasped his hands and bowed.

"It is good that you understand."

Shouchong nodded slightly and continued, "Watch Wang Ping. I want to know every movement he makes over the next few days, then decide on the next step of the plan."

"Yes." Xie Shi answered and departed.

Early in the morning, just as the sun showed its head, Wang Ping woke from his dreams. Brimming with energy, he held the Plain Moon Lotus Blade manual and read through it.

"Strength rises from the earth, is born in the feet, issues from the legs, is governed by the waist, and travels through the ten fingers..."

In the courtyard, Wang Ping assumed his stance. One hand held the manual while the other gripped a leaf. Then, following the contents of the book, he flung it hard.

Bang!

In an instant, a crisp explosive sound rang out. The leaf shot nearly a meter away like a pebble, only to quickly soften again before fluttering to the ground.

Wang Ping was thrilled at the sight. Though the leaf had reverted to normal less than a meter after leaving his hand, he could sense that at the instant it left his fingers, following the techniques of the Plain Moon Lotus Blade, it had been no less sharp than a real knife. And this was only his first attempt at practicing it!

"Continue!"

At that moment, Wang Ping was like a child who had just received a beloved toy. He could not wait to continue practicing, tirelessly throwing leaf after leaf with unflagging delight.

By the time he was utterly exhausted, the rising sun had already reached the sky's center.

Without realizing it, he had practiced for an entire morning, several hours in all. Yet the joy in his heart concealed the fatigue in his body.

"My talent seems pretty good!"

Or perhaps the Plain Moon Lotus Blade manual was simply written very well. It was entirely in plain language, practically teaching him hand in hand how to practice.

Generally speaking, martial arts had three methods.

Refining method, fighting method, and breathing method.

Wang Ping understood both the fighting method and the breathing method. The former focused on moves and was an art of combat and killing, while the latter focused on foundations and was a method of preserving health and sustaining life.

Put simply, the fighting method was external martial arts, while the breathing method was internal martial arts.

Only the refining method was different.

This "refining" was not the "refining" of cultivation, but the "refining" of forging—just as its name implied, the refining method referred to the crafting methods of smithing and forging weapons.

"The fighting method and breathing method are secondary. In this world, the true focus of martial arts is the refining method. The practitioner personally forges the weapon corresponding to the martial art, forms a communion of life with it and unites body and mind with it, then uses the weapon to nourish the body in return. Rather than practicing martial arts, it would be more accurate to say one is refining weapons..."

A practitioner's progress in martial arts would also be directly reflected in the weapon.

"Weapons are divided into four grades, and martial arts into four stages: entry, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and perfection... The higher the martial art's level, the more the weapon's grade rises with the tide."

"And if one can cultivate a martial art to perfection, the corresponding weapon will give birth to a weapon art. For instance, that strike in which old Daoist Shouchong blew apart the artificial mountain was the weapon art gained after mastering the Plain Moon Lotus Blade to perfection. It is called A Thought Blooms a Flower, and its power is extraordinary."

What was A Thought Blooms a Flower?

As its name implied, the moment a blade was unleashed with a thought, the target locked onto by the martial artist's mind would explode like a hundred flowers blossoming. To describe it in one sentence:

"Look at it once, and it explodes."

Recalling the power of Shouchong's strike yesterday, Wang Ping's heart grew fiery once again. He could not help fantasizing for a while, until his legs suddenly went weak.

"Urgh!"

The next second, Wang Ping—who had held his stance all morning—abruptly collapsed to his knees. Every pore on his body opened, sweat poured from him, and he nearly failed to catch his breath.

Then, a muffled rumble came from his stomach.

"Grrr..."

Along with the sound came an intense hunger, but according to the manual, he absolutely could not eat anything else at this time.

"I need rice!"

It could not be coarse rice or mixed grains. It had to be the outrageously expensive refined rice. Otherwise, eating it would not only fail to help his martial arts practice, but might even harm it.

This was merely to replenish his body's losses. If he wanted to accelerate his progress in martial arts, besides rice, he also needed meat. By the same logic, he could not eat wild game from the mountains. It had to be good meat prepared through secret methods. Demon beast meat would be even better—the better the meat, the better the effects on martial arts practice.

Such conditions could certainly not be met in a rural village.

"...That works out perfectly."

Recalling the information he had seen yesterday, Wang Ping roused his spirits. "Using this as an excuse to go to the county town is perfectly reasonable. I can take the opportunity to meet my contact."