The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 449 The White Lotus Cult is Coming

Maying Village, northeast of Xiangyang, Hubei.

The north wind was howling and snowflakes were flying. This winter was quite cold, so even though it was noon, not many people came out in the village.

Only the gate of the Liu family in the north of the village was half open. Snowflakes were blown into the house by the cold wind, and a thin layer of snow accumulated on the small wooden door.

Not far from this layer of snow, there were a dozen straw-woven mats covered with a layer of coarse cloth, and a dozen men and women were kneeling in the main hall.

There was a slight sound of footsteps stepping on the snow, and the wooden door was suddenly pushed open by a man at the door. The people kneeling in the house stretched their necks to look outside.

Outside, in the heavy snow, a man wearing a black coarse cloth robe, with a black cloth wrapped around his head and carrying a long black bag, was walking towards them. It was unclear whether he was a man or a woman.

Boss Liu wiped his eyes and turned to look at the third brother. Didn’t they say that a fairy lady would come today? Why doesn’t she look like one?

However, Liu Laosan noticed something unusual. It was snowing so heavily, but there was not much snow on the man in black robe. The robe was long, and the hem was not stained with much mud or water.

A few people looked at the man in black robe who was quite far away in confusion, but in the blink of an eye, he walked out of the wooden gate.

Liu Laosan knelt down with a thud, raised his hands above his head, palms facing each other, fingers spread out like petals, still muttering devoutly.

"Wanjie is always in this world. The old mother is compassionate. Now that we have heard the wonderful teachings, we kneel together at the altar. Disciples respectfully welcome the arrival of the fairy lady!"

These verses were from the Hongyang Sect's interpretation of the Hunyuan Supreme Universal Transformation Sutra. After the fairy at the door heard them, a pair of slender hands emerged from her sleeves. She made a dazzling mark with her hands, then untied her black robe and walked into the depths of the wooden gate.

In the dim room, an unpleasant smell was floating everywhere. Wu Sanniang frowned. The old woman on the bed might not be able to move for a long time.

Seeing Wu Sanniang's slightly unfriendly look, Liu Laosan quickly said, "My mother has been paralyzed for eleven years now. My aunt, sister-in-law, and sister-in-law have been taking care of her every day without slacking off."

Wu Sanniang walked forward, gently lifted the quilt, reached in and rubbed it carefully for a while. After finding no bedsores, she nodded.

There is no filial son by the bedside of a patient for a long time. My mother has been paralyzed for eleven years. She has no bedsores and only a slight smell of urine. I am considered very filial.

After confirming this, Wu Sanniang made the seal of rebirth with her right hand and began to chant scriptures with a unique rhythm.

When they heard Wu Sanniang's chanting, the women in the house immediately knelt on the cold ground with pious faces.

At this time, the theory of the Blood Lake Hell began to become popular in underground religions. It was believed that women carried unclean original sin and would go to the Blood Lake Hell after death.

If one wants to remove it, one must go through the help of a master or fairy lady and chant various scriptures such as the Blood Lake Treasure Repentance, so as to avoid entering the Blood Lake Hell after death and suffering torture.

The reason behind this is actually a bit ridiculous. It is still a continuation of the fact that due to the underdeveloped productivity, women played a very low role in production and life and could only rely on men for survival, which led to their low status.

But the cause was the constant military operations by the three generations of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong.

Especially from the late Yongzheng period to the Qianlong period, not to mention the Battle of Tongbo and the expedition to Burma, hundreds of bannermen were killed in other battlefields.

The continuous wars produced a large number of bannermen widows who lost their husbands and sons, and the corrupt Eight Banners system of the Qing Dynasty greatly restricted the actual implementation of pensions and compensation.

Therefore, in Zhili, which is also known as Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, there are a large number of impoverished Banner women. Many of them even have to sell their bodies to Han men in Zhili in order to ask these men to help them complete tasks such as farming that other women cannot complete independently.

This kind of life that seems high-status but is extremely painful requires an outlet, so the Blood Lake Hell theory came into being.

This theory attributes the suffering of Banner women in this life to their bad luck, believing that they are guilty of harming their fathers, brothers and sons in this life, and that they will go to the Blood Lake Hell to suffer eternal torture after death.

The Bannermen are inherently superstitious, and their women have low levels of education. Orthodox Buddhism is too difficult for them, but this simple theory can hit the mark for them.

Therefore, in many underground religions in the north, the proportion of bannermen, women and children is much higher than that of Han people.

Historically, the reason why the Tianli Sect had the crazy idea of attacking the imperial palace and almost succeeded was that they had many accomplices among the lower-level bannermen.

Even some of the imperial guards at the time grew up in an environment where their grandmothers and mothers believed in various White Lotus sects.

Inside the Liu family's house, as the sound of chanting grew louder and louder, the village became agitated. Word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and many people knew that a fairy lady had come to the Liu family.

So a large number of women came from all over and in the Liu family's dilapidated house, they followed the chanting of scriptures over and over again very devoutly.

Seeing that most people had arrived, Wu Sanniang quietly held two round grass balls in his hands and rubbed them slowly with his right hand hidden in his sleeve.

Green smoke then slowly rose from her sleeves, and to others, it looked like it was coming from Wu Sanniang.

Moreover, the smell was not only not unpleasant, but also had a hint of sandalwood, accompanied by Wu Sanniang's rhythmic singing. Relying on the resonance of her chest, it sounded like the chanting coming from all directions, which directly frightened these ignorant farmers and farmwomen and made them kowtow and bow down in worship.

At this moment, Liu's mother, who had been lying on the bed dying for three or four days without dying, actually moved slowly twice.

Wu Sanniang hurried over, stopped chanting, and in the curling green smoke, she quickly swallowed the only remaining herb in her sleeve, then opened her mouth and blew out a huge smoke ring.

The smoke rings swayed and flew towards Liu's mother. Wu Sanniang lifted Liu's mother's hands and squeezed them gently. Liu's mother's mouth, which had been wide open and unable to close, immediately closed.

"All paths return to one, and all return to nothingness. First worship the Buddhas, then the ancestors. Children kneel in the East Forest, answering the names of the people and recognizing their mother.

"The Unborn Mother, with boundless grace, bestows upon the world the sutras and the Dharma ship. She transmits the true sutras, casts down the golden thread, and guides all living beings back to the Great True Void Heaven!"

Liu's mother was a devout Hongyang Christian. After she became paralyzed, she relied on the doctrine for support. At this moment, when she heard the fairy chanting, a few turbid tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, but there was a satisfied smile on her face. Then her pale head slowly tilted, and she finally passed away.

The women let out bursts of exclamations, and Wu Sanniang suddenly opened her mouth and sprayed out a light, sweet red mist. No one saw her pouring anything into her mouth, and for a moment they all thought it was some kind of magic.

The cold wind blew in through the window, bringing with it a few snowflakes, red and white intertwined, and the smoke rings slowly dissipated at the same time, making the scene look particularly shocking.

Wu Sanniang swayed twice as if exhausted, then dropped to her knees with a plop. She raised her head and shouted, "Disciple bows to thank the old kind mother for guiding Liu's believer to the Daluo Heaven."

All the men and women in the room were shocked. Even Liu's children forgot to cry for a moment. They all knelt down and shouted:
"The hometown of the vacuum, the Mother of No Birth, has come to the world to save all living beings!"

. . . .

At night, the Liu family began to hold a funeral for Liu's mother. Under the guidance of Liu San, Wu Sanniang went to a small temple in the east of the village to rest in peace. The reason she gave was naturally that fairies could not live in mortal houses, so she could only stay in a Taoist temple.

However, if someone could see Liu San's expression at this moment, they would find that he had long lost the awe he had for Wu Sanniang when he was at home.

Wu Sanniang stepped into the Taoist temple cautiously, her right elbow constantly touching the two swords in the long bag, which gave her a great sense of security.

After passing through the front hall where the Zhenwu Emperor was enshrined, and entering a room, Wu Sanniang saw a middle-aged man wearing a tattered cotton jacket with a kind smile on his face.

This person looks like an old farmer. There is nothing about him that can attract people's attention. He is the kind of person who would disappear immediately if thrown into a crowd.

"Are you the high-ranking official from the south?" Wu Sanniang felt less nervous and looked around in disbelief.

The man opposite didn't say anything. He put away his smile, unbuttoned his tattered cotton jacket, revealing the black tights underneath. Then he put his feet one in front of the other and made a strange pose.

With just a few small movements, the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze, and Wu Sanniang suddenly felt a huge pressure coming towards her.

She couldn't help but take a step back. Wu Sanniang felt that the person she was facing was not a human being, but a tiger with its back bent and its head lowered.

If he pounced on her, Wu Sanniang, who had always been very confident in her martial arts skills, found that she might not be able to withstand more than a few moves.

She took a step back, the man took a step forward. They shuffled gently through the small room, as if a powerful force was between them, constantly pushing them apart and drawing them together. Finally, just as Wu Sanniang was about to reach for the twin swords in her bundle, the man took a step back, dissipating most of his aura.

Wu Sanniang took a deep breath, and the huge pressure that made her chest feel extremely stuffy and unable to scream was instantly eliminated.

"How much of Wang Lun's teachings do you have?" the man asked in a low voice.

Wu Sanniang no longer dared to doubt the other party's strength. She saluted obediently and replied in a low voice: "The leader is born with supernatural power and unparalleled martial arts. I can only get three points, which makes me the best among my fellow disciples."

The leader that Wu Sanniang mentioned was none other than Wang Lun, the leader of the Qingshui Sect who led his followers in an uprising in Shandong seven years ago and was subsequently suppressed by the Qing Dynasty.

According to historical records, Wang Lun was a martial arts expert who could shoot arrows continuously while standing on horseback. When fighting with the Qing army, he was able to fly in the formation and was unstoppable.

However, no matter how good one's martial arts skills are, one shot can knock someone down. In history, not only was Wang Lun suppressed, but Wu Sanniang was also shot to death by the Qing Dynasty's firearms battalion.

But in this time and space, the officers and soldiers of the Qing Dynasty Firearms Battalion who killed Wu Sanniang were all killed by Mo Zibu in the Fourth Qing-Myanmar War, so Wu Sanniang survived.

Two years ago, he was recruited by the Yuan family, a top Shandong gentry family that had long been connected with Mo Zibu, and the family of Yuan Shoutong, the Grand Secretary of the Qing Dynasty who recommended Liang Guozhi to go south.

The Yuan family had long been prepared to respond to Mo Zibu. Yuan Shoutong's nephew Yuan Xu was the Shandong Captain of the Jinyiwei Northern Pacification Division, so naturally he had to recruit a large number of strange people from the martial arts world to serve him.

The man who made Wu Sanniang feel extremely oppressed was none other than Li Cunyi, the commander of the Palace Front Division of the Jinyiwei and the master of Li Quan, who was known as the best fighter of the Jinyiwei.

Li Cun Yi was quite satisfied with Wu Sanniang's alertness and martial arts, but of course, what satisfied him most was her ability to play tricks.

"From today on, you will officially become a spy of the Palace Front Department, and your salary will be paid according to the eighth-rank official." Li Cunyi threw a waist badge to Wu Sanniang.

"Remember, Qi Lin and the others from the Hunyuan Sect will be coming to you soon. You must focus on developing female disciples among them and report their movements within ten days."

Wu Sanniang was stunned for a moment, holding the badge in her hand. She, who had pretended to be both a god in heaven and the King of Hell on earth, trembled for no reason.

"From today on, am I an official? Do I still need to kneel when I see the county magistrate?"

Li Cunyi chuckled, "We are the imperial guards directly under His Majesty, which county magistrate would dare to make you kneel down?

Wu Sanniang, from today on, you are a legitimate official of the imperial court, not just someone's concubine. Your fate is in your own hands."

The White Lotus Sect has developed into a very broad concept. It is roughly equivalent to the general term for underground religions that use superstitions, preach the end of the world or hell after death to deceive people, establish small groups, and engage in mutual help.

For example, when Wang Lun started an uprising in Shandong, he established the Qingshui Sect. In history, the Sichuan-Chu religious rebellion, which was led by Wang Cong'er, Xu Tiande and others, was called the Hunyuan Sect.

But at that time, Wang Cong'er was only two years old, Xu Tiande was only seven or eight years old, and even Wang Cong'er's future husband Qi Lin was only in his twenties. They were not considered particularly core members of the Hunyuan Sect in Xiangyang.

The Qi family is the core of the Hunyuan Sect. They are Qi Lin's uncle. Their family has been working as yamen runners in Xiangyang Prefecture for generations. They are the underground society below the gentry.

Unlike in history when they could only preach secretly and become gang leaders, at this time when the Qing Dynasty ordered the establishment of militia in various places, the Hunyuan believers in Xiangyang, Yunyang, Yichang and Jingzhou all joined the militia in various places and actually took control of them.

"When the disaster of Hongyang ends, Baiyang will appear." In Huanglong Town, southwest of Xiangyang Prefecture, Song Zhiqing, the leader of the Hunyuan Sect, was talking.

"In today's world, the Yu and Qing are at war with each other. The Manchus have entered the country from the northeast, harming the Han people. They are demons born in response to the Hongyang catastrophe.

Yu Mo was born in Southeast Asia, transformed from an overseas dragon. His current fortune, allowing him to enter Jiangnan, is actually due to the fact that before Mo Guangzhong transformed into a human, he was illuminated by the White Sun Holy Light of the Future Maitreya Buddha, which is why he has such good fortune.

Song Zhiqing chuckled as he spoke, "All the disciples know that when it comes to the right path, we, the Hunyuan believers, are the direct descendants of the Maitreya Buddha.

So don't think the Mo family dragon is unstoppable today. When it encounters us, we will make it melt and surrender."

According to the theory of Hunyuan Sect, which inherited Hongyang Sect and even Luo Sect, the world is divided into past, present and future, corresponding to the three stages of Qingyang, Hongyang and Baiyang.

Among them, the Lord of Qingyang in the past world is Namo the Past Buddha Dipankara.

The Lord of Hongyang in the present world is Namo the present Sakyamuni Buddha.

The Lord of the White Yang in the future world is Namo the Future Maitreya Buddha.

At present, it is when Hongyang and Baiyang intersect. When Hongyang's catastrophe is over and Baiyang appears, the kingdom of heaven will appear, and all of their followers will become immortals who will enjoy eternal happiness in heaven.

So after hearing Song Zhiqing's words, the members of the sect cheered and jumped for joy, and were extremely excited. Among them, Gao Chenggong, Qi Lin, Zhang Zhengmo and others who controlled the sect's martial arts were the most excited.

Especially Zhang Zhengmo, his family was a big landlord in Jingzhou Prefecture. The Zhang family was a first-class family in Yidu County under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou, and was known as the best (richest) family in Yidu.

This time, Chen Yanzu, the younger brother of Chen Huizu, the Governor of Huguang, came to Jingzhou to take over the land left by the Eight Banners stationed in Jingzhou, and Zhang Zhengmo responded positively.

The Zhang family spent a lot of money and took great pains to serve Chen Yanzu comfortably, and gained a lot of benefits. In terms of land alone, they gained more than 300,000 acres.

At this time, among the five battalions of Jingmen troops formed by Chen Yanzu, the Zhang family controlled three battalions, with more than 4,000 people.

When Zhang Zhengmo heard the leader Song Zhiqing announce that the Baiyang World was about to arrive, he immediately danced with joy. He looked at Song Zhiqing and said:
"Master, I have heard that the Great Yu Dynasty is about to march westward to attack the Qing Dynasty.

When the time comes and they fight each other, my Holy Church will sit back and watch the fight, Yu Sheng will help Qing fight Yu, and Qing Sheng will stab Yu in the back.

If both sides are defeated, that would be even better. If we can eliminate two powerful enemies at once, with the blessing of Maitreya Buddha, the world will be ours."

Hearing what Zhang Zhengmo said, the other believers' faces flushed with excitement again, as if they were really going to win.

Only the leader Song Zhiqingwei showed an undetectable look of dissatisfaction. Zhang Zhengmo did not learn the doctrine well, had not read the scriptures thoroughly, and his mind was always thinking about conquering the world and ruling the country.

Oh my god, we are going to enter the Baiyang world to enjoy eternal bliss. Can you please stop thinking about these worldly wealth and have some vision?

While everyone was celebrating, a disciple outside came to report that the fairy lady Wu Sanniang from the Qingshui Sect had arrived outside the town.

When Song Zhiqing heard this, he immediately put aside his slight dissatisfaction with Zhang Zhengmo.

Because for an underground religion like Hunyuan Sect, the fastest way to spread the teachings is to start with the ignorant women among the people.

As for men, it is naturally inconvenient, so they must have female disciples who are good-looking, have a loud voice, and can perform magic tricks to preach.

These fairies are often recruited from acrobatic troupes and raised since childhood, and usually become the leader's concubines.

For example, Wu Sanniang and Wang Lun, Wang Cong'er and Qi Lin.

Song Zhiqing's most capable fairy lady had been dead for almost a year due to illness, and the other fairy ladies were too incompetent to take on this important task.

Only Wu Sanniang, who had shown her skills a little in Maying Village and was well-known, met Song Zhiqing's expectations.

Although he was not trained since childhood and is a bit old, at the critical moment, Master Song is willing to relax the conditions.

Among all the jubilant believers, only Yao Zhifu, who was standing at the door and was in his forties but could only become a senior disciple of Qi Lin, who was in his twenties, before he could enter the sect, felt a little uncomfortable.

He ran here from Yunyang, west of Xiangyang, which is the area of Shiyan City in later generations. At that time, Yunyang Prefecture was a gathering place for refugees from Sichuan, Shaanxi, Henan and Hubei, and it was a hell on earth.

He went through so much trouble to come to Xiangyang because he heard that the masters of Hunyuan Sect here were all land immortals who saved people from suffering. However, after arriving, he found that it was all nonsense.

Yao Zhifu was somewhat desperate. He looked at the world outside where snowflakes were falling. Was there really a heaven on earth after Bai Yang appeared?
(End of this chapter)