Chapter 768: White

Chapter 768: White

“Thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump.” The drumbeats struck in rhythm.

“With the celestial disk installed, it turns; with the terrestrial disk mounted, it spins. Beneath, black fish carry the earth; above, divine qi supports the heavens. The black fish bears the earth and makes it move; the divine qi lifts the sky and makes it turn. Then comes the placement of the stars…”

To the rhythm of Bai Lingmiao’s drums, the incense smoke rising from the four corners of the room began to swirl rapidly around the barely breathing infant lying on the bed.

As the white smoke entered the baby through its seven orifices, Yang Na pulled out a pair of scissors and cut open the palm of the infant’s left hand.

With a sudden burst of force, four hands squeezed out a dark yellow, semi-solid substance wrapped in the white smoke.

As the writhing mass was expelled, the baby's face quickly flushed red, and soon after, it let out a loud wail of pain.

At the infant’s cry, the old man beside them wept with joy. “My son lives! The Zhao family will no longer be without an heir!”

Overwhelmed with gratitude, he knelt with his entire family before Bai Lingmiao, bowing deeply. “Holy Maiden, you have saved our lives! For the cause of the White Lotus, I pledge everything! I donate everything!”

“From this day forth, our whole family shall believe in the White Lotus!”

Bai Lingmiao stepped out of the courtyard, watching as chests of gold and silver were sealed with White Lotus stamps and hauled away by believers on wheelbarrows.

“Isn’t this… not quite right?” Bai Lingmiao had barely finished speaking when the voices of the Two Gods echoed in her mind.

“After all this, you still care about what’s right or wrong?”

“Think about what he’s done in the past. This is still your way. If I were in charge, I wouldn’t just use his son for a trick. I’d march in and raze his house!”

She glanced at the soup stall nearby, where beggars drank their porridge with great gusto. Bai Lingmiao said nothing more.

The world was in chaos now. There was no time to spare. With so much silver, they could feed many people.

This miserly rich man hoarded his wealth in his home, letting it rot—useless.

Moreover, with war raging, fewer people were farming, and grain prices soared.

Bai Lingmiao walked outside the city walls, watching the White Lotus believers working in the fields. When they saw her approaching, the overseer hurried over and bowed to her.

“Miss Qian Caoying greets the Holy Maiden.”

“How are the crops faring?”

Qian Caoying’s mud-stained face showed hesitation, but he finally decided to speak the truth.

“Holy Maiden, honestly, things aren’t going well. The seasons have changed—the days are shorter now. The lunar calendar is useless. I can’t even tell what season it is anymore.”

“If that were all, it would be manageable. But lately, the weather has been terrible,”

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao looked up at the clouds. The sky was strange—sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing, as if something inside was fighting.

“The heavens either don’t rain at all, leaving us parched to death, or they pour down so hard it floods. Honestly, Holy Maiden, I’ve farmed for forty years. These recent years are truly strange.”

“Our White Lotus sect has many people who can work like oxen. But no matter how hard I try, the yield is only half of what it used to be. And even this, other places do better than me.”

“No need to worry. Success lies in human effort, planning in heaven. Mother Wu Sheng will protect us.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Lingmiao’s forehead glowed faintly with the White Lotus symbol. Qian Caoying’s eyes lit up like he’d found treasure, nodding happily and returning to his fieldwork.

It was Bai Lingmiao’s idea. Since some lacked the wisdom to learn divine powers, they should all farm.

As long as they helped defeat the Law Sect, the White Lotus believers would do anything.

Now that the White Lotus sect was functioning, it served as the rear base for armies across nations. Everyone tried to make full use of what they had.

This greatly benefited military logistics. After all, transporting grain from Daliang to Siqi meant feeding soldiers and horses along the way—perhaps only one in ten would survive the journey.

Yet although grain seemed simple, making it properly wasn’t easy.

“Mother Wu Sheng is so powerful, yet she can’t ensure a good harvest?” The Two Gods taunted.

Bai Lingmiao shook her head gently. “Even immortals can’t. I sent people to ask some experts. It seems there isn’t a single god in the world who can guarantee a bountiful harvest.”

“Hmph. They can’t help, but they’re masters at causing harm.”

“We must find a way. No one knows how long this war will last.”

“Rather than stockpiling grain, why not kill the Law Sect quickly and seize their granaries? Then we won’t need to farm at all.”

Bai Lingmiao didn’t object. She continued walking until she reached the barracks. Unlike others, this one bore the image of a white donkey and a White Lotus.

As soon as she entered, she saw rows of fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boys, bare-chested, standing straight, staring at the teacher on the platform as if they were invincible, eyes filled with longing.

These were specially chosen from among the White Lotus believers—highly intelligent, strong, and fit.

As long as there were enough people, anyone could be selected. The problem was that expansion had been too fast, and there weren’t enough teachers.

Everywhere were altars and portraits of Mother Wu Sheng. It was more like a temple and a barracks combined.

Not only men, but the White Lotus sect treated men and women equally. As long as one had talent, both genders were accepted.

Soon, Bai Lingmiao spotted a familiar face on the platform—Chun Xiaoman.

She taught with utmost seriousness and strictness. Combined with her black fur covering her body, everyone feared her.

“You are women! If you want to live, train! Don’t stop until your voices are hoarse! If you lose in battle, your fate will be worse than death!”

“I choose only those whose families have died! If you can’t endure it, think of how the Law Sect killed your loved ones! Think of your vows to avenge them!”

Under her scolding, rows of women with red marks on their foreheads began stomping and chanting spells, entering the divine trance.

They shouted the incantations wildly, barefoot, walking toward the blazing fire pits.

Most emerged unscathed, though some, lacking skill, screamed as flames engulfed them and rolled out.

People nearby immediately poured sand on them. Those were the ones eliminated.

Bai Lingmiao felt pity, but she didn’t stop. If the Law Sect won, more people would die.

When she took charge, Bai Lingmiao realized that nothing was perfect. One simply chose the lesser cost.

She had always thought her nature wasn’t suited for such tasks. But thinking back to the cold, merciless million and a half the Emperor of Siqi had mentioned, Bai Lingmiao found strength.

She was no longer doing this for herself—but for all the members of the White Lotus sect.

She remembered her words: she must find a way to prevent more people from losing their families, and to stop her own painful experiences from repeating.

She was striving for that every day.

Just as Bai Lingmiao was touring the camp, a paper crane flew down from the sky.

She caught it gently, nearly doubting her eyes. Xuan Pin summoned her for an urgent meeting.