Chapter 829: Mohist School

Chapter 829: The Mohists

The Mohist Grand Master—Li Huowang had never seen him before, but the moment he laid eyes on the man, he knew exactly who he was. It was because a black bird perched upon his shoulders.

That bird was extraordinarily agile, yet something about it felt off to Li Huowang. Though the bird appeared perfectly normal, there was an inexplicable sense of unease about it.

Li Huowang shifted his gaze from the bird to the man himself—a man dressed in a flowered cotton coat, resembling nothing more than a common housewife. He looked quite ordinary, yet oddly enough, atop his head sat a ceramic doll's face, smiling brightly.

Despite this bizarre appearance, none of those around him reacted in any way. Even stranger still, the man cast three shadows on the ground.

At that moment, Liang Yuxuan whispered into Li Huowang’s ear: “This is the immortal.”

As Li Huowang approached, the androgynous figure also moved forward.

Now he could observe him more clearly. There was no trace of sorrow or suffering in this woman’s demeanor; she seemed not to be human at all.

“You are the Grand Master of the Mohists?” Li Huowang asked.

“What is ‘Qi Mo’? The Mohists have always been a sect unto themselves, with only one Mohist lineage.” The ceramic doll head atop her skull swayed slightly.

Perhaps, in Great Qi, where the great Liang had vanished, the distinction between Qi Mo and Liang Mo no longer existed.

She then bowed deeply toward Li Huowang. “The Mohist Grand Master Meng Sheng greets the True Man Li.”

Li Huowang did not step back, accepting the bow. “I’ve heard your people came here specifically to help me?”

“That is correct. When Great Qi faces calamity, when heaven itself turns against us, the Mohist rule states that Mohist descendants must emerge to save the world.”

Observing the figure before him, after a moment of contemplation, Li Huowang asked again, “How many of you are there?”

“Replying to the immortal, we number three hundred and forty-two households.”

“Three hundred households, with at least three people per household—that means over a thousand members in total,” Li Huowang mused silently.

“And what do you specialize in?”

“Mechanics and counter-curses.” With that, Meng Sheng removed her ceramic doll helmet, revealing beneath it a hollow wooden skull assembled through mortise-and-tenon joints. Indeed, this creature was not human.

“What? You come to help without even showing your face?” Seeing such a thing as a greeting, Li Huowang frowned slightly.

Just as he spoke, a dwarf with a flexible spine leapt out from within the ceramic helmet.

“The Mohist Grand Master Meng Sheng greets the True Man Li,” the dwarf said, his eyes slanting as he gave Li Huowang a deep bow.

“If you wish to assist, let your people come first. One person alone cannot do much for Great Qi.”

“Yes! I shall send them immediately!” Meng Sheng didn’t hesitate, jumping onto the woman’s head and kicking hard. The wooden skull turned instantly and sped away.

Watching Meng Sheng vanish before him, Li Huowang frowned and said, “They’re heretics. Are you saying their cultivation methods are evil? That doesn’t show at all.”

From their brief encounter, this little man was far worse than someone from the Forgetful Dao.

Liang Yuxuan explained, “No, the Mohists don’t commit evil or kill. Their practice involves using strange artifacts and celestial treasures.”

“So why are they considered heretical?” Li Huowang was now thoroughly confused. If this counted as evil, then what about Zhengde Temple?

“Immortal, do you remember what I told you earlier? They’re difficult to deal with.”

After some thought, Liang Yuxuan said to Li Huowang, “Do you know the origin of the phrase 'sticking to old rules'?”

“Be direct! What’s going on?” Li Huowang found this man frustratingly indirect. Why couldn’t he just speak plainly?

“The phrase literally means clinging stubbornly to outdated traditions, but it carries another meaning too—the Mohists always cling to ancient customs.”

“They abide by old ways in everything—from how they treat others to how they live.”

“But these old customs were suited for ancient times. Applied today, they become heretical.”

“For example?” Li Huowang began to understand. These weren’t evil in terms of magic—they were evil in their adherence to tradition.

“For instance, Mohists must go to great lengths to obtain officials, then slowly stew them into paste with water, which they drink without roots.”

“Another example: when Mohists reach adulthood, they must eat ghosts and communicate with spirits, choosing a god as their guardian deity—and offer their firstborn child as sacrifice.”

“And further, Mohists may not marry outsiders. Sons marry mothers, brothers marry sisters, grandchildren marry nurses. A five-year cycle repeats.”

“There are many such rules among the Mohists. As a minor official, I only know these.”

Li Huowang fell silent for a long time, finally exploding in anger, “What ancient custom are they clinging to?!”

A few thousand years ago, such rules were impossible. No wonder the Celestial Observing Bureau deemed them heretics. If they weren’t, then there was no justice left in the world.

At that moment, Liang Yuxuan looked troubled. “That would have to be asked of the Grand Master just now.”

Li Huowang regretted bringing such people into the matter. A group of individuals bound by peculiar customs coming to Youdu would only add more chaos to Great Qi’s already unstable situation.

“Set aside some land outside Youdu for these Mohists to live far away!”

“Also, tell your people to think—what use can these Mohists be under current circumstances?”

Li Huowang wasn’t just worried about the Mohists anymore—he feared other heretics too.

If things continued like this, they’d inevitably draw all of them in.

Balancing their power and using them to save Great Qi—honestly, Li Huowang didn’t think he was good at this kind of work. Perhaps Gao Zhijian was better suited.

“There aren’t enough usable people,” Li Huowang murmured.

Saving Great Qi wasn’t as simple as he once imagined. As he expanded, he inevitably encountered areas he didn’t understand.

Li Huowang reached into his robes, pulling out the Rib Sword, and returned to the Great Liang. But the old eunuch was already waiting there.

Before Li Huowang could speak, he already knew what the man wanted to say.

“I’ll go back and tell Gao Zhijian! Don’t bother me anymore! I’ve listened to what he said! I don’t want to help Great Qi fight against the Great Liang! I just don’t want to see so many people suffer!”

“I don’t ask for much. As long as the people of Great Qi don’t starve, as long as everyone can have a full meal, I’ll never go back there again!”