Chapter 868: Make a Move

Chapter 868: The Move

Li Huowang’s words carried an unmistakable hidden meaning, and the abbot of Zhengde Temple naturally perceived it.

He clasped his hands in prayer and gestured toward Li Huowang. “Namo Amitabha, indeed, indeed. Monks do not speak falsehoods. Since I have spoken, the Great Qi belongs to the layman Li—it is a promise that will never be broken.”

“But although Zhengde Temple is the state religion of Great Qi, we cannot control all hearts. What our monks cannot do, others may still believe in.”

At that moment, four monks wielding their staffs carried an old man onto the platform.

When he was brought before Li Huowang, he spilled everything he knew like a bamboo container emptied of beans—fearing delay meant suffering beyond human endurance.

“I don’t know, truly, I don’t know who started this rumor!”

“They say, the Tianchen Kingdom never intended to fight with Great Qi. The people of Great Qi were deceived by that false Bodhisattva. This whole thing is just making them serve as blades for others, bleeding and sweating for no reason.”

“They also claim that all the disasters in Great Qi are caused by this fake Bodhisattva.”

“That’s all, truly all—I only know this much, I swear!”

“I’m terrified, I really am!”

“Rumors…” Li Huowang had never imagined that the first move would be such a tactic. It was truly sinister—half truth, half lie.

It now became clear that Tianchen hadn’t been idle before. They weren’t willing to confront him head-on but instead chose to strike from the shadows.

They realized now that opposing him offered no benefit. Even if they won, it would be mutual destruction.

Thus, they planned to first erode the morale of the people of Great Qi through rumors, undermining his authority here. If he could no longer command the people, then everything else might fall apart.

Li Huowang deduced that this was the work of Beifeng. If not Beifeng, then it must have come from the Seat of Forgetting within the Tianchen Kingdom.

After a brief pause, Li Huowang turned to Chan Du. “Abbot, since the enemy has struck, has the Great Qi Heavenly Observing Bureau prepared a countermove?”

“The monks have already been instructed to guard against such leaks. We shall strictly prevent the spread of these rumors.”

Li Huowang shook his head. “That won’t work. Rumors cannot be sealed. The more you try to suppress them, the more the people of Great Qi will believe them.”

“And even if you manage to contain them temporarily, what then? They can always return to Great Qi again and spread it once more. In this regard, we hold no advantage.”

“What should we do then?”

“Never mind. Leave this little trick to me,” Li Huowang said, turning and walking out.

Rumor was one of the tools used by the Seat of Forgetting. If they could use it, so could Li Huowang. And if he could use it, he could also unravel it.

“He wants to spread rumors? Then let me help him spread them too!” As he pulled a mask over his face, his features transformed into those of an ordinary man.

He slipped both hands into his sleeves, tilted his neck, and walked toward the Western Market. With a thought, his robe gradually changed into a worn-out cotton coat.

Both the Eastern and Western Markets were places where goods were sold. Compared to before, the variety here had greatly increased.

There was no longer a need for such trivial matters as four taels of rice drawing crowds.

But Li Huowang didn’t linger outside. Instead, he quickly turned and entered a narrow alley in the east.

After weaving through several turns, he finally opened a rusted sewer hole. A dim passage appeared before him—an underground black market selling things forbidden by officialdom.

As long as there were no major disturbances, even the military would turn a blind eye. Even if temporarily shut down, similar markets would reappear elsewhere.

This was the ideal place for spreading rumors. Though some tried to whisper, Li Huowang’s sharp hearing caught every word clearly.

“Hey, did you hear? It’s because of that Bodhisattva that we’ve suffered so much.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. That Bodhisattva brought us grain. I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Oh, that’s all lies. I heard that Bodhisattva is actually from the Seat of Forgetting—they love deceiving people.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang shifted his stance and approached. With a furtive glance around, he said, “Hey, you guys heard about this drought too? I heard it too—and I know something you don’t.”

The two men, curious, leaned closer. “What? What don’t we know?”

Li Huowang glanced nervously around again, lowering his voice further. “I’ll tell you two, but you mustn’t tell anyone else. I heard—not only are all the disasters in Great Qi caused by that fake Bodhisattva—but even the heavens and earth are ruined by him!”

“Hisss!” The two gasped, wide-eyed. “Really?”

“I’m telling you, he’s picking people! Those he chooses go to heaven as gods, while everyone else is left behind!”

“Really?” Around Li Huowang, five or six people had quietly gathered, stunned.

While they murmured among themselves, Li Huowang silently withdrew and continued searching for his next target.

As Li Huowang moved, these rumors—originating from unknown sources—gradually gained more details.

At first, they were simple additions, but soon, Li Huowang subtly altered their meanings, eventually twisting them beyond recognition.

“Hey, have you heard? I heard that Bodhisattva is actually Danxi reborn. When he speaks, the sky changes; when he breathes, the earth collapses!”

“You’re wrong. I heard he’s the Jade Emperor himself, descended to undergo the Five Heavens Tribulation. Once he finishes, he’ll return.”

“How can each story be more absurd than the last? Are you serious?”

From afar, Li Huowang listened to the final twist of the rumor and felt his heart calm again. The move from Tianchen had failed.

When dealing with rumors, neither explanation nor silence was the correct approach. Only one way worked: to create an even bigger rumor to divert attention, or to twist the original meaning using various means.

No matter how many times the meaning was distorted, believers would still treat the rumor as a whole, never questioning whether its meaning had changed.

When rumors grew increasingly absurd, they ceased to be rumors—they became idle gossip and nonsense, losing all value.

Li Huowang refused to believe that on his own territory, he could be swayed by another's lies.

He wanted to see what the other side would attempt next.

If they wished to continue using the methods of the Seat of Forgetting, he was ready to meet them head-on. He had plenty of non-gang energy stored up, unused.

But plans change faster than one can imagine—the next move from the enemy once again surprised Li Huowang.