246: Fifth Incarnation: Heavenly Physician (Thirty-Eight)

"We've inquired about it; that fellow Wang Yi must have looked for you too, right? Heh, his way isn't the same as ours. Though we also..."

"Well, we have some ideas of our own. Cooperation is mainly for survival, to live better, and... to see if we can mend this broken world into something decent." He looked at Xu Yuan with a serious expression, "Junior Brother, we don't fully understand your 'Healing the World' philosophy, but we feel it's at least better than simply killing, burning, and seizing territory."

Xu Yuan listened quietly, his mind rapidly weighing the options.

The Senior Brothers' words were practical; it was indeed a matter of complementary advantages.

The Way of Great Peace seemed large now, but as Chen Feng said, it lacked high-end technology, systematic governance capabilities, and sufficient self-preservation force.

Cooperating with the Senior Brothers could greatly compensate for these shortcomings.

Moreover, from their words, Xu Yuan could feel that although they each had their own ambitions, at least for now, their interest in pure military conquest and absolute imperial power seemed lower than Wang Yi's. They leaned more towards 'management' and 'construction.' While this differed from the underlying logic of the Way of Great Peace's 'Healing the World' philosophy, the conflict might be smaller than with Wang Yi.

"What you Senior Brothers say indeed makes sense," Xu Yuan spoke slowly. "The Way of Great Peace is willing to establish friendly contact and exchange what we have with the forces represented by you two Senior Brothers. Specifically, this could include: intelligence sharing, technical exchange, material adjustment, mutual assistance in talent, and limited strategic coordination and response when facing external threats."

His tone shifted, his gaze clear and firm: "However, the Foundation of the Way of Great Peace lies in 'self-rescue and mutual aid,' in guiding the people's conscious awareness, rather than relying on external force or power. Therefore, during cooperation, the Way of Great Peace shall maintain its organizational independence and doctrinal autonomy. We will not participate in any military actions aimed at conquest, annexation, or claiming kingship, nor will we accept any form of direct military command or demands for territorial cessions. Our cooperation should be based on specific matters of jointly dealing with natural and man-made disasters and improving people's livelihoods, rather than a political-military alliance."

Zhao Qian stroked his beard in contemplation and nodded slowly: "Acceptable. What we seek by the banks of the Luoshui is long-term peace and stability where the people work in joy, not militarism. Junior Brother's principles do not fundamentally conflict with our current strategies."

Chen Feng and Li Mubai exchanged a glance and also nodded: "Deal! Our 'Heavenly Craft Pavilion' is only interested in technology and practical benefits; fighting and killing are not my forte. It's settled then—each of us does our own thing, and we'll lend a hand when something comes up, especially when dealing with those blind fools who insist on looking for trouble!"

The three parties thus reached a tacit, loose, yet pragmatic 'offensive and defensive mutual aid' agreement.

There was no ritual of blood brotherhood, no written contract, only a verbal agreement based on their shared origin, realistic interest considerations, and a certain degree of consensus regarding the current chaotic world.

Upon parting, Zhao Qian gave Xu Yuan a deep look and said warmly: "Junior Brother Su, the road ahead is treacherous, even more so than before. The Barbarians may have major movements, a locust plague is coming to the Central Plains, and the Imperial Court... might have one last death-throe strike. Take care."

Chen Feng patted Xu Yuan's shoulder: "Little Junior Brother, hang in there! This 'grass' of yours didn't grow easily; don't let someone burn it down. If you really run into a tough nut, remember to speak up!"

Li Mubai quietly tucked a small metal cylinder into Xu Yuan's hand: "There are some small gadgets for self-defense and communication inside; use them according to the method I told you."

Xu Yuan cupped his hands in thanks and watched the three Senior Brothers depart.

The ancient temple returned to silence. The setting sun was like blood, casting a bizarre light upon the mottled murals.

He knew that this fragile relationship of mutual aid could break at any time due to changes in the situation or ideological conflicts.

But at least for now, it won precious breathing space and developmental assistance for the Way of Great Peace. More importantly, through contact with his Senior Brothers, he confirmed once again that even on the chessboard of 'rise and fall,' the path of 'hegemony' was not the only one.

Taking root in the soil and nurturing life might be a slower and more difficult path, but it was also one with a deeper Foundation and more in line with the 'Great Dao' in his heart.

Zhao Qian's reminder was not without cause.

Not long after the meeting at the ancient temple, the world situation was like a falling row of dominoes, accelerating its slide into deeper chaos and bloodshed.

First came the natural disasters.

A once-in-a-century catastrophic locust plague arrived as scheduled in the heart of the Central Plains. The sky-blotting swarms of flying locusts devoured the last of the young sprouts, pushing countless farming households already struggling on the line between life and death into desperation.

Following closely were an abnormally scorching summer and a subsequent eerie autumn chill. Large-scale seasonal epidemics broke out in many places across the north and south. Intertwined with the famine following the locust plague, corpses were strewn everywhere, and the number of refugees surged to a terrifying level.

As for the Imperial Court, this battered ship full of holes did not show unity in the face of the final storm, but rather even more frantic internal strife and plunder.

The young Emperor was a mere Puppet. The Consort Kin faction, led by the Emperor's Maternal Uncle, and the eunuch faction, led by the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, tore off their masks for the final say. They openly attacked each other in the imperial court and even mobilized the troops in the capital for a standoff.

Locally, the Regional Governors and Governors-General, who had not yet openly rebelled but were already ignoring orders from the center, took advantage of the central chaos to frantically levy 'bandit-suppression donations' and 'border-defense rations.' In reality, they were lining their own pockets and frantically suppressing any force within their borders that might threaten their rule.

The Way of Great Peace, a 'tumor' that the Imperial Court and local forces had long been wary of but found difficult to eradicate due to its deep roots in the lower classes, naturally became one of the best targets.

Especially when refugees were like a sea and the fields were covered with the starved, while the areas controlled by the Way of Great Peace—relying on its mutual aid network, Charity Granary System, and relatively effective epidemic prevention measures—had death rates and turmoil levels far lower than the outside world. This contrast was even more glaring and served as further 'proof' of the Way of Great Peace's 'misleading the masses with demonic arts' and 'buying people's hearts.'

"If the Demonic Daoist does not die, the world will never be at peace!"

In the imperial court, a brief consensus regarding the Way of Great Peace was finally reached.

An edict, jointly signed by the Consort Kin and eunuchs and supported by several still-influential Imperial Clan Members, was issued. It listed ten major crimes of the Way of Great Peace, such as 'gathering crowds to cause chaos, unauthorized establishment of a false religion, resisting the payment of imperial grain taxes, secretly amassing weapons, and plotting sedition,' declaring it the 'number one rebel party of the state' and ordering all the world's troops to join in the suppression.

At the same time, the edict offered a massive bounty for the heads of the 'Demonic Daoist Su Yuan' and the main leaders.

Even more troublesome was that this edict, like a stone thrown into a pond, also alarmed other Disciples who had participated in the Minor Derivation Dharma Assembly and chosen different paths.

For Wang Yi, the Imperial Court concentrating its power to deal with the Way of Great Peace objectively reduced his pressure. He was happy to see it happen and even secretly added fuel to the fire, showing 'loyalty' to the Imperial Court by expressing his willingness to send troops to 'assist in the suppression.' In reality, he wanted to take the opportunity to infiltrate his own forces into the areas controlled by the Imperial Court or the sphere of influence of the Way of Great Peace.

Other fellow Disciples, either attached to the Imperial Court or local powerful factions, also realized that this was an excellent opportunity to 'gain merit,' 'demonstrate value,' and even 'eliminate opposing ideologies.'

For a time, the Way of Great Peace was pushed from the hidden undercurrents to the forefront of the storm, becoming a target for everyone.

The pressure first came from the military level.

An allied force composed of 'elites' from the Capital Garrison, some local garrison troops, and a secondary force 'generously sponsored' by Wang Yi—totaling nearly fifty thousand—suddenly set out on a chilly early winter morning. They headed straight for the edge of the Heluo Plain, considered one of the core areas of the Way of Great Peace, where the most complete mutual aid network and several large 'Daoist people' settlements had been established over many years.

The commander of the allied forces sent out word:

A deadline of three days was given to hand over the Demonic Daoist Su Yuan and the main leaders, disband the Way of Great Peace, and burn all Dao Halls. Otherwise, wherever the army passed, not even a chicken or dog would be left alive, and the land would certainly be turned into scorched earth as a warning to others!