Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

Acting on the thought immediately, Wang Ping changed his clothes just after noon. He donned a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, stuffed a long string of copper coins into his pocket, and followed his memories out of Front Village. Without delay, he set off toward the nearest county town, Longxing County.

He walked for about two hours.

Finally, a walled city came into view—towering gates, guards on duty, and a bustling market sprawling just outside the walls.

This was the Outer Market.

Ninety-nine percent of the people gathered here hailed from the rural villages outside the county town. The "respectable citizens" living inside the city walls would never come near a place like this.

Even so, the Outer Market was small but complete. Basic necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt were all available here for much cheaper than inside the city. The quality might be lacking, but Wang Ping was currently in no position to be picky.

Navigating from memory, Wang Ping soon found a rice shop within the Outer Market.

A second later, however, he jolted to a halt.

Right at the entrance to the rice shop, a bailiff dressed in black with a saber strapped to his waist was sneering at the owner, his fingers tapping lightly against the shop's counter.

The owner, a hunchbacked man past forty who looked much older with his deeply wrinkled face and graying hair, quickly pulled out a string of copper coins.

"Rest assured, Master Liu, I have it all prepared for you."

Old Man Chen moved to untie the string to count out the exact amount.

Before he could, the tall bailiff snatched the entire string of coins right out of Old Man Chen's hands.

"Master Liu!? This..." Old Man Chen's face tightened in distress.

"Shut up," the bailiff said, waving an impatient hand. "That's all of it. Anything extra will count toward next month's fee. Saves me the time of counting."

He cast a glance at the shop's shelves, casually snatched up a bag of refined rice, and tucked it into his robes without the slightest intention of paying. Then he swaggered toward the next shop. People bowed their heads and scurried out of his way, not a single one daring to meet his gaze.

He was an absolute tyrant of the streets.

Old Man Chen could do nothing but force a bitter smile.

Behind him, a young man of about twenty who had watched the entire exchange gritted his teeth and muttered, "Liu the Skinner is going too far..."

"Bastard, what are you babbling about!"

Old Man Chen's relatively calm expression shattered instantly. He whirled around and smacked the young man hard, gesturing for him to shut his mouth.

Seeing that the youth fell silent but still wore a face full of resentment, Old Man Chen shook his head helplessly.

"You're still young. Master Liu is actually one of the better ones."

"No matter what, we can still scrape by and keep our business going. You just have to swallow the grievance and endure it. I came up the exact same way at your age."

Standing a short distance away, Wang Ping watched the entire scene unfold with a placid expression.

He waited until Master Liu finished shaking down the entire street and returned to the county city in satisfaction before stepping up to the shop. "Uncle Chen, I'll take half a bag of refined rice," he said quietly.

Old Man Chen turned around, instantly plastering on an amiable merchant's smile. He called the young man over to help, measuring the rice and tallying up the cost in one smooth motion.

"That comes to one hundred and thirty-three copper coins."

"Uncle Chen, can you round down the change?" Wang Ping asked shamelessly.

"Little brother, I run a small business here..."

After a round of haggling, Wang Ping managed to shave off a single copper coin from the price. Meat was meat, even on a mosquito's leg. Satisfied, he handed over the money and took his rice.

Aside from the rice, he still needed to buy a piece of refined iron to forge a blade.

Although he could currently make do with leaves as a substitute, he needed to forge his own flying knife to truly cross the threshold of the Plain Moon Lotus Blade.

"A single coin can stump a hero."

If he hadn't become a mole for the County Yamen, playing both sides to reap double the benefits, he wouldn't even have been able to afford that refined rice, let alone precious refined iron.

Leaving the rice shop, Wang Ping wandered through the Outer Market. He stuck to the small street stalls and peddlers, hunting for a bargain to save whatever he could.

Along the way, he listened to the idle chatter of the pedestrians.

The topics were all over the place—nephews' marriages and daily trivialities. But the most frequent piece of gossip revolved around a recent piece of news from inside the county city.

"Have you heard? An extraordinary person has come to the city!"

"I hear it's a new hall opened by the Perfected Wandering Spirit. The government even drafted laborers to build it. It's massive, right over in the Shenghua District on the east side of town."

"Does that mean they'll be hiring servants?"

"My second uncle works as a helper in the city, and he told me himself. The threshold of that hall is practically being trampled flat. Everyone is fighting to get in as a servant."

"Well, obviously. The government issued a public notice: anyone who gets a job as a servant in the extraordinary person's hall will have their entire household exempted from taxes. Who wouldn't covet that? It's just our bad luck that we're stuck out here outside the walls, otherwise I'd bash my head in trying to get a spot."

"Sigh, you can say that again..."

Listening to the chatter, Wang Ping couldn't help but feel a twinge of curiosity. An extraordinary person with government backing, whose servants' families could get tax exemptions?

Thinking of this, he kept a closer ear to the gossip.

Luckily, he wasn't the only ignorant one in the market. By eavesdropping as he walked, he managed to piece together most of the story and roughly figure out the extraordinary person's origins.

In short, these extraordinary people were a group of mystics heavily favored by the current emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty. Rumor had it that they could brew an elixir of immortality, earning the emperor's deepest regard. That was why the local County Yamen was giving them the green light on everything, helping build their halls and recruit their servants.

'Most likely a bunch of frauds. Nothing new there.'

Having made his judgment, Wang Ping put the matter out of his mind. He was just listening for the fun of it; only the wealthy lords inside the city actually had to care about such things.

Almost another two hours passed.

Finally, Wang Ping stopped in front of a blacksmith shop. He set his sights on a piece of refined iron. Because it was a relatively small chunk, the price was much more affordable.

A lump of iron this small was usually useless for forging standard weapons, but since he only needed to craft a flying knife, it was absolutely perfect.

But just then.

"Don't turn around."

A faint, steady, and commanding voice whispered into his ear. Wang Ping's hands stiffened on the iron for a fraction of a second, but he instantly clamped down on his expression.

'He's here!'

His handler!

Thinking this, Wang Ping immediately looked up at the blacksmith and asked in a low voice, "Boss, is this iron properly refined? I'm not buying it if it's pig iron."

The blacksmith frowned.

"You must be joking, young man. I run a blacksmith shop. I've got a solid reputation here in the Outer Market. If you want refined iron, why would I ever sell you pig iron?"

Wang Ping ignored him.

The conversation with the blacksmith was nothing but a casual cover. He was essentially using it to communicate with his handler, who was hiding out of sight.

Sure enough, the voice spoke again.

"What's the situation?"

Wang Ping opened his mouth, continuing to converse with the blacksmith while simultaneously forming shapes with his lips. Astonishingly, his lip movements and the words he spoke aloud were entirely different.

This was his usual method of communicating with his handler as a mole for the County Yamen. There was no need to pass suspicious little notes. He just needed to find a spot where the other party could see him, strike up a conversation with anyone, and use lip-reading to pass along his intel.

"I have already become Shouchong's disciple."

"I'm now the hall master for the White Lotus Sect branch over in Front Village... but Shouchong seems to realize that the County Yamen has planted a mole inside the sect."

"If this continues, I risk blowing my cover."

Wang Ping mouthed the words clearly word by word, cleanly separating his lip movements from his vocal cords. This was a skill that had taken him several months to learn.

Soon, the voice responded.

"Don't worry. Right now, I am the only person in the entire County Yamen who knows you're a mole. Your identity file is completely classified. There is no way Shouchong can catch you."

Hearing this, Wang Ping wasn't reassured in the slightest.

On the contrary, he felt a bit exasperated. "Sir, we agreed I'd only do this for three years before closing the net. Three years passed, then another three, and now I'm a hall master."

"I know you're anxious, but don't be anxious yet."

His handler's voice remained perfectly steady. "I want to wipe out the White Lotus Sect as quickly as you do, but you have to understand this is a major undertaking. If we strike, we cannot afford to miss."

"We can't bear the price of failure."

"Front Village is the White Lotus Sect's lair. That old fox Shouchong has set up numerous defenses there. If we rush in blindly, it's highly likely he'll spot us and slip away."

"So to close the net, you need to either map out all the sentry positions in Front Village, or find a way to lure Shouchong out..."

"Easier said than done... huh?"

Wang Ping had been about to argue, but his movements suddenly froze as his earlier conversation with Shouchong flashed through his mind. "Wait... there might actually be a chance."

He suddenly grew excited.

"Two days from now, Shouchong might make a trip to River Village!"

"...What?"

At these words, his handler's tone shifted. "Are you absolutely sure? Where did you get this intelligence?"

"He told me himself," Wang Ping mouthed, striving to remain calm as he continued. "I can't rule out the possibility that he deliberately fed me fake news to test me, but it might be genuine."

"No, it should be genuine."

His handler's voice tightened with excitement. "There really has been unusual activity from the White Lotus Sect over in River Village. Well done! Wang Ping, once this is over, you'll officially be one of the County Yamen's own."

"And you won't be shorted on your bounty."

"Thank you, sir."

Soon, the voice fell silent. Wang Ping stopped wasting words on the blacksmith, who was clearly starting to flush with anger, and cleanly paid for the refined iron.

He turned and headed back to the village.

At this moment, his spirits were soaring. His handler had decided to close the net, which meant this tightrope-walking stint as a mole was coming to an end.

When the time came, he'd be able to take that massive bounty and live the idle life of a rich lord in the county city. Even if the authorities were shameless enough to withhold his reward, he could just loot the White Lotus Sect's stash and skip town. With a new name and face, he still wouldn't have to worry about the rest of his life.

Just thinking about it thrilled him a bit.

Wang Ping's soaring mood lasted all the way back to Front Village. It was only when he spotted the young Daoist, Xie Shi, at the village entrance that he gradually recovered his calm.

"Senior Brother Xie?"

"Come with me. Master wants to see us," Xie Shi said flatly. "Since you and I both went to the Outer Market in Longxing County today, Master wants to have a chat with you."

Thump!

Wang Ping's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't let a single trace of panic show on his face. He offered a crisp nod and followed Xie Shi all the way to the backyard of the Daoist temple.

"Your disciple greets Master."

Catching sight of the old Daoist sitting beside the shrine, Wang Ping didn't hesitate. He immediately threw himself into a full prostration. This time, however, Shouchong did not tell him to rise.

Right after, the old man's reedy voice echoed out faintly.

"An expert once took a liking to a young man. He took him in as a disciple and taught him martial arts. That young man was just as sharp as you, and just as meticulous in his duties."

"But what a pity. Someone found out he was a ghost working for the imperial court."

A second later, a freezing cold sensation pressed against the center of Wang Ping's brow. A faint prick of pain was followed by a warm trickle of liquid that dyed half his vision red.

"Why did you betray me?"

Wang Ping knew that the Lotus Blade was currently resting directly against his brow.

Wang Ping's mind raced. He had pictured this exact scenario during countless nightmares, terrified out of his wits, but now that it was actually happening...

He actually felt completely calm.

Without a shred of hesitation, he tilted his head up, letting the blade slice his brow so that blood streamed down his face. His eyes were filled with nothing but raw grievance. "Sect Master, are you suspecting me?"

He decided to gamble.

He would gamble that his meeting with his handler in the Outer Market had been covert enough. Shouchong couldn't have any real evidence; he was just bluffing, so Wang Ping had to deny it to the bitter end.

"Why shouldn't I suspect you?"

"My plan to travel to River Village was known only to you and Xie Shi."

Shouchong offered a cold smile and tossed a slip of paper onto the ground in front of Wang Ping. A single line of text was scrawled clearly across it: [There is a mole. Abort the mission!]

Realization suddenly struck Wang Ping: it wasn't just that he was a mole inside the White Lotus Sect, but the White Lotus Sect also had a mole planted inside the County Yamen!

"Do you see?"

Shouchong pushed the blade a fraction deeper, his voice icy. "I must be getting senile. I didn't even know I was raising a ghost in my own house. How exactly do you plan to explain this to me?"

"It truly isn't me!" Wang Ping shook his head frantically.

"If it wasn't you, then who? Me? Or perhaps him!" Shouchong whipped his head around and looked at Xie Shi.

"Ah?" Xie Shi blanched. He had been planning to just enjoy the show, but panic immediately seized him. "Absolutely not! Master, I am your disciple!"

"What does being a disciple matter?"

Shouchong was entirely unmoved. "You think a disciple wouldn't betray me? I've had more than just you as a disciple over the years. Do you honestly think none of them ever sold me out?"

"Besides, you went to Longxing County with Wang Ping today, didn't you?"

"But... Master, you arranged that trip yourself."

"Perhaps you anticipated that as well."

With those words, the tension in the room snapped taut, reaching its absolute breaking point.

But just then.

Boom!

A deafening explosion shattered the tension, sounding like the gates and walls had just been blasted open. A split second later, the boiling roar of a crowd echoed from outside the Daoist temple.

"By imperial decree, crush the rebels!"

"The White Lotus rebels have revolted and terrorized the countryside! Their crimes are unforgivable!"

"Brothers, the County Magistrate has issued his orders! Ten taels of silver for every rebel you behead! And whoever takes the head of the White Lotus rebel leader gets a five-hundred-tael bounty!"

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