Chapter 736 (1): King Zhao's Cauldron

Li Shentong and Yuxu had been close friends for many years. Back when Yuxu gifted him wine through Zhao Changhe, there was an implicit message that came with the gesture. It expressed that not only did Yuxu acknowledge Zhao Changhe but subtly suggested that Li Shentong should guide him in body cultivating.

Li Shentong had given him that respect. Just for some wine, he had indeed offered a few pointers. It had the air of a rare, unspoken understanding.

This revealed that even if Li Shentong did not know everything about Yuxu’s dealings, he was at least privy to key matters.

In fact, back then, when Zhao Changhe had covered for Li Shentong during his raid for food supplies, Li Shentong had even said he owed Zhao Changhe a favor—one that he was willing to repay with a task of Zhao Changhe’s choosing. At the time, Zhao Changhe had assumed that Yue Hongling was being hunted in Bashu, so he had simply asked Li Shentong to look after her.

But in the end, Yue Hongling had already made her way to Miaojiang, rendering Li Shentong’s assistance unnecessary. The favor remained unfulfilled, and Li Shentong had said that Zhao Changhe was free to make another request some other time.

By the unspoken code of the

jianghu

, Zhao Changhe could have used this to request his help outright. But neither of them brought it up.

They shared an unspoken understanding that personal debts no longer applied in the current situation. The stakes were now far beyond individual favors as they both carried the weight of their respective factions on their shoulders. Trying to reduce such matters to personal transactions would only cheapen them.

What, then, about Zhao Changhe’s request for Li Shentong personally to join him in the northern campaign? That was different. That was something that fit the unspoken bond between them. No words needed to be said.

So neither of them mentioned past debts. Instead, they simply ate their steamed buns in quiet understanding.

After some time, Li Shentong spoke in a tone of casual conversation, “I believe that you should already have an idea of the situation in Kunlun. There are indeed some gods and demons... or rather, let’s drop the dramatics. They’re Profound Control Realm cultivators who rely on the powers of either fate or destiny to grow stronger. Their influence spreads primarily through religious sects. Since you’ve been deeply involved with the Four Idols Cult, you should be somewhat familiar with this.”

Zhao Changhe thought to himself,

Not only am I familiar with it, but I’ve directly benefited from it.

Now that the Four Idols Cult was the state religion, he had absorbed a considerable amount of faith energy as the newly-proclaimed Night Emperor. Even back when he forged his River of Stars, it was a combination of the powers from qi veins and faith that had propelled him through to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries in one decisive breakthrough. And it had only been a short time since then, yet he was already attempting to break through to the Profound Control Realm.

There was no doubt that his accelerated cultivation speed was closely tied to the increasing strength and influence of the Four Idols Cult, which in turn was due to its expanding network of faith.

The one who had gained the most from all this was Lady Three. She was not just receiving faith from the believers of the four idols as Black Tortoise, but also receiving faith from the widespread belief in the Sea God. With those who held faith toward her numerous across the oceans, her cultivation speed was likely the most ridiculous of them all.

“So, Sect Master Li, you’re saying Yuxu is getting involved in the mortal power struggle because of the competition for faith?”

“Yuxu had reached the half-step Profound Control Realm a long time ago. Now that he has broken through completely, his pride has only grown stronger. He has long resented being treated as a pawn, forced into action by the Dao Lord. He outright refuses to participate in such things.”

Li Shentong sighed. “In the grand scheme of things, that refusal shouldn’t have mattered much. After all, there are many Daoist sects. There’s still the Taiyi Sect, Gui Chen’s sect, and many others. Even without Yuxu, the Daoist faith flourishes naturally. The Dao Lord never had to pressure him too much. But then... two problems arose. And both of them are related to you.”

Zhao Changhe had a general idea of what Li Shentong was about to say.

Sure enough, Li Shentong continued, “First, Yuxu previously had a solid excuse to avoid preaching or proseltyzing—he was focused on the Heavenly Tome. But when you took the Heavenly Tome, and Yuxu didn’t even lift a hand to stop you... Whether or not that caused a rift between him and the Dao Lord, it certainly left him with little room to refuse other responsibilities.”

Zhao Changhe remained silent.

Taking the Heavenly Tome had been exhilarating at the time, so much so that he had failed to give much thought to the consequences such an action could bring to others. It was only now that he truly realized how much Yuxu had helped him.

Because the blind woman had intervened, the Daoist faction likely believed the Heavenly Tome had been taken by her, not by Zhao Changhe himself. They did not dare go after her, lest they bring disaster upon themselves. But avoiding confrontation with the blind woman and Zhao Changhe did not mean they would not turn their ire on Yuxu. Over the past two years, the growing strain between Yuxu and the Dao Lord was almost inevitable.

The stronger the Dao Lord became, the more pressure Yuxu faced. By now, refusing further involvement was no longer an option.

Li Shentong continued, “Second, Xia Longyuan’s suppression of Buddhism had left Daoism unchallenged in the mortal realm, and the Four Idols Cult was merely an underground demonic cult at the time, nothing to be concerned about. But now that Xia Longyuan is dead, Buddhism shows signs of revival, and the Four Idols Cult has become the official state religion, openly spreading its doctrine. Daoism’s supremacy is suddenly under threat. Even if the Dao Lord says nothing, Yuxu, as the highest representative of Daoism in this era, must act.”

It seemed ironic. Xia Longyuan’s downfall had been orchestrated by them, and yet Zhao Changhe had, in a way, been defending the Great Xia’s rule.

But in the end, it was not about Xia Longyuan himself. The connection lay in Zhao Changhe’s role as the Night Emperor of the Four Idols Cult. His close ties to the cult meant that its rise—and its challenge to Daoism—were directly linked to him.

These two issues were not just tied to Zhao Changhe personally. They were now directly entangled with the fate of the Han court.

In other words, if Yuxu were to openly support the Li Clan in Guanlong, it would be completely logical. Zhao Changhe would have no grounds to blame him.

No wonder Li Shentong had initially been eager to attack Hanzhong but had then gone quiet, requiring Zhao Changhe to come as an envoy. With Yuxu and Li Shentong’s deep friendship, it would have been entirely possible for Bashu and Guanlong to align instead of remaining adversaries. The assumption that Li Shentong would naturally want to march on Hanzhong had been a holdover from outdated impressions.

Realizing this, a cold sweat broke out across Zhao Changhe’s back.

It was a damn good thing he had not procrastinated. The moment he stabilized the north, he had rushed straight to the southwest.

If he had delayed, allowing Li Shentong and the Li Clan to unite, the situation would have become catastrophic.

Everyone knew the power of the Qin-Han model—the historical blueprint of a unified Bashu and Guanlong.[1]

If such a force came together against the Han court, it would be devastating.

The main reason Bashu and Guanlong had not yet allied was, of course, the looming issue of the northern barbarians. With them in the equation, Li Shentong simply could not bring himself to finalize an alliance.

From Zhao Changhe’s expression, Li Shentong could tell that he had grasped the situation. He continued, “Yuxu’s discussions with the Li Clan have also stalled because of the northern barbarians. Yuxu wants the Li Clan to reject them—if that happens, they can fully commit to cooperation. As for how far their negotiations have gone, I don’t have real-time updates. But this is where you have leverage. If you play your cards right, you might even turn this into an opportunity to work with Yuxu against the northern barbarians.”

Yue Hongling could not help but ask, “Would a reclusive religious sect really care about the Han-Hu[2] conflict?”

Li Shentong shook his head. “People aren’t born out of earth and trees. Yuxu had a family before he became a Daoist. Care to guess what happened to them?”

So that’s the case...

Yue Hongling nodded in understanding and asked no further questions.

Li Shentong continued, “Besides, the northern barbarians worship Tngri. That alone creates inevitable conflict between faiths. A Daoist who has fully abandoned the secular world might let go of past grievances, but religious conflict? That’s not something that can be reconciled. That said, at least in this regard, Daoism can cooperate with them. The Dao Lord certainly believes so. After all, as long as the Han is destroyed first, Tngri’s faith could never surpass Daoism within the Central Plains. He’s confident of that.”

Zhao Changhe nodded slightly. “Mm-hm... The way that gods and demons think is different from mortals. Senior Yuxu is still human. The Dao Lord, however, may not be anymore...”

Li Shentong said, “Which means that if the Dao Lord pushes Yuxu hard enough to let go of his personal grudges, their alliance could solidify quickly. Right now, it’s Yuxu’s personal will that’s holding everything back. If you really think Kunlun won’t get involved in this power struggle, you’re in for a rude awakening when you’re locked in a war against the northern barbarians and the Dao Lord strikes you from behind.”

Zhao Changhe tapped his fingers against the table, deep in thought. After a long silence, he said in a low voice, “Thank you for the insight, Sect Master Li... In that case, I really do need to meet Senior Yuxu.”

Li Shentong suddenly chuckled. “Do you seriously dare go to Kunlun? If the Dao Lord sees you step into his territory, he might kill you on sight. And besides the Dao Lord, you know how chaotic Kunlun is, and pretty much every faction wants you dead. That place would be nothing short of a death trap for you.”

“I don’t dare go to Kunlun... At least not yet,” Zhao Changhe admitted readily. “But I do dare go to Chang’an.”

Li Shentong tilted his head in surprise. Zhao Changhe continued, “Senior Yuxu has plenty of complications behind him. There are forces moving against him in the shadows... He’ll want to know about it. And that will be my foundation for a conversation with him. Sect Master Li, you and Senior Yuxu have been close friends for years—why not pass along a message? Let’s meet in Chang’an.”

Li Shentong’s eyes narrowed. “Is someone targeting Yuxu?”

Zhao Changhe shrugged. “Maybe not directly, but certainly in ways that threaten him. I know that under pressure from the Dao Lord, it’ll be impossible to persuade him with moral arguments alone. But when it concerns his own survival... then we’ll have something to talk about.”

Li Shentong suddenly grinned. “The same way you persuaded me, then?”

“I never preached any grand ideals to you, Sect Master Li. You already hold righteousness in your heart, and that’s why my words resonated with you.”

“Have you ever considered that what you speak of is nothing more than a dream?”

“In what way?”

“For example, land redistribution. Dividing up land is troublesome but not impossible. However, the moment land is allowed to be bought and sold, over time, consolidation will happen again. And if land transactions are outright forbidden, would that not be equally unnatural? Merely an idealistic fantasy?”

Zhao Changhe nodded. “That’s true. But it can at least delay the process.”

Li Shentong’s gaze sharpened. “Judging by your attitude, you’ve already thought deeply about these things but simply choose not to voice them?”

Zhao Changhe responded sincerely, “It’s not that I refuse to speak. I do have many thoughts, but I’ve still got a lot to learn. I don’t even know the current crop yields per mu[3]. I’ve seen too little, and know too little. If I were to make grand statements based on a few days of superficial observations, that would be nothing more than empty rhetoric. In the current state of the world, none of us have the time or energy for extensive reform. If we can at least delay the old patterns from reemerging, that is already an achievement.”

A faint smile crossed Li Shentong’s face. “Good. At least you’re not full of empty talk.”

Zhao Changhe’s voice remained earnest. “These are matters of national policy, things that affect the very lives of the people. Any amount of careless boasting could result in disaster. I can only say I have some broad ideas. The specifics would require years of meticulous study. If you’re interested, we could explore these matters together.”

Li Shentong nodded slightly. “Then what of your so-called universal education—martial arts for all, literacy for all? Is that, too, merely a hopeful vision, an ideal with no real grounding? I thought about it overnight, and the more I did, the more I realized... it simply isn’t possible.”

“If you yourself are willing to support it, then the biggest obstacle is simply the availability of paper and printing, correct?” Zhao Changhe countered. “But once we know what the bottleneck is, we can work toward overcoming it. The world doesn’t consist only of martial artists and warriors. In fact, shipbuilding techniques are already highly advanced. If we gather skilled craftsmen and put forward the right ideas, sooner or later, we can solve this. Hmm... This would actually be easier to address from the capital. I’ll take care of it from there. If you’re interested, Bashu can be the first to receive the results.”

The moment Zhao Changhe finished his first sentence, Li Shentong’s expression shifted.

His own nighttime musings had only led to the vague conclusion that education on such a scale was impossible. He had not even broken the problem down into why it was impossible. Yet Zhao Changhe immediately pointed to the precise logistical bottleneck.

This made one thing abundantly clear: Zhao Changhe was not simply spinning grand tales. He had already considered these ideas in great depth.

Whether or not these goals could ultimately be achieved was no longer the key issue.

1. This refers to the powerful historical and geopolitical model of the Qin and Han dynasties, during which having Bashu and Guanlong under the dynasties made for an incredibly powerful political and military foundation. ☜

2. Hu in Han-Hu refers to the northern barbarians, in other words, the mongols. ☜

3. This is the first mention of a unit of surface in this novel. Anyway, 1 mu is about 666 square meters or 0.16474 acres. ☜