xymnovel Chapter 125 Manichaeism and the Vicious Emperor
Chapter 125 Manichaeism and the Vicious Emperor
Manichaeism was a secret religion in the Song Dynasty and was usually unknown to people outside the sect.
The fact that this madam knew the name of Manichaeism suggests there's only one reason: there are already enough Manichaeans in this area.
Wang Lun was startled. It seemed that Fang La had secretly accumulated a lot of power, and might have set up Manichaean branches in many cities, each with its own Dharma King in charge.
This man surnamed Li is most likely one of the four marshals of the Fang La Rebellion, General Li Tianrun, who was stationed in Hangzhou after the rebellion, killed Zhou Tong and Zhang Qing, and defeated Dong Ping. He was quite skilled in martial arts.
Manichaeism later became known as the Ming Cult. Fang La used Manichaeism to recruit followers and secretly developed its followers in order to launch his rebellion. This is why his rebellion was able to gain widespread support and quickly amassed tens of thousands of troops.
Wang Lun considered Fang La's scattered troops insignificant, but his generals were formidable. Now that he had intercepted Pang Wanchun, he had effectively eliminated a portion of Fang La's strength.
Now that we've encountered Li Tianrun, if we can eliminate him, wouldn't it make it easier for us to win if we ever face Fang La in the future?
Furthermore, since Li Tianrun has now stolen An Daoquan's woman, he can win over An Daoquan as well as Li Tianrun, killing two birds with one stone.
Wang Lun then began to think of a solution. Killing Li Tianrun was not difficult; the difficulty lay in the fact that since the Manichaeism here had a confidant of Fang La, such as Li Tianrun, serving as its Dharma King, its strength must not be weak.
Killing someone is easy; the difficult part is getting away unscathed afterward.
After thinking it over and over, Wang Lun's gaze fell on Pang Wanchun.
Seeing Wang Lun looking at him, Pang Wanchun quickly asked, "What are your orders, brother?"
Wang Lun smiled slightly, dismissed the girls, closed the door, and said, "Dr. An, the Manichaean Church has been stationed here for a long time. You might never see your Qiaonu again."
An Daoquan had also thought of this and was already furious. Upon hearing Wang Lun's words, he knew that Wang Lun was willing to help, so he clasped his hands and said, "Brother, if you can help me, just tell me what you need. I am willing to serve as your foot soldier in the future."
Wang Lun nodded and said, "Dr. An's medical skills are superb, so naturally I won't let you be a lowly soldier. To be honest, I am Wang Lun, the leader of Liangshan in Shandong. These are my leaders, and my army is short of military doctors. If Dr. An is interested, you can come with me to Liangshan. What do you say?"
When An Daoquan heard that the other party was Wang Lun from Liangshan Marsh, he was immediately shocked. He only wanted to live a peaceful life and had no desire to get involved with bandits.
But then he thought that his beloved Qiaonu was now in the hands of the Manichaeans, and if it weren't for the help of Liangshan, he would never have been able to get her back.
He gritted his teeth and said, "I thank you, Chief. I will go back and sell the pharmacy and get everything sorted out. As long as you help me rescue Qiaonu, I will go to Liangshan with you."
Wang Lun knew that An Daoquan wanted peace and quiet. Although he agreed to go to Liangshan, it was because he wanted to use Wang Lun to rescue An Daoquan's lover. However, since it was a mutual exploitation, Wang Lun was not angry.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Dr. An, just as you said, you should hurry back and sell the pharmacy, pack up your valuables, and wait for my orders."
"Brother Li Jun, you should purchase fast horses in Jiankang Prefecture as soon as possible, at least two for each of us. After you have purchased them, hide them away and wait for my orders."
Li Jun and An Daoquan both clasped their hands in agreement.
Wang Lun looked at Pang Wanchun, Lu Zhishen, and Hua Rong, and said with a smile, "This Li Tianrun is the Dharma King of Manichaeism, no small matter. Manichaeism will also be a formidable enemy of ours in the future. Since we have met him here, I think we should get rid of him."
Everyone then understood why Li Jun had to buy a fast horse. The Manichaeism was definitely powerful, and if they killed Li Tianrun, they would surely retaliate fiercely, leaving them with no choice but to leave.
Pang Wanchun said, "Please instruct us on what to do, brother."
Wang Lun then whispered his idea, and after a brief discussion, they finalized the plan.
The fact that Li Tianrun, a trusted confidant of Fang La, was sent to Jiankang Prefecture to serve as the Dharma King of Manichaeism speaks volumes about his status.
So when he first arrived in Jiankang, he established himself as the King of Jiankang, secretly sent some gold and silver treasures to the government, and also won over and suppressed some local gangs.
The most important thing was to secretly promote Manichaean doctrines and attract people.
He completed all these tasks in a total of one month, an astonishingly efficient process, and received a letter of praise from the cult leader Fang La.
Now that he's done his job, he should enjoy himself.
Recently, he visited more than ten brothels, but he was particularly fond of a girl named Qiaonu at Cuiyue Tower.
Her hands were as soft as jade, no wonder she was called "Skillful Slave," for they were truly skillful, making Li Tianrun linger and forget to leave.
He "favored" her for five days in a row, and still couldn't bear to leave.
On the sixth day at Shenshi (3-5 PM), Li Tianrun came to Cuiyue Tower again.
Upon seeing him, the madam greeted him with a smile, saying, "Master Li, let Yue Nu serve you today."
Li Tianrun's face darkened, and he said, "Why do you need Yue Nu? I'll go directly to Qiao Nu's room. But... have Yue Nu come to Qiao Nu's room as well."
The madam's face turned somewhat grim, and she stammered, "Oh dear, what a...unfortunate thing, Qiaonu's room is occupied. She went in around 1-3 PM and hasn't come out yet."
Li Tianrun retorted angrily, "Didn't I already tell you? From now on, Qiaonu will no longer entertain guests. Did you take my words as a joke?"
Manichaeism is now very powerful. Local governments in the Jiangnan region either dare not provoke it or have already colluded with it. The madam, who frequents brothels, naturally knows how formidable the people in front of her are.
She said with a bitter face, "Of course I know that, but today some brute came out of nowhere and insisted on looking for Qiaonu. He ignored all advice and rushed straight into Qiaonu's room."
Li Tianrun was furious and shouted, "Men, bring that man out here!"
He was accompanied by only four followers, all of whom were among his most skilled men. The four of them already knew where Qiaonu was, and upon receiving the order, they immediately rushed over.
Li Tianrun glared at the madam and said, "I'll take Qiaonu away later and have her serve me for a while."
The madam's face was long and drawn, but she still smiled obsequiously and said, "It's up to you."
He took Qiaonu away; either he'd get tired of her and give her to a servant, or Qiaonu truly managed to capture his heart. In any case, Qiaonu would never return.
If she had known it would turn out this way, she would have been better off letting An Daoquan redeem her at a low price and making a profit. The madam was kicking herself.
At that moment, the four men under Li Tianrun were thrown down from the building, landing on the ground and crying out in pain, their faces bruised and swollen.
A burly man emerged from Qiao Nu's room and stood upstairs, staring coldly at Li Tianrun.
Li Tianrun was furious and shouted, "Where did this dog come from, daring to hit my head?"
With a loud shout, he leaped up, using the stairs for leverage, and pounced to the second floor, displaying remarkable agility.
The burly man was none other than Pang Wanchun. As soon as he saw Li Tianrun step forward, he kicked him without saying a word.
The two got into a fight in the hallway, causing quite a commotion at Cuiyue Tower.
The madam had some thugs, but none of them dared to step forward. They knew Li Tianrun's identity and that Pang Wanchun was a hero who could shoot down tigers; no one could afford to offend him.