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Chapter 109: Maitreya Cult

She began to question whether or not there was something amiss. Back when she stayed with him, Zhao Changhe had shown her great respect and had gone out of his way to avoid any situation that might make her uncomfortable. If he truly had secret feelings for her, there had been numerous opportunities for him to make advances back then, especially considering the situation she created by posing as the stronghold mistress. At the very least, he could have addressed her as “wife” in public or something like that.

He never showed that he had any feelings like that, though. Could he have hidden his desires that deeply?

It’s been a few months since I last saw you and you’ve gotten worse... You’re even visiting brothels now when you were such an honest man in the past.

But no matter how much she gnashed her teeth, Yue Hongling really wanted to meet Zhao Changhe. The situation in Yangzhou seemed particularly strange and mysterious to her, and it was not just because of the Maitreya Cult. She wondered if Zhao Changhe coming to Yangzhou was related to some knowledge or information that he possessed.

Ugh... If you really have a crush on me, as long as you don’t say it out loud, I’ll pretend as if I don’t know anything and we can just get along as we did in the past...

Just as she was hesitating whether or not to go to Xiaoxiang Pavilion to look for Zhao Changhe, a monk arrived in haste to deliver a report, “Zhao Changhe has arrived. He claims he’s here to pay his respects to the Buddha.”

The abbot was not surprised and said with a smile, “Yesterday, Dongliu made it clear to him that we have good intentions toward him. If he does not reject us, he will naturally come to see us. After all, he does not have a particularly impressive inheritance and he definitely needs a strong backing. Invite him into the temple for a talk. Let’s not bother with all those messy matters for now; we can talk about them again later.”

“Yes.”

Yue Hongling soon laid her eyes on Zhao Changhe after months of not having seen him. He was walking briskly, escorted by monks, as he entered the temple.

Yue Hongling noticed that every time she saw Zhao Changhe, his demeanor would have undergone subtle changes.

The first time she met him, he was inexperienced and naive. But by the time they met again in Beiman, he had already become the stronghold master of a group of bandits. He had grown to acquire a rugged and domineering aura, reminiscent of the wilderness.

Now, after experiencing the trials and tribulations of the jianghu, as well as having some encounters with noble families, his sharp edges had softened quite a bit. He appeared more poised and composed, seemingly having regained some of the scholarly aura he had in the beginning. However, his wild and untamed spirit remained intact. As he walked with authority and charisma, Yue Hongling could not help but feel as if she were looking at a local hero, much like the formidable Wan Tianxiong, who ruled the southeastern region with a similar commanding presence.

The experiences of the jianghu can really transform a person. In just half a year, he has grown into someone... well, someone who can casually visit brothels.

As the thought crossed her mind, Zhao Changhe had already entered the temple. To his surprise, he found the grand hall empty, with only an abbot and a few monks waiting for him. Zhao Changhe seemed a bit taken aback and said, “I thought that this temple would have many worshippers, and countless monks... Did I perhaps arrive too early and miss everyone?”

The abbot smiled and said, “Benefactor Zhao, you may not be aware, but we encourage our believers to stay at home. Historically, our temple has never had a large number of monks. As for the worshippers, they leave immediately after they finish their prayers. After all, everyone still has their daily lives to attend to.”

Zhao Changhe’s thoughts stirred. No wonder this temple named itself White Lotus, it seems to have taken some influence from the White Lotus Sect[1], which had close ties to the Maitreya Buddha. Well, it makes sense. If the Maitreya Cult just engaged in acts of slaughter, there would be very few people here who would want to follow them.

It seemed that the Maitreya Sect had some ties with the White Lotus Sect, and that they came from the same historical roots in the previous era. Of course, it was also possible that they did not actually have a deep understanding of the so-called “previous era,” but rather just used some vague information to trick people, while their actual practices were the result of a combination of influences.

Unfortunately, I’ve long since returned my history books to my teachers, so my knowledge in this area is not much better than everyone else’s.

The abbot said, “Benefactor, please have a seat.”

Zhao Changhe sat down on the cushion in front of him, and a monk brought a teacup. The whole scene looked as if Zhao Changhe was here for a serious discussion on Buddhism and the abbot was about to enlighten him.

Zhao Changhe asked, “May I inquire about your Dharma name, honorable abbot?”

The abbot replied, “Fa Yuan, an obscure name. I doubt that you heard it, Benefactor Zhao. However, before I became the abbot here, I was but a layman, and I went by the name Zhang Banfo. I believe that you might know that name.”

Zhao Changhe seemed to recall something.

Back when the Four Idols Cult deceived Han Wubing into heading to the sword lake, just before Zhao Changhe spent several days looking for Chichi, he remembered Han Wubing mentioning the name Zhang Banfo. Basically, the Four Idols Cult were trying to make it seem as if they were inviting him to see the sword in exchange for hiring him to murder Zhang Banfo, so that their offer would be a lot more credible.

It was a mere pretext used by the Four Idols Cult, as Han Wubing was unlikely to be able to kill someone of that caliber. However, the fact that the Four Idols Cult mentioned his name as a bargaining chip proved that, at least in their eyes, this Zhang Banfo was a valuable enough target for assassination.

As the person in charge of the Maitreya Cult in a major region, it was likely that he was on Tang Wanzhuang’s hit list. However, most people probably did not know that he had changed his identity to become that of a monk with the Dharma name Fa Yuan. It was quite unexpected for Zhao Changhe, who was merely an ally of the Maitreya Cult as a pretext, to learn about this situation.

“I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere in the past, but I can’t quite remember,” Zhao Changhe smiled modestly and said. “I’ve only been in the jianghu for a short time, so there are many heroes whose names I do not know.”

Fa Yuan did not take offense at what Zhao Changhe said, he simply smiled and replied, “Indeed, it is precisely your short time in the jianghu that makes your reputation even more remarkable.”

Zhao Changhe pretended to be annoyed and said, “To be honest, the title of Bloodthirsty Asura does not sound that flattering to me.”

Fa Yuan cupped his hand and chuckled, “I hope that you do not take offense from it, benefactor. Please understand that we had good intentions, even if it may not seem that way.”

Of course, rather than goodwill, it was more like a side effect of the Four Idols Cult and the Maitreya Cult trying to preserve their own reputation. Of course, Zhao Changhe would not expose their motives and replied with a smile, “I never thought about it beforehand, but it seems that your faction has a connection with me. As you know, I was originally just a commoner from the countryside, with no knowledge of Buddhism. Since fate has brought us here, I wonder if you would be willing to enlighten me a bit? Perhaps I actually do have a connection with Buddhism that I am not aware of.”

His statement implied that he had a genuine interest in understanding more about them in order to see if they were a force he could join. He delivered his intent in a very straightforward manner.

In reality, Fa Yuan and his associates had always considered this to be a very normal course of action. The Maitreya Cult was considered a cult and an enemy of the government, but for someone like Zhao Changhe, who had been a wanted criminal in the past, that was irrelevant. In fact, it could even make him more inclined to get closer to them.

This was especially so after he had gone through all that hardship in order to bring back that young lady of the Cui Clan safely, yet he ended up driven away like a criminal. When Fa Yuan placed himself in Zhao Changhe’s shoes, he felt that he would definitely have erupted in anger if that had happened to him. He would work day and night so he could trample upon the necks of nobility, seize Cui Yuanyang, and play with her to his heart’s content.

Fa Yuan believed this to be what Zhao Changhe had in mind as well. After all, as far as he was concerned, asking Zhao Changhe to reach the Ranking of Man in three years was like asking him to reach the moon.

And this youngster with amazing potential was not only wanted by the government and banished by a noble clan, but also a defector of the Four Idols Cult and the Blood God Cult.

To the Maitreya Cult, if this was not a match made in heaven, then what was?! Their trust in him was so high that they had no reservations about him at all, and they considered him a prime candidate for recruitment.

Even Yue Hongling, who was peeping from above, had some doubts, but she continued to listen out of her trust in Zhao Changhe. She believed that deep down, Zhao Changhe was just like her, appearing lawless but actually upholding chivalry and justice. Joining an organization like the Maitreya Cult did not seem like a fitting choice for him unless he was completely unaware of the true nature of the cult and had been deceived. If that were truly the case, then she would find an opportunity to inform and warn him.

Fa Yuan continued, “Benefactor Zhao, you may have heard of this in the past... There was a time when Buddhism was widely spread throughout the world, and Buddhist monasteries and temples could be found anywhere. But over a decade ago, the emperor initiated a disastrous campaign to eradicate Buddhism that deeply upset the people. Within a matter of weeks, Buddhist pagodas were reduced to ruin, temples were razed to the ground, and monks were forced to return to the secular world, leading to the decline of Buddhism.”

Zhao Changhe had seen this mentioned when he was reading, but he could not recall the exact details. It seemed like he had always subconsciously found it somewhat natural for someone like Xia Longyuan to launch a campaign to eradicate Buddhism.

He asked, “So, are temples being rebuilt now without any issues? I came across a few temples when I was traveling southward from the north. However, I haven’t heard of any prominent Buddhist warrior monks. Oh, I’m not really sure if your cult falls under that category or not.”

Fayuan shook his head and said, “After the public outrage and protests, the emperor had to ease his stance. The discontent grew, and the emperor could not insist on his will, which allowed Buddhism to make a gradual resurgence. However, before this resurgence, the Maitreya Cult had already been secretly developing for quite some time.”

“Is it because you operate under the guise of a social organization, practice in seclusion, and are difficult to target?”

“That’s correct... but more importantly, because we have the prophecy.”

“What prophecy?”

“It’s the prophecy of the Maitreya’s advent, of course,” replied Fa Yuan, his demeanor solemn and full of conviction. “As the Sakyamuni Buddha wanes, the Maitreya Buddha will rise. This prophecy appeared even before the emperor launched his campaign against Buddhism. Don’t the emperor’s actions of beating down Buddhism align perfectly with this prophecy? Moreover, our leader is the reincarnation of the Maitreya from the previous era, here to lead us to our pure land.”

The surrounding monks all began chanting with their hands clasped together, praying with fervent devotion.

These damn evil cults... Zhao Changhe could not help but feel exasperated. In his eyes, their claims were too far-fetched. Even when they were beaten down, they claimed that it was all part of their god’s plan. But if it really wasn’t a coincidence, then wasn’t Xia Longyuan the one who was really awesome here for being able to beat down Buddhism?

It truly puzzled him how they were able to so fervently believe in the Maitreya.

However, he had to maintain an appearance of keen interest and asked, “If that’s the case, then does your cult leader truly grasp ancient secrets?”

“Indeed. Who among today’s martial artists does not pursue ancient secrets? Every force claims to hold inheritances of the past, but only we, the Maitreya Cult, have grasped the secrets of the true Buddha.”

“How can you prove this?”

Fa Yuan smiled mysteriously and replied, “Take, for example, the issue with your meridians’ stagnation. I believe that no other force can offer you a solution, but we can.”

Zhao Changhe’s heart began beating violently, and he subconsciously held his breath.

He had never anticipated that he would hear about the issue that had plagued his entire martial journey here, let alone be told that there might be a solution to his issue!

Even Yue Hongling could not help but exclaim inwardly. She knew very well that this was indeed the most fatal temptation for Zhao Changhe, far more alluring than ten thousand fake Yue Honglings combined.

Seeing Zhao Changhe’s expression, Fa Yuan smiled complacently and continued to dangle the bait, “Of course, this is not something that just anyone can attain. Benefactor Zhao, please return and study the Buddhist scriptures first. Perhaps you will become a Ten-Abode Bodhisattva in the future.”

Zhao Changhe took a deep breath to regain his composure and said dully, “I’ve never read a Buddhist scripture in my life. How am I to study the scriptures?”

Fa Yuan’s smile became even more ambiguous as he said, “Our meeting was brought about by fate. We will have someone teach you the scriptures, and who knows, you might even find some pleasant surprises afterward.”

1. This is a real religious movement during ancient China that forecasts the imminent advent of the future Buddha Maitreya. Throughout Chinese history, various societies and communities have called themselves “White Lotus” or “communities of the Buddha Maitreya” at random, while carrying out deviant and heretical practices. ☜