Chapter 118: Cult

Wei Renshi looked down and saw that Stone held half a rabbit, which bore clear bite marks from a wild beast—likely a wolf or something similar.

Having been half-eaten, it was likely abandoned in the grass after the creature was disturbed. The meat had not yet begun to rot, indicating it had been killed only a short time ago.

"Good!" Wei Renshi nodded. "Wrap it in cloth and let the three of us take turns keeping it against our bodies to warm it. The faster it rots, the better."

Stone nodded and complied, tucking the carcass inside his tunic. Dog Er whispered from the side, "Young Master, why are we doing this?"

"They are a large group, afraid to take the main roads or enter the cities, but they must replenish their food and water along the way," Wei Renshi explained. "They can carry dry rations, but they cannot carry enough water. They will inevitably fill their waterskins from mountain streams or rivers they encounter. I asked you to find this because once it starts to rot, we can find a way to drop it into the water source when they stop to refill."

"I understand!" Upon hearing this, Stone immediately grasped the intent. "Young Master, your mind is so sharp! You came up with this plan in such a short time last night!"

"Why don't I get it?" Dog Er asked, looking between Stone and Wei Renshi.

Stone glanced outside, lowered his voice, and said to Dog Er, "Don't you remember? When we were in the army, we heard that back when the Turks were still around, they loved to throw the carcasses of cattle, sheep, and horses into the water during battle. Our people didn't know, drank the water, and were poisoned. They couldn't fight, and many died."

Upon hearing this, Dog Er understood. A look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face as he looked toward Wei Renshi.

"Be careful," Wei Renshi signaled. Dog Er nodded.

Wei Renshi listened carefully to the sounds outside. Hearing that the others were still talking, he whispered to Stone, "Uncle Stone, have you ever heard of the 'Life-Taking Buddha'?"

Stone shook his head. "This is the first time I've heard of it." He paused, then added, "If they are taking lives, how can they still be called a Buddha?"

Hearing Stone's words, Wei Renshi was suddenly stunned. "Life-Taking... Buddha..." Linking these two terms, he realized there really was such a cult. After some thought, he asked, "Uncle Stone, have you ever heard of the Maitreya Sect?"

Stone shook his head. "Never heard of it."

Wei Renshi fell silent, bowing his head in thought.

The cult that linked "life-taking" and "Buddha" brought only one name to Wei Renshi's mind: the Maitreya Sect.

The Maitreya Sect had a long history, supposedly established during the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang. Its founder, a man known as Fu Dashi, claimed to be the "Good-Wise Mahasattva of Liberation who will descend under the twin sala trees." He widely promoted the Bodhisattva path, with followers like Fu Xuande.

Later, there was a monk named Faqing from Jizhou who called himself the "New Buddha" and appointed Li Guibo as the "Ten-Stage Bodhisattva," establishing the "Mahayana Buddha" sect. Based on the Buddhist prophecy that "Maitreya will descend to become a Buddha," he claimed that Maitreya Buddha had replaced Shakyamuni Buddha to save the world; hence, it was called the Maitreya Sect.

This sect was no benevolent force. While Buddhism advocates against killing, the Maitreya Sect actively encouraged "killing and rebellion." They considered those who killed one person as a "One-Stage Bodhisattva" and those who killed ten as a "Ten-Stage Bodhisattva," slaughtering monks and nuns, and burning scriptures and statues. They even combined this with hallucinogenic drugs that made people lose their senses, leading fathers and sons to fail to recognize one another, focusing only on killing. They were eventually suppressed by Yuan Yao.

However, its followers remained hidden in the world, occasionally causing trouble.

In the ninth year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty, while Emperor Yang was in Gaoyang, a follower named Song Zixian transformed into the likeness of a Buddha, claimed to be Maitreya descended to earth, and gathered a crowd to rebel, intending to attack the imperial carriage. The plot was exposed, and the Emperor was enraged. Song Zixian was captured and executed, and over a thousand families were implicated and punished.

It is said that this Maitreya Sect was one of the precursors to the later White Lotus Society, a persistent "dog-skin plaster" that clung to the body of China's feudal dynasties.

Perhaps the "Life-Taking Buddha" had some connection to the Maitreya Sect. That would explain the chaotic origins of these men.

Last night, he heard them address their leader as the "Altar Master," suggesting this was merely one branch. Perhaps other branches were also heading toward Fufang to assist He Chaozong in launching the Fufang military mutiny.

However, in the history he knew, the Fufang mutiny seemed to have lasted only one night, ending the next day with the death of He Chaozong. Thus, the Fufang mutiny had always been regarded merely as a mutiny launched by mid-level officers after the death of the Jiedushi.

Now, it seemed He Chaozong really had intended to seize military power while the Fufang Jiedushi was dying of illness, then join forces with the members of this "Life-Taking Buddha" cult to rebel. Perhaps because these rebel cultists had not yet arrived in Fufang, He Chaozong was killed, and the army was stabilized.

But he could not remember exactly when the Fufang Jiedushi had died, so he did not know when He Chaozong would strike. If he failed to escape from these people before the mutiny collapsed, his only fate would be death.

Wei Renshi looked down at Stone's tunic. He hoped that the half-rabbit carcass would rot quickly.

Unfortunately, it was autumn; had it been summer, the process would be much faster.

The cultists rested in the woods for a day, and after dark, they set off again at a rapid pace.

After traveling for nearly half the night, the carriage suddenly stopped. Wei Renshi woke up instantly, only to see their guard lift the curtain and say, "Get down! Get down and walk!"

The three of them stepped off the carriage, only to find that they had encountered a hill, and the terrain was no longer the flat forest, making it impossible for the carriage to continue. The men unhitched the horse. Stone loaded some of the luggage onto the horse, but much had to be left behind with the carriage. They led the horse and continued forward.

"Good man! My Young Master is weak; walking this whole way will ruin his health," Stone said. "Let my Young Master ride, and I will lead the horse. You can keep an eye on us."

This time, the guard did not curse. He thought for a moment, spoke to the others, and ran ahead to ask for permission. Before long, he returned and said to Stone, "You lead the horse, let him get on."

Stone led the horse, Wei Renshi climbed onto its back, and the men immediately surrounded the three of them again.

The night deepened, and soon it was pitch black.

The group suddenly stopped and began to gather together. Wei Renshi once again saw their leader. The man sat cross-legged under a tree, with everyone else gathered before him. The guards brought Wei Renshi and his companions forward, pressed them down to sit cross-legged on the ground, while the rest sat in a circle around them.

The leader began to make a low, humming sound, as if chanting something. The others began to chant along. The sound was like speaking, yet like singing, a haunting, murmuring drone that was deeply unsettling in the darkness of the night.