Chapter 871: Out of Action

Li Huowang's words clearly had another meaning, which the Abbot of Zhengde Temple naturally understood.

He pressed his palms together and bowed to Li Huowang. "Amitabha, bless us all. A monk does not lie. Since this humble monk said that Great Qi belongs to Benefactor Li, I will never go back on my word."

"However, although Zhengde Temple is the state religion of Great Qi, it cannot control everyone's hearts. What the monks of Zhengde Temple cannot achieve, others will naturally believe."

As he spoke, four monks carried an old man, supported by their staffs, directly into the room.

When he was brought before Li Huowang, he immediately spilled everything he knew, like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, as if fearing inhuman treatment if he delayed even a moment.

"I don't know, I really don't know who spread it!"

"They said that Tianchen Kingdom didn't intend to fight Great Qi, and that the people of Great Qi were deceived by that fake Bodhisattva. Doing this means being used as a tool for others, shedding blood and sweat for nothing on behalf of others."

"They also said that all of Great Qi's many disasters were caused by the fake Bodhisattva."

"That's all, truly all! I only know this much, I really do!"

"I won't dare anymore, I truly won't dare anymore!"

"Rumors..." Li Huowang never expected that the opponent's first move would be this. It was undeniably insidious, half-true and half-false.

It now seemed that Tianchen Kingdom had not been idle; they weren't planning a direct confrontation but were instead resorting to covert tactics.

They now understood that opposing him offered no benefit; even if they won, both sides would suffer, gaining nothing substantial.

Therefore, they planned to first use rumors to erode the morale of Great Qi and diminish his prestige there. If he could no longer command Great Qi, then everything would become uncertain.

Li Huowang could tell this was a ploy by Beifeng, or if not Beifeng, then the Sit-Forgotten Dao of Tianchen Kingdom was involved.

After a moment of thought, Li Huowang turned to look at Zen Du. "Abbot, since the opponent has made their move, has the Great Qi Supervisory Celestial Bureau devised a counter-move?"

"This humble monk has already instructed those within the Bureau to pay attention to this, and we will strictly guard against this message spreading."

Li Huowang shook his head. "That won't work. Rumors cannot be suppressed; the more you try to block them, the more the people of Great Qi will believe they are true."

"Furthermore, even if you temporarily contain them, what then? They can always come to Great Qi and spread them again at any time. We have no advantage in this regard."

"Then what should be done?"

"Never mind, leave this little trick to me," Li Huowang said, walking outside.

Rumors were one of the Sit-Forgotten Dao's tools; they knew how to use them, and Li Huowang naturally did too. Those who could use them also knew how to counter them.

"He wants to spread rumors, does he? Then I'll help him spread them!" As Li Huowang pulled at his face, an ordinary face replaced his own.

He tucked his hands into his sleeves, hunched his neck, and headed towards the West Market. As his thoughts shifted, his Daoist robe gradually transformed into a worn-out cotton padded jacket.

Both the East and West Markets were places for selling goods, and compared to before, the variety of items available was much richer.

At the very least, it was no longer a situation where four ounces of rice could draw a crowd.

However, Li Huowang did not linger outside; he quickly turned and walked directly into a deep, secluded alley on the east side.

After a few more turns, he finally opened a disused manhole cover, revealing a dim path before him. This was the black market, where items not permitted for sale in the open were traded.

As long as no major problems arose, the soldiers outside would turn a blind eye. Even if it was temporarily shut down, it would simply reappear elsewhere.

This place was an ideal breeding ground for rumors. Although some people deliberately kept their voices low, Li Huowang's keen hearing still caught everything clearly.

"Hey, have you heard? It's all because of that Bodhisattva that we're living so miserably."

"Don't talk nonsense! The Bodhisattva brought us grain; I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Oh, that's all a lie! I heard that Bodhisattva is from the Sit-Forgotten Dao, and they love to deceive people."

Hearing this, Li Huowang quickly turned and approached them. After glancing left and right with shifty eyes, he spoke: "Hey, have you two heard about this too? I've also heard things, and I know some things you don't."

Upon hearing this, the two people chatting immediately leaned closer with curiosity. "What is it? What do we not know?"

Li Huowang again nervously glanced left and right, then lowered his voice further. "I'm only telling you two, so don't tell anyone else. I heard that not only are Great Qi's many disasters caused by that Bodhisattva, but even the world becoming like this is also his fault!"

"Hiss," the two immediately gasped, their eyes wide. "Really?"

"Let me tell you, he's doing this to pick people! Those he chooses are taken to the Heavenly Court to become deities, and everyone else is simply abandoned!"

"Really?" Unbeknownst to Li Huowang, five or six people had gathered around him, all looking shocked.

While they were discussing animatedly, Li Huowang quietly retreated, continuing his search for the next target.

As Li Huowang worked, these rumors, whose origins were unknown, gradually acquired more details.

At first, he merely added to them, but gradually he guided the rumors away from their original meaning, eventually reaching an incredibly absurd level.

"Hey, have you heard? I heard that Bodhisattva is merely a transformation of Danxi. With one breath, the sky will change; with one inhale, the earth will collapse!"

"What you're saying is wrong! I heard that Bodhisattva is the Jade Emperor, who came down to undergo tribulations due to the Five Heavenly Tribulations, and he'll return once he's finished."

"How can they get more ridiculous? Are you sure what you're saying is true?"

Not far away, Li Huowang heard the evolution of the rumors and felt his heart calm again. Tianchen Kingdom's ploy was now useless.

When dealing with rumors, neither explaining nor not explaining is the correct approach. Aside from drawing everyone's attention with a larger rumor, another method is to use various means to distort the original meaning.

No matter how many times a rumor is distorted, those who believe it will always treat it as a whole and never consider that its original meaning has changed.

When rumors become increasingly absurd, they cease to be rumors and instead become idle chatter or nonsensical blather, losing all practical value.

Li Huowang refused to believe that he could be swayed by others' rumors on his own territory.

He wanted to see what the opponent would try next.

If the opponent continued to use such Sit-Forgotten Dao tactics, he was willing to play along to the very end, especially since he had a massive amount of non-gang power lying around unused.

However, plans are often outpaced by changes, and the opponent's next move once again caught Li Huowang by surprise.