A Prophet - Chapter 17 (Part 2)

Chapter 2 - The Japanese Bombing of the Supreme Lord Lao Temple

Inside the Shandong Plum Blossom Agency, Kodama Yoshio wore a gloomy expression.

"Not a single one of the thirteen shells detonated?" Kodama Yoshio demanded angrily.

"Yes," an agent replied.

"Are you implying that the Supreme Lord Lao manifested his divine presence?"

"Uh..." The agent did not dare to answer.

Not only could Kodama Yoshio hardly believe it, but the entire Chinese population could scarcely believe it either. In June 1938, the Japanese military attacked the county seat of Luyi. Japanese religious intelligence agencies, deeply versed in the principles of feng shui, provided intelligence to the military: Luyi County housed the ancestral temple of Laozi, the founder of Chinese Daoism. As long as the temple of Laozi was blasted into ruins, the roots of Chinese culture would be severed.

Laozi's temple was also known as the Lord Lao Temple. Legend had it that after Laozi attained the Dao and ascended to heaven, he was ranked among the immortals, becoming the Supreme Lord Lao of the heavens. Later generations built a temple and shrine where he ascended to commemorate him, and the platform from which he ascended was named the "Lord Lao Platform." The Lord Lao Platform consisted of thirty-three tiers from bottom to top, corresponding cryptically to the legend of Laozi ascending into the thirty-three tiers of azure heaven.

Simultaneously, Kodama Yoshio received reliable intelligence that not far from the Lord Lao Platform lay an ammunition depot of the Chinese military. If the bombardment of the Lord Lao Platform could ignite the ammunition depot, Luyi County could be blasted to smithereens, and the Imperial Army would be triumphant!

The vicious Japanese agents quickly reported this intelligence to the Japanese military command. The command issued an order: bombard the Lord Lao Platform!

In 1938, on the fourth day of the fifth lunar month, the Japanese military hauled out a mortar, and a Japanese soldier named Maekawa Taro was put in charge of launching the shells. Gazing at the towering Lord Lao Platform, Maekawa Taro felt his heart pounding anxiously as an inexplicable sense of terror and awe welled up within him. Trembling, he dropped a shell into the mortar tube. With a bang, the shell was launched outward. The Japanese devils waited quietly in absolute silence. A long time passed, yet no explosion was heard.

"What is going on?" Maekawa Taro felt as anxious and unsettled as an injured cat.

"Did you actually fire the shell just now or not?" The men around him began to suspect this was an illusion.

"I fired it!" Maekawa Taro stammered in utter bewilderment, and as he spoke, he picked up another shell and shoved it into the mortar tube. With a bang, the shell flew out once more, tracing an arc across the sky before landing right on the Lord Lao Platform. Just as the pack of devils waited for the explosion to cheer, an unbelievable sight occurred: the shell still failed to detonate, instead rumbling and rolling all the way down the steps.

"This has got to be a dream!" Maekawa Taro looked at the people around him, then looked back at the Lord Lao Platform.

"Move aside, I'll do it!" A Japanese squad leader kicked Maekawa Taro away and shoved eleven consecutive shells into the mortar. One by one, the shells flew out, and a shocking spectacle unfolded: every single shell turned out to be a dud, with not one exploding.

The Japanese soldiers present were all frightened out of their wits and never dared to fire another shell. Afterward, the common folk widely circulated the rumor that those thirteen shells had been devoured by the stone ox standing before the gate of the Lord Lao Temple. (To this day, those unexploded shells remain on display in Luyi's Lord Lao Temple as potent incriminating evidence of the Japanese invasion of China, and they stand as a testament to how Chinese civilization has endured countless catastrophes and continues to thrive endlessly. In 1980, Maekawa Taro, the soldier who had been ordered to fire the artillery back then, returned to this magical land of Luyi and repeatedly lowered his sinful head before the Lord Lao Platform. In the ensuing years, Maekawa Taro became a regular visitor to Luyi County, coming from time to time to offer a few sticks of incense and kowtow to Laozi as a sign of repentance and atonement.)

While Kodama Yoshio was fretting over this matter, an agent walked in to report: "The corpse-driving team in Hunan has been wiped out, and a portion of the blueprints has also been lost."

Kodama Yoshio flew into such a rage that he thrashed about like a madman. "Who did this?"

"Unknown."

Resentment churned within Kodama Yoshio's heart, leading him to connect this to the "celestial beings" who had been burned alive during the setup in Wuhan. He could not help thinking of the "River and Commercial Faction" once again, and when he linked this to the massive conspiracy hidden within those blueprints, cold sweat broke out all over his body.

"Noda-kun!" Kodama Yoshio bellowed.

"Yes!" answered an agent named Noda Jiayi.

"Within one month, track down the traces of the 'River and Commercial Faction.' Otherwise, you won't need to return to the Great Japanese Empire." With that, Kodama Yoshio handed Noda Jiayi a military dagger meant for ritual disembowelment (seppuku).

"Yes!"

Returning to his quarters, Noda carefully sorted through the intelligence submitted recently by the leaders of the nation's various "sect societies." After staring at them for a long time without making heads or tails of anything, he flew into a rage, swept his arm across the desk, and flipped it over.

Following the death of Nishida Yoshiko, Noda had taken over her position, assuming command of all collaborators heading the Chinese "sect societies." Ever since the Zhoushan Incident, Zheng Banxian of the Jiaodong "Jade Rule Dao," Blind Liu of the Beiping "Heavenly Sage Dao," Long Yufeng of the Tianjin "Jasper Pool Dao," Ding Zixia of the Manchurian "Purple Glow Hall," Mei Xuanzi of the Shanghai "Plum Blossom Society," and Pei Jinglong of the Baoding "Imperial Ultimate Dao" had all left their lives behind in Zhoushan. This dealt a devastating blow to the Japanese-manipulated network of "sect societies," and over half of the other sect members who had landed on the island were also lost. The only ones who completely escaped were members of the "River and Commercial Faction," which served as one of Kodama Yoshio's most compelling pieces of evidence for deducing that this operation was the handiwork of the "River and Commercial Faction."

Yet Kodama Yoshio was forced to swallow his bitterness in silence, unable to voice his grievances. Manipulating the "sect societies" into a powerful tool for the Japanese invasion of China was Kodama Yoshio's proudest stroke of work within the military, earning him immense praise from the military command and the Emperor. But this time, he had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used as bait; to his superiors, he could only claim that this was caused by inadequate advance inspection of Zhoushan's geography, tides, and poisonous snake distribution when establishing the "Sino-Japanese Friendly I-Ching Cultural Exchange Academy." Deep down, however, his hatred for the "River and Commercial Faction" was so venomous that he ground his teeth in rage, particularly toward Grandpa—he wished he could skin Grandpa alive and pull out his tendons!

Noda knew all too well how ruthless his superior could be. If he failed this mission, he feared he might genuinely end up checking into the Yasukuni Shrine. Just as he was at his wit's end, an agent came to report that Jiang Tiancheng of the Manchurian "Succeeding Heaven Sect" had come to see him.

That old fox had been cursed by Grandpa during the I-Ching debate competition until he suffered a sudden asthma attack and nearly died on the spot, and later he had been chased by poisonous snakes to the brink of wetting his trousers. He had sworn an oath: if he did not wash away this humiliation, he would live in vain as a man!

"Your Honor," Jiang Tiancheng said with a fawning smile as he stepped inside, "I have a stratagem that can force the 'River and Commercial Faction' out into the open!"

"Let's hear it." Noda glanced at him.

"Your Honor..." Jiang Tiancheng smiled craftily and laid out the details step by step.

Upon hearing the plan, Noda burst into loud laughter. "This stratagem is exceptionally brilliant! If this matter succeeds, Master Jiang will have rendered a monumental service. When the Greater East Asia Peace and Co-Prosperity Sphere is realized, Master Jiang shall be the First Protector-Master of Manchukuo."

Jiang Tiancheng chuckled merrily. "This humble old man has already passed his sixtieth year. Grand Duke Jiang Taigong met King Wen at the age of eighty, yet I have encountered an enlightened ruler twenty years earlier than him. This is truly the fortune of this old man!"

Shortly thereafter, Jiang Tiancheng took several disciples and departed secretly from Shandong, heading straight for Shanghai.

Zuo Yongchan stepped out to welcome him on dual crutches at the main helm of the Shanghai "Heavenly Sage Dao." Sect Master Zuo had been bitten on his left leg by a venomous snake back in Zhoushan; if not for the prompt rescue by Japanese sorcerers, he would likely have lost his life long ago. To prevent the poisoned blood from flowing backward, he had been forced to have his left leg amputated. From that day onward, Sect Master Zuo could only "propagate the Dharma" while seated. His subordinate Vajra guardians could only explain to the hundreds of "blue-robed" followers below: "Sect Master Zuo has severed his leg in pursuit of the Dharma, comprehending the formless teachings of the Great Dao through a formless body—this is truly the act of a sage! The Sect Master has already fathomed the profound mysteries of heaven and earth; from now on, he will no longer manifest in person to preach, but will instead enter seated meditation, wander across the four seas, forge broad friendships with the heavenly constellations, and pray for the blessings of all living beings."

After Jiang Tiancheng and Zuo Yongchan met, they dismissed their respective bodyguards and guardians to converse in private.

"Sect Master Zuo, how have you been keeping?" Jiang Tiancheng glanced at Zuo Yongchan's amputated leg and asked.

Zuo Yongchan found Jiang Tiancheng's schadenfreude-laden inquiry thoroughly disagreeable, and responded with a cold smile: "Not quite up to par with Master Jiang, who enjoys the cool shade beneath a towering tree."

Jiang Tiancheng twitched his goat-like beard and chuckled as well. "Wrongs have their debtors and debts have their masters; you can only blame that Grandpa of the 'River and Commercial Faction.' Following the Imperial Army obediently gives you food, drink, fame, and status—such a wonderful arrangement! Yet he had to force things to a life-and-death struggle. Fools are truly not worth conspiring with! Right now, the Imperial Army has already occupied one-third of China. Give it another year or half, and Chiang Kai-shek's meager remnants of defeated troops will be completely wiped out, leaving all of China in Japanese hands. By then, you and I will both be meritorious heroes of state protection and grand masters of religious instruction."

Zuo Yongchan offered a dismissive, mocking smile. "Spare me those unseen and untouchable grand visions. What instruction brings Master Jiang gracing my humble abode today?"

Jiang Tiancheng nodded and said, "Have a look at Noda-kun's personal edict." With that, he handed a confidential letter over to Zuo Yongchan.

Zuo Yongchan took it suspiciously and slowly unfolded it. Once he finished reading, his expression turned grave, and he suddenly threw his head back in roaring laughter: "Ha ha ha ha, Noda-kun truly possesses supreme wisdom..."

Watching Zuo Yongchan's unbridled complacency, Jiang Tiancheng chuckled inwardly: You blockhead, this was an idea cooked up by yours truly. But I can't tell you that, or else cripple like you would grow even more jealous of me! He who achieves greatness accomplishes grand things—just wait and see how I become the First Protector-Master of Manchukuo!

With that thought in mind, Jiang Tiancheng said, "Sect Master Zuo, this matter cannot be accomplished without you. Back when the Jianghuai region was partitioned into three realms, Qi Chunfu, the Fourth Gang Leader under that Grandpa, was bribed by Sect Master Zuo and used as a sharp blade. Now that wretch is dead, but his ghost lingers on—the time for Sect Master Zuo to display his formidable skills has arrived!"

Zuo Yongchan chuckled softly. "Qi Chunfu could also be considered a clever man. Back then, in order to assassinate Grandpa, he turned traitor and defected to Mei Xuanzi, while simultaneously exploiting the friction between me and Mei Xuanzi to leak bits of true and false intelligence to me in exchange for my silver. Such an unfaithful and unrighteous person deserved his death. Therefore, after I figured out the intricate relationships both inside and out, I leaked his whereabouts to the 'River and Commercial Faction,' and that Grandpa used it as a clue to follow the vine and pluck the melon, executing that scoundrel. However, when that scoundrel was acting as my informant back then, he didn't seem to reveal any personal information regarding Grandpa..."

Jiang Tiancheng let out a cold laugh. "Sect Master Zuo, Noda-kun has placed exceptionally high hopes on you, you know."

Zuo Yongchan gave a weary yawn and said, "Let me ponder this carefully. Master Jiang has had a tiring journey, so please rest for a moment, and we shall discuss this later."

With that, he summoned his disciples and, supported by them, limped out of the room.

Gazing at Zuo Yongchan's bobbing, retreating silhouette, Jiang Tiancheng wore a wisp of a sinister smile...