Chapter 39: The Methods of Governance

Hearing this, Yuan Bao’s beard flew about in rage. He slapped the ground, leaped to his feet, and cursed, "What are you standing there for? Go plug the hole! Also, bring out the generous gifts we brought for the Crimson Cult to see."

With that, he moved to attack Meng Xiaoli once more. Meng Xiaoli raised a hand in warning, saying, "Still coming? Drag this out a little longer, and all the ships will sink. You won't even have a boat to sail back in; you'll have to swim all the way from Isolated Island back to Qingzhou. Unless, of course, you intend to stay here as my guests?"

Yuan Bao paused, his hands gripping his axes tightly. Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed from the shores of Play Immortal Mountain, sending plumes of smoke and dust into the air, thick with the scent of gunpowder. This was followed by the weeping and shouting of the Crimson Cult's female disciples. Meng Xiaoli whipped around to look and saw that the Crested Lion Gang's warships were equipped with cannons and had fired a shell toward the entrance of Play Immortal Mountain.

Meng Xiaoli glared back at Yuan Bao with bitter hatred. Yuan Bao withdrew his axes, let out a cold snort, and said smugly, "You scuttled our boats, so I've returned the favor. Damn it, there will be plenty of time for this; we'll settle all our accounts together in the future!" He then roared at the top of his lungs, "Crested Lion Gang, retreat! Get back on the ships, all of you!"

Meng Xiaoli leaped lightly back to the island's shore. On the beach, the Crested Lion Gang disciples hastily hoisted the bodies of their fallen comrades and scrambled onto the boats. Seeing that all his disciples had boarded, Yuan Bao bellowed, "Set sail!" The several vessels rocked unsteadily and departed from the island. Yuan Bao cast a resentful glance at the receding Isolated Island and muttered to himself, "It's not that our Crested Lion Gang is inferior; the terrain of Isolated Island is too complex and easy to defend while difficult to attack, and we simply didn't bring enough men. Another day, my Crested Lion Gang will surely make a comeback. When that day comes, it will be the end of your Crimson Cult. I'll let you strut about for a few more days."

Having repelled the Crested Lion Gang, all the female disciples of the Crimson Goddess Cult raised their weapons and cheered. Only then did Meng Xiaoli have a chance to tend to the wound on her arm. Military strategist Ji Hongluan hurried down from the heights and asked with concern, "Was that from Yuan Bao's axe? Is it serious?"

Meng Xiaoli replied, "Fortunately, I managed to dodge rather than take it head-on; otherwise, this arm would be gone." She then looked over at the pool of blood on the shore and the mountain wall blasted apart by the cannon, and issued her orders: "Let the wounded disciples receive treatment, and bury the fallen in Bliss Mountain with full honors. They are all meritorious souls. Leave a team to clear the battlefield and repair the mountain wall as quickly as possible." Ji Hongluan acknowledged the command, delegated the tasks to her subordinates, and followed Meng Xiaoli toward Carefree Mountain.

Meng Xiaoli strode back to the inner hall of Carefree Palace, with Ji Hongluan following closely behind to report, "Cult Master, during this battle, some people paid lip service while acting otherwise..."

"Never mind that for now. Summon that Li Yaorai to me immediately."

A female disciple accepted the order and left. Meng Xiaoli turned, lifted the hem of her crimson robe, and seated herself gracefully on the soft couch.

Seeing that Meng Xiaoli's expression boded ill, Ji Hongluan dared not speak out of turn and instead instructed someone to fetch medicine to treat Meng Xiaoli's wound. As Ji Hongluan gently wiped the blood from the injury, she probed softly, "I wonder what business the Cult Master has with that Li Yaorai?"

Meng Xiaoli turned her head to look at Ji Hongluan, her eyes as sharp as the blade of a knife, sending an involuntary shudder through Ji Hongluan. Ji Hongluan hurriedly lowered her gaze and continued bandaging the wound. Noticing the fear in Ji Hongluan's expression, Meng Xiaoli realized she had frightened her. Although Ji Hongluan held the status of a disciple, she was unlike the others; not only had she helped found the Crimson Goddess Cult, but she was also as close as a confidante and true friend.

Suppressing her emotions, Meng Xiaoli softened her tone and said, "That Li Yaorai had barely stepped foot into our Crimson Cult before the Crested Lion Gang arrived. Can you still claim she isn't a spy? I'd wager eight or nine out of ten that she is tied up in this!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Hongluan experienced a flash of realization. A smile broke across her face as she explained to Meng Xiaoli, "So the Cult Master suspected her because of that. But if I may offer a word of advice, Li Yaorai is definitely not a spy for the Crested Lion Gang. If the Crested Lion Gang hadn't shown up, I might not have been able to explain it, but with the way they made such a scene, I can stake my head on the absolute innocence of Li Yaorai."

Meng Xiaoli glanced sideways at Ji Hongluan and asked, "Why is that?"

Ji Hongluan finished bandaging Meng Xiaoli's wound, pulled over a low stool to sit before her, and took Meng Xiaoli's hand as she explained, "Which spy master makes a grand public spectacle to demand the return of their agent? With this commotion, the entire world now knows Li Yaorai is his person. Even if it were a counter-stratagem done deliberately, Li Yaorai is a renowned actress; we don't even need to send people to watch her—she is already under scrutiny everywhere she goes. With a profile like hers, it is practically impossible for her to act as a spy."

Hearing this, Meng Xiaoli pondered for a moment and felt that Ji Hongluan's reasoning was not without merit. Her emotions calmed down as well. By this time, the actress Li Yaorai had been brought to the hall by a female disciple. Having heard along the way that Yuan Bao and the Crested Lion Gang had come to attack the Crimson Cult, Li Yaorai's heart had been pounding with anxiety. Upon seeing the injured Meng Xiaoli, she immediately dropped to her knees and kowtowed, saying, "Greetings, Cult Master."

Noticing that after just a few days, Li Yaorai's complexion had darkened and new calluses had formed on her hands—having been put straight to hard labor upon arrival—Meng Xiaoli saw that she hadn't been slacking off. She spoke up, "Come forward."

Instead of standing, Li Yaorai shuffled on her knees until she reached the foot of Meng Xiaoli's couch. Meng Xiaoli reached out to lift Li Yaorai's chin, gazing at that delicate and refined face. A wave of pity welled up within her, and she whispered softly, "Would you be willing to learn martial arts from me?"

This sudden question sent a spark of brilliant light flashing through Li Yaorai's eyes. Deep down, she knew that having been subjected to bullying and humiliation since childhood, martial arts were as vital to her as the key to changing her fate. This was the very reason she had risked danger to defect to the Crimson Cult. Now that Meng Xiaoli was casting aside her suspicions and willing to teach her martial arts, Li Yaorai was overwhelmed with gratitude. Yet her tongue felt tangled; she struggled to open her mouth for a long moment before finally stammering in joyful disbelief, "This disciple is willing, this disciple is willing."

Meng Xiaoli withdrew her hand, half-reclined on the soft couch, and gently closed her eyes as she said, "From today on, you need no longer perform hard labor. Go with them to Zen Dao Mountain to study martial arts."

A look of matchless joy filled Li Yaorai's eyes. She glanced at Ji Hongluan, the military strategist standing nearby, to confirm she hadn't misheard, and then hurriedly kowtowed to Meng Xiaoli once more, declaring, "Thank you, Cult Master, for your elevation. This disciple will certainly give her utmost."

Meng Xiaoli let out a casual hum, waved a hand, and said, "Go."

Radiant with joy, Li Yaorai scrambled up from the floor and took her leave.

Once Li Yaorai had departed, Ji Hongluan gently seated herself on the edge of Meng Xiaoli's couch. Watching the Cult Master resting with her eyes closed, Ji Hongluan spoke in a low voice to make her report, "Cult Master, the Crimson Cult is, after all, a mixed bag of fish and dragons. During the battle at Play Immortal Mountain, some female disciples refused to put forth any effort and merely went through the motions. How does the Cult Master think they should be dealt with?"

Only then did Meng Xiaoli slowly open her eyes to look at Ji Hongluan. Prior to this, she truly hadn't considered this aspect. She had simply thought that by rescuing these women from a bitter sea of suffering, they would surely return her kindness like gushing springs. She had never imagined that some had stayed merely to survive, and how could they possibly be willing to risk a bloody death or sacrifice themselves for her, Meng Xiaoli!

Gazing into the empty air for a long moment of contemplation, Meng Xiaoli finally said to Ji Hongluan, "Among these female disciples, we have women of the dust, sold female slaves, beggars, street performers, actresses, ordinary housewives, and mountain bandits. Though they share a common background of hardship, each harbors her own hidden agenda. How could they possibly take my faith as their faith, or make the Crimson Cult's goals their own? Among them, some are here for martial arts, some for money, some for freedom, and some simply to get a full stomach and a roof over their heads. To make such a group of women share a common hatred toward a common enemy and unite under a single goal is likely no easy task."

Ji Hongluan fetched a plate of fruit from the side and fed a piece to Meng Xiaoli, saying, "That is why we must control them. I've heard that some sects use Gu poison to keep their disciples obedient, administering antidotes at regular intervals. Since only the sect leader holds the antidote, the disciples remain fiercely loyal and follow orders without question."

At the mention of Gu poison, Meng Xiaoli asked, "Could you be speaking of the Shooting Moon Divine Cult?"

Ji Hongluan shook her head with a smile, replying, "Gu poison is indeed provided by the Shooting Moon Divine Cult, but they are tightly knit. I was actually referring to that group of assassins from the Nether Wolf Gate. Of course, I've only heard tales; it may not be true."

A crooked smile touched the corner of Meng Xiaoli's mouth as she looked at Ji Hongluan and chuckled, "Are you suggesting I should poison them with Gu as well?" She burst into light laughter and continued, "No, no. Am I, Meng Xiaoli, so incompetent that I need poison to manage my disciples? Besides, using Gu is utterly inhumane; I will never stoop to that."

Ji Hongluan waved her hand in denial, saying, "That is not what I meant at all. I was merely speaking of the underlying principle. The Nether Wolf Gate uses poison to bind its disciples, and that poison serves as a form of faith. The Crimson Cult, too, must provide its disciples with a faith—whether it be wealth or a bright future. Make them desire something that only you can provide. Driven by this faith, they won't need you to crack a whip; they will willingly follow you of their own accord and spare no effort to do your bidding."

Lost in thought, Meng Xiaoli asked in return, "Everyone's needs and desires are different. How can they ever be of one heart?"

Ji Hongluan replied, "If they cannot be of one heart, their minds will remain fixed entirely upon their own tiny worlds. Once they obtain what they want, they will refuse to exert themselves any further; if they fail to get it, they will give up halfway—both outcomes are losses for the Crimson Cult. While we must offer everyone a measure of freedom, establishing rules is of paramount importance. Only the freedom granted within the bounds of rules is truly cherished and met with gratitude."

Meng Xiaoli nodded in agreement. Suddenly recalling something, she asked, "By the way, you mentioned earlier that someone led a group and refused to exert themselves. Whose unit was it?"

Ji Hongluan answered, "Gu Youyou."

Meng Xiaoli remembered that Gu Youyou had been rescued from the same brothel as Wu Yu. Gu Youyou was usually arrogant, domineering, and plagued by the temperament of a spoiled young miss, always the most vocal among them. "I never expected that someone who looks so sharp and capable would turn out to be the greatest shirker of all."

Ji Hongluan continued, "Managing such a rabble indeed requires considerable thought. Consider the actresses and top courtesans of the pleasure houses: even if they appear glamorous on the surface, they suffer bitterly behind the scenes. They are entirely different from beggars and female slaves; they have seen grand spectacles, they know what gold and jewels look like. Why on earth would they abandon all that to flee to this Isolated Island, pick up swords and blades, and live the precarious life of savages? And why would young women and matrons with established homes and families cast those aside to take refuge under the Crimson Cult? Furthermore, many female disciples are former bandits themselves—the moment their leader falls, they instantly change banners and pledge themselves to the Crimson Cult. Everyone here comes from a different background, and their purposes are each driven by their own needs. Some of them likely know how to manipulate you better than you know how to manage them. You think you are governing them, but in truth, they are leading us by the nose. The only reason they are willing to lower their heads—aside from their awe of your formidable martial arts—must be because joining the Crimson Cult offers them what they desire. To figure out what that is, we must understand what resides in the heart of each and every one of them! Just as ministers govern the realm and the emperor governs the ministers: civil officials are like venomous snakes, military officers like fierce tigers, and the emperor must be more venomous than the snakes and fiercer than the tigers."

Hearing Ji Hongluan's lengthy discourse, Meng Xiaoli realized that the path to success was infinitely complex, utterly different from what she had originally imagined. Now she finally understood why her master, Dugu Laoda, possessed peerless martial arts yet chose to forsake worldly achievement for the sake of freedom, preferring a lifetime of poverty.

Turning her gaze back to the confident military strategist Ji Hongluan, Meng Xiaoli reflected that Ji Hongluan, too, had started as an orphan. Yet this young woman had managed to see through so many complexities, undoubtedly having perused numerous eclectic texts and suffered countless setbacks and bitter lessons while knocking about the jianghu to gain such profound awareness. The sheer wisdom of her intellect was something many men could not hope to match. At that moment, a wave of profound respect for this young woman a few years her junior arose within Meng Xiaoli's heart.