Chapter Ninety-Three: The Saintess Sect

Hearing the emperor’s words, Chu Han froze for a moment. He had not expected such an outcome. The Ma clan and the Xue clan had both stood in the Imperial Capital for many years, and yet after he brought them down, it had not stirred panic among the people, nor hatred. That was something he had never foreseen.

“As for the Xue clan and the Ma clan, what you did was exactly what I had hoped for. The Ma clan’s secret collusion with the Holy Maiden Church is no longer a secret. As for the Xue clan, they held military power and grew overbearing; I have long wanted to uproot them. I simply never had a proper excuse. You have, in effect, helped me vent my anger.”

Seeing Chu Han standing there in a daze, the emperor found it rather amusing and simply said everything he meant to say.

At those words, Chu Han finally felt at ease. He was not afraid of what the emperor might do to him; he simply did not want to drag Tang Hao into it. He could leave at any time on his own, but if Tang Hao were implicated, he would never be able to rest easy.

That was why, after finishing all of this, he had not fled immediately, but had instead come to take responsibility before the emperor.

“Very well. Next, I have a task for you. The Holy Maiden Church is a heretical cult, sowing chaos in the court and bewitching the people. I order you to eliminate it, but do so quietly. Their believers are still numerous; do not provoke public outrage. If you handle this well, I will also reward Tang Hao.”

The emperor stated his purpose. The Holy Maiden Church had long been a thorn in his side, yet he could not openly move against it. After all, with so many believers, even the slightest misstep could provoke the masses, and that would be extremely difficult to handle. He certainly could not massacre his own subjects.

Chu Han’s appearance had given him exactly such an opportunity. Chu Han was formidable; dealing with a Holy Maiden Church ought not be a problem.

Upon hearing the name Holy Maiden Church, Chu Han froze. In his former life, he had also heard of this organization. It was exceedingly mysterious, with countless believers beneath it. Even in Quiet Far City, there were many followers of the Holy Maiden Church, and its influence was widespread.

Moreover, the people of the Holy Maiden Church were strong. It was said that the church leader possessed the power of the Yang realm. Of course, these were only rumors; whether they were true was unknown. He had once encountered a believer of the Holy Maiden Church, though he had killed that person without hesitation.

Later, he had been drawn away by the Great Chaos Realm and had completely left this world, so his understanding of the Holy Maiden Church went no further than that. But since the emperor had issued the order, he had no choice but to go. For Tang Hao’s reward, he would go as well.

“Very well. Give me the information on the Holy Maiden Church.”

Chu Han had never imagined that one day he would be working for someone else, but this would only be the one time. Besides, the Holy Maiden Church was itself an evil cult; destroying it could be considered ridding the people of a scourge.

Taking the dossier the emperor handed him, he left the palace. Then, from the shadow behind the emperor, a woman stepped forth. If Chu Han had been there, he would have recognized her at a glance: Duanmu Meng’er.

“I have already done as you instructed. Whether Chu Han can resolve these matters now remains to be seen. You should keep your promise to me, should you not?”

The emperor looked at Duanmu Meng’er with deference. If Chu Han had been there, he would surely have been shocked. Even the emperor had to treat her with such respect, which was enough to show that Duanmu Meng’er’s identity was anything but ordinary.

“Hehe. No hurry. We will speak of that later. First let us see how Chu Han handles things. Rest assured, I will not go back on my word.”

Duanmu Meng’er smiled, gazing in the direction Chu Han had left before striding out of the room. The emperor did not dare say another word. He merely rose to see her off, and only then did he finally relax.

Meanwhile, Chu Han studied the dossier as he walked. Only when he reached the end did he realize that the Holy Maiden Church was hidden not far from the Imperial Capital, truly playing at darkest under the lamp. Indeed, the most dangerous place was the safest.

As for why the emperor did not personally move against the Holy Maiden Church, Chu Han had long understood it. The church had countless believers; the cult had already reached a dangerous scale and was not so easily dealt with. Once those believers were stirred to rebellion, matters would no longer be simple.

Since he had the dossier in hand, Chu Han wasted no time. He directly took a horse and rode out of the city toward the Holy Maiden Church.

The Holy Maiden Church’s headquarters was in a city called Mud City. Called a city, it was in truth nothing more than a small earthen mound; it was not large, and the place was rather remote with little value in it. It was essentially a city abandoned by Great Chu, which was why the Holy Maiden Church had hidden itself there.

According to the dossier, the Holy Maiden Church had already occupied Mud City. The place was almost entirely under their control, and they were extremely cautious. Ordinary believers had no idea where the Holy Maiden Church was concealed.

Seeing this, Chu Han smiled faintly and cracked his whip toward Mud City.

An hour later, he arrived beneath the city walls. Since it had only just dawned, there were still few people inside, and the gates had not yet opened. But Mud City’s walls were low and small; whether or not the gate was open made little difference.

He dismounted and, in a few swift movements, climbed over the wall and entered Mud City. Yet to his surprise, the moment he stepped inside, he was surrounded.

“Speak. Who are you? Are you one of the dog emperor’s men? This is Holy Maiden Church territory. If you do not want to die, get lost at once.”

All around him were common folk armed with weapons. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they had already been utterly brainwashed by the Holy Maiden Church. People like that were essentially beyond saving. No wonder the emperor had not gone after the Holy Maiden Church personally; its power of indoctrination was terrifying indeed.

Chu Han smiled faintly and paid them no mind. He simply walked around them and moved forward. The crowd shouted after him, “He must be an spy sent by the dog emperor. Hurry and seize him, then present him to the Holy Maiden. We will rise to greatness!”

As soon as those words fell, the group swarmed him at once. Chu Han had been preparing to act, but hearing them, he could not help pausing. His eyes rolled slightly as he thought of a good plan.

He knew the Holy Maiden Church was hidden within Mud City, but he did not know the exact location. Finding them would take some effort. It would be far easier to let them capture him, then have them deliver him before the Holy Maiden. In that way, locating the Holy Maiden Church would become effortless.

What came next was a test of his acting. Chu Han put on a look of shock and fear, struggling half-heartedly a few times before being seized by the crowd and bound hand and foot. The ropes were merely ordinary cords, but after feeling them, Chu Han smiled faintly. All he had to do now was wait.

They carried the tightly bound Chu Han to the far end of Mud City and brought him into a room. Inside sat a woman in white, a white veil covering her face so that her features could not be seen. She should have been a member of the Holy Maiden Church.

“Holy Maiden, we have captured a spy sent by the dog emperor.”

One of them placed Chu Han at the woman’s feet and then spoke with the air of claiming credit.

She glanced at Chu Han, but with the veil in place, he could not make out her expression. “Very well. Go and receive your reward from the Protector. Keep up the good work in the future. Leave this spy to me.”

The woman’s voice was very pleasant, like a clear mountain spring, soothing to the ear. Chu Han still wore the same look of terror and fear, though of course it was all an act.

Upon hearing this, the crowd cheered and then hurried out one after another, likely to seek out the so-called Protector. In the room, only Chu Han and the Holy Maiden remained.