Order of the Sect Leader No. 74

When Luan Yi awoke, three days had already passed. Lifting his heavy eyelids, his blurred vision revealed Luan Diao, his mother, keeping watch by the bedside, her head drooping as she nodded off. Cai Yan and Diao Chan, his children, sat at a distant round table, engrossed in playing with their teacups.

Xiao Cui was the first to notice Luan Yi’s awakening. Her listless eyes suddenly lit up, “Young master… the young master is awake!”

After her joyful shout, the room burst into chaos. Luan Diao, Cai Yan, and Diao Chan rushed over, all asking after his health and comfort. Outside, Luan Miao, hearing the commotion, entered with concern. He spoke slowly to Xiao Cui, “The young master hasn’t eaten a grain of rice in three days—go prepare some thin porridge for him first.”

“Yes!” Xiao Cui answered crisply and dashed towards the door. Halfway there, she heard Luan Miao call again, “Wait… bring Doctor Wang along as well.”

“Yes! Understood!” Xiao Cui continued on her way.

“Wait… Don’t forget to boil two eggs for the young master, to replenish his strength,” this time it was Luan Diao who reminded her.

“Got it.” Though she said so, Xiao Cui paused, hesitating at the threshold.

Luan Diao looked puzzled, “Why are you standing there, not fetching the doctor and food? What are you waiting for?”

Xiao Cui smiled sweetly, “I was just thinking to wait a moment, in case the master or mistress had any other instructions, so I could handle them all at once!”

Everyone laughed at her words. Luan Yi wanted to laugh too, but his wounds protested each time he did, the pain stabbing through him as his injuries trembled. To lessen his suffering, he had to stifle his laughter, covering his mouth with both hands, his shoulders shaking with agony.

“Go on, stop your chatter here,” Luan Diao said, her smile blossoming as she shooed Xiao Cui out.

A short while later, Doctor Wang hurried in. After taking Luan Yi’s pulse, he beamed. “Blessed by the Holy Mother, it is good you have awakened! The leader is no longer in mortal danger. A few herbal concoctions and careful recuperation will have him lively again, just as before.”

Everyone rejoiced. Xiao Cui, who had just returned, left again with Doctor Wang to prepare the medicine in the kitchen.

His mother, Luan Diao, brought hot porridge and fed Luan Yi spoonful by spoonful.

With something in his stomach, Luan Yi felt much better and managed to prop himself up in bed.

Luan Miao observed that though Luan Yi’s face was pale and his speech weak, his spirit was strong. He told him, “Mao Jie, Dian Wei, and Wu Tian are waiting outside. Would you like to see them?”

Luan Yi was overjoyed, “Oh? Brother Mao has returned as well? Please, father, invite them all in!”

“No need to trouble you, Uncle,” Mao Jie replied, hearing Luan Yi’s invitation from outside. He strode in boldly, followed by Dian Wei and Wu Tian. “Luan, are you much better now?”

“I’m fine!” Luan Yi grinned, eager to ask, “Everyone, tell me—what has happened these past days?”

“It’s a long story,” Mao Jie said, the corners of his mouth lifting, as he handed Luan Yi a teacup from the bedside table. “No rush, drink some water first. Let me recount it slowly.” He paused, gathering his words, and began, “It started a month ago…”

Two months earlier, Mao Jie, as Luan Yi had instructed, took the criminal evidence accumulated over half a year against Zhu Ying, and set out for Luoyang with Luan Fu. They rode hard, reaching Luoyang in just over a month. Upon entering the capital, they split the evidence: one part was given to their mentor Cai Yong, the other to Wang Yun.

Cai Yong, though only the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, held little real power; but he also served as Imperial Tutor, granting him access to the emperor at any time. He and Wang Yun—one whispering in the emperor’s ear, the other maneuvering at court—went to great lengths for Luan Yi, their prospective son-in-law. In just two days, an unheard-of speed for the sluggish bureaucracy of Eastern Han, they toppled Zhu Ying, the Chief Historian of Jinan.

Emperor Ling of Han personally drafted the edict, harshly denouncing Zhu Ying’s crimes, decreeing the execution of his entire clan, and ordering the rest of his cohorts to be cut in half at the waist. The commander of Jinan’s garrisons, Huang Xun, was ordered to apprehend the guilty officials immediately. Furthermore, the magistrate of Licheng, Luan Miao, was commended for his report and appointed to succeed Zhu Ying as Chief Historian of Jinan.

The imperial seal was pressed, and Zhu Ying’s guilt was confirmed. Mao Jie took the imperial decree and returned to Jinan at once.

Luan Fu, as per Luan Yi’s instructions, stayed behind in Luoyang, seeking to purchase a residence to convert into a church and spread the Holy Mother’s faith among officials and citizens of the capital.

Mao Jie returned to Jinan five days ago, finding the seventeen counties in turmoil. Upon investigation, he learned that the main church had been besieged by government forces. Faithful, following the leader’s command, had taken up arms in organized attacks on county seats and towns…

Mao Jie licked his dry lips and said to Luan Yi, “I’m not fully familiar with this part. Better let Brother Dian tell it.”

Dian Wei’s rugged face, with its beast-like eyes, suddenly brimmed with tears. His mighty frame dropped to his knees, grieving, “Leader… for you to be so gravely wounded is only because my rescue came too late! I am ashamed of your trust, and submit to punishment!”

Luan Yi panicked, trying to rise and help Dian Wei, but his injuries prevented him from getting out of bed. “Brother Dian, what are you doing? To have gathered so many warriors in such a short time and saved my life—I could never punish you; I should only be deeply grateful!”

“Dian Wei is humbled!” Dian Wei finally relaxed and stood up.

“Brother Dian, tell me, what have you done these past days?” Luan Yi looked at him expectantly.

“Well…” Dian Wei mumbled, “I’m not much for words; let Brother Wu Tian explain.”

Wu Tian strolled to Luan Yi’s bedside and began, speaking from Dian Wei’s perspective, “That day…”

After parting from Luan Yi, Dian Wei rode straight for Wu Family Fortress northeast of Licheng. Entering the Wu household, he told Wu Tian and his wife the full story: the failed assault on Licheng, the siege of the main church. Wu Tian, realizing the gravity, followed Luan Yi’s earlier instructions, gathering three hundred able-bodied men from the estate and distributing weapons stored in the warehouse to support the main church.

However, after careful scouting, they learned that the besieging government troops numbered two or three thousand. Three hundred men would be throwing themselves into the fire, a hopeless struggle.

Dian Wei and the Wu couple were at a loss. Just then, Dian Wei remembered that before leaving, Luan Yi had entrusted him with a pure gold cross, set with a ruby.

He produced the cross, showing it to Wu Tian. “Before I left, the leader gave me this! I’m not sure what it’s for.”

“That’s… the leader’s command!” Dian Wei didn’t recognize it, but Wu Tian did. His training as a church acolyte included not only a thorough study of the “Gospel of the Holy Mother,” but also instruction in the church’s seals and insignia, especially the leader’s command. In the Holy Mother Church, the leader’s command symbolizes supreme authority; for the faithful, to see it is to see the leader himself—it serves as the church’s imperial sword and carries the authority of the imperial seal.

“Knight Dian, why did you not bring this out sooner? With this… the leader can be saved!” Wu Tian was elated. He grabbed paper and brush, and swiftly penned a manifesto calling all followers in Jinan to rescue the leader and the church. Scholars copied hundreds of copies, then borrowed the golden cross from Dian Wei, carefully opened the tail compartment to reveal the finely carved seal, pressed it into red ink, and stamped each document…

The bold red characters, “Leader Luan Yi’s Command,” leapt from the page.

Wu Tian immediately ordered the manifestoes sent overnight to every Bible study class and church gathering point in Licheng’s towns, as well as to spontaneous church organizations in the other sixteen counties.

With the leader’s command in hand, local church groups gathered their members and spread the news. In no time, Jinan’s eighty thousand followers of the Holy Mother Church were ablaze. For half a year, they had felt the church’s blessings. The wealthy knew the church could fulfill their wishes, make them richer—not only in material wealth, but spiritually as well. They believed that faith in the Holy Mother would grant them eternal life in heaven after death, filling their days with purpose and making life richer than before…

The poor knew the church fed them on Sundays, clothed them, and when hardship came, the faithful stood together to help, making difficulties less daunting… They also saw that their employers who believed in the church grew more generous, gave larger rewards, and now gave everyone the Sabbath off each week, letting them rest after their labor, because the Holy Mother rested on the seventh day of creation.

Yet, after only half a year of such good life, the government sought to destroy the church, shattering their cherished dreams.

Long-standing grievances against the authorities exploded like dominoes. Responding to the acolytes’ call, tens of thousands of believers contributed money and manpower, gathering at their worship points with farm tools—hoes, spades, forks—and, led by respected acolytes, marched upon their county seats.

Jinan originally had eight thousand garrison soldiers—a considerable force, it seemed. But these had to be spread across seventeen counties, averaging just over four hundred per county. Moreover, to suppress Luan Yi, Zhu Ying had drawn two thousand from the counties, leaving only two hundred in each. Compared to the swarm of believers, they were pitifully few.

Within a single day, with local support, sixteen counties—Dongpingling, Xipingling, Jiyang, Shanghe, Zichuan…—fell one after another, seized by the followers of the Holy Mother Church.

After taking the county seats, troops from each region marched overnight towards Licheng. Southern contingents gathered at South Mountain under Dian Wei, the Church Knight, then headed north to rescue. Northern contingents joined Wu Tian at Wu Family Fortress, then moved south to assault Licheng.

With so many faithful arriving to help, Luan Yi’s rescue was inevitable.