Paper Baby

Chapter 20

I noticed some people nodding slightly. Actually, I was also touched, because I had indeed had such thoughts before. Later, as I grew older, I naturally understood how absurd those youthful ideas were. This Master Liu asked in such a tone—did he mean that their teachings were really like this?

After pausing for a moment, allowing the audience a brief moment to think, Liu Jiangzhou continued speaking.

"This kind of wild fantasy that seems unbelievable to ordinary people is actually the closest thing to the truth, a truth that makes people despair. This world is inherently an illusion."

As soon as he said that, there was a slight commotion among those in the audience who, like me, were there for the first time.

"Let's ask ourselves honestly, can we find even the slightest evidence to prove that this world truly exists? Take a flower, for example. You can see its shape and color with your eyes, smell its fragrance with your nose, and touch its petals with your hand. Does that prove that the flower truly exists? Aren't all of these just your feelings? When you can no longer feel the flower, how can you know that it still exists?"

I suddenly realized what had puzzled me: he was actually spreading idealist philosophy as the doctrine of the Holy Maiden Church to us.

Current Chinese education simplistically divides all philosophical schools of thought from thousands of years of human history into two categories: materialism and idealism, with each category further subdivided. All philosophical schools that originate from human psychological experience are labeled idealism. Because it is incompatible with mainstream Marxist materialism, it has been presented in a less-than-positive light in education from basic to higher levels in recent decades. Over the years, this impression has become deeply ingrained in the minds of the Chinese people. Given this context, why would the Holy Maiden Church choose idealism as its doctrine? Wouldn't this make it more difficult to recruit followers?

"Many will argue that modern physics has studied the material world in great depth, so how could it deny the existence of matter? However, how does modern science understand this world? We see the detailed structure of matter through an electron microscope. But isn't this detailed structure still something we can only see with our own eyes? Ultimately, all research results must be perceived by our own senses to be truly accepted by our minds. If there were a great magic that could deceive everyone's senses, how would we know what this world is really like? Now, let me tell you, time is illusory, space is illusory, the material world is illusory. What we can grasp is only our own heart, our spirit—this is the precious truth."

As he listened to Liu Jiangzhou spouting nonsense, a person came to mind. What he said was almost identical to Berkeley's views.

Berkeley, Locke, and Hume are considered the three major representatives of modern British empiricist philosophy. Berkeley's most famous view is "to be is to be perceived," arguing that all matter originates from experience and exists only in the mind. Isn't this exactly what Liu Zhoucheng is saying now?

"What I'm talking about is all matter, everything you see and touch, even our flesh and blood, which is actually nothingness. And the one who performs this great divine art is the one true God, the Celestial Venerable. Only by abandoning material desires and believing in the Celestial Venerable can the soul be sublimated."

"That's too pessimistic," I thought to myself. According to this doctrine, wouldn't every female follower have to abandon all material desires and live like a Puritan?

"To those who are here for the first time, I know what's in your hearts right now: doubt, disbelief, disdain. But look around you, we already have such steadfast believers who have recognized the truth of this world, the absolute truth, the irrefutable truth. Why do we worship the Heavenly Venerable, and why is our church not called the Heavenly Venerable Church, but the Holy Maiden Church? Because the Heavenly Venerable has descended incarnation, and that is our Holy Maiden. The Holy Maiden is God's earthly walker; she possesses divine power, and this power is the core that unites so many believers."

At this point, Master Liu revealed a strange smile: "Foolish mortals, you can only believe what you see with your own eyes."

His words piqued my interest, making me eager to hear what kind of power this saintess possessed.

"The world is inherently illusory, and mortals dare not believe it. Because mortals only believe what they see, hear, and touch. So the gods let them see, hear, and touch. The saint's power lies in her ability to easily dispel the fog. Before her, flowers, stones, grass, trees, and everything in time are merely fog that can be easily dispelled."

Liu Jiangzhou suddenly stood up, pointed at the audience, and shouted, "In other words, each and every one of you, if the Holy Maiden so desires, can return you to the original nothingness. Because all things in the world are illusory, if the Holy Maiden deems something to disappear, something that no longer needs to exist, then that thing will vanish, erased from this world cleanly, without leaving a trace. Yes, it only requires the Holy Maiden's will, only the Holy Maiden's words, 'It does not exist.' This is a miracle, and such a miracle will descend today, and you will all witness it!"

These words struck me like a thunderbolt, opening a pathway through many previously disconnected links.

I turned to look at Yuan Ji. His expression was resolute, devout, and somewhat fanatical. Had he actually witnessed that kind of power? Could there really be someone in this world before whom any flesh or steel was merely a phantom that could be blown away at any moment? Did this world, the world I had lived in for over twenty years, not exist at all?

Or... what they saw as miracles were just magic tricks, like the great magicians who travel the world and can use sleight of hand to make a Boeing airliner disappear in full view of everyone.

But deep down I know that some things can only be explained if what Liu Jiangzhou said is true.

The truth about the world that Liu Jiangzhou spoke of can explain the mystery that has troubled me for a long time, but it also negates the whole world. Which side should I choose?

In fact, the truth is not something we can choose.

Chapter Seventeen is gone.

The predecessor of this Holy Maiden Church stronghold was a quasi-nursing home, which is similar to my initial guess.

The project manager was an elderly man who had become wealthy and returned to his hometown to build a nursing home as a way to give back to the community. However, after the building was completed, he delayed obtaining the necessary permits for several years before joining the Church of Saints.

As followers of the saint, believing in the nihilism of the world, material wealth is of no concern to them. Furthermore, core followers, once they reach a certain level of spiritual practice and wish to perform sacraments with the saint's permission, can do so. The essence of these sacraments is God's recognition of the follower's sainthood and the guidance of their spirit back to God's Kingdom. Since it is a spiritual return to Heaven, everything in this world becomes meaningless. Beforehand, the follower will sign a property transfer agreement; once the ceremony is successful, all property will be transferred to the church.

The so-called successful ritual means erasing the existence of this person. This is very similar to the miracle I am about to witness. The only difference is that in the miracle I am about to witness, the saint is erasing an inanimate object, while in the sacrament, an inanimate object is being erased.

Yuan Ji said all this in a matter-of-fact tone, but it gave me a jolt.

"So, how many saints have there been so far?" I asked.

"Saints are not so easy to achieve. There are only two in total. But in my opinion, if Master Xue and Master Liu hadn't had to manage worldly affairs and help the church grow, they would have been qualified to return to the Kingdom of Heaven long ago."

This was blatant plunder, not only blatant but also bloody! I was wondering what such a puritanical doctrine could bring them if Xue Ying and Liu Jiangzhou had created this "Holy Maiden Cult" for personal gain. Now I understand. The idea that all the wealth belongs to the church—that "Holy Maiden" is still young; how much could she possibly understand? It probably all ended up in their pockets. If they weren't afraid of attracting police attention with too many disappearances, there would probably be more than just two "saints" already. Furthermore, the church was small at the time, and there weren't many wealthy members, which was also a reason.

This is truly an extremely evil cult.

However, for Xue and Liu to achieve their goal of accumulating wealth, they had to ensure the "perfect disappearance" of the believers. They not only had to kill silently, but also had to dispose of all traces. Since it was called a "sacred ritual," it must have been carried out openly within the church, under the watchful eyes of everyone.

I clenched my fists silently, determined to expose whatever tricks he was up to.

When I heard Liu Jiangzhou say that, I was quite doubtful; his persuasive power was indeed formidable. But now, after hearing Yuan Ji's story about the "Holy Maiden," those doubts vanished instantly. This Holy Maiden Cult must be using some method to achieve its goal of plundering and murdering.

Right now, I'm walking with dozens of new believers preparing to join the Church of the Holy Maiden, on the way to the place where the miracle is supposed to take place. The Church of the Holy Maiden seems very confident in their tricks and wants us to go and see the site beforehand. The implication is that we should go and check out the place to see if there are any hidden mechanisms or traps.

Of course, I'm going to use my own eyes to find out their secrets.

The path we are walking on can not actually be considered a path.

Not far from our base, right next to the river, there was a doghouse. Behind the doghouse was a gap in the wall, so we went down through the gap.

Below is not a river, but a pond that has been enclosed right next to the riverbed. It may have once been a fishpond, but it has dried up.

The bottom of the pond was muddy, of course. It had rained before, and many places were not completely dry, so you could leave a shoe print when you stepped on them.

We walked along the narrow muddy path, one step higher than the other, and without even looking down, we knew our shoes were covered in mud. A small wooden boat drifted slowly by on the river beside us, and the boatman sitting on the pole glanced at us curiously. From his angle, only our shoulders and heads were visible; most of our bodies were below the waterline.

After turning a corner, we reached the end of the pond. Surprisingly, there was a small wooden house built right in the muddy pond.

The pond is square, and the wooden house is built right in the middle of it. Although it is not big and is very simple, it is painted white all over, which gives people a strange feeling at first glance.

Even if a miracle were performed in a magnificent church or a hidden basement, it wouldn't make a difference to this little white cabin built in a dried-up fishpond. Mystery often arises from the abruptness of events, and faith is inextricably linked to mystery.

The wooden house is made of planks pieced together, and it's obvious that it's not wind-resistant; it's bound to be blown away during a typhoon. Unless there's some kind of "divine intervention" to protect it, it will have to be rebuilt after the typhoon season, but fortunately, the workload isn't too great.

The moment I saw the wooden house, I frowned. A magic trick? Was it really going to be performed in a place like this? Putting everything else aside, the muddy ground beneath my feet made it difficult to dig a stable passage, and a tunnel was the easiest way I'd envisioned for carrying out this switcheroo.

The wooden hut had no windows. Master Liu, who was leading the way, casually opened the wooden door and said, "A miracle will happen in this wooden hut in a little while. We will put something in first."

At this point, he whispered to someone beside him, then continued, “Today we will place a potted plant inside, right in the center of the wooden house. After the Holy Maiden displays her divine power, this plant will disappear and cease to exist in this world. Before witnessing such a miracle, I know some of you will have doubts. That's alright; it is through these doubts that faith will grow. There is still some time before the ceremony begins. During this time, you can carefully observe this wooden house to see if there are any hidden mechanisms. But please be careful; it's small inside, so don't crowd it and cause it to collapse, haha.”

After saying those nice words, he stepped aside.

How many people wouldn't have doubts? Even those who had already embraced the Holy Maiden's faith would still harbor a strong curiosity about the small wooden hut where the miracle had occurred. So, for the next while, the hut was packed with people, each carefully examining it, hoping to discover something extraordinary about it.

I didn't join the frenzy, but instead wandered around the cabin a few times. I occasionally heard soft, muffled sounds coming from inside, clearly someone stomping their feet. They were thinking the same thing as me, wondering if there was anything unusual going on underground.

There was nothing unusual about the outside of the cabin. I tapped around it with my knuckles, and the sound of the planks indicated that they were extremely thin—thin enough that I was confident I could break them with a single punch. Of course, there wouldn't be any problems with such thin planks.

I waited until more people were leaving than entering before I went inside.

The cabin is less than ten square meters in size. There are no windows; light comes in through the gaps in the open door and the roof planks, but it's not enough to illuminate every corner of the cabin clearly.

The walls inside were painted white, and strange symbols were drawn on them with charcoal. I couldn't tell the origin of these lines and symbols at all; they were probably just scribbles that Xue Ying and the others drew on the spot to increase the religious atmosphere and mystery.

Looking down at the ground, I saw countless footprints left by so many people, making it a muddy mess. I started walking in a spiral from the outermost circle inwards, each step heavy, each step feeling the force of the earth's response—how solid it was. I walked until I reached the center, the spot Liu Jiangzhou had mentioned where a flowerpot would be placed. I stomped my foot hard, ignoring the mud splattering onto my trouser legs, drawing surprised glances from the other two people in the room.

The sound is normal, there's nothing wrong with the sound below.

I let out a sigh of relief, my gaze sweeping across the wooden planks of the four walls, spiraling upwards to every corner at the top, before I stepped outside.

There was nothing wrong with the cabin. Or rather, I couldn't see anything wrong with it.

I was secretly astonished. After leveling the muddy ground like this, what else could they possibly do? The floor inside the house wasn't exactly mirror-smooth, but anyone who went in would inevitably leave footprints. If there really was a tunnel, it was impossible to open and close it without leaving a trace on the muddy ground.

They've blocked their own escape route, unless they don't need one in the first place.

"Please wait a moment. Once all the parishioners have arrived, the saint will begin to exercise her power," Liu Jiangzhou said.

The door of the wooden house was left wide open, and everyone could see that it was completely empty inside.

"Na Duo, how was it? I saw you were looking very carefully just now," Yuan Ji said.

"Oh, that's just a professional habit," I said with a smile, touching my nose. "I can't believe it while I'm watching. Such a simple little wooden house. It seems the miracle really is real. I think I'll be even more convinced after I actually witness the miracle."

More and more believers came along the muddy path, gradually filling the area around the wooden house, circle after circle. I stood at the very back, closest to the main entrance of the wooden house.

Suddenly, a low exclamation was heard: "The Holy Maiden has arrived."

I quickly turned my head to look at where it had happened.

The crowd in that direction spontaneously parted to make way, and what I first saw were four believers carrying two large bamboo baskets filled with hay. They used the hay to pave a path in the mud, leading directly to the wooden hut. This way, walking on the hay path would keep their feet dry and prevent them from getting muddy.

After they finished doing all that and stepped aside, I soon saw a girl slowly walking towards me along the grassy path.

The long-held speculation finally came true at this moment. More than three years later, I saw Zhou Qianqian again.

She wore a gray robe with a white ribbon tied around her waist; it wasn't a very modern outfit, but rather had an ancient and mysterious feel to it.

Three years had passed, and Zhou Qianqian's appearance hadn't changed much, except she had grown taller and her chin had become more pointed and slender. Her former aloofness had transformed into coldness. This was no longer just a sense of distance; as she walked, her clear, bright eyes swept across the crowd with an air of superiority. It was as if she truly were a goddess, separated from us mortals by an insurmountable distance.

I think that's a kind of aura too. Just like how a leader who's been in a position for a long time develops the aura of someone in power, or someone who's been on screen for a long time develops the aura of a star, she, under the tutelage of Liu Jiangzhou, Xue Ying, and a large group of clueless followers, has already acquired the aura of a charlatan.

I stared at Zhou Qianqian for a while before noticing Xue Ying following behind her. Xue Ying was significantly taller than Zhou Qianqian, but everyone's attention was focused on the Holy Maiden. This wasn't because of her beauty; at her young age, a woman's greatest asset was still in the process of accumulating. Even in her childhood, the villagers of Datang Village felt she possessed an eerie aura, and now, this unusual feeling was seen by the believers as the best explanation for her status as a Holy Maiden.

The voices of the surrounding worshippers gradually rose, and some began chanting "Saintess, Saintess." However, when she stood before the wooden hut and scanned the crowd with her brush, the scene quickly fell silent. The same action, performed by some, could elicit deafening cheers, while for others it could silence the entire crowd.

People started walking down the path the crowd had just parted to make way for. This time, it was two burly men carrying a large flowerpot. It probably weighed over a hundred pounds, and the plant inside looked like a jasmine plant. They didn't walk on the dry grass path, but walked close together, leaving a trail of deep footprints behind them.

They moved Milan into the main house, and I was standing close by. I could see clearly that before leaving, one of them used a wooden rake to smooth out the footprints they had left behind.

Zhou Qianqian glanced back at Xue Ying, as if asking if they could begin. Only at that moment did I see a hint of dependence in her eyes, a very normal emotion for a girl her age, though it was fleeting.

Xue Ying nodded slightly. Zhou Qianqian turned back and pointed to the still-open door. Liu Jiangzhou stepped forward and closed the door. He turned back and said, "Everyone, please pay attention, a miracle is about to unfold."

Zhou Qianqian glanced at the door, paused for two or three seconds, then walked forward and opened the door.

I stared intently at her movements, trying to see what she was going to do. But after Zhou Qianqian opened the door, she didn't go in; instead, she came back.

I frowned, somewhat surprised, and looked away from her. At the same time, I heard a chorus of breathing around me.

When I looked at the wooden house again, the heavy potted Milan was gone.

I couldn't help but open my mouth wide and, like the people around me, gasped sharply.

From the moment Liu Jiangzhou closed the door to the moment Zhou Qianqian reopened it, less than ten seconds had passed. This miracle occurred with lightning speed, so fast that I couldn't react, yet it was also completely silent.

Chapter Eighteen: Souls Returning to Heaven

Milan is gone, leaving only a deep, circular mark in the mud.

Besides, the flat, muddy ground had no unusual bulges or depressions, and there were no footprints. In such a wooden hut, the only way to make this pot of over a hundred-pound Milanese jasmine disappear without a trace seemed to be to hoist it away with a rope. But just now, this miracle ended before I even thought it had begun; the interval was so short that there was no time for any trickery. Moreover, with everyone watching and the sky above the hut clear, there was no possibility of anything sinister going on.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

Yes, that's right, now there's only one possibility.

"Now that the miracle has been displayed, everyone can come closer and take a closer look," Liu Jiangzhou said.

He had barely finished speaking when I dashed forward. The moment I entered the wooden house, I looked up.

There's only one way this flowerpot could have disappeared from our sight in such a short time: there must be something wrong with the roof of the cabin. If there's a hidden compartment in the roof, and someone is hiding inside, they could use a rope or some other tool to snare the flowerpot and lift it up in mid-air within the second it closes the door. Perhaps when Zhou Qianqian opened the door, he didn't have time to pull the flowerpot into the hidden compartment, but the cabin door is low enough that, because our view was obstructed, we could only see the flowerpot on the ground was gone, but we couldn't see the one still hanging in mid-air.

If my guess is correct, then even if he has moved Milan to the mezzanine, he certainly can't take Milan out of the house. While outside, I estimated the height of the wooden house; now, comparing it to the height of the ceiling inside, the mezzanine is definitely not out of my sight.

But when I looked up, I was stunned.

I don't know how long I stayed there. By the time I came to my senses, I had already been squeezed out of the hut by a steady stream of believers behind me.

There is no interlayer.