Today's incident wasn't a big deal. First of all, no one was injured. From the perspective of the public security authorities, it will only result in a fine and a warning. Moreover, there are a few influential people in the government who, although not powerful enough, still have a say in the matter.
A large number of police officers arrived and took all the relevant personnel into the vehicles.
"Director Chi, Director Chi..." The woman, who could be considered the leader of the teaching group, broke free from a policeman and ran to Chi Haojiang's side, saying, "Isn't this bullying? Is there no law anymore? You are also a loyal follower of our Dao Immortal Technique, why don't you say a few words instead of taking us away? What right do you have..."
Snap!
Chi Haojiang lost his composure and slapped the woman hard across the face. Then, somewhat regretfully, he turned and left.
He's now in dire straits, barely able to save himself.
The woman was stunned by the slap and was dragged into the police car by the police.
...
No one could have imagined that such a small incident would quickly escalate, spread, and be exploited... becoming the fuse that ignited the massive explosion.
In truth, even without Ye Wan's accidental encounter, the "Dao Xian Gong," a fundamentally illegal sect that had already degenerated into a cult, was destined to be eradicated sooner or later. However, the country's security agencies were currently secretly monitoring and investigating, gathering evidence, and tracing the mastermind behind it all, even investigating whether there was any covert support or infiltration from foreign forces.
To the average person, these seemingly simple things will never reveal the many serious crises hidden behind them.
However, in a short period of time, without sufficient evidence to fully establish that "Dao Xian Gong" is a cult, government agencies will be unable to use strong measures to ban, thoroughly investigate, and eradicate it.
Because belief is free, people also have their own preferences.
Excessive authoritarianism will inevitably lead to vicious social discontent, and if hostile foreign forces take the opportunity to fan the flames, chaos will ensue.
This was also an issue that Li Ruiqing and the leaders of the State Security Bureau had discussed privately with Xu Zhengyang.
That's why Xu Zhengyang unusually maintained a high degree of restraint towards the "Dao Xian Gong" organization, which used blatantly illegal and fraudulent methods. He simply sent his subordinates to investigate secretly and learn more about the situation.
Every cult, when it first emerges, inevitably possesses a positive aspect, enough to make people disbelieve yet unable to say anything against it. At the very least, it's certain that it teaches people to be good and is beneficial. Like all religions, it can serve as a person's spiritual pillar, sustenance, and refuge.
However, it is called a cult because when it initially showed good behavior, it was maliciously planned, arranged, and lured into its development.
This has led to a rapid transformation in the nature of the sect, turning people's hearts from being guided towards good to being rapidly brainwashed, confused, persecuted, exploited, and instigated.
In the age of internet information, this matter quickly spread due to the instigation and hype of certain individuals.
The son of a high-ranking official abused his power, pressured local public security departments, and persecuted followers of Daoist Xian Gong and ordinary citizens… A mountain of accusations were pinned on the head of a wealthy family surnamed Ye. There are too many injustices in this society. With long-standing dissatisfaction with the status quo, ordinary people often take it for granted and without consideration to side with the weak in similar situations, criticizing, cursing, and venting their frustrations.
This is a very complex issue, and it's really impossible for the general public to judge whether they are right or wrong.
However, since it happened, the sensation it caused was inevitable.
When this incident first became a hot topic online, Chen Chaojiang was investigating some Daoist Immortal Cultivation organizations in Zhongzhou City. He was using his supernatural powers to investigate the backgrounds and thoughts of some of the lower-level leaders in these organizations. Zhongzhou City was the birthplace of Daoist Immortal Cultivation, and it had the largest number of believers there.
The results of the investigation surprised Chen Chaojiang. Apart from a small number of organizers who had the intention of profiting from it, most of them were actually obsessed with it, loyal to it, and even willing to spend their family fortune to cultivate the Dao Immortal Technique, hoping to achieve perfect merit in the future, reach the Great Perfection Realm, and ascend to immortality, living as long as heaven and earth.
Even more seriously, the followers of Daoxiangong have undergone a severe qualitative change, becoming blind and arrogant.
If anyone has any complaints about them, or if a believer's family members try to stop them, they will immediately gather a group of people to enter their home, either by coercion or bribery, or even have many people sit in meditation in front of their home, making it inconvenient for them to go out and restless.
Local law enforcement agencies have been repeatedly besieged, sat-ins, and demonstrated by the Daoxian Gong organization.
This news was quickly reported to Xu Zhengyang.
When Xu Zhengyang learned of this news, he was sitting on Zhenyi Island in the center of Jingniang Lake, seemingly fishing leisurely.
The weeping willows are lush and green, reflecting in the lake, the water is as clear as a mirror; in the distance, a few small boats float on the lake, and on the island behind and on the distant lakeside, the figures of tourists can be seen moving about.
Xu Zhengyang, dressed in simple light-colored casual clothes, leaned back in a portable chair, holding a fishing rod in his hand, his eyes slightly closed, and his expression indifferent.
Under the shade of the trees, he looked more and more like a rich young master on vacation.
What is unseen by ordinary people is that Ouyang Ying, dressed in a green robe and green skirt, is standing beside him, holding a jade scroll in her hands, and is explaining her recent analysis results to Xu Zhengyang in a clear and organized manner.
The general idea is that in this age lacking faith, people are corrupted by money and the realities of society. Although everyone has morality and conscience, they are gradually diminished by the pressures of life. At the same time, people often feel empty, hopeless, and lost due to excessive pressure, which is why suicides are so frequent nowadays.
Given this prevailing social condition and mentality, people yearn for a spiritual anchor and support.
Or perhaps it gives them a glimmer of hope.
Given such an opportunity, even one so naive and riddled with flaws, they will seize it with a sliver of hope. And then they will quickly become addicted, unable to extricate themselves.
Of course, there is another important reason.
that is……
Ouyang Ying found it difficult to speak and hesitated.
Xu Zhengyang raised his eyelids to look at Ouyang Ying, then smiled and said, "Speak, what are you hesitating about?"
"Don't be angry," Ouyang Ying said, pouting.
"Silly girl, go ahead and say it." Xu Zhengyang smiled, then turned his gaze to the fishing float that was quietly floating on the lake.
"Because in recent years... many strange and inexplicable things have been happening all over the country, especially the series of incidents in Fuhe City back then, which were widely publicized, and even now there are still many discussions about miracles on the internet." Ouyang Ying paused, then continued, "So people have become increasingly convinced of the existence of illusory gods... and thus, they have become one-sided and stubborn in their belief in certain methods of cultivating immortality. In fact, it is very easy to see the falsehood in such things, but people spontaneously hope and affirm that they are real."
At this point, Ouyang Ying stopped, looking like a child who had done something wrong and was afraid of being scolded by adults. Her small hands hung down at her waist, clutching the jade scroll, and she lowered her head slightly, glancing cautiously at Xu Zhengyang.
Xu Zhengyang remained calm as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes now completely closed.
He knew, of course, that his wife, Li Bingjie, must have helped him to make such an analysis, and perhaps... at some point, Judge Li Haidong had expressed his own ideas.
So, does that mean I also have to take responsibility for the emergence of the Dao Immortal Technique?
Xu Zhengyang sighed inwardly. When he visited the cargo ship in Haigukou City, Wen Qin had mentioned that the Dao Xian Gong, which was widely circulated in society and had a rapidly growing number of believers, was being manipulated by Xu Zhengyang behind the scenes. At the time, Xu Zhengyang denied it, but he was already wary in his heart.
Now, based on Ouyang Ying's analysis, Xu Zhengyang thought that perhaps the government did not pay much attention to it at the beginning, or even took action to crack down on it in advance, using media publicity to expose the falsehood of "Dao Xian Gong" because it was afraid of him and suspected him, so it did not exercise much control.
However, Li Ruiqing never said this to him.
The Nine Provinces Record flashed in his mind. Xu Zhengyang slightly raised his hand to summon the Nine Provinces Record and opened his eyes to look at the investigation report that Chen Chaojiang had given him.
Chen Chaojiang's words echoed in his mind: "Zhengyang must be stopped and eradicated."
"Investigate further and find out who is behind this." Xu Zhengyang's eyes flashed coldly as he said in a deep voice, "Notify Judge Li Haidong to return to China immediately and investigate this matter."
"Yes," Chen Chaojiang quickly replied.
Xu Zhengyang put down his fishing rod, took out his phone, and dialed Li Ruiqing's number:
"Second Uncle, the Dao Immortal Cult should be shut down."
"Well, no rush. It seems they've discovered connections to foreign forces, and the investigation is ongoing... It should be done soon," Li Ruiqing said.
"Okay, I'll investigate this too. We must eradicate it."
"Um."
...
As planned by Li Ruiqing and Xu Zhengyang, thorough preparations must have been made before taking action. Then, with a swift and decisive strike, coupled with careful handling of publicity and other aspects, the impact of the incident was minimized.
However, the internet is already in an uproar.
Volume Six, Chapter 359: With great power in my hands, who can do anything to me?
There's an old saying that goes, "You can't fight city hall." The devil may be one foot tall, but the righteous are ten feet tall.
There's an old saying: a guilty conscience needs no accuser...
These two old sayings seem completely unrelated, not even remotely related.
However, in the context of the currently hotly debated "Queen Gate" incident, these two sentences aptly describe the current situation. Of course, this only applies to the vast majority of netizens.
The so-called "Queen Gate" refers to Ye Wan.
Well, these powerful and influential families, with their power and influence, can easily summon a group of heavily armed soldiers with a single phone call and arrest everyone they encounter when they have a minor conflict with ordinary citizens. How impressive and domineering is that? Hence, netizens jokingly refer to it as the "Queen Gate" incident.
However, given that Ye Wan and his family's powerful background were involved, without any intervention from Ye Rongchen's family, relevant departments naturally began to crack down on the online frenzy surrounding the incident. Domestic websites blocked the news, and major forums strictly prohibited any discussions or posts related to the matter, deleting them all!
Even worse, some people spread rumors online that netizens had been arrested for discussing this incident!
How astonishing!
This connects to the saying "the arm can't twist the thigh," implying that ordinary people can't possibly contend with such powerful and influential families. Are they courting death? Consequently, the online crackdown, blocking, and deletion of information related to this incident were naturally misunderstood by netizens, who assumed the Ye family was acting out of guilt.
Otherwise, why don't you stand up and explain yourselves?
This seems to have become a common psychological rule for people to make judgments.
If you finally step forward to explain, then very well… an explanation is tantamount to a cover-up, and a cover-up is tantamount to the truth…
Ye Rongchen, a man of worldly wisdom, naturally understood such a simple truth. Moreover, he didn't take these fabricated rumors seriously at all. Given his status, he naturally disdained to concern himself with such matters. However, he did warn his family, including Ye Wan, not to pay any attention, let alone give any media interviews. Ye Rongchen calmly said, "The truth will come out eventually; now is not the time."
Now is certainly not the time.
But how could Ye Wan, with her fiery temper, tolerate this?
So she found those overseas websites and engaged in countless verbal battles with netizens in forums and related comment posts.
Of course, she wouldn't reveal that she was the person involved.
The result was obvious: Ye Wan was bombarded with insults online, leaving her furious and so angry that her mother stopped producing milk.
Poor little Chen Zihan was innocently implicated and lost the happiness of breastfeeding, and can only be fed with formula.
One week later...
Just as discussions about this incident were fading away on major domestic websites and forums, while they were gaining momentum on overseas websites, a series of major events broke out in various parts of China.
Encouraged by those with ulterior motives, believers obsessed with "Taoist Immortal Cultivation" began to meditate, gather, and protest in public places. These demonstrations ranged from dozens to hundreds, even thousands of people. Do not underestimate these displays; these brainwashed and misled citizens possessed an extremely strong sense of unity and seemed to have lost all individual thought, numbly following individual leaders like zombies to engage in dangerous criminal activities.
When such incidents first broke out, local government departments could only take some softening measures, such as meeting with the victims, offering advice, and reassuring them.
Unfortunately, all these softening methods were ineffective.
The followers of "Dao Xian Gong" seem to be increasingly encouraged, and have begun to gather at government offices in various places, obstructing and disrupting daily work, or blocking traffic...
Some local officials asked them, "What exactly do you want? What is your purpose?"
What's both laughable and infuriating is that almost no one can come up with a truly logical and reasonable statement.
Even more outrageous, some have gone so far as to claim: "The government should recognize the legal existence of 'Dao Xian Gong' and that key figures from the 'Dao Xian Gong' sect should enter the upper echelons of government and have the right to participate in national policy decisions..."
Anyone with a modicum of sense would understand that only someone who's tired of living or a lunatic would say something like that.
You're asking for it!
The situation caused a stir at the top, prompting several emergency meetings to discuss how to respond.
This incident erupted somewhat suddenly, too quickly, and was beyond their previous expectations and arrangements. This was because relevant departments at the highest levels of the government had already begun a covert investigation and review of "Dao Xian Gong," and were starting to plan how to eradicate it. In effect, they were internally defining "Dao Xian Gong" as a cult.
We're just waiting for the right moment to seize the opportunity, to eradicate it completely, and to ensure it never has a chance to rise again.
However, in Jiangjing City, Jiangnan, Ye Rongchen's daughter, Ye Wan, accidentally encountered such a small incident, which unexpectedly led to a sudden change in the situation.