Tap, tap...
The soft sound of footsteps echoed. Huang Tian walked at an unhurried pace toward the Yellow Turban center army. Wherever he walked, the crowd fell prostrate.
Before long, Zhang Jiao's carriage arrived from the center army, stopping a hundred paces from Huang Tian. Though Zhang Jiao was frail and wracked with pain, he still gripped his nine-section staff and struggled down from the carriage. Stumbling forward on unsteady feet, almost falling, he came before Huang Tian and prostrated himself with utmost reverence:
"Jiao pays homage to the Holy Venerable Huang Tian!"
Beside him, Zhang Liang, head bound in a yellow turban and clad in armor, likewise knelt, burying his head deep against the dirt. "Liang pays homage to the Holy Venerable Huang Tian!"
Watching Zhang Jiao, the leader of hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turbans under heaven, bow low before him, Huang Tian felt no particular sense of accomplishment, only that this was a stroke of profound affinity.
If Zhang Jiao had not led the Yellow Turban Rebellion, their cries that "the Yellow Sky shall arise" would never have reached his ears, and Huang Tian would naturally have found it difficult to cross worlds to come here.
This was one of the reasons Huang Tian stood on the side of the Yellow Turban Army.
Affinity was truly marvelous beyond words.
He walked over to Zhang Jiao's side. His small stature was only slightly taller than Zhang Jiao kneeling on the ground, appearing somewhat comical, but in the eyes of countless Yellow Turban soldiers, it was a profoundly sacred sight!
Zhonghuang Taiyi of heaven, the Great Virtuous Teacher of earth—a meeting of deity and believer for the ages!
Huang Tian looked down at Zhang Jiao, and his very first words caught everyone off guard:
"You are dying."
Zhang Jiao's frame shuddered. Naturally, he did not think Huang Tian meant to kill him; rather, he believed the god Huang Tian had seen through his illness and knew his days were numbered.
He parted his lips, but no plea for salvation left his mouth.
A god was a god. Even a reincarnated mortal form descended to earth was a divine being not to be profaned.
And mortals were forever mere mortals; even a Great Virtuous Teacher or the Han Emperor remained a mortal.
Thousands of years hence, the immortals and gods would still abide with heaven and earth, while mortals would have long since turned into handfuls of yellow soil, scattered by the wind.
Zhang Jiao would not ask, and Zhang Liang dared not speak either; the latter was still in a daze.
What should have been an inevitable defeat in pitched battle had turned around with the descent of Huang Tian, who helped them effortlessly rout the Han army. This was a scene he could never have conceived even in his wildest dreams.
Even the past spectacle of Emperor Guangwu "summoning" meteors paled far beside the miraculous absurdity of today.
Seeing the silence of the brothers Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liang, Huang Tian uttered his second sentence:
"Within the Zhonghuang Yuanji Heaven, I dreamed through a myriad worlds and heard that in this realm, believers suffered catastrophe and disaster, chanting my name. Thus, I parted a wisp of spiritual consciousness to descend into the mortal dust, dispelling calamity and propagating the Dao."
Zhang Jiao spoke with deep sincerity, "Holy Venerable, the common people suffer bitterly, and Jiao had no choice but to raise the banner of rebellion. Alas, the Han court is mighty, and Jiao suffered defeat after defeat. Fortunately, the Holy Venerable has trodden into the dust of mortals to deliver our world."
Huang Tian gave a faint smile and extended a small, tender white palm, gently resting it upon Zhang Jiao's head.
In the next moment, Zhang Jiao felt a cool current of air course from his skull throughout his entire body. It was like parched grass nourished by heavy rain; a sensation of transparent lightness and relief surged through his decaying flesh.
"My thanks to the Holy Venerable!!" Zhang Jiao buried his head even lower, his voice brimming with genuine devotion.
Maintaining the posture of an immortal caressing the crown, Huang Tian quietly sensed the spiritual qi of the late Han world.
Yes, this world possessed spiritual qi as well. Though Huang Tian held no cultivation at the moment, he could absorb spiritual qi through respiration, guiding a wisp of spiritual qi to flow through Zhang Jiao's body.
*Spiritual qi truly can cure illness...*
Huang Tian thought to himself. Healing Zhang Jiao served two purposes: first, the man would be useful hereafter; second, it allowed him to test the effects of spiritual qi on ordinary people and the sick.
Now it was certain: spiritual qi truly had the power to heal disease, save lives, and strengthen body and health.
After ten-odd breaths, Huang Tian withdrew his small hand and said calmly, "Rise, all of you."
"By your command!"
The entire assembly rose to their feet. Feeling the abundant vigor coursing within him, Zhang Jiao was filled with joy and grew ever more pious.
"May the Holy Venerable enter the city to rest," Zhang Jiao said with bowed head.
"Very well."
Huang Tian stepped forward at the head of the procession. Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liang followed closely behind to guide his way, and the remaining qushuai of all ranks trailed in their wake, leaving only a few commanders to deal with the surrendered Han soldiers.
There was no helping it; now that Holy Venerable Huang Tian had descended to the mortal world, attending him was of paramount importance. The mere Han army was not worth mentioning.
Upon entering the city, the aged, weak, women, and children of the Yellow Turbans inside raised another clamorous wave of kneeling and prostrating. Huang Tian paid them no mind—so that they would not kneel too long—and headed straight for the county government compound.
The county office in Guangzong was not grand, and Zhang Jiao had not renovated or rebuilt it after capturing Guangzong. Nevertheless, it covered a wide area, planted with abundant flowers and trees, bearing an antique charm that was quite satisfying.
In a bright room, Huang Tian dismissed everyone else, leaving only Zhang Jiao behind.
"Holy Venerable, should you require anything, I shall have it presented to you," Zhang Jiao said with utmost caution. He knew that the holy child before him was merely a descended wisp of spiritual consciousness of the Holy Venerable Huang Tian and might not have transcended worldly needs, perhaps requiring mortal offerings.
Huang Tian saw through his thoughts. "Delicacies and beauties are like dust; cultivators do not pursue them. Though this body of mine possesses virtually no cultivation and requires diligent daily practice, mundane luxuries are unnecessary. Offering two meals each day will suffice."
"Yes." Zhang Jiao hesitated for a moment before asking, "May I ask how the Holy Venerable wishes to deal with the Han army and the Han court?"
He held not the slightest doubt that Huang Tian had the power to overthrow the Great Han. This was the reincarnation of an immortal god!
He merely remained uncertain of Huang Tian's intentions, fearful that his own actions might not align with Huang Tian's wishes.
Huang Tian said, "Hold off on dispatching troops for now. Toppling the Han court is not something achieved overnight. Devote your efforts to reorganizing and drilling the Han soldiers who surrendered today to accumulate strength."
With more than ten thousand veteran Han soldiers surrendering, the Yellow Turban Army's strength was bound to soar. When that time came, Guangzong alone would hold over fifty thousand troops. Adding Zhang Bao stationed in Xiaquyang, the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province would number fully one hundred thousand!
With one hundred thousand men, slightly trained, the commandery and kingdom troops in Ji Province would surely have no power to resist, allowing the Yellow Turban Army to easily sweep across the entire Ji Province.
"Jiao understands."
After Zhang Jiao departed, Huang Tian clasped his small hands behind his back and strolled around the room. He looked at this and glanced at that, slightly satisfying his curiosity, before returning to the mat to settle his mind.
In coming to the late Han world, Huang Tian had two objectives.
First, by taking advantage of the time difference between the late Han world and Blue Star, he aimed to cultivate to the sixth layer of Qi Refinement here as quickly as possible, and then "re-cultivate" back on Blue Star. His already rapid cultivation speed would surely increase by yet another notch.
Second, he wanted to try unifying the world. He had an intuition that leading the Yellow Turban Army to pacify all under heaven would bring him no small benefit. As for what that benefit was, he did not know yet, but he certainly did not mind obtaining it.
Of course, once the world was unified, the common folk would naturally suffer far less from the ravages of war, which was also one of his aims.
*When poor, attend to one's own virtue; when prosperous, bring benefit to all under heaven. As the descended Zhonghuang Taiyi, I have the ability to pacify the world and bring lasting peace to mortals. Why not do so?*
With this thought flickering through his mind, Huang Tian sank into a serene, ethereal state of meditation.
Chapter 13